Kim_8

The first one my doc gave me (myocel) was absolutely disgusting. Then I went back the day of surgery to pick up more to make sure I had enough for post op and they gave me one called Reclaim RX. I got one in Swiss Cream Vanilla and the other is Double something Chocolate (can't remember the exact name)..... I have these EVERY day for breakfast and they're really good. Someone once upon a time posted a thread about a shaker for protein shakes... it's a plastic container with a round whisk inside... I ordered 4 and use one every day. Keeps me from dragging out the blender and also keeps the amount of foam / air down.

Oh, I'm so glad you tried the potato soup! I thought that was just about the best thing I'd ever eaten when I was where you are! I did the mexican food thing out and ate guacamole and half of a cheese enchilada made with a corn tortilla. I chewed to the point of mush. Have to say that it gave the potato soup a run for the money. Good luck at the bday party!

Will do Randy - I know.... I was kind of wigged out about it, too. She's post menopausal and kicked up with the same deal as Ms. Joy for some strange reason. I hate the nothing was found deal! Seems like they should be able to find something. Let Ms. Joy know we're thinking about her.

A chef! Cool! Congrats on that baby, too!

That would be fun Leatha... ok, so who's the organized person that can plan something like this? Look at your ticker! You're almost to goal.... yee haw! That's awesome!

I'm going out to hunt down a girl scout. Be back soon.

Mine is on the left just under my ribs and under the large incision... It really doesn't bother me when I wear clothes - unless pants are high waisted - which I hardly ever wear. I sure can feel the big ole lump though! Creeps the hubby out . My favorite thing to do is to make people feel it... ha.

Connie - Welcome! WOW - that is some great weight loss! And great news about the meds as well! Yee haw - you made it to ONEDERLAND! How cool?

Hey Ryan - Congrats and welcome! Hope you're feeling ok.... just fire away with ?'s and there are tons of people around here who will be happy to help any way they can. Take Care! Kim

I had surgery with anesthesia once before this and I lost gobs of hair. My hair dresser said it could have been from the anesthesia - common. Whether this is what it was or not, I don't know, but like Christine - it did eventually stop. Took about 8-10 months as I remember it. I have noticed that I seem to have started losing some hair again. I used to stick the hair hanging off my hands in the shower to the shower wall everyday just to make sure I wasn't accumulating so much that I'd be bald - guess I could've looked in the mirror, but I really stuck it to the wall - one section of wall for each day of the week. How gross was my shower??? :-)

LOL Morsaille. I understand - Been on a BIG OLE plateau lately. Ice sounds like a fantastic idea! As long as I'm chewing on something, that should be good enough... after all, I'm not really hungry! I'll give it a go. Thx!

Ah thanks - Who really has a picture of themself eating?? Me. ;-( Thought is was appropriate at the time though! I dunno. I think it happened to me when I didn't chew well enough so something got "stuck". Not sure that means restriction (although the restriction causes it I think). Just that when it tried to pass through there was no way in heck that it would go through. On another thread tonight, they said try meat tenderizer mixed with a bit of warm fluid or papaya extract to break down the protein and cause the food to break apart. Discussion is still ongoing as to exactly what kind foods this will work on. My research leads me to think that it will work on anything with protein. No firm answers here as I really don't know! My counselor said that the slime comes from your body trying to produce mucus to make whatever is stuck slide down. If it remains stuck, your body just keeps producing this and it's a vicious cycle. I think restriction is where you eat and get full after eating a small amount. Not necessarily equivalent to "stuck". Just my thoughts - maybe we'll hear otherwise :-).

Hey Kim - Yep - that sounds about right - a slime - oooooohhhhhh. :-) Hey - I like your new avatar!

LB - LOL Here's what Banded in KS said to do --- "I mixed about a teaspoon of the meat tenderizer in about 1/3 coffee cup of luke warm Water. I was only able to swallow maybe a teaspoon or tablespoon of it. That is all it took. It tastes like heavy salt water. Not good, but INSTANT RELIEF...no joke!" Sounds pretty gnarly, but she says it tastes like salt water.

Randy - Glad to hear she's going in to get checked. My mom just went in for an ultrasound for this same thing (she's not banded though) and everything came back ok on that as well as her pap smear. Hope everything's ok with Ms. Joy as well. Dody - What the heck? Why haven't I ever heard of such a thing??? I would pay good money for that!

Strawarts - ROTFLMAO - Too funny!

I'm definitely going to go get some of both. Hey - just asked my husband the science freak and he said that meat tenderizer breaks down Protein. What is papain? Papain is a protein-cleaving enzyme derived from papaya and certain other plants. Enzymes are complex molecules produced in living organisms to catalyze (speed up) chemical reactions within the cell. (If you have the Chime plugin for viewing three-dimensional molecular structures, you can see a model of the papain molecule here) [1] Why is meat tough? Muscles have to endure a lot of mechanical stress; they are made of strong fibers that make them hard to cut, and tough connective tissue holds them together. Individual muscle cells contain microscopic fibrils that give them their structural integrity and allow them to contract. The fibrils have a complex internal structure bound together by long protein chains. The connective tissue that holds the muscle together is also mostly protein. How does papain tenderize meat? Papain cuts the protein chains in the fibrils and also in the connective tissue, disrupting the structural integrity of the muscle Fiber, and tenderizing the meat.

See - I did have a bad experience in a restaurant one time. I had to run out and then I slimed all over the place outside. It was pretty gag me. Just be prepared to make a clean getaway if need be. Some people say they sit close to a bathroom.... I read one post where someone said carry a baggie in your purse - oooooggggiiiiieeee. Funny thing is, I now wait a little while after each bite before I take the next - just to make sure everything goes down ok. I know exactly when I'm having a problem (little golfball in my chest feeling) and I NEVER eat another bite until that feeling goes away. Sometimes I even call it a meal and don't eat for a good little while. So far, I've had no more problems - knock wood. I think when I did this in the restaurant I just hadn't learned yet not to pile in another bite when I had that feeling. I'm learning :-).

Funny Jack.... :-) P'nut - How cool was that?? Good NSV for you. I got the appetizer when I went out the other night and ate maybe 1/2 of it. Everyone at the table just looked at me, but I felt pretty good about it, too. So your mom's in huh? I bet she thought you looked wonderful! How nice for you guys to be able to have a leisurely visit without worrying about the food ---- and of all places, Red Robin! WOW.... not sure I could have gone without ordering the burger heaped with mayo - even if I did only eat a couple of bites - those are soooooo good.

Hello Kim, Welcome! Great weight loss! Congrats Kim

LOL - never thought about this. See - I had my hair highlighted blonde today for a reason.

That would have been my guess, too... So it would work on meat golf balls (really good to know), but not bread golf balls, yes?

Lenay - No - I'm not scared of erosion. I figure if it happens, it happens. Then I get the band taken out. I think it's a relatively new technology and who knows how long it can really stay in there. BUT, that said, I'm trying to use the time I have with the band to learn how to eat differently. Maybe I'll have it for the rest of my life and how cool would that be?? But, if I don't, then I feel like I have to use it to help me learn new habits now while I can. The band is just a tool that helps me know when to stop eating. How much I can eat depends on what time of day it is.... not a lot in the mornings because I'm a little tighter and food doesn't go down as easy. By night time, I can really eat more than I'm supposed to. If I get any type of food out, then I eat MAYBE half of it and take the rest to work the next day. If I'm home, then something like a lean cuisine is more than enough (that size portion anyway). Some people can't eat that much, but I've not had a problem with it. I think you're supposed to stick somewhere between 3/4 and 1 c at a meal - although I'm having a hard time figuring out how to gauge that. I use the portion size (like meats no bigger than a deck of cards) to set my limits when I feel like I could eat more than that. Kim

Hey Leenerbups - I didn't have to take antibiotics... but I just wanted to say I LOVE that cowbell video! I just watched it - that was hillarious! Hope you get to feeling better! Take Care of yourself!

Thanks Lenay - I've been at a stand still for a while... I'm ready for the next little bit to drop off! So here I sit drinking water... hopefully that will wipe out some of that Taco Bueno I had tonight :-) LOL. Also, I got my hair cut today - maybe that will account for 1/2 lb? Ha.