StaceyM

Hi. I don't have Tricare but I am in WV so I wanted to say hello. I'm in the Charleston area, where are you?

I was banded on 4/16 and I went out to eat for the first time on 5/3. We went to Ruby Tuesday and I got the Cajun Tilapia, broccoli and mashed cauliflower. I ate REALLY slow and only about 3 or 4 bites of each but it was great and I didn't have any trouble with anything.

Thankfully I only had to have one shot in my stomach pre-op, I am the world's biggest baby when it comes to needles. I am not vaccinated and I nearly had a panic attack in my dr's office when this whole Heparin topic came up. So we compromised. I begged him to give me the shot after I was knocked out but he said it had to be done before I was under. So we agreed that it would be given after the CRNA had pumped me full of happy drugs but just before they administered the anesthesia. I don't know if I felt it or not and frankly and that point, I didn't care. If the shot is a worry for you I highly suggest you working out the same arrangement with your dr, it worked great!

Mine was in when I woke up. I was still pretty out of it so all I remember is the CRNA saying "Stacey it went great, cough so we can remove your breathing tube". I coughed and the next thing I remember I was waking up again in the recovery room. I didn't feel a thing and I promise, you are pumped so full of stuff it won't matter.

These are what I'm using too and I LOVE them. I bought the fruit punch, grape and orange flavors and I swear they're a life saver! Two swallows and I've got 42 grams of protein out of the way for the day. I was really struggling with getting all of my protein in until my dietician told me about these "shots". I also add a scoop of vanilla unjury to a sugar-free Carnation instant Breakfast for a little something sweet in the evenings.

This is the list of foods my dietician gave me that I can eat during my "mushy phase". It includes ALL foods that I'm allowed to eat, not just mushies. Scrambled egg Low-fat cheese Creamy Peanut Butter Blended fruit (phase 1 and 2 baby food) Mashed potatoes Light yogurt Skim milk Cream of vegetable soup (ie: cream of potato, cream of broccoli, etc...) No sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast (I've found this the best thing to add unjury to) vanilla yogurt made with Splenda sugar free pudding Sugar free Jello Sugar free popsicles

Make him a basket and put different non-perishable foods in it. Hickory Farms meats and cheeses, crackers, some sweets. My grandfather always loved if we would get him different jams and syrups. We always went to the Amish store to find unusual flavors. Also, since he is elderly he probably gets cold so how about adding a nice pair of slippers? If he likes tabloids then go pick up one of each that is current and give him a lot to read. My grandmother was very in to the word search puzzles and they make those in jumbo print in case his eyesight isn't so good. At work we always adopt a person from a local nursing home every year for Christmas and I know they always want new PJs and also suggest lotions. As you age your skin becomes very dry so a good moisturizer is very soothing. One more suggestion: my mom made my grandfather a small flip photobook of our family through out the years.

Ok so has anyone ever heard of this in the right shoulder? For 3 days now I've had a horrible pain running from the side of my neck through my right shoulder. I was blaming it on the fact that I can only sleep on one side but Icy Hot and a heating pad haven't helped me at all. I was banded a little less than 2 weeks ago so now I'm wondering if this could be left overs from my surgery.

There is a website (sodaclub.com) where you can buy just the syrup and add it to tap water and make your own flat soda... zero fizz. I haven't been able to drink carbonation for years due to a medicine I'm on so I've been making my own soda like this for a while now.

I didn't but my dr warned me that it happens a lot. They said not to come home and get weighed after the surgery as a lot of people gain weight due to swelling and Water retention. It's probably not actual weight so don't worry about it!

My dr told me to take chewable Flinstones, I take 2 inthe morning and 2 in the evening. However, I was at Walmart picking them up the other day and I saw liquid adults Centrum. I'm going to ask him about possibly switching to that because Centrum is what they've told me to take once I can take pills. The Flintstones don't taste nearly as yummy as I remember from my childhood. In fact, I gag while chewing them now!

It really does depend on your dr. My co-worker and I were both banded on the 16th by different drs. I was on Clear Liquids for 3 days and then on full liquids for 2 weeks. She was on mushies after only a week.

One thing I do want to mention to you Beachy, you say you want the band so that you can have it adjusted for vacations. One of the first things my dr said during my initial seminar was that he absolutely would NOT unfill the band for things like that. This is a part of me and a part of my life, it will only be unfilled if medically necessary. I know every dr is different but I thought I should mention that in case it is part of your decision. You may want to discuss it with your dr.

I've been banded a week and 2 days and am also stalling. I know that I'm not eating enough calories but how in the world do you eat 1000 or even 800 calories a day when 1) you're on a liquid diet and 2) you have NO desire to eat anything at all. I'm probably getting around 500 calories a day. My dr. told me on Tuesday that I'm dehydrated so I'm concentrating on getting plenty of liquids but you can't drink while you eat so it seems like all I do is watch the clock. There just isn't enough time in the day or room in my teeny tiny stomach for all the Water and calories I need to consume. This is a whole new world for me. I went from obviously eating WAY too many calories every single day to now, not being able to find enough calories to eat. Help!