BrandNewLisa

Okay guys, I am in crisis mode here, and I need some serious backbone, so let me have it! A little backstory: I used to live alone. Fabulous for doing a restricted diet, since what crosses my threshhold is totally within my control. I am a person where as long as something isn't here, I won't eat it. If it is here, I will inhale it with extreme prejudice. Two days before my surgery, due to a little financial hiccup, my lil sis and her fiance moved in with me for 6 months. No biggie, I have tons of space, glad I could help. But, they are fast food junkies. McD's, Wendys, Steak N Shake, Rally's, White Castle, Charley's Steakery, Pizza Hut. Just for frame of reference, in the week that they have been here, they have purchased something from each and every one of these places and brought it into my home. They try to be discreet, eating in other rooms, but I know it is here. And I smell it. No worries tho, I am a warrior! lol. I drink my shakes, I drink my soup, I drink my protein water, I am officially a good little girl. Today though, my sister crossed the line into my scary place. She nonchalantly announces that tomorrow, since the weather is great, they are going to just 'throw a few things on the grill'. In Lisa speak, this translates to 'We are going to torture you until you regress to the age of 2, are crying incessantly in the corner, sucking your thumb and begging for your Mommy'. BBQ, people, is my crack. Seriously. I am pretty sure if asked, that I would give my right leg for a nicely cooked slab of ribs, a charbroiled burger, a grilled chicken and apple sausage, a precisely cooked 2 inch thick Kansas City cut bone-in Ribeye. I think I would grill my bfast cereal if I could figure out how to keep it from falling thru the grates. And she knows this. I know that the world does not stop turning because I am on a rough stretch right now, people still gotta eat. But am I wrong to feel that she is out of place!?!??!! She tries so hard to be careful every other time, but now she tells me 'Lisa, you just had surgery. You will have to deal with things like this'. So basically, suck it up. I have just one more agonizing week and I move on to the Nirvana that is mushies. I am on liquids for goodness sake and she is is going to bbq? Ugh, maybe I am just being way to selfish. I don't know. All I know is that since she has said it, all I can think about is food. Real food. Crunch and texture and flavor. The subtle nuances that make the taste buds dance in sheer delight. Then I drink strained cream of chicken soup with unflavored protein powder and chase it with an Isopure. I know this will end soon, but I do NOT know how I will make it another week. I do NOT know how I will make it through tomorrow. And I do NOT know how I will refrain from throwing my sister/Satan's Minion into the flaming hot coals, lol. Any inspirational thoughts or sister recipes are appreciated. HELP!!!!

I am so glad that someone brought up the issue of stinky breath on full liquids in another thread. Man, I have been breathing dragon fire since Tuesday! I brush my teeth at least 6 times a day, yet I am pretty sure that I can melt steel with the slightest breath! So not sexy. Thanks for thinking of ketosis Fenton, I was thinking that it might be just the protein intake. Any ideas on how to counteract this without brushing the enamel off my teeth??

I am so sorry that everyone is having so many problems. It is a shame that a program with such fantastic surgeons is being brought down by their front office support, or lack of it. I agree with Kathy about calling Melissa Webb. She is very much aware of the problems going on, and actually has an upcoming meeting with the CEO of Mt. Carmel to discuss some of the issues that we are having in the program. When I have hit a wall, a phone call to her has always helped me break through it. Lets all continue to voice our concerns to our surgeons, maybe if they hear it enough they will listen and make some changes. I hope it gets better, and fast!

Dang Fenton, why do you have to do that to us???? I am making your voodoo doll as we speak, and I fully intend to punish you on behalf of all of our fellow gastronomes who I am sure are cursing you and your taste buds just like I am. Now, I shall go and drink my Isopure and enjoy it, tyvm. :thumbup:

Thanks for the thread guys, I love this idea! My first mini-goal is to be under 300. I have about 11 lbs to go. My treat will be a paraffin wax pedicure. Yummy, my toes can feel it already!

:thumbup:Nice job Frances! Ummm, I don't even remember the last time the scale was under 300, let alone 250! Keep up the great work!

Thanks Fenton, great idea as always. Just so you know, I almost called myself 'BrandNewLester' just for you, but me thinks you protest to much. I have a sneaking feeling that you love being in a thread full of women!!!!:bolt:

I totally know how you feel. I went to my seminar in October, and was just banded Monday. I felt like it would never end, yet, I am now banded. The process takes time, but it is definitely time well spent. Keep your head up, before you know it you will be waking up in recovery!

Matt, stay focused, you can do this. I found that the first 72 hours are the hardest. After that, it gets alot easier. I cheated on my fourth day, and felt gross and bloated, it was not fun. The rest of the time was cake. I actually didn't want to eat. Good luck!

Awww, hugs to everyone feeling down in the dumps today. It will get better! I am on day 4 post-op, and I finally feel human for the first time! The soreness factor is way down, and I fell like I can move around alot easier. My biggest problem right now is trying to take in enough fluids. I find myself forgetting to drink for hours at a time. I will have to work on that. Any hints on what worked for you guys?

Day 4 post-op and I am feeling kinda good actually! I was finally able to sleep on my side last night, thanks to my lovely body pillow. I am barely sore this morning, unless I move wrong. I am having the hardest time forcing myself to drink and eat. Wow that sounded funny, who would have thought that I would ever actually say that? lol Getting in the fluids has been a challenge. How do you guys do it? Any hints would be appreciated, I find myself forgetting to drink for hours!

Hi all! I am now officially a Shamrock! Wheeeeeeeeeee! Monday went very well. The anethesiologist says 'Lets give you something to relax', they wheeled me into the operating room, I said 'Oooo, bright lights' lol, and next thing you know, I am in recovery. It was over so so fast! I woke up pretty uncomfortable, feeling like I ate a Thankgiving turkey all by myself! A shot from the nice nurse and her magic needle made that go away! I consider myself pretty lucky for the most part. I dodged the bullet with the dreaded gas/shoulder pain. Didn't have it at all. I was the only bander in the ward on Monday, so I either walked with my visitors, or with my trusty mp3 player. Tuesday was the longest day ever tho! Dr. Choban came to see me at about noon (after being told that she would be there at 8!) and told me that I could go after I tolerated a full liquid lunch. What do you know, they brought me a clear liquid lunch! Took them an hour and a half to bring me a full liquid. I got some of it down, but then they did my final vitals, and my bp was high, something like 145/109. Eeek! I told them that I was in a little bit of pain, so they felt that was making my bp high. Told me they would bring me something, I dozed off, and they forgot. Then at 5pm, when my ride showed to pick me up, they did my vitals and surprise surprise, my bp was high! They then finally gave me something for the pain, but told me that I had to wait until it went down before they would release me. Oh joy!! I was starting to think that my bp was high from frustration, lol. Finally, it went down into normal range, and I got to leave at about 7pm. Both Michelle and Melissa were surprised to see me still there so late. FYI, they hired a new dietician, and I think her first class is the 17th. So at least they have that problem taken care of. All in all it went very smoothly, and even though I am sore and tired, I expected it to be way worse than this. Thank you all for your support and information. I hope I can give back even half of what you guys have given to me!!!!

I just wanted to say that this time tomorrow, I will be banded!!! YAY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

I have to be there bright and early at 6am, first surgery of the day! Good luck everyone, it is finally here!!!!!

Isn't it fabulous, New??? I never thought I would get here! Good luck to you, and our other Shamrocks being banded tomorrow. I too have to stay overnight (ewww) but that's okay, it will be so worth it!

Good luck to my fellow 31sters, we are the last ones! Wish me luck!

Okay, so here it goes, I am bring up the caboose for the Shamrocks tomorrow! Banding in the morning! I am Dr. Chobans first patient back from vaca, so she ought to be nice and relaxed, lol. I take that as a good omen. Everyones posts have been so inspirational, thanks for helping me get here! Wish me luck!

I have to do the sendoff, within reason of course. My friends are all super supportive, and since my favorite food is bbq, they are throwing me a cookout on Saturday. Just the girls, and we are going to celebrate the future, for me, and for all of us. They have promised to make my plate for me, since I would rather just sit at the grill and eat everything as it comes off, lol. I am promising myself a healthy serving of my total fav, bbq ribs, but I am going to be super careful with everything else. I have been a super good girl tho, doing a self imposed liquid diet for the last two weeks. I know, I am a nutcase. But I am just trying to make sure that everything is perfect. The liquid diet is meant to get the organs ready for surgery, especially for people with a higher BMI. My doc doesn't require it, but I am so ready for this, that I am willing to do anything. But Saturday is going to be phenomenal, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!!!! Luckily I am the first surgery of the day on Monday, I have to be there at 6am for an 8am surgery. That is cool, because getting there is going to be hard enough, I would hate to have to wait all day on Monday.

You know what, you have a really good point. I am just so afraid that I am going to fly off the handle with the whole last supper syndrome and totally derail my progress. Choban had me paranoid when she said that she would cancel the surgery for any weight gain, but with 12 lbs. gone I think I am safe. And thanks for reminding me that dispatching my brother for his bacon violation would make me miss my date, lol. You talked me down, thanks Lady! :sneaky:

How did you guys make it through your last week before surgery? The words 'clock watching' are an understatement! I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas, I swear it!!!! I am pretty sure that this is going to be the longest week of my life. What makes it worse is that I am on a self imposed liquid diet (yeah, I know, crazy ain't I?). Dr. Choban said that being both obese and diabetic, the odds of me having a fatty liver are even higher. I am just so afraid of something going wrong, and them deciding that I can't have the band. So I decided to just bite the bullet, even though I am passed my 10 lb weight loss that Dr. Choban required. I may have small noshs here and there, but I am mostly on Myoplex protein drinks, water, sugar free jellos, and sugar free popsicles. My brother just made a fried bacon sandwich, and I am currently resisting the urge to kill him, lol. My home smells like Sunday morning! I think that I have just been going at this for so long, jumping hurdle after hurdle, you guys know what I mean. Monday can not come fast enough for me!!!!!!!!

I swear that I need to stop reading these boards! I keep getting so excited for everyone going, and I still have to wait until Monday! Will it ever come??? Congrats and good luck you guys, I can't wait to join the club!

OMG a week you guys! Does anyone else think that this will be the longest week of your life???? I am surprised, but I not not afraid, not even a lil bit. I think that I have been on this path for so long, nothing is left but sheer excitement and anticipation. I think the only thing I actually fear is not having this done. I have thie reoccuring thought that they put me under, and I wake up, and the doc is telling me that once they got inside, they discovered something random wrong with me that means that I am no longer a candidate for the band. Well, I guess maybe I am a LITTLE afraid, lol. It is okay, we are soooo close you guys, can't you feel it?????!!!!!

Hi all! I think that I am one of the last ones left to go, I have a banding date of 3/31! So close, yet so far. I am in preparation mode, making lists, buying supplies, things like that. I think that I am just trying to stay busy, because I am soooooo ready for this! I swear that this is going to be the longest week of my life!!!!! I can't wait to finally start posting about my progress. Nice to meet you all!

Welcome back you three! Glad to see you guys in such good spirits, it has made me feel alot more comfortable about my upcoming procedure. I am, however, a little nervous about the follow up issues, but I hope that they will not be that big of an issue. If I don't hear what I want to hear, I will just stalk Dr. Choban until she makes it happen! lol I fully intend to discuss this with her when she visits me after the procedure. I have faith in the surgeons, so I am trying to keep the faith that they are aware of the issue, and are moving to address it. Here's hoping!

Glad to hear from you Special K, I am so excited that everything went well!!!! I bet you are so excited that you are home. I am dreading the overnight stay, as I sleep like crap when I am not in my own bed. My prayers and good wishes are with you!!! (fyi formerly redbone0528, I was inspired to change, just like us and the seasons!!!)