minidriver

Sid- it's so funny that you just posted this cuz last night I was looking at my abdomen in the mirror and thought "what the $%^# is that weird lump below my center incision? It looks like a huge egg or something"! So I looked at some other threads on here and someone else had posted that they had the same thing and they went to the doc and the doc said "relax, it's your port". So I'm assuming that the tissue around the port swells up in the shape of the port. PS- I just received my link for the EMMI video yesterday:cool2:

That's awesome. I admire English teachers who have all that patience to hand write comments on papers and such. I am awful. I have my students send everything electronically and then I include my comments electronically. I think I've forgotten how to use a pen. Posting pics: When you go to the reply screen to type a response, you'll see a paper clip insignia in the tool bar. If you click it, it will give you the option to attach a file from your computer. So if you have pics on your computer, you can just browse for them and upload them and VOILA! there they are. That's as much as I know how to do, but it works for me.

I bought some of the instant a while back and it just didn't do it for me. It didn't have that nutty texture and taste that I love. But that's just me.

Sometimes that's what you have to do with those "difficult" kids. Shelbi, Shelbi, Shelbi.

I'm doing ggggggrrrrrreat!! I taught two sessions of 8th grade science camp last night and it wore me out a bit more than I had anticipated . . .I guess I need to remember that I just had surgery! I've lost all the surgery weight plus a couple pounds more and am not even really minding the full liquid phase. Right now I'm sipping a chocolate and banana protein shake. Yesterday I made myself a salmon bisque soup that was loverly. The Loser's Bench is a wonderful place to hang. And Shelbi hasn't poked me in the side ONCE!!!

Lotza, I'm glad you're feeling better today. Omelets are a great thing to eat right now . . . so satisfying and yummy.

Amen, sista' dee. Lotza, the night before my surgery I had a salad that was covered with STEAK! Everyday I ate meat and cheese and veggies and almonds and all kinds of good stuff and I did NOT let myself go hungry. Hubby and I went to IHOP and I had a huge veggie omelet and a side of bacon instead of hash browns and toast. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Look at all the people on this board who have made it through this process and totally changed their lives. YOU CAN DO IT TOO! Now go eat a piece of cheese or some nuts or whatever will make you fill less hungry and remember why you are doing this and how WONDERFUL it will be in the end.

Dang! I forgot about pork rinds!! I should have had them while I had the chance, cuz I sure would like something crunchy and salty right now!! Shelbi, if you're feeling too hungry with your oats/no red meat thing, maybe you should go back to doing what you were doing before and then work on your cholesterol AFTER you're able to afford a fill. Everybody's body responds so differently, and I know that I feel STARVED when I don't eat red meat. It just seems to be something I need to feel right. Just my opinion, but something to think about. I'm sure dee will forgive you

I took beverages in a bag with my medications. At first the TSA folks were planning to take away the beverages, but then I explained that I had to have them with my medication so they let them through. I think it will depend on how reasonable the person is at security at a given time. I would just try to make sure that you are plenty hydrated before you get on the flight and, if they do take away your fluids, buy a bottle of water when you're past security and sip it on the flight. AND!!!! If you wake up with a headache and feeling nauseous the day of your flight, call Dr. K. BEFORE you get on the plane. Don't be silly and wait until later like I did. I could just kick myself. I'm sure he could have given me something different for pain and nausea and the whole problem would have been avoided. Sometimes being stubborn is a bad bad thing.

I was SO where you are a few weeks ago. Started my preop, started feeling unprepared, scared, thinking I would fail, etc. What you're feeling is absolutely normal IMHO. Then the two weeks seemed to just draaagggg by, then all of a sudden it was here and I was having surgery and AHHHHH!!! You're gonna' do great. You're gonna get through the preop the best you can (try not to eat carbs that don't come from green veggies. That's really about it). Don't drink alcohol. Make sure you drink lots of fluids. Ask Dr. K. any residual questions you have when you go for your preop. Expect gas pains (more annoying than anything and they respond well to walking) and remember that any discomfort, etc will be well worth it in the end. Even my wretched headache experience, while totally SUCKY, is really nothing compared to the endless misery of continuing to be obese. I'm six days out now and feel really good and am so glad I did it and didn't put it off. I'm six days closer to health and that's a wonderful feeling. GO JILL!!!

Well, post those baby pics!! Sounds adorable.

Thanks, miss dee! I teach at Westminster College, and the students call the school Westmini, so my license plate is WSTMINI. Your ticker is just flying! Mine is just sort of . . . .crawling. I still feel pretty puffed up.

Why thank you. People usually can't see it on the roof unless they pull up next to me in a tall vehicle, then they look down and smile.

Okay, here are some pics of my MINI when she was a baby. She's a bit more grown up now than in these pics (fancy shoes and socks, some sporty side stripes) but you get the general idea. Her name is Penelope Anne Cooper, but we call her 'Nelope.

That's so funny. At least you didn't ask for Mini. That would have been even funnier. Yesterday I wore a pair of stretch knit pants and rolled the waistband down low. I just couldn't figure out what else to wear. I think tonight I'll wear a high waisted dress or something. I know what you mean about missing everybody. I haven't had this many friends at one time since grade school! I swear!!:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

Hey Deb. It was fine going to work yesterday, but I only went for a few hours. I'm teaching a science camp class tonight, but I think I'll be fine too. I feel really good today. A tiny bit sore if I move wrong, a little bit of gas, etc, but that's it. I've been walking for about 30 minutes every day but could do more. It's just so hot that I don't want to go outside! I ordered the Omron HBF-500 body fat monitor from Amazon for 58.00. It keeps track of weight, bmi, body fat%, resting metabolism, etc. and seems very very accurate to the tenth of a pound.

That's so funny. I know what you mean. I talk about you guys all the time. Yes, the internet has definitely changed how we live our lives. I can't figure out quite how I functioned without it. Yay about your hubby. That's fabulous news. If I remember, I'll post pics of my MINI. She's a cutie.

To really bring out the nutty taste of the irish oats, I like to spray the pot with butter flavored pam and roast them until they're nutty brown before I start cooking them. I just love the texture of them. Woof - wow, you do need to go back to work. House guests for 3 weeks? I would have moved out or something. I must try the Greek yogurt, that sounds so good. I love dairy. Man, my abdomen is swollen. I look even rounder than I did before surgery. I'll be glad when it deflates a bit.

I've not had a problem with that at all. I just dish some up in a bowl, add a splash of lowfat milk or whatever, then microwave for a minute. It took me awhile to get the right consistency, cooking time, etc. but it was worth the experimentation. Can't wait till I can add them back into my diet!

Hello Shesha. Pleased to meet you! And congratulations on baby Owen! Mal, that list is tooooo funny. I need to lose the world's largest ball of tape!!! Or sh*t a gold brick!! Or have a cow (well, a calf)! You can cook your steel cut oats either in a crockpot or on the stove. They take awhile to cook, so I used to cook up a weeks worth at a time and just keep the rest in the refrigerator and heat up the amount I wanted each day. I'm not a huge fan of sugar (sorry! Nobody throw anything at me!) so I usually just made my plain and then added some fruit. There is so much fiber in them than the carbs are basically zero. Shelbi - good job today for you as well! Night night lap band ladies.

I think you're talking about granita. Here's how to make it: put about 5 cups of cubed watermelon in your food processor and process it as liquid as you can, then strain through a fine strainer so that it's just juice. Dissolve 1/2 c of splenda in boiling Water. After it cools down, add some to the watermelon puree. You can adjust it depending on how sweet you like it. You should make it sweeter than you would normally like because it will lose some of the sweetness as it freezes. Also add the juice of a lime for some tartness. Pour it in a metal baking pan and put in the freezer. Let it freeze for 3 hours, stirring it every hour or so. Yummy yummy yummy.

good job, miss dee!

Hey GBear! Welcome and how very cool that you and Lotza will be band sisters! Yes, I was soooo nervous the week or so before my surgery. I started thinking I was being really dumb, spending tons of money, just needed more willpower, what if something bad happened, etc etc. But it's all over now and I'm not looking back! The preop diet was a breeze. So far, post op diet has been fine too. I'm craving fruit like crazy though so I just made a pan of watermelon granita that should be ready in about 3 hours. I'm quite excited!