Lanakila

In the mushie phase you gotta get more creative than cream of wheat and pudding! Here are some suggestions: Pimento cheese Guacamole Baked regular or sweet potato with a splash of broth mixed or butter mixed in to thin it a bit Just about any Soup that doesn't have meat or tough veggies like onions, corn, etc. Canned Soups are good because pretty much anything in a canned soup is mushie. Now you can have that baked potato soup, or that chowder, or even a split pea. Creamed spinach (awesome for Iron!) Tuna, chicken or Egg salad Red sauce with a dollop of ricotta on it. Think Italiano! Hope this helps!

Trust me honey, they aren't looking at your nether regions at all. They will pull up your gown until it's under your boobs, but they laid a nice warm blankie across my lap and then laid the blue drape over that all in about 30 seconds. Don't worry about getting all neat-n-tidy...they aren't ever down there.

THAT is exactly where we all aspire to be :biggrin:

I'm going to party like it's 1999! OK, actually like it's 1989...since that's the last time I was at my goal weight. I'll have to look back at the short-term goals thread and see if I actually put a "final" reward there.

Search on the site for esophageal spasm and see if your symptoms are similar. Regardless, if it continues for a total of a week, ask your dr.

This is from the "You know you are a bandster when..." You know you are a bandster when.... - Page 17

Heather and NewImage, You two are to be commended to trying so hard to adhere to the fast. As you've mentioned, the beginning of the fast is difficult for everyone and it is this self-sacrifice that supports your purification. Remember the blessings that you have received in this year, including your banding and your health. Although it is appropriate for you to practice restraint, and it is pleasing to know that both of you will try very hard first, be willing to accept it if you must make exception. Hopefully this year you can discover some good strategies for helping you next year!

UPDATE: The samples have been claimed.

They both do the same thing. Think of how you can buy sneakers by Nike or Adidas. They fit slightly differently between brands, and one has a lower port profile, but that's really all there is. I certainly wouldn't make the decision based on the port profile alone. You should ask your dr for the benefits of each before you make your decision. That's what you are paying them for. :redface: Make sure that your doctor is certified by the makers of each band so that you can be sure that they can even explain the differences to you.

Yep, mostly to get the protein in first though...not so much a "diet", per se.

Actually, I'm working on getting into our sex swing without worrying about it pulling out the rafters! :confused: Purrrrrrrrr!

The Fit has a weight limit of 330# so I can still use it.

If you scars have already let go of the scabs, you can wash the steristrips off. I'm surprised that they haven't washed off naturally, but you can try to rub them gently with a washcloth. I'm a picker, so they'd probably already be gone!

For your first two weeks just try to sip one down at a time...even if it is 15 minutes and several sips in between. If you are taking any supplements, like Omegas or Chondroitins, I'd recommend laying off of them for those weeks since they are usually non-essential or can be skipped like this for short periods. Once you have healed up a bit, your swelling has gone down, and you are able to "drink" instead of "sip", you shouldn't have a problem swallowing most meds. The Calcium and B Vitamin tablets are Honkers, so you might want to look in to sublingual B and calcium chews anyway. Two childrens chewable Vitamins are about good enough to replace your regular multi until you can find one for an adult that isn't huge. Talk to your pharmacist. There are lots of options for most supplements and over the counter meds.

No takers...so I moved the offer to pre-op board.

How sad is it that I have both a Wii and a Wii Fit and haven't even taken them out of the box? Now THAT'S the epidemy of LAZYYYYYYYYY! :thumbup: I think that I have put it off because I'm afraid that I will get addicted to it and start wearing smelly clothes and eating off of the floor because I won't be able to "hear" the washer and dishwasher calling me! Ms. Shrink, an official diagnosis please? Do take into account that I am bi-polar (well-managed) and in a semi-manic stage at the moment. Great for killing the appetite, but really a bummer for all of the folks who have to listen to me talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. One would think that I'd be staying up all night with my beloved Wii?

It's not really an all-over ab pain. The only thing that really hurt for me was my port incision, and that was a deep pain rather than a surface pain. I was up and around just fine after the first night. It was 3 days before I could sit down to and rise from my front steps, where I sit to watch the birds in the morning. From a physical standpoint, here's a recommendation for how to get out of the bed after abdominal surgery. 1. Roll onto your side and swing your legs a little over the edge of the bed. They don't have to hang down all the way. 2. Tuck your arm a little between your waist and the bed, and put your upper hand on the bed near your boobs. 3. Push up with your arms...to help yourself sit up without using your abs too much. As you push up your legs will swing further down. I have a higher bed, so I was able to almost slide into standing up at that point. I see that some folks had things nearby to hold on to and push off of, which I think I would have needed that first day.

That is FABULOUS! I see alot of people who panic after a fill because they have the same issues that you did. Your making it through will encourage us when things get rough! If you are feeling fine and full you are workin'-the-band baby!

Absolutely! I think you have the right idea and good luck with your healing.

Maybe you aren't a regular watcher of House? The basic premise of nearly every episode is that his preconceived notions and judgemental behaviors are what limit his initial treatments. Nearly every episode has the theme of: Patient is presented, House judges patient unworthy of his genius, patient cannot be diagnosed or properly treated by the team, his Judgements prove to be wrong, House is a medical genius and solves the mystery, but he is still also a lonely jerk addicted to pain killers. I didn't see this particular episode, but I'd imagine that there was some of this general theme in there.

Beth, Try refried Beans with some melted cheese and salsa on top. A good spaghetti sauce with a dollop or two of ricotta cheese is a great alternative too. I bought a sauce that my husband would never touch (had spinach in it), since this is supposed to be about me enjoying the taste more than the volume. There are some really good suggestions on the food and nutrition forum. This is where I got these two...and they have been a lifesaver!

I think you should go with the 1/4 cup rule until you figure out where full is for you. Think about how much food would fit in your cupped hand and aim for that. Remember that the soup, being a liquid, is likely not going to make you feel full, even though you had half a cup of it, since it slides through pretty easily. I think that it is great that you are tracking your food, but you really need to focus on getting those calories up some too. You DO need to eat enough to heal well and still have the energy to be active. Hang in there!

I was glued shut, which worked excellent until I decided to start picking :shades_smile:

I know that there is a Polycystic Ovary Syndrome support board somewhere on here. Go to the main page and look for the Special Interests section on the menu on the left.

Drinking with meals is a way of "eating around the band" and is pretty much a prescription for failure. If you have liquids in your pouch before you eat, it will pass through your stoma quickly. If you have liquids too soon after eating, the same will happen. Your pouch won't stay full long enough to hold off the hunger as well as it should. My dietician suggests 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after, aside from the 20-30 minutes that the proper chewing of a meal should take. I thought I was gonna die, but it is actually alot easier than I was worried about. I had to REALLY adjust how big my bites were while I was trying to figure out how to eat without drinking. Turns out I had to eat less than half of my regular bite in order to have enough room to properly chew without "added" liquids. I've been able to drink regularly since the recovery room. My doc said that was not a problem at all and that I should drink at whatever rate I can tolerate as long as I'm not chugging like a frat boy. He said that when I get fills I will probably see a reduction in the rate that I can drink, but that "sipping" would usually be a 24-36 hour deal after just because of the swelling.