incipientesquire

I use the Realize site to track my progress and I watched videos while I was prepping for surgery. I don't know that I use all of the features, but I don't use that level of structure, honestly. If you want an online food/exercise journal, have a great time! I like the feature that tracks your fill progress, but my doctor's office doesn't use the survey that comes with it. Sad. It's got good recipes and stuff too if you're curious!

I just figured out yesterday I was having this issue ... I called my surgeon's office after being discharged from the ER and they helpfully offered to remove it. I guess gallbladder issues often occur after weight loss like this and I'm just so tired today. Sigh. I look forward to having it removed so I can get back to "normal."

I've had several attacks and required pain meds but it doesn't need to be removed yet ... I don't remember the surgeon disclosing this as a known issue.

Ahh, chicken. I miss getting chicken breasts at El Pollo Loco ... I can do most meat as long as it is well marinated and not too dry. My mother-in-law tends to make stuff pretty dry, and we eat there quite a bit these days. I'm learning to keep sauces in their fridge. Anyone having issues with lettuce? My surgeon said unless shredded or very small pieces, it rolls up into a ball and can get stuck. I've also noticed I get bloated (seemingly for no reason ...) and the gas pain is extremely painful. I can't focus or do anything, it's insanely uncomfortable. Anyone else having this? I wondered today if it was IBS or something stuck or what ... I am losing more steadily now, but I'm a little worried because my Realize Band only holds 9cc. Doc says if I need an adjustment one way or the other it'll be very small ... 0.01 or 0.1 increments, I wonder? Hope you're all doing well ... take care!

I turn 29 on the 28th! I'm at 250 just yesterday so I'm looking forward to maybe 230 by then? I'm probably a little ambitious but not a bad thing to be ambitious about!

I'm about six months post op and I dealt with some of this, because I have an office full of staff who likes a little intrigue, and two of us in the courthouse had the surgery at the same time. The best part is they tried to make it a race of some sort and compare/contrast the relative amounts of weight loss. I just told them, and it's gotten around the courthouse, that I'm not interested in telling people anything. I'm "shrinking" and that's all there is to it. As someone else said, it's really not any of their business ... I don't tell people about my thyroid condition, my fillings or anything else. Tell them, impolitely if you need to, to go fly a kite.

The gas pain went away, frankly, in two stages. The post op anesthesia required dry heaves and anti-nausea meds at the hospital ... the nurse (and my mom) both pretty much said I couldn't get around that. Either I took anti-nausea meds and slept a lot or I got through it and was able to get up and get going. I wanted to go home more than I wanted anti-nausea meds. Once I got home, the second stage of all the left over gas required walking. That first day, I only walked around the house, then I went outside and gradually, I increased the distance. Don't over do it though!

I feel your pain ... last week, I went to lunch with a friend and we were rushed so I wasn't watching how quickly I was eating ... that was the first time I PB'd in public :smile: I'm chalking it up to adjusting to the fill ... I'm so excited to have restriction I can't honestly complain too much.

I think your mileage may vary on this topic, and I know that my thyroid has an impact, but I am frequently freezing and I live in the Central Valley in California, where it has reached 92 this week. I was comfortable at that temp whereas last time this year I was sweating!

What works for me, generally, is a physical activity oriented around social interaction ... so I joined a local Tae Kwon Do school with one of my friends from work, and we're going 3 times a week for an hour. My boyfriend and I walked a couple of miles together, but he's not really on the bandwagon to do this on a consistent basis. My thyroid is all jacked up again, so I have a lot of problems getting up in the mornings, and the mood swings are just horrendous. I'm a trial attorney, and there's just not a lot of time to do all the stuff I should be doing, including the gym, particularly when all you want to do is go home and sleep. I've had 7ccs in and I can still eat mostly anything I want. My next fill is Tuesday. I can't say I'm too upset about my slow progress, because I've gone from a 24 to an 18, and I do three hours of Tae Kwon Do a week. All things being equal, even if the scale doesn't move much, I'm making different choices that put me on a path, you know?

Ok, I'll stop lurking and check in :tt2: it's been a rough couple of weeks, because court is crazy (I'm a trial attorney) and I just don't get the cardio in like I should. I gained some muscle after I started Tae Kwon Do. It seemed like the scale just wasn't moving and TOM kicked in and blah blah blah. So I started taking 2 15 minute walks at work a day. That helps get some of the cardio. Then I got nastyGrams from the insurance company complaining about not preauthorizing my fills (which they never told me I had to do) and that they didn't want to keep approving them (I've had 3) because I wasn't losing much weight between fills ... well, yeah, if you don't lose weight because you have restriction, then you're not gonna lose much, huh? So I called the medical preauthorization nurse people and said, "I can walk a 20 minute mile now and I started Tae Kwon Do! What more do you want?" She laughed and preapproved the next fill :thumbup: Glad to hear everyone else is doing so well! P.S. - I use the Realize Band website too ... it has meal plans and an online food journal, etc. Pretty cool for those who have Realize.

Well, I had my 3rd fill today ... quite educational. I had only lost 3 pounds in six weeks, but the doctor said because I had been working with a trainer, I probably put on muscle in addition to losing fat because I had been shrinking. Doctors say the nicest things. I'm up to 7 cc's now and I had mashed potatoes for lunch. Yum.

Ok, it's official ... I did something incredibly silly that I've read about a ton of times here on the board, but I figured I'd share and request a little advice. Shortly after taking my birth control pill about 10pm, I ate something small (otherwise I get nauseous) and for some reason, I picked cold chicken, which has a reputation of getting stuck. And for the first time after 3 months of surgery and 6 ccs in a Realize Band, I PB'd this chicken (luckily I was home alone b/c it probably would've scared my boyfriend half to death ...) and now I feel a little unsettled .... do I need to go on liquids tomorrow? I can call the doctor's office tomorrow too, but I'm just wondering if anyone's been advised on this ... Thanks much!

When in doubt, I use mineral oil ... Dulcolax's version of Colace also worked out pretty well too!

My wonderful surgeon abandoned me for a vacation in Prague, leaving me to a (slightly inexperienced with Realize Band) very nice doctor in their group. He said at one point, "How tight do you want it?" And I had to laugh and said, "You must be kidding, right?" I have no idea how much a first fill usually entails, so he put in 4ccs and said to make sure my doc doesn't go on vacation. It took him 20 minutes with the fluroscopy to figure out where it was and to stick, maneuver and then fluro again ... not much fun. This morning, it feels like someone kicked me with a football ... ah well. My next appointment is scheduled for December 9th.

It's totally weird. Yesterday, I feel like I ate everything in sight, but today, I didn't eat much today, so I think it balances out. I could kill my surgeon for going on vacation early and pushing my fill back a week ... ahh well.

How far away will someone be? I can't necessarily advocate for the Jewish mother division invading (the way mine did ...) but I think having someone being nearby is good. Make sure that someone checks in on you even if it's just telephonic ... volunteer your nurse at the doctor's office if necessary!

Thanks for the great info ... I haven't had a fill yet (they pushed it back to week 7 because of scheduling, and I feel like I could eat a horse! I went to the Dodgers game last night, and I split a Dodger Dog with w/ boyfriend and snacked on peanuts and garlic fries. Bread does not go down well AT ALL. Everything else seems to be fine. I guess I'll hang in there too ...

Well, it's been a month, and I've lost 26 pounds ... is anyone else having problem eating enough? I feel this weird gnawing sensation that leads to nausea, and I think it's because I'm not eating enough. How often are you eating? I swear, I need an egg timer!

I completely agree. I'm not planning on fasting ... a month out and I'm barely eating as it is. I'm thinking of this as an extended fast :thumbup:

I blame my abilities to burp on the older brothers. My LVN at the hospital was impressed that I could "on command". Odd.

Hmm ... an interesting question, I'm sort of half mushie/half liquid still (I'm not technically supposed to start until Sunday, but the dietician told me to add yogurt, etc.) so take my comments with a grain of salt ... I have learned to stop eating when my tummy stops feeling "empty" ... the dietician told me that it should be between 4 to 6 ounces at a sitting, gradually increasing to 1c. If you're eating 1.25c and you felt satisfied (not full) I think that's sufficient. The worst thing that will happen if you eat a cup and you're still hungry, you'll eat a little more a little later. I've had to actually write that on a piece of paper and put it on the fridge and on the monitor in my office. :smile2: P.S. - I'm jealous that you're eating real food!

My surgeon and my primary doctor told me no more lactose. I bought an egg white Protein and it tastes disgusting. It honestly made me gag. Is anyone drinking a particular brand of whey or soy protein they can recommend? Thanks!

I was diagnosed about 4 years ago in my second year of law school. Anxiety attacks, low energy, ridiculously slow metabolism and quite a bit of weight gain in a short time. My endocronologist believes I was probably always a bit hypo, but we never thought to check that ... Turns out in my family, too. My mom was hypo as well (diagnosed around the same age), and had a partial thyroidectomy about 3 years ago. I take 100 mcg/day, and I'm told that my dose may need to be reduced as I shrink, but I'm pretty good about going and getting checked every few months. Just be glad they caught it!

I concur with Kathy ... Lots of smells incl coffee make me nauseous!