christymarie

Craig, that is great! Way to go!! :biggrin:

Wow, what was it about yesterday? :thumbup: I had two cookies, no reason for it, didn't even need them I just wanted to be a little rebellious. :biggrin: I also went out to eat last night with some friends and ate much more fried food than I should have. Today I'm up about 2 pounds. But I also realize that I had a bunch more sodium yesterday so part of me is wondering if that didn't contribute to the weight gain as well. But you are all right, today is a new day and I'm ready to make good choices. Thanks guys :tongue2: Christy

Welcome Kara it's good to have you. How are you doing? Hey Tiare I'm so glad your appt went good. I found that once you are able to have creamy soups it makes it easier for you to fill up. Way to go!! Craig, garlic mashed potatoes sound so yummy!! I had some mashed up scalloped potatoes last night. There's so much you can do with potatoes. I'm doing much better, the rash is fading and I am not having to take medication anymore. I'm still having some twinges from the "gas bubble" when I breathe deep but I'm beginning to wonder if it may be the band pressing up against my diaphragm. I'm down 20lbs today from my surgery date so I'm really excited. I know that I will not have this level of loss once I get on regular foods but it's nice for right now. Hope you all have a good day!! Christy

I survived the first week post-op. There were definitely some glitches along the way but I'm doing ok. I still have a stitch in my side and my shoulder when I breathe deep so I'm assuming there's still a gas bubble in there but I'm not having to take pain meds for that anymore so that's a good sign. I developed an allergic reaction to the steri strips so they had to come off and I've been taking Benadryl for a few days for that. So far it's been helping but it will be nice when the rash has gone away. I've moved on to puree and that is helping with getting more protein in. Since moving to puree I'm able to get around 500-800 calories which is better than the 200-300 I was averaging last week. I'm starting to get out more and went to the grocery store again. I was able to walk around without as much nausea but I still found myself looking at things that I love to eat and not really being drawn to them. I did, however, find myself reading just about every nutritional guide on all the foods, it was pretty funny. I'm able to have apple sauce now but when I looked at the nut guide I could not see any real nutritional value to it. What exactly does apple sauce give you? Very strange. I got some kids peach pieces that were fortified with vit a and c. I think I may be having trouble with blood sugar. I'm finding myself waking up in the morning very shakey. I'll have to ask doc about that next week. Hugs Christy

I survived the first week post-op. There were definitely some glitches along the way but I'm doing ok. I still have a stitch in my side and my shoulder when I breathe deep so I'm assuming there's still a gas bubble in there but I'm not having to take pain meds for that anymore so that's a good sign. I developed an allergic reaction to the steri strips so they had to come off and I've been taking Benadryl for a few days for that. So far it's been helping but it will be nice when the rash has gone away. I've moved on to puree and that is helping with getting more protein in. Since moving to puree I'm able to get around 500-800 calories which is better than the 200-300 I was averaging last week. I'm starting to get out more and went to the grocery store again. I was able to walk around without as much nausea but I still found myself looking at things that I love to eat and not really being drawn to them. I did, however, find myself reading just about every nutritional guide on all the foods, it was pretty funny. I'm able to have apple sauce now but when I looked at the nut guide I could not see any real nutritional value to it. What exactly does apple sauce give you? Very strange. I got some kids peach pieces that were fortified with vit a and c. I think I may be having trouble with blood sugar. I'm finding myself waking up in the morning very shakey. I'll have to ask doc about that next week. Hugs Christy

Morning!! Doing pretty good here in Chicago. I'm taking benadryl for the itchy rash but that seems to be helping, the surgeon advised me to take off the strips over my incisions and that helped a lot. It was definitely an allergic reaction. I'm down 17pounds now, whooo hoooo. I've gone to puree which is making it so much easier to eat enough protein. I'm getting in about 800 calories and that seems to be working, so far. I'm eating scrambled eggs, cottage cheese (small curd), mashed potatoes, and some ground up meats. Basically it's anything I want to eat, I just have to put it in the food processor first. One thing I have done is to put a few oz each of deli sliced meat and a slice of muenster cheese, add a tiny bit of mayo and mustard, blend until pureed and eat with a spoon. Tastes great! It just looks funny. Welcome Jewel, just jump in whenever, we're a pretty chatty group. Craig, I'm so glad you are continuing to lose, I think that is one of the amazing things I have realized, that even when we are not making good choices we can still lose. It helps you to get over the guilt quicker, LOL. Hope you guys have a good day!! Christy

Hey Summertime, welcome!! Good to have you here. Christy

Well, I have had my first post-surgery call to my doctor, unfortunately he's in surgery so I'm calling my primary. I have broken out in hives all over my stomach. I tell ya. I did a search on LBT and found out that a lot of people have this type of reaction to the tape on the steri strips. I'm hoping I can put some topical benadryl on it and take some oral benadryl but I want to make sure that's ok. I tell ya, if it's not one thing it's another. I'm doing great other than the rash, even the gas pain has eased a bit today, whoo hoo!! Hugs everyone, hope you have a good night. Christy

I'm starting to get hungry now too. I find that having an ounce of pear juice helps get me to the next meal. I'm doing more walking and I'm not sure the liquid diet is lasting as long now that I'm moving more. I do get to move to puree tomorrow, WHOO HOOO. Congratulations on a good doctor's visit and a great weight loss! It sounds like you are doing great. I'm also really glad that you are able to drink some coffee. I have told family and a couple friends, I'm not necessarily keeping it a secret but I'm also not announcing it. I'm just going to inform people as they ask. Christy

I had a funny moment today. I've been working on drinking this last week and struggled the first few days to get through a whole Water bottle. This is a large size water bottle with a spout that I prefer and due to all the trouble I was having getting a full one down I figured it had to be close to the amount of water I was supposed to be drinking. Well tonight I was so excited because I got though my first water bottle in a day!!! Whooo Hooooo!!! Then my husband gave me a reality check. The bottle actually only holds 23oz. So, in fact, I am supposed to be drinking like three of these water bottles in a day. Maybe next week, :tongue2: Christy

I'm not sure my gas pain will be helped by gas-x. It's trapped air that they put into my abdominal cavity during surgery so unless it's in the digestive track I don't think gas-x will help. LOL, that's why I was hoping for the strips. No abdominal gas today so I guess the broccoli was ok. I'm planning on having more for lunch today, whoo hoo!! I like the stones approach to weighing. It sounds much better to say you are 22 stones instead of 330 pounds. I could totally go with that. Have a good day guys. Christy

ROFL, thanks for letting me know about the gas-x strips. I had in my mind that they were strips you taped to your body above where you gas pain was and it would help dissolve the gas somehow. I have quite the imagination. I'm actually just getting desperate for some way to get rid of this shoulder pain I'm having. Every time I take a deep breath it's like I get a stitch in my side and my shoulder hurts at the same time. It's ok, it'll be over soon. I went out to eat tonight with my husband after we saw the move about Benjamin Button. I ordered cream of broccoli and although there were tiny bits of broccoli I did fine. Only got about 2-3oz down but took the rest home. It felt nice to be out although I think the waitress wondered why I ordered anything, LOL. Have a good night guys!! Christy

Yellow, how do the gas-x strips work? I have some gas-x chewables but haven't heard of the strips. Thanks Christy

So much for the encouragement. It's people like you who have been doing this for years and succeeded that inspire me. Christy

It's been 4 days since my surgery and I'm struggling a bit. The pain is still pretty intense and I'm so ready for this gas bubble that has been causing me so much pain to go away! I'm able to get about 2-3oz in per meal but I think I'm going to have to change to something lactose free. I'm having horrible diarrhea and am so ready to be done with it. I know that many people have this and once you get to mushies it gets better but I'm ready now, LOL. I'm down 12lbs from two days before surgery so I'm excited about that. I know I will not lose at this rate for long but it is nice to see the scale doing down everyday. On the whole I'm doing well but just have a few glitches here and there. I know the worst is over and it should get better from here. Excited to continue the journey Christy

Well, I got out of the house today and did some grocery shopping. It surprised me how I reacted to the experience. When I first go there I ran into a woman that I knew who was a greeter and chatted with her for a few minutes. I was there with my husband and after a couple of minutes excused myself to begin shopping as I am still in a lot of pain (gas bubble) and very tired. I headed to the back of the store and found myself wanting to go down the last isle which is the soda isle. It was very interesting how my mind/body is so conditioned to head that way as I would often just check to see if my favorites were on sale and then usually buy a 12pack even if they were full price. This time didn't even go down that isle. We got some new juice (pear) and discussed the pros and cons of egg substitutes. Then I continued up the isle. We didn't need a ton of things but we needed to go around much of the store due to the placement of the items we needed. I walked by the discounted bakery items that were on a cart in the middle of the main isle. This was a place that I usually stopped at and splurged on a "treat" for the family. This time I didn't even give it more than a brief glance. To be honest I was starting to feel a bit sick to my stomach. Too many foods that just didn't sound good to me at this time. It was funny, however, my hubby (who was banded last month) did stop and look over the discount bakery. He didn't choose anything though (yeah baby!) I did find myself wanting fresh fruit and fresh veggies. I was also craving deli roast beef, muenster cheese, and mayo rolled up in a lettuce leaf. A few more weeks but we're getting closer. All in all it was a good trip. I was so tired by the end of it and overwhelmed by the amount of food in the store (very strange) but happy that I was able to get out and not be tempted by the food. I'm curious to know how long this will last (as I know it is very temporary) All in all a good day. Weighed myself tonight and I'm down 14lbs since surgery. Whoo hoo. Christy

Well, I got out of the house today and did some grocery shopping. It surprised me how I reacted to the experience. When I first go there I ran into a woman that I knew who was a greeter and chatted with her for a few minutes. I was there with my husband and after a couple of minutes excused myself to begin shopping as I am still in a lot of pain (gas bubble) and very tired. I headed to the back of the store and found myself wanting to go down the last isle which is the soda isle. It was very interesting how my mind/body is so conditioned to head that way as I would often just check to see if my favorites were on sale and then usually buy a 12pack even if they were full price. This time didn't even go down that isle. We got some new juice (pear) and discussed the pros and cons of egg substitutes. Then I continued up the isle. We didn't need a ton of things but we needed to go around much of the store due to the placement of the items we needed. I walked by the discounted bakery items that were on a cart in the middle of the main isle. This was a place that I usually stopped at and splurged on a "treat" for the family. This time I didn't even give it more than a brief glance. To be honest I was starting to feel a bit sick to my stomach. Too many foods that just didn't sound good to me at this time. It was funny, however, my hubby (who was banded last month) did stop and look over the discount bakery. He didn't choose anything though (yeah baby!) I did find myself wanting fresh fruit and fresh veggies. I was also craving deli roast beef, muenster cheese, and mayo rolled up in a lettuce leaf. A few more weeks but we're getting closer. All in all it was a good trip. I was so tired by the end of it and overwhelmed by the amount of food in the store (very strange) but happy that I was able to get out and not be tempted by the food. I'm curious to know how long this will last (as I know it is very temporary) All in all a good day. Weighed myself tonight and I'm down 14lbs since surgery. Whoo hoo. Christy

I know what you mean about exercising. My doc told me no abdominal until my follow-up appt in two weeks. He strongly encouraged walking as much as possible until then. New Zealand looks beautiful, it's on my bucket list. I'm glad you're doing well. Christy

Trock, you are too funny. I can just see you having that spoonful of sauce. Way to go!! I just got back from my first trip to the grocery store post banding. It was a strange experience. There were so many things that I love to eat that even looking at them made me a bit sick to my stomach. It'll be interesting to see when that changes. I really liked the strained clam chowder I had for lunch. It was just enough taste to make me feel like I was eating clam chowder even if I didn't have the chunks in it. I picked up a ham and potato chowder at the store to try tomorrow. Christy

I'm cheap. I use S/F Carnation Instant Breakfast. I have been using the ready made bottles but I'm switching now to the packets as I am not tolerating skim milk right now so I need to be able to mix it with lactose free milk. The hospital recommended the Ensure with protein and the Boost with protein but all we have in those flavors are strawberry and vanilla and I just don't like them as much as the carnation. Good luck, I know how you feel about making sure of something before buying the barrels, LOL. Christy

I'm getting ready to have the clam chowder. Yum!! I'm starting to dream about which foods I'm going to puree next week, LOL. If you had told me last week I would be dreaming about how yummy pureed food sounds I would have called you crazy! I had some cream of wheat this morning made with milk and sweetened with pear juice. It was really yummy and a nice break from protein drinks. I think I'm going to be having that each morning and adding different things to water it down and sweeten it. It's on my full liquid list as long as it's thinned. It sounds like we're all doing much better. Here's to all our success!! Christy

Hey Hope, you poor baby, I'm so sorry you ended up in the ER. Bless your heart. I admire you ability to take crushed pain meds. They gave me some before I left the hospital and I gagged so badly I figured I'd just stick with the liquid stuff. Bad breath is possibly caused by two things. One is Ketosis where your body starts burning fat and you get ketones dumped into your urine. This can give you bad breath but once you start eating more carbs it tends to diminish. The other possibility is that bad breath is a side effect of pain medications. So it may be here to stay for a while. I highly recommend mouthwash, I think it does better than brushing my teeth for as often as I need to do it. If you are on a full liquid diet as opposed to a clear liquid diet you can strain soups, even cream soups and have them. I think I am going to do that with clam chowder for lunch. You can't have any of the chunks, of course, so make sure you have a good strainer (they're cheap at Walmart) and make sure you get a brand of soup that is low in sodium since we are already having a hard time keeping hydrated. I have found that the low sodium brands are a bit bland but then I can add my own seasoning and just a touch of salt, much less then the full blown sodium soups. It sounds like you are doing much better, hang in there. I'm glad you posted. Christy

Thanks so much for your comments. I am really excited about this journey. You asked what my surgeon recommended for post surgery diet. In hospital: clear liquids, first week: full liquids, second week: puree, third week: soft foods (this is pretty much any softer food that does not have fiber), and then fourth week: regular foods. My doctor wants to do my first fill 4-5 weeks after surgery and wants us to be on regular food for at least a week before our first fill. Thanks for your encouragement!

I came home from the hospital yesterday. It went ok. I'm in a lot of pain because of a gas bubble in my right upper quadrant of my belly. The funniest thing is that the incisions themselves don't hurt that much but the residual pain into my shoulder is killing me, LOL. I'm having trouble eating very much. I'm averaging about 2 ounces of carnation instant breakfast every meal. Not much but for now it will have to do. I had a pretty good night last night and slept ok bed for a while and then moved to a chair. I am most comfortable belly wise on my right side but after an hour or so in that position my hip starts to hurt and no other position laying down is comfortable yet. So it's off to the chair, which is fine. I'm just working on getting this gas bubble out, trying to walk as much as possible. Christy