stateofzen

My surgeon said no ibuprofen/naproxen (alleve) forever because they are super hard on the stomach and now,with our small pouches, are especially risky for causing stomach bleeding. Tylenol is the only thing that is ok. I worry about this too, because I have really bad menstrual cramps that I HAVE to take meds for if I want to function and Tylenol doesn't touch cramps. I'd hate to have to use something as strong as Lortab for the rest of my reproductive life to deal with cramps. I guess I need to ask at my next appt.

Right now we're doing PM's (I requested you as a friend), but we could start a thread if others are interested. MissJoany is already on the treadmill! Woot! :smile2:

Fantastic! I'm going to "friend you" through the site and then maybe we can update each other/set goals/etc. through the PM system. My plan is to start back on my treadmill this weekend as long as my pain is controlled by then. If tons of people want to do it, we could start a September Bandsters exercise thread instead but I don't want our exercise messages to get lost in all of the other important things people here are talking about.

Any of my September friends want to be my exercise buddy? I am committed to the idea of exercising regularly to make my band work its best, but I know it's going to be a struggle. I'd like to have a "check in" buddy who is equally committed to it, but maybe needs some external accountability like I do.

Oh pooky, I'm sorry you had such a bad day and I hope that the baby makes it. I do know what you mean about food as a coping mechanism. I always said I wasn't an emotional eater but I was clearly in denial myself. We've got to find a good substitute, quick! Is there someone you could talk to at home, or a friend you could call to help process? I know the hours you work might not always be people friendly. . . What else do you enjoy? Taking a bubble bath, writing in a journal, watching a saved episode of one of your favorite shows, maybe even taking a walk (kill two birds with one stone)? I'm a rape crisis volunteer and for me, what helps me put a case behind me is to just talk through my feelings about it with my husband (maintaining confidentiality of course). Once I've gotten out my anger and my hurt for the victim, I'm usually able to let it go-- but if it's a really hard case I might need to curl up for some uninterrupted book time too. Anyway, hugs to you! BandedNellie: Yay for you! 20 lbs + in no time! My goal was 30 by Christmas, but if I'm as lucky as you, it'll be 30 by Halloween :rolleyes2: You're awesome.

Maxi, we had surgery the same day. I think it's too soon to worry. I have zero hunger and today ate the most I have in a week-- half a yogurt, 4 oz of cream tomato soup, and 4 oz of protein shake. I feel uncomfortably full and I'm just not stuffing more down. I figure in another week, once the swelling is down, we may be singing another tune :thumbup:

Hey Lisa-- that does count my 6 month weight loss plan too- I'm counting from when I started the process. But it is great to already be a size down in clothes (two down in pants, but my chest is hanging on to the higher sizes) and I only had the surgery on Friday! My face already looks so different to me. Good luck to all of you this week!

My doc doesn't allow it, forever. I'm actually more disappointed in never ever having a beer again, but I figure I'll get over it :thumbup: He said that there have been cases where carbonation has caused stomach tearing and band failure. He said it is rare but he doesn't want his patients taking the risk for something that you don't need nutritionally. He said even letting it go flat doesn't help because there is still carbonation present to do its thing in the small stomach pouch. I was resistant to the idea of no carbonation again before I talked to him, and he convinced me on that one. He did not, however, convince me to give up my one cup of caffeinated coffee a day. But I'll let him win in everything else.

I had surgery Friday and went back today. MISTAKE. I would highly suggest people taking off a couple more days if possible just in case.

My plantar fasciitis doesn't seem to be bothering me anymore-- yay to no foot pain!

My plantar fasciitis doesn't seem to be bothering me anymore-- yay to no foot pain!

Take it one day at a time-- simple advice but I think it works. If you set the goal to be not having "x" food today, then it's not such a daunting task. I had my surgery the day after my birthday, so I was on clear liquids. One coworker brought me a cookies and cream cake, and another brought wine and cucakes to an evening meeting. It wasn't easy, but I know if I really want a cucake next year I can have it-- I wasn't saying no for forever, just that day. See if that mindset helps. For everyone else, sorry I posted when I was unmedicated. The pain is manageable and I hope I didn't scare anyone--just a vulnerable moment.

Had my surgery Friday. Checked in at 8:30, then waited around until after 11:00- out of recovery at around 2:00 and home by 9:00 p.m. I'm. . . ok. The liquid Lortab made me heave, so my first night was pretty excrutiating, but now I'm just cutting up regular Lortab and doing much better on pain. I woke up feeling pretty good today, but then I came to work and just taught a class and I am not good anymore:) It's a good thing I can go home after I meet with a student in a few minutes. I had a horrible headache for the last two days that nothing would touch- not the lortab and not sleeping- so today I finally had a cup of coffee and it went away. Caffeine withdrawal! A tip for those who haven't gone up yet or are still having shoulder pain-- I found that my airplane neck pillow really helped my pain. I don't know why- if it was the naturally occurring heat from having a fluffy pillow wrapped around your neck or if it was the support, but I always feel better when it's on. I have not felt like eating at all-- I have to force myself right now, but I know that will change once the pain is gone. I don't regret this but I am very ready to get through the pain portion. I think mine is actually mostly incision type pain, with some gas pain, but pain is pain and it doesn't feel good.

In any case, it seems to be somewhat standard practice. Shop around if you don't like it and see if you can find a surgeon who doesn't charge it since there seem to be a few out there. :thumbup:

I just found a dark chocolate fudge in addition to the regular chocolate too. It has a few more carbs, but still reasonable.

Yep, I paid it ($175). Bottom line--my doc said most of the time insurance will not pay for the consultation-- they'd bill it and refund if they got the money, but in their experience, insurance usually doesn't pay so they collect the fee up front.

Hey Brian-- I noticed that V-8 has a section of cream soups in my Walmart grocery section, and we also have Pacific brand organic cream soups. It looks like they have lots of variety-- a brocolli cream soup, butternut squash soup (yum). Here is the link to Pacific's website to see what they look like: Pacific Natural Foods , and here is the V8 website: V8 Soups - Healthy V8 Soup Home Page. Any soup you can run through a blender or food processor to take out "chewable" chunks would probably work-- potato and "chowder" type soups would puree really well I bet.

It depends-- is your pre-op JUST high Protein or is it high protein/low carb? If it is the latter, no fruit and no pasta/rice/bread/potato-- even whole wheat. Mine was high protein/low carb (I could eat nothing that had more than 6g of carb per serving) so that pretty much meant meats, vegetables, and cheese.

I like the way you think Danide-- in it to win it for sure. Sorry to hear about your set-back LilMiss-- I've been there, done it-- and though it takes more time it will happen for you! Just got back from pre-op-- surgeon is ok with me keeping my Friday date in spite of my lingering sinus infection as long as my PCP clears it so I'm in to see her tomorrow. I honestly think I'm good to go. So I'll be checking in at 8:30 Friday morning-- whee! Now I'm going to go take a nap. This clear liquid thing is sapping my energy.

You want the best surgeon, as long as you like him/her and feel a sense of trust since you'll be dealing with this person for a very long time for follow-ups. I'm just curious-- what's the rush?

First day of clear liquids today-- and how lucky do I feel that I only have 3 days of liquids vs the 2 weeks some of you have had :thumbup: I will remember that every time I think about throwing myself a liquid diet pity party! But. . . . I'm officially in the 250's now-- and that hasn't happened in 6 years. Whee! It was my goal when I set my surgery date to lose this much before the surgery and it feels great to have done it. How is exercise going for everyone? I think this is the area that I may struggle with, knowing myself. It seems like the "super" losers with the band all exercise a lot so I've decided I'm going to as well. But folks, exercising when you're fat does not feel good. Skinny folks (like my husband) are always all "exercise makes you feel so good!" and it makes me want to beat them down- hahaha. Anyway, what's your exercise routine?

Other than protein shakes, on my high protein pre-op regimen I did a lot of chicken salad (no bread, but you could wrap in lettuce)-- canned all-white meat chicken with light mayo and brown mustard, sometimes I'd add some almonds or walnuts for crunch and extra protein Any lean meat, grilled or sauteed in a little amount of olive oil-- I would often add some mushrooms, onions, and garlic for extra flavor and serve with a salad eggs are great for protein-- some people use egg substitute but my doctor recs the real things Because my doc told me not to worry as much about fat content as I did about keeping protein up and carbs down, I also kept a lot of turkey pepperoni and regular cheese around. It was good for a quick snack, or sometimes lunch and I'll tell you, a few small cubes of cheese works wonders for my hunger. Your doctor might not allow full-fat cheese but low fat or fat free is probably allowed and cheese is a good source of protein.

The psych eval is nothing to be nervous about. I had a 20 minute chat about the surgery and my expectations/how to deal with stress/ any worries I have (I talked about worrying about finding time to exercise, for example). Then I took a paper and pencil test. The psychologist is not looking for reasons to deny you-- I promise (I'm a psychologist). They are just making sure you don't have some really serious issues that would make the risk of the surgery not worth it, and they are there to give you some feedback about how to cope with changes or problem solve for any fears you might have. I think the worst thing you could do is get nervous and try to fake perfection-- it's not expected, or believed :thumbup:

Oh, husbands! I've got one too I think you just have to be direct and tell him what you would like for him to do to support you, since he is clearly interested in doing that, and the things that are really mentally unhelpful to you right now. You're not looking for a food coach, and I'd tell him that straight up when you're not angry because he just did it But there might be other things he could help you with that might make him feel useful-- like maybe going on walks with you and being your exercise partner, or agreeing to temporarily restrain from eating your biggest trigger foods right in front of you. Sometimes people (especially men in my experience) have a hard time just listening and being a support that way rather than trying to jump in and "fix"-- so maybe you can have that talk with him too. You have to do this. He can't do it for you and those little comments that are meant to be helpful and caring can be undermining. I guess you'll probably have to have that conversation maybe even a few times. Good luck!