purplemonkey

Hi Marchies! What a GLORIOUS day today is! I had my post-op follow up appt at 8:45 this morning. The doc took care of that stitch I had poking out and told me to do soft foods for 2 weeks, then regular food for 2 weeks and then see him again. So my next appt is May 17th. But the most happiest, amazing, wonderful thing happened when I got on the scale... (go figure, LOL). Since March 19th I have lost 38 pounds!!!! I would be concerned that it was dehydration or something, but I ration everything out the night before so I don't have to think about it with work and everything going on. I get 64oz water, about 850-900 calories and 65 grams of protein. Doc said exercise was ok, so I just signed up at the new Planet Fitness that opened up here in Morris Plains, NJ. You should check them out in your area. They seem great and for $19.99 a month you can bring a friend with you to workout for free, you get unlimited tanning, half off cooler drinks, and many other perks. I have a session with the personal trainer today to develop a program for me, a session tomorrow morning for upper body and a session tomorrow afternoon for the cardio equipment. All these sessions are free!! I'm really looking forward to the cardio session because they have treadmills and elliptical trainers and I've never used either. If anyone is in the area and wants to workout there, you can always come as my guest. I think the best part, aside from the weight loss, is SOFT FOOOOODS! OMG supermarket here I come...salmon and tuna and an egg for easter! Who would have thought an egg could be so exciting. LOL Virginia

I'm thinking of joining this gym on the recommendation of a fellow bandster...anyone in the area want to buddy-up for moral support and encouragement? Virginia

Pre-band I liked to snack on pretzel rods. Does anyone have a problem with them because they are so dry? I'm still on full liquids...but was wonderin... Thanks, Virginia

ohhhhhhhhhh you are so lucky LLSibley. Aside from craving bologna and hot dogs, my new craving is for pickles...I even bought some at the store and can't wait to dig in. Anyone else having odd cravings?? LOL Virginia

Syrah, I had one of those left on me too! I can't remember if I pulled it off at the hospital or at home. But I recognized it from when he was putting them on me... Thanks Raven. I definitely won't touch it!!

I go for my post-op followup on Thursday and my god I hope he puts me on soft foods. I have had the most peculiar cravings these past couple weeks. hotdogs, bologna, pickles, and green olives...LOL At this point it would be nice to chew ANYTHING...

That is so awesome LLSibley! I was also banded on 3/19 and have no clue how much I've lost. My clothes were normally baggy and stretchy so I'm really not sure. I did notice that my 8inch bracelet that I wear all the time is much looser on me...so I tried my rings on thinking they'd be loose, but they weren't. Go figure. I go for my post-op DR visit on Thursday April 5th and dying to know how much I've lost. Just purchased a scale through QVC so that I can at least keep track of my weight once a week. Congrats Congrats Congrats!!! Virginia

I was told to remove the bandages after 48 hours and let the steri-strips fall off on their own. 3 of the 5 have come off. Going for my post-op DR. visit this Thursday so I'm sure he'll pull them off if they haven't come off by then. ...one incision has a stitch sticking out and hopefully he'll take care of that for me. You don't think I should try and pull it out do you??

I have Blue Cross and Blue Shield and had absolutely no problem getting approved.

Those few days before surgery was when I really had my second thoughts. I was so hungry and grumpy. It was horrible. I don't know how y'all do it when you have the pre-op diet that goes for weeks. My attitude changed right after the surgery, and I am so happy that I made the right decision! Good Luck! Virginia

I just ordered a weight watcher's scale off qvc. The item number is V24991. It measures body fat and weight up to 380 pounds with 10-user memory to keep track of your weight loss. I'll be getting it next week and let you know how it works. There was a great tip on another thread...put a 5 or 10 pound dumbbell on your scale to see if it is weighing correctly. Virginia

The nurse practitioner at my pre-op class said asparagus was a no-no. Not sure why...

One of my steri-strips came off and there is a single stitch sticking out. It doesn't hurt or bother me or anything. Should I try and pull it out myself or have my doc do it when I see him on Thursday for my post-op appt?

I don't know your situation Melissa, but I had to go see a pulmonologist to get a sleep study done. Virginia

berry, My first time with the Protein test tube was a little overwhelming. It is wicked sweet. Some people mix it with Water, but I'd rather just suffer the 3oz and get it overwith. I get them at the Vitamin shoppe and they carry Fruit Punch, Orange, Grape and Blueberry. So far I've tried the orange and grape. The orange is by far the sweeter of the two. The grape is little better because it's a bit more dulled down. Here in New Jersey they are $2.99 each. I know you can get them online by the 12pack but you may want to buy the singles and sample to see what's best for you. P.S. I take the B12 sublingual Dots that are 1000mcg's. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=VS-1063 Virginia

The doc said the cottage cheese had to be whipped--I found friendship lowfat whipped... and applesauce w/no chunks is fine.

Hi Ruthie! I live in Morris County and am a patient of Dr. Abkin. He is so nice and makes you feel like you are his only patient. Tigger33, I was encouraged to choose Morristown Memorial, so I did. It seemed that Dr. Abkin preferred Morristown (my opinion) and the nurse practitioner couldn't praise it enough. Glad there are so many of us NNJ'ians here. Haven't been to a support group meeting yet but I'd love to meet up with all of you at some point. Virginia

No underwear for me either. I got my period the day after surgery...was a little nervous to see blood in the toilet...then I realized what it was. :bolt:

Had my surgery at 1:45pm and was ready to go home by 5:15pm :bolt:

Hi monkey! I was off work for a week. Went back today in fact. Was tired and sore at the end of the day but no significant problems. Other than my ride home from the hospital I was on my own. Make sure you have everything you need prior to your surgery. and make sure that you have everything you need accessible from standing or sitting level...you won't really be able to bend for a while, and certainly not the first few days. Also, get slip on shoes-tying laces is hard. Ummm...I slept in a chair for the first couple days which made getting up and down worlds easier. Good luck.

My gas pain was about a 6 but I was religiously taking gas x every 4 hours on the hour. I didn't have the shoulder pain until 5 days after surgery and that lasted 2 days but the heating pad helped some.

Marjon9 I totally agree with you about how your relationship to food changes once you are banded, and you REALLY can't understand it until you are banded. I was always an emotional eater and now that I think back on it, it seemed like I was always in a state of desperation...I had to have it and nothing was going to stop me. I needed the food, whatever it was. I would buy bags of candy or Snacks and just eat without thinking. I'm not explaining this too well, but there was this panic desperate feeling that was always driving me. I've only been banded a week but things have changed so much. I feel like I'm on prozac or something because this desperation is no longer there. I'm eating/drinking about 800 calories and getting all my Protein and Water and am quite satisfied. I still do have cravings, weird cravings too LOL (like pizza with peppers and bologna... don't ask me why) but the fuel that was driving me to eat is no longer there. I feel in control of myself for the first time and it's so exciting! I can live with this and I look forward to the positives that will come from it. Alexandra you are such an inspiration. I was at the seminar last August when you spoke to the crowd about your experience. :bolt: Dr. Abkin is fabulous! I couldn't be happier with him as my doctor. BTW, I don't know why anyone would choose the gastric bypass without giving the band a shot first. The bypass was wayyyy too extreme for me and I will never regret going with the band. Best of luck to you bluejay! Virginia

Berry, My nutritionist said that your body can only absorb 20-25grams of Protein at a time. I don't know about you but I have a really hard time drinking a lot of protein shakes, especially when constantly trying to drink all the Water I need. So I buy those New whey liquid Protein Test Tubes. Each Test Tube has 42g of protein in 3 oz of liquid. So I'll drink half of it in the morning and the other half in the evening. That way I've got the 42grams in for sure and the rest I am able to get from my food. Are you taking B12? It makes a huge difference in my energy level and overall mood. I recommend the sublingual ones that dissolve under your tongue and go right into your blood stream. Great stuff! Good Luck :bolt: Virginia

That's a great day of eating Bosteph. YUM! I'm a week out so I'm in FULL liquid HELL lol but today I had: 3 cups of milk 1 FF Fudgsicle 1/2 cup cottage cheese Protein Test Tube Applesauce cup for a grand total of 775 calories and 64g protein. All in all I'm pretty full between that and drinking my Water. But MY GOD am I craving a hot dog!

No pre-op diet here...just clear liquids the day before. Everything went fine for me, even though my BMI is wicked high.