TexasT

Way to go - you look amazing!!! Can't wait to see how beautiful you'll look as a bride! Best wishes for your continued happiness and hard work.

I swear by my Cuisinart SmartStick? Hand Blender!!! I've been using it for 4/yrs - every since I had my original band surgery. It's so easy to clean and is a real workhorse. Plus it has a bowl w/lid (makes it like a food processor) and a whisk attachment. I can stick it in a jar of salsa to puree it, in a soup can, etc.

I was 40/lbs from goal when I had my revision in January. I've lost 18/lbs more, so I'm now 22/lbs from goal. I just went through my closet today and tried on a bunch of capris and shirts for spring. Most of them are going to the donation pile (Yeah!!!). I've lost 3 inches from my waist so they are just falling off me now. My husband thinks I look great at this weight, but the doc wants me to lose that extra 20/lbs. During that first month of mostly liquids you'll drop a good amount. Just be sure to get your Protein in so you don't lose too much muscle!

I don't think I'm lactose intolerant because I can eat cheese, but I took a bite of my husband's ice cream one night and got horribly sick to my stomach. This was while I was on soft foods. I don't think it was the sugar either, because I use a small amount of sugar in my tea each day. A week later I tried a bite of ice cream again at a birthday party - and the same thing happened. So I guess I'm done with ice cream - not that I NEED it anyway! :001_rolleyes: My husband and I are going to Italy in May and I'm already mourning the gelato I WON'T be eating...

While I was still on liquids I had to go to a business lunch with a bunch of guys I work with, most I only see a few times a year. I ordered a cup of Soup, which I ate most of and some tea. Everyone was so busy talking that no one said anything about my not eating much. If you don't make a big deal about it, a lot of times people don't really pay much attention to what's going on with other's plates. I HAVE had servers at a restaurant ask if I didn't like my food when I only ate a little bit. I just tell them I ate a large lunch/breakfast and would like a to-go box. My husband and I also share Entrees quite often, or I'll order an appetizer.

Like VegasAngel, I also like to keep a cup of hot tea with me when I eat. I take a few sips if I feel I need to and haven't had any cramping or problems. I also believe you will do fine. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to adapt to what we need.

When I was in the hospital, they gave me a bottle of Isopure Grape Frost flavor along with some regular grape juice. I mixed them together and it was great. The pre-made Isopure is clear. I've tried the powder, but didn't like it nearly as much, and it wasn't clear, even mixed with water. The Isopure pre-made has 40Grams of protein in a 20oz bottle. Vitamin Shoppe and GNC have them by the bottle or case. You can try several flavors and see what you like. They can also be mixed with Crystal Lite if you want, though I just drink them 'straight'.

Ditto on the paper tape - it's amazing. I got whelps on my skin that itched like crazy from the regular tape. But I now have an open incision from a hematoma that I have to keep packed and covered with gauze. I use the paper tape to keep the gauze on. It comes off easily and is not irritating. Plus you can wet it to make it come off even better.

I had surgery on Friday and went home on Sunday. I had band removal, sleeve, gall bladder removal, adhesion removal, and an undiagnosed hiatal hernia repaired. So it was a pretty wild surgery. After my leak test on Saturday, they decided to keep me in an extra day because my esophagus was so inflamed and my bloodwork indicated I might have internal bleeding. They took labs again Sunday morning early, everything was fine and I went home that afternoon.

I totally feel your pain! After weeks on protein shakes, I now find the only thing I don't have to force down is the pre-made Isopure drinks. They are in a bottle and have over 40grams of protein. They are not as cheap as the powders, but they are clear and come in a lot of flavors. I was given the Grape Frost in the hospital and like it OK - tastes like watered down grape Kool-Aid. But my favorite is the Pineapple Orange Banana. I bought that flavor in the powder too, but I'm going to take it back and exchange for a case of the ready-made. The powder is cloudy and just yucky tasting to me, but others may like it. The Vitamin Shoppe will let you return any of their items for a full refund if you don't like them, and their prices are better then GNC (at least in my area).

D. asked: TexasT, OK have to ask; I too am a tea-alcoholic( just regular Lipton no fancy stuff for me)! Did you switch to decaf??:smile: I am weaning myself off of regular and miss my caffeine. Besides sugar it is the only "vice", if can call it that, I have left. How did the port removal go? I have a realize port and am concerned because it is attached with surgical clips not sutured in place. Getting my unfill next week, concerned I will gain too much weight back. already up 5 # my jeans are getting tight!!! :thumbup1: No way going to buy a bigger size... D. OK - I'll fess up. I did decaf the first week after surgery, then went back to my normal tea. I love Constant Comment, Earl Grey, and Lady Grey - which all taste better with a touch of sugar. So I put in just a little. I get migraines from artificial sweeteners, so I forgo them. I'm still losing weight at a steady pace, so I'm not worrying about it. I can taste a difference in decaf vs. caffeine, so I prefer the taste with it. I haven't had any problems so far. I do drink decaf or herbal teas at night, but after drinking a big Protein drink, I don't have much room for tea. As for your question regarding port removal, you should see my thread titled "Hematoma Hell" for the answer to that question. :scared0: They put those ports in to stay, so taking them out really messes your insides up. Mine was sutured and had clips - it wasn't going anywhere! Good luck with the unfill. I had mine just 10 days pre-op so I didn't have much time to gain any back. With the band, your stomach has shrunk already, and I found that I still couldn't eat a whole lot with an unfill. But it was nice to eat salads, which I couldn't eat with the band. Plus they were very filling. Starting on some Protein drinks now will also help you feel full.

You said you were kind of woozy feeling - are you taking vitamins? I take 2 chewable multis a day, along with a sublingual B12 for energy. I also agree about the warm fluids. I'm a "tea-aholic" and drink warm tea all the time. It definately feels nice going down and is very soothing.

Shontel, no I didn't have a drain after surgery. My hematoma was about the same size as yours but my skin above it was completely purple. Thank goodness mine has never been infected. I'm on antibiotics right now just in case though. I've been downing the Protein, trying to get muscle to grow back and close up that wound. My hubby is still packing it for me and says it's getting smaller every day. Luckily the pain is virtually gone, so I'm very thankful for that too. Taking those ports out must be torturous to our insides based on what I've seen and heard!

I know this has a lot of sodium, but I love Deviled Ham in the small cans! I just eat it with a spoon since I can't have crackers yet. I know it would be much better for me to take my own ham and blend it up really fine. But sometimes I just need a big boost of flavor, and this works for me. I only eat a few spoonfuls at a time anyway. Luckily I don't have any blood pressure issues, so I'm not staying away from all sodium.

I agree - staple removal is no big deal. It will be over before you know it. Just take some liquid Tylenol an hour before if you want.

My Cuisinart stick blender has been a godsend! I use it EVERY day to make Protein shakes, blend Soups, etc. It's so easy to clean, I just rinse it off and it's ready to go again. You can blend in a cup, glass, or cooking bowl which saves on clean-up. Plus it's portable - if you go visit relatives or go on vacation just throw it in your bag. I also made sure to have some drinkable yogurt. My doc prescribed an acid reducer in capsule form. I just open the capsule in the yogurt and drink it down. I can't even taste the meds that way. I normally get vanilla and sometimes add some banana extract for a change of pace. I also use a mortar and pestle to crush meds - I had a post-surgical complication and have to take 2 horse pill size antibiotics each day and they MUST be crushed. I had the band for 3 years and have never weighed my food - but I'm sure it's a good habit to get into. I just don't have the patience for it! :sad0: I haven't had a problem with my body letting me know when I've had too much.

Congrats to you - that is such a great accomplishment! I know the sleeve is a great tool, but you've also put in a lot of hard work to reach that amount of weight loss in 5 short months. Way to go!!!

Dear Stuck, my revision was all done lap, not open. And this included having my gall bladder removed also. My surgeon uses staples on ALL of his incisions, even the teeny ones, but removes them less than a week after surgery. And yes, when I went back to have my follow-up appointment after the wound opening up I was put on an antibiotic for a couple of weeks just to be safe. I'm working very hard to keep drinking that Protein, and the wound is healing very nicely already. It's draining MUCH less, is barely painful at all, and according to my husband he's using less and less packing each day, which means the bottom of the "hole" is filling in with muscle again. :confused1:

As someone who had the band in me for 3-1/2 years I'm telling you DO NOT DO IT!!!! It was the worst decision I think I've ever made to get one. Yes, I lost weight. And no, I didn't have a slippage or erosion. But I had a very hard time eating, and there are so many healthy things you can't eat (salads, oranges, and many more fruits and veggies). I got to where I was eating a lot of empty calories of "soft" foods that would go down, gained a little weight back, and was very unhappy. If you get the band it is NOT permanent. I feel most people will eventually have problems. My surgeon, who put in my band, actually told me most people start having problems with them 3-5 years out. I started having vague pains in my abdomen. I did have gall stones, but there was something else going on. On Jan. 8 of this year I had the band removed and was sleeved. During surgery they found a huge hiatal hernia in the area above my band. Then I got a very large hematoma in the area where my port had been (complications with that ensued, but that's another story!). I am SO glad to have that band out of my body. The port was huge and would get 'stuck' under my ribs, eating was a nightmare, and trying to find what they call the 'sweet spot' with fills never really happened.

Regarding hunger - I'm 3 wks out and was SO looking forward to starting mushies. Now that I can eat them I could care less!! Nothing looks good to me or smells good to me. I do good to get a couple of protein shakes down. Thank goodness for Isopure and it's 40+ grams of protein per bottle or I'd be in trouble. I'm hoping in a few weeks when I can start to eat regular food the desire to eat will come back some.

Tiffy - had my gall bladder out when I did my revision on 1/08 so I feel your pain. It took me almost a year to get someone to take my pain complaints seriously. I'm so sorry you're going to have another abdominal surgery. If you're like me that's the last thing you want after all that band to sleeve business. You might be surprised at how sore you'll be after having the GB removed. That area has been more sore at times than my sleeve area is. My surgeon also said I had tons of adhesions all over my gall bladder too, which I'm sure didn't help matters. Good luck and I'll send some Reiki healing your way (I'm a Reiki II practitioner) along with lots of prayer. - Tara