Melinco

No, I'm not doing any protein shakes, I'm on solid foods. However, I bought protein powder, thinking it would help me get extra protein in, but I can't stand the stuff. I'll just have to make sure I'm eating chicken or other soft meat with my meals. Which means I've gotta go grocery shopping tonight! lol

It was a pain pump that the surgeon left in. It was a ball (about the size of a tennis ball) filled with pain medication, with a tube leading directly into my abdomen, right below where my port is. We removed it the Saturday night after my Thursday surgery (just pulled the 10 inches of tube out of my tummy - it was kind of gross, but I always get squeamish about those kind of things). It helped keep my abdomen numb. I just attached the little ball to my shirt with the clip that was attached. I stayed number until about 4 a.m. the next Monday. Then I needed my pain meds! It was nice having that, but even nicer getting rid of it.

Honkeytonkbedonkedonk! By Trace Adkins. I love that song! Great beat, keeps me thinking of what I want ultimately. Dance tracks are good, or remixes.

Enell! I'm a 48I and while it is a struggle to put that puppy on, once I do, the girls aren't going anywhere! I think I paid around $60 for mine, but as others have said, worth it!

This will be my first fitness challenge! I was banded 12/17, and it's time I start incorporating exercise back into my routine. I'm going to set my goal at 30 miles. It may be a bit aggressive, but I'm hoping that I'll shoot past it.

By the way, why did these threads get moved?

I tried this last night for dinner. OMG it was GROSS! I threw it away! lol I made more, but had to use water, as I used the last of my milk on the one I tossed. I am just NOT liking the protein powder. I'm making sure I eat string cheese with every meal to help get protein in. But it's not where it's supposed to be, I know that. But I refuse to make myself force that stuff down. Ugh.

I'm 2 days shy of 2 weeks. Pain wise, I'm good. However, my incision sites are itchy/bothersome - I think just from normal healing. I'm hungry, but I'm on soft solid foods. In fact, it's just minutes away from lunch time and I'm ready! lol I'm sleeping on my tummy! Yay! Still have the tummy gurgling from food working its way through. It's amazing I can hear it so well. Never used to before. Am loving the fact that shirts are now not so snug! And my skirts/slacks too! One skirt has a very limited life as it is already sitting low on my hips. There is no elastic in it so once I lose probably another 15-20 pounds, I won't be able to wear it any longer. So, all in all, pretty good. Can you feel your port? Mine is very noticible when I run my hand over it.

Also, my doctor said to move your legs, while standing up, as if you were riding a bike. This helps to get the circulation going, to prevent blod clots. Also rotate your ankles both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Walk, walk, walk. Drink, drink, drink. And if in doubt, call your doctor! As the others mentioned, this is one thing you don't want to mess around with.

During surgery, they put 3 bags of saline solution in me. In the first few days after the surgery, I hardly urinated at all. I actually had to push it out, and I've never done that before in my life. But after a few days, once I was able to start drinking normally again, I rid myself of the extra fluids and the Water weight. Now I need to start adding the exercise back into my routine to help with the weight loss, even though my calorie intake isn't that high.

Mine waits 6 weeks, then does two fills back to back, with a week separating them. I think they said because the first one doesn't last long, not sure. But, anyway, he's the doc, I'm the patient, so I'll follow his lead. My first fill is Feb 2, and again on Feb 8. Can you feel your port? Mine is very noticable under my left breast in the rib cage area.

Yeah, my surgeon is pretty progressive. He told me I could progress through the stages as my hunger warrants. So I transitioned pretty quickly from mushy food to real food (albeit soft). My portions are staying pretty small, and it takes a while to eat. One evening, I actually ran out of time before I was finished eating as we had to get to the Christmas Eve services at church.

I'm 11 days post op and on full foods, although I'm trying to make sure they are softer foods, or foods that will easily mush up. Yesterday after church, we went to Red Lobster to celebrate my cousin's baby dedication. I ordered the appetizer size of coconut shrimp and a baked potato. After the first shrimp, I ended up scraping off almost all of the coconut, as it was just too much. I gave a couple of them away. I ate most of the inside of the potato (it was a small one), but no skin, although I ususally love potato skin. I made a couple of scrambled eggs last night for dinner and added finely chopped ham, bell pepper, green onion, and cheddar cheese. I ate about half, and had the other half for lunch today with some crackers. It's pretty tough waiting an hour after eating to drink, but I pop a piece of gum in and it helps. Weight wise, I am holding steady since surgery, which if you think about it, is pretty good, having made it through two Christmas dinners. I plan on starting exercising again soon now that my incisions are healed well enough. I didn't want to irritate them, so I put off doing my Wii Fit Plus. Today is my first day back at work and all is well. I did bring my lunch with me rather than go home, so I wouldn't be rushed eating. It still takes quite a while to eat to make sure everything is chewed up very well. My only complaint is that I have a yeast infection from the liquid antibiotics I was on. Last night, I started the first night of the 7 nights of Monistat, OMG! That $h!t stung worse than the infection itself! But, I've got to power through it to treat it. I'm making sure I eat yogurt for breakfast to help cure it naturally. And I'm sleeping on my tummy at night now! :-D

You too, huh?

Why not just take a couple of gas-x strips to help remove any built up carbonation in your tummy? Might work.

I'm 11 days post op, and get the pain, usually late in the evening. If it gets too bad, I take Aleve, which my surgeon has approved. My sister in law, who is an OR Rn, did say that it is from the gas. However, regardless of what it is caused by, if you are in pain, you really don't care, you just want to stop the pain. If your surgeon allows you to take Aleve, I'd recommend it.

Eight days post op and I'm in the mushy/solid food stage already. I no longer have any problems drinking, in fact, can lightly chug (I don't allow myself to do a full chug). Last night for dinner I made some really soft chicken breasts and ate maybe 2-3 ounces, I actually had to stop eating because we had to get ready to go to Christmas Eve services at church. Afterwards, we went to my DH's aunt's for her birthday party. I did allow myself a few goodies, but not a lot. I had two or three bites of sponge cake, but it didn't taste very good. In the past, I would have eaten the rest of it regardless. I did have a soft brownie, a pizelle, and a few crackers with cheese spread. Are/Were any of you ladies on liquid anti-biotics after your surgery? I was for seven days and it gave me a yeast infection, so I'm going to eat some yogurt and hope it clears it up. If not, then tomorrow I'll go pick up some Monistat. Merry Christmas!!!

Also posted on my blog: I had a good appointment with the surgeon. Weight loss from my pre-op appointment on 12/7 to today was 14 pounds! Woohoo! He took the steristrips off my incisions. Gross, now I have to see them. He asked how I thought everything went, and I said everything went well except for my freaking out when they gave me the first medicine when I went into the OR. I said they did it before even getting me on the table, and he said they shouldn't have given me anything until I was on the operating table. He seemed a bit shocked. I started crying when I told him about it, it's the first time I've allowed myself to really feel the panic and let it out. At the end of the appointment, he gave me a hug. I get to move on to the mushy stage of food! So I made some mashed cauliflower tonight, and added the ranch mix for flavoring as well as two string cheeses for protein. I'll have plenty leftover to eat tomorrow for lunch and dinner. I'm looking forward to having cream of wheat for breakfast in the morning! I can take the anti-nausea patch off, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow, just in case the cauliflower doesn't agree with me, but so far so good. I go in on February 2 for my first fill. Then again a week later for another fill. How cool is that? So all in all, everything went well. Now I can at least partially enjoy my upcoming Christmas dinners. :0)

I haven't, but I'm starting to. I decided this afternoon to move to my cream soups that I add skim milk to, cook, then strain to make sure I'm getting out any small bits and pieces. Before I move to any additional full liquids, I'll see my surgeon tomorrow for my follow up visit and ask his advice. Are you getting yours in?

Man, you're way ahead of me, despite the fact you had surgery one day before me. lol I'm still so scared (or maybe paranoid) that I'll drink too fast that it'll come back up. Once I have my follow up visit tomorrow, I may move on to full liquids.

Are you one Clear Liquids or full liquids? After 3-5 days, I can move from clear to full, meaning like cream Soups but no chunks, sugar free pudding, and thin yogurt. After about a week of that, then I move to pureed food. Good luck!

I'm supposed to have Clear liquids 3-5 days post surgery, so if I don't count the day I had surgery, and go for 5 days, then I'll be able to eat full liquids on Wednesday. I'm going tomorrow for a follow up visit with the surgeon, and I'll ask then about moving forward. Although he has told me in the past that I can progress through the stages as my hunger warrants, but so far, I'm really not hungry, just thirsty. Once I'm finished with my morning coffee, I'm going to switch over to some apple juice. I'm really wondering if I should have got full sugar juices, as the juices I'm drinking have very few calories, as are the broths. I know I'm not concerned about total number of calories, but I'd like to at least know that my body is getting some nourishment.

Hi NLNS, Best of luck tomorrow! I just got banded on the 17th. I have to keep my focus on what's going to happen down the road, rather than just on the now, because the now hurts! lol Come on over to the post-op boards when you get banded and join the December Delights.

Me too, Ada! My shoulder pain is killing me. I really need to get out and walk more. I've been walking around inside my house, but that's only for a couple of minutes. But now my tummy, which was numb while I had the pain medicine pump in, is now hurting like crazy. Ugh.