1019Joanne

Best of luck to you both on your upcoming surgeries....the reason for the pre-op diet I was told, was to get your liver out of the way of the band during surgery...it also gives the doctor a chance to see how you will do following a specific diet, since this band journey is a life style change, and requires changes to be made in the way we eat. I am just about 4 weeks post op...and I am down 29 lbs on this journey. This is the chance of a lifetime for us all - a chance to gain back the body which we all deserve! Good luck!

I am almost 4 weeks post op....and I am feeling really good today! I realize now that I have not been consuming enough protein - which had been making me very tired, and just about putting my weight loss at a stand-still. After talking to a friend at work (who had this surgery about 15 months ago and has lost over 115 lbs) I am getting more protein, and I feel sooooo much better. My friend suggested putting protein powder in sugar free pudding as well as making sugar free jello with isopure plus protein drinks, just as a way to make sure that even during my afternoon snack, I was giving my body what it needs to get back on track....and today.....VOILA! I feel like a different person! I am not exhausted to the point of falling asleep in my chair at night, and instead of looking as pale as Casper the friendly ghosts sister, I now just look like a distant cousin. Thank goodness....with each day out, I am more and more like me! I had to work today, and when I came home, I took my youngest to the mall with me, and we both got new haircuts! We went all out - wash, cut and blow dry (with a little flat-iron tossed in for good measure!) and what a great feeling! A new look for the up and coming new me!

I know that the experience was not funny at the time....but, oh my....you did get me giggling tonight! Hope the next couple of days are a little quieter for you!

good luck!

I hope all is well!

15 lbs is sooo great! congrats! Hang in there with the scale...I think mine likes to lie to me everyone once in a while, just to keep me working hard. It's going to be fine...skip the scale tomorrow....

I will be three weeks post-op on Monday...three weeks! In some ways it feels like yesterday, and in others - it feels like a loonnggg time ago! Going back to work has given me back my routine, and although I am tired, I do sleep well at night, and I really needed to get back into my life. I really feel like these past few days I am feeling like me again - almost "normal" or whatever that is. I still have some twinges in my port area...which I understand is normal. I did take a quick trip to the surgeon's office this week, but all is well....guess my incisions are healing very slowly due to an odd reaction my body is having to the dissolving stitches - but it still put my brain at ease to know that all is well! I still cannot see the changes in my body - down 29 lbs since I started this process - but everyone I see tells me how great I look, which is nice. I did have to buy a couple of new shirts...have some functions this week that I need to dress up for, and although I have pants in the next size down, all of my shirts seem to suddenly look like I am swimming in them. They are ok for work, but....it was nice to buy the next size down! and I still have a long way to goal.....

try taking a fiber suppliment daily - I use Vitafusion fiber Gummies that I bought at Target - great taste, and really helps!

I will be three weeks post-op on Monday...three weeks! In some ways it feels like yesterday, and in others - it feels like a loonnggg time ago! Going back to work has given me back my routine, and although I am tired, I do sleep well at night, and I really needed to get back into my life. I really feel like these past few days I am feeling like me again - almost "normal" or whatever that is. I still have some twinges in my port area...which I understand is normal. I did take a quick trip to the surgeon's office this week, but all is well....guess my incisions are healing very slowly due to an odd reaction my body is having to the dissolving stitches - but it still put my brain at ease to know that all is well! I still cannot see the changes in my body - down 29 lbs since I started this process - but everyone I see tells me how great I look, which is nice. I did have to buy a couple of new shirts...have some functions this week that I need to dress up for, and although I have pants in the next size down, all of my shirts seem to suddenly look like I am swimming in them. They are ok for work, but....it was nice to buy the next size down! and I still have a long way to goal.....

I am three weeks post op, and I understand what you are going through. I am still on mushie foods until my next appointment, too - and last night, after dropping our kids off at the homecoming dance, some friends and I started off to our favorite restaurant (something we always do on high school dance nights), but once there, I realized there was NOTHING on the menu that I could have! Not one thing. So, I had a glass of water with lemon with everyone as they had their appetizers, and then I announced I wanted to head to the movie theater and off we all went - bought a bottled water at the theater, and really enjoyed the show, as well as the company of my friends. I know that for the time being, I will not be able to eat what my friends eat, and never again will I eat the quantity of food I ate previously. But I can still enjoy the rituals of friendship that have been established over the years, and I can still have fun. I just know that I need to find new ways to please that hunger in my tummy. Drinking water instead of snacking on chips, grabbing a sugar free jello instead of ice cream, and water with lemon instead of a cocktail with friends. I have been too fat for too long and my body needs to detox from all the years of too much food. I know this, and I know this journey is not going to be easy. I have relied on comfort food for too long, and now I need to learn to deal with things differently. This is a journey for us all - and I wish you all well!

I still have some pain around my port - on the inside, which my doctor says is normal, since there are stitches holding it in place. I ended up going back to the surgeon today, because one of my incisions was not healing well, and they wanted to take a look at it. After a swab of the area (it was still "weeping" yucky stuff) and a quick test, it seems that I am having an allegic reaction to the dissolving sutures! Who knew!?! So, I am on an antibiotic, just in case, and have to put warm compresses and ointment on my incisions 3 times a day. Not a bad outcome - I was so worried that there was something really wrong with my incision! Today, I have to say that I feel like myself - I feel like I did before surgery. I know that sounds strange, but I do. I am so happy to finally feel "normal". I have to be honest, returning to work was exhausting, but, now, 4 days into it, I am better. I sleep very well at night, and I have just made this committment to myself that I NEED this, I need to be thinner, and I WILL be successful. I am scheduled for my first fill on 12/2 - the week after Thanksgiving - which means just under a month more in "Bandster Hell" - Hang in there my friends. It's all good!

I am two weeks post-op, and time to go back to work! I work in an inbound call center for a telecommunications company, so my job is not physically demanding. I walk in the door and realize that the whole office is having a baby shower for one of my co-workers, which means FOOD is everywhere! You name it, it was there...meatballs, baked ziti, salad, baked ham,red beans and rice, chips, and desserts galore! Oh dear.....to top it off, it's a full moon, and we all know that the full moon brings out the best in us all (LOL) and we were so busy today. I was happy I had brought in all my own food for the day, as well as my heating pad - I am not used to sitting for such long periods without moving around! However, I made it through the day, although I am really ready for bed! What an exhausting day! But I will say, that getting back into my routine is good for me!

I went to my seminar on 7/1, first Dr appt on 7/21, three months of supervised diet, and was approved through my insurance on 10/1. Had my surgery on 10/19. Every surgeons office is different, and I hope your processing goes well! Best wishes!

oh, my dear, please don't be so hard on yourself! You are here for a reason, the same reason that I am, and so many others. Your husband love YOU...and that is such a wonderful thing. If his co-worker is so self-absorbed that he cannot see that you are a person, then he is not someone to waste your time on. Hang in there....

I am two weeks post-op, and time to go back to work! I work in an inbound call center for a telecommunications company, so my job is not physically demanding. I walk in the door and realize that the whole office is having a baby shower for one of my co-workers, which means FOOD is everywhere! You name it, it was there...meatballs, baked ziti, salad, baked ham,red beans and rice, chips, and desserts galore! Oh dear.....to top it off, it's a full moon, and we all know that the full moon brings out the best in us all (LOL) and we were so busy today. I was happy I had brought in all my own food for the day, as well as my heating pad - I am not used to sitting for such long periods without moving around! However, I made it through the day, although I am really ready for bed! What an exhausting day! But I will say, that getting back into my routine is good for me!

Sitting here on a beautiful autumn Sunday morning, and just got off the phone with a well-intentioned friend, and I just had to put something into words. My friend asked why I would have surgery so close to Halloween? CLOSE TO HALLOWEEN??? OMG - well, lets take a look at the calendar--- Yes, Halloween is 10/31 then Thanksgiving and then Christmas quickly followed by the New Year and then my birthday and then it's Valentines Day and then St Patricks Day and then Easter and Mothers Day and Memorial Day and Fathers Day and Fourth of July and then Labor Day and here we are - right back at Halloween! Why is my friend so hung up on why I did this so close to Halloween? I guess she is more worried about missing out on candy than I am! There is always going to be something right around the corner that could impact when surgery is right for any of us. HOWEVER, I know that I can celebrate Thanksgiving ANY DAY because it's really not the food that the celebration should be about - it's about the people you celebrate with. I cannot become hung up on the things that I will miss for a short time - I have to focus on the long term results. I have not been happy in my own body for so long. This is my chance to finally be ME - the me that I know has been hiding inside my fatsuit - my safety net - just waiting for the opportunity to come out and shine. There will always be an excuse if someone looks for it - OR - there will be opportunity. I congratulate every single person who took the opportunity to make their life better. This is not taking the easy way out - This is taking control and making a committment to change- for the better!

I am wishing you all the best tomorrow. I was in your shoes just two short weeks ago! Try and get some sleep tonight, you have a big day tomorrow. Take care and I will be thinking of you!

Congratulations! I am happy you made the decision to go through with the surgery! The pre-op diet is sooo hard to get through, but now, you are on your way to a healthier you! Best Wishes!

I am so happy that you are feeling better! Keep up the good work, and enjoy handing out candy tonight, I know I will! Happy Halloween, and keep feeling better!

wow- that is great news! The steps you are taking now will all be a part of your medical file, which is also great. Glad that you shared the news! Joanne

Hi there! I think you are doing the right thing in taking charge of your health - I hope all goes well for you! Joanne

Good Luck with everything, and keep blogging!

It really does get better with each passing day, and around day 4, that sawed in two feeling starts to go away... The incisions will heal nicely - I still have some steri-strips clinging, and I am 11 days post op! Don't be afraid of the shower - it's all good! Take care!