AFmom

I can't afford to buy new clothes at every size, so I am going to try my hand at tailoring some of them...especially the shirts and dresses. Mind you, I am not a seamstress in the least, but I do have a sewing machine, and I think that if I just fold the excess material inside the side seams that I should be able to sew a straight line, making a new side seam. I will let you know how it goes :smile: I think that taking up some of the waists of the pants may not be too hard, here again, I may be very wrong. If my plan does not work, then I will donate to give them away because I don't ever plan on wearing them again!!!

I blended up several canned Soups, but they never tasted very good to me. I did make several soups using ingredients from the meals I was making for my family. If they were having roasted chicken I wold take the bones, some meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes simmer in Water and then blend it up. For whatever reason that always tasted much better than the canned soups and I felt like I was eating somewhat like my family was. I did lots of things with Protein shakes...besides the usual chocolate or vanilla with milk and some fruit I loved using orange juice, vanilla powder, and frozen sliced banana (the frozen banana makes it much thicker and richer). Another favorite was chocolate powder, milk, heaping tablespoon of Peanut Butter, Turvia (or other sweetener) and a little ice. Blend both well. Before you know it this stage will be over, and you will be on to bigger and better things :smile:

My doc does all of his fills under floro too, but even with floro it can be hard or impossible for them to fill a tilted or flipped port. My port flipped and even with the image on the screen the doc could not get it, so it was fixed with a port revision last week. I had a totally easy and painless fill the next day! My doc has us lay down on a table and the arm of the machine is above my abdomen. You can easily see the port on the screen and he uses a needle to inject the saline and watches the band fill, then he has me drink the barium with a straw (can be tricky while laying down) and then he either fills more or stops. My doc just uses a syringe in saline in it, there is no tube, but I don't know if that is a difference with the Realize Band or not. Hope your fill goes well... Michelle

My port flipped too, and I had port revision surgery Tuesday to fix it. I have no idea why mine flipped in the first place, but I know that I am being more careful this time around. The surgery was not bad, but I have had more discomfort than I expected. My doc did go through the original incision, but it is larger now, and I guess between the stitches and the mesh, along with the fact that my port had ended up resting on a nerve, it was more painful that I thought. Now, 5 days out I am doing well, and looking forward to moving on and watching the pounds start to melt away :thumbup: I did not get a fill during the surgery, but the day after at my post-op visit. I have really felt that fill, and I expect that a lot of it is swelling. I am thankful to not be so hungry...I had to wait over a month for the revision surgery! Hope everything goes well for you on Monday. Michelle

Crockpot...that has been great for me. Keeps the meat moist and I can get it down pretty easily. Also, I have a Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef and it is great for cooking meat in the microwave. When I don't have time for the crockpot, the microwave has been great...keeps the meat moist and juicy. I am a steak lover, and there is no other way that I want my steak other than grilled, and I stayed away from it for a long time because I did not think I would be able to get it down. To my surprise it went down easily...I had my husband cook it a little rarer than usual, but it was fine. Good Luck, Michelle

I don't know if this is normal or not, but my surgery was almost 4 months ago, and I burp way more than I ever did before surgery, and if I bend over, I will burp for sure! I had terrible gas for about 2 weeks after surgery. Michelle

It sounds like your weigh loss is wonderful overall! To get past this plateau I would suggest working out with the Leslie Sanson "Walk at Home" DVD's. I was walking several miles a day outside, but once the weather got hot, I just could not keep it up. Leslie's program is easy to follow, just walking and 4 basic steps. I could never follow an aerobics class, even when I was thin, but this I can do! Currently I am doing her "4 Fast Miles" DVD, it keeps your heart rate up, and makes you sweat. Hope this helps! Michelle

I was banded May 6th, as outpatient surgery, and had a follow-up appointment the next day for a post-op check with the doctor. I did not have any bandages and my doc uses dermadona instead of stitches, so there was nothing to remove. I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery. Hope this helps... Michelle

I have been banded since May, and I only just tried a steak a couple of weeks ago. My husband grilled some New York strips and I was worried that it would not go down, but is was like butter...went down with no problem! My doc told me to try filet, but that is not what my husband brought home Hope you will be enjoying steak again soon Michelle

I am excited about making greek yogurt today...thanks for sharing your recipe! I will let everyone know how well it goes Michelle

You may not feel normal, but your symptoms are normal, and something that we have all gone through. I agree with everyone else, the swelling was terrible for me about that same time. The gas pain was horrible and I do mean horrible. I did not even notice any pain from the incisions, but the gas made me feel like I had an elephant sitting on my chest and shoulders. It will get better and once it does, you will be happy with your decision. Michelle

I agree, don't give up! Your weight loss has been amazing. I was banded on May 6th and at my first fill my doc had a hard time accessing the port...it had turned sideways. After a local, and lots of manipulating the was able to get the needle in. When I went for my second fill in July it could not be accessed at all, so we picked a date for surgery. I had my port revision yesterday and everything went well. I went back for my post-op visit and fill today. It was awesome to get a fill with no pain or struggle Keep your chin up, the complications will be fixed and you will be loving the band and your decision to get on. Michelle

My port has flipped, and after a very difficult and painful first fill, my doc could not access it at all for the second fill - even with fluroscopy and a local anesthetic. Not much choice left but to go back in and reposition it. I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow. I would love to hear from anyone who has had this done. Looking forward to having it fixed and getting a fill...I am HUNGRY! Thanks, Michelle

After a very difficult and painful first fill because of a port flipped on its side, I went in today for my second fill. I was more than a little scared because of how difficult the first one was. Both fills were under fluoroscopy, but this time even with a local and lots of manipulating the doctor could not access the port. I am going to be scheduled for a revision next month. Dr. Smith says that it is a simple surgery, but I would still like to know more about it. Hopefully someone who has had the surgery can give us the details. Thanks, Michelle

I went in this afternoon for my first fill. I was excited and not nervous at all...really looking forward to getting some restriction! Everyone said no problem, no pain, just a pinch. Other people ahead of me were in and out in just a few minutes. Right after I laid down on the table they seemed to be having trouble finding the port...they were pushing really hard and it hurt! Even once they were using floro they could see the port but could not access it because it had flipped. The doctor tried to manipulate it manually, by pushing really hard, and then finally pulled the needle out. Then he used some local anesthesia and went back in...still lots of pushing to get it to turn around a bit. He did manage to get it in, and added 2cc. I was just so glad that it was over. I hope that it is not that difficult everytime! Who else has had this problem? Did it get better or did they have to reposition the port? Thanks, Michelle

Thanks for sharing about the yogurt! I have bought the Greek yogurt, and I like it, but it is PRICEY...even at Sam's! We don't have Kroger in New Mexico, but we do have Smith's. I will check it out :thumbup:

I can't believe that "surgery week" is finally here! I am scheduled for 8:30 on Thursday, May 6th at Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. Who else out there is getting banded this week? How exciting...we are almost there!

My surgery was May 6th and I am scheduled for my first fill next week on June 8th. I have lost a total of 27 pounds, including the 16 I lost on the pre-op diet. I know that we are all praying we will be one of the lucky ones to get restriction from the first fill :confused: I am fully recovered with no complications from the surgery, but I echo the sentiment that I feel just like I did prior to surgery now. I feel like I could eat anything, and I want to eat everything! Until the last few days I have done a great job with small portion sizes and healthy choices. With the holiday weekend, I did eat more than I should have, and a few things that I should have stayed away from. I am climbing back on the wagon and trying to do better. I do worry about stretching the pouch, but at the same time, if we don't have restriction, then I don't really think there is anything to stretch out, because everything is just passing through. For exercise I am walking about 2-3 miles 5 days a week. I am looking forward to adding in some weight training and other activities when I get the all clear from my doctor next week. Glad to hear how everyone is doing... Michelle

My surgery was May 6th and I have lost 27 pounds, including the pre-op diet. Since surgery I have lost 13 pounds, and that was a little over 3 weeks ago. Hunger has returned in a BIG way for me and I want to eat like I use to, but I am doing my best to keep the portions small. I get my first fill next week on June 8th. I am praying for restriction, because at this point I want to eat everything in site! I hope all of the other May Bandsters are doing well!

I went for my second post-op check yesterday, at 11 days out, and was cleared to eat soft foods. That list includes canned tuna and chicken...yea...meat! Also, soft scrambled eggs, over-cooked large Pasta (no spaghetti), cottage cheese, refried Beans, soft fruits and things like that. Next week I can add fresh chicken and fish...I am looking forward to that. Hope this helps. Michelle

You are under general anesthesia for the surgery, so you16 will be intubated, but just like everyone else said, you want know it. My surgery was 10 days ago, and I got the IV in pre-op and then went to the O.R. got on the table and they told me to have a nice dream, put the mask on me and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery. I did not have a sore throat, or have to stay overnight. I was in at 7:00am and leaving by 11:00. I did lose 16 pounds on my 2 week pre-op diet! My insurance did not require a supervised diet of any length, you just have to have the BMI to qualify. The longest I have head of is 6 month's. Don't let the surgery itself scare you off...it is the easy part! I don't have any regrets:smile2:

Thanks Betsy & Leigh...it is great to hear what is working for those of us who are working and succeeding with the band! I am working hard to make consistent exercise a new part of my life. Since I am just 10 days out from surgery, and can't do many activities yet, I am concentrating on walking. Week 1 I started walking 1 mile a day, and now I am walking at least 1 1/2 miles a day, and plan on adding 1/2 mile a week until I hit the 6 week mark and can add strength training. I am making an appointment with a personal trainer (at the 6 week mark) to help me plan a balanced exercise program. Well, that's my plan, and I hope that by exercising, watching the calories, and tracking the nutrition on Fit Day I will be successful I would love to hear what other people are doing, or did, when they were in the early stages. Thanks, Michelle

I am newly banded too...May 6th...and have been wondering the same thing, so I have done some research online and read that to keep your body from going into "starvation mode" you need to consume about half of the calories of your BMR (basal metabolic rate). You can find BMR calculators online, and it uses you weight, age, and activity level to determine how many calories your body uses per day. I am still on full liquids but am trying my best to get half of my BMR in everyday, which for me is about 900 calories per day. Hope this helps, and maybe some else will have more information :redface:

Mel, Sounds like you had a rough start, but glad to hear that you are doing well now! I had the horrible gas pains too, the second day was the worst. I walked over a mile yesterday trying to get that gas moving! Your intake is awesome...I have not been able to get as much liquids down as I should, but I think the gas is pushing against my stomach and making it hard to get much down.

I am just two days out of surgery and my incisions barely hurt at all, but the gas pain/pressure has been killing me. I have been walking and taking Gas-X but it was only getting worse! I was about to call the doctor when I found on old post that had a great tip...if one gas medicine is not working for you, try another or two or three! Sounds very simple, but I did not think of it. This person said that Gas-X had not helped her and she called her doc and he said to try something different. She tried the Walgreens brand of Maylox. Off to Walgreens we went, I ended up with their brand of Mylanta (maximum strength) and it is really helping.