JinTx

Ignore her. I have a lady at my work that talks bad about us bandsters (there are a total of 4 of us now) when in reality we think shes just jealous bc shes too scared to get it done bc shes had cancer. I swear, when she opens her mouth i wanna punch it. Your (and my) coworker is obviously ignorant. This is your journey so keep moving forward! J Banded 9/22

Banded 9/22. I am worried I am not eating enough. Yesterday I ate 279 calories. I am just not hungry that much. It's weird...somedays I am other days not so much. I know I can't live off such a small amount of calories. Should I be making myself eat more? I don't wanna get that icky feeling in my stomach (did it a few times...not a good feeling). My goal each day has been to keep my fluids up and eat as I am hungry. How long will this continue though? J

Ok so last night i went through my mountain of info from my dr bc i am stumped as far as what to "count" calories, carbs, sugar, Protein, etc. And i pretty much found no answers. Oh wait, i did. The answer was every body is different and find what works for you however focus on high protein foods. They did tell me eat protein first then veggie. I use myfitnesspal and for weight loss it says 1270 cal. So what am i suppose to do? Track calories for a few weeks and see what happens? Then if i dont lose track carbs? So that way i can see "what works for me". Let me tell you what i like. I like the south beach diet way of eating. I have done ww and atkins and i like sbd. So i was thinking of pulling out my sbd book and refreshing myself. I guess im just confused. I want to find a system that works for me however to me this is a lifestyle. What that means to me is that even if i am following a particular way of eating (say sth beach fot example) if i choose to have a peice of cake for a bday thats not cheating. Im in this for the long haul and have to continue to live. I am stumped. J Bandef 9/22

Dawn, when you get your Protein in and stay under your personal carb count are you also under/at the calories it has for you? J

Rachel, i am only 2 wks out so i really cant offer you any advice on the fills, etc bc i havent btdt. I am so sorry that you feel like you've lost your team at your surgeons office. When you go to your 6 mos ck up with your dr i would tell him all of this. Everything. Tell him just as you posted it. Be honest and forward with him. Demand thd amount of Fluid be checked. On another note, you are such an inspiration to other Rachel. You have done so well and should be proud of what you've accomplished. I always take your posts to heart whenever i see your replies. I know the feeling of still seeing "fat". I've lost 30 pounds and took new pics and couldnt tell one damn difference. I bet yesterday was not the best day for you to have taken pics since you were upset at the PA. I bet if you come back in a cpl of weeks when you arent so frustrated you will see those pictures with a different set of eyes. Good luck to you! And pleasd keep us updated on the outcome of your 6 mos ck up! J Banded 9/22

Straws are a permanenf no no from my dr. I havent tried one post banding. J

Hello. My name is J. And im a soda addict. Seriously, soda was like crack for me! Diet, regular it didnt matter. I drank so much daily i couldnt count. Big gulp 44 oz here, 32 oz soda there, can outta the soda machine at work, out to eat, at home. Everywhere. Its so stupid bc dh and i would drink it with dinner (he still does) and my kids would beg for it but i'd tell them no bc its not healthy so they drink Water. Im such a hypocrit. I gave up soda when i started preop. I had a killer headache (bc no caffiene) for a cpl days then it went away. Honestly the only time i missed it was once preop. I picked up taco bell for dh and my car smelled of burritos and tacos but all i wanted was a sip of that darn soda!! But i didnt. And i was so proud of myself. Now, i dont even miss it. I am too paranoid to even try it with my band. Plus i know its like crack for me. One sip will lead to one serving which will lead to a 12 pack. Its just not worth it. Ive lost 30 pounds since preop. Giving up sodas seems like a small thing to give up in exchange for that 30 pounds! J

Hey there. I am 2 weeks out and felt (feel?) all the same things as you. Gas, pressure in my chest, the runs...all of it. Everything is slowly going away. My BMs are regular now, gas pain is gone. My dr said that the feeling in the chest is from swelling. Just be sure you are getting lots of Fluid. J

That's awesome Donnie. My DH last night told me he could see a different. I think it takes longer for people that see us everyday. Keep up the good work! J

Tue 10/4 B: Protein shake w/ 1/4 of banana L: 1/2 c egg drop soup D: 1/2 Cream of chicken soup Cal: 270 Carbs:27 Protein: 31 J Banded 9/22/11

I started getting a cold sunday. I think its allergies bc molds are high here (gotta love texas). I am congested and sneezing. The drainage is causing me problems i think. Yesterday i felt like i swallowed a rock. It started at about 9 am. Today same thing. I drink a Protein shake for bfast and feel fine (stomach wise) then early morning its painful. When i drink Water pain. Like its not going down all the way. It doesnt come up, or even feel like it wants to come up it just stops. I have an empty band so its not like they can unfil me til my allergies pass. I am not taking meds for the allergies bc im too chicken to swallow pills this early. I tried some hot tea this am to help open things up but it didnt really work. Any tips? J Bandex 9/22

I called my dr. That nurse is so sweet. She probably has my date of birth memorized i call so much lol. I went and got meds but they havent kicked in yet. She suggested hot tea so i guess i'll keep trying that. J

My dr said whenever i felt ready for sex which ended up being a dew days. I didnt ask about drinking. J

Its on my drs list for pureed stage. Im gonna mix baby food bananas, lil bit of nut butter with greek yogurt and splenda if needed. We will see if its any good.

My dr said the goal of preop diet is to shrink the liver. My preop diet was not liquid just low carb. I could have less than 30 carbs per day. J

One of my incisions gets irritates by my bra. I tries on all my bras--they all rub on it. I just cover it w/ a bandaide while im wearing a bra. Dr said to just go braless at home an take the bandaid off which is what i do anyway. J

This is so hard to explain but i will try my best. Every morning when i wake up (since banding) i feel this weird pressure in the back of my throat. Its not from the tube from anesthesia (that went away days ago). It doesnt burn, doesnt hurt. I talked to my dr and he suspected reflux but ive had that before when pregnant and this is totally different. Its just pressure. It is so strange. Last night (well early am) it was the worst. It happened earlier (like maybe 4 am) when before it would be like 6 am. And yesterday i drank more than i have since banding (got my 64 oz in--yeah me). Could that be related? The dr didnt seem too worried. I now sleep with 3 pillows vs 2 to have my head higher. Nothing comes up its just pressure. Take your thumb and press it on the roof of your mouth slightly. Thats what i feel but its on the back of my throat. Any ideas? J Banded 9/22

I had a feeling like that. Swore i pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve. Talked to my dr and it was gas. Gas x and heating pad worked wonders. J Banded 9/22

I am scheduled to get banded on Thursday. Went and did my preop testing on Friday. I wasn't really nervous before, but now I am. Yesterday the nerves were driving me crazy. My thoughts were racing....am I making the right decision? What if something happens to me? Have I really given my prior diet efforts 100%? Am I ready for this change and commitment? Everything. Every thought possible entered me head over the weekend. But today I am back to excited. I woke up feeling refreshed. I woke up wanting this day, and the next 3 days to rush by so I can be banded already. I weighed myself this morning...another pound gone. Got dressed, my pants are barely staying on me. Another 5-8 pounds and these pants will no longer fit....at all. Pants that I have worn for 6 years. Pants that at some times were snug. Is this rollercoaster of emotions normal? I can not be like I was this weekend on banding day....my heart rate and blood pressure would probably be sky high. lol. Ugh....sometimes I drive myself crazy! Please tell me I am not the only one like this. J Getting banded 9/22

Baji, surgery and hiatal hernia repair went great! Those first few days were bad. Pain and gas = no fun. I am 10 days post op and doing great. As far as my emotions, i was waaaay more emotional preband. I think i was mostly scared of something going wrong during surgery. I am so glad i am on this journey. No regrets at all!! J Banded 9/22

I can advance to my drs stage 2 diet which is pureed. The next stage after that is mushies. Everywhere i search for pureed food ideas i get what seems to me to be mushies (refried Beans, ricotta, cot cheese). The examples my dr gives are applesauce, yogurt, pudding and baby food. Anyone else have any other pureed food ideas? J Banded 9/22

My hunger returned on day 5. I am still on liquids. The problem is that after a few sips the hunger goes away. But only to return 30 minutes later. Last night i had too much broth and was miserable for like the next hour. I drink like 2-4 oz of Protein shake and its too much. Is it just because im on liquids? Swelling? I am just hungry all freakin day. Is this the beginning of bandster hell? J Banded 9/22

UHC was great to work with. My BMI was 40 and i had no comorbid conditions. They did require 6 mos diet but looking back it was a good thing. It got my head where I need it to be. Good luck! J

I know you dont want to hear this but the best cure for it is time. You are doing all of the right things--gas x, walking. A warm shower may help as well as a heating pad. Days3-5 were the worst for me wih gas. Hang in there, it gets better. I am at day 9 and still have some gas. Good luck! J

Had my first post op with surgeon today. Port is not infected. Im such a worry rat. Good thing is that the med asst that usually checks you in, does your vitals, weight, etc well she was running late so the nut did that. I got to chat with him for a bit. He said i am a little dehydrated. My pulse was a little high as well. Dr said i am doing beautifully. He wants me to increase my fluids. Its so hard bc i cant get much down at once and if i drink too much i feel bloated. He wants me to slowly transition to pureed foods. So still no refried beans for another week . I did have some egg drop soup at lunch. Omg....so good. He was proud of my weight loss. I was 230 at my first appt with him and today i was 202. My first goal is to get under 200. I am so close !! I dont go back to dr in a month and if i want a fill we can do it then. All in all, good visit. Im gonna keep on moving forward. J