Bandista

Nice NSVs! So happy for you.......and Felicitations to the new couple.

Oh my goodness,so sorry -- sending very best wishes your way!

SO happy....thanks every one. Down another tiny bit today so it's feeling real. Now for the 80s.....

Congratulations -- so happy for you! It's such a powerful thing to show up for ourselves and choose a healthy life. Very exciting!

I have a band and am not very familiar with sleeve protocol, but I sure love different kinds of chili -- black bean chili, cannellini, etc. I've been enjoying all the different kinds of Beans and lentils out there. Also the amazing things that can be wrapped up in parchment paper and cooked together for optimal flavor. Small piece of salmon with capers, for example, or fig & goat cheese with anything, etc. Have fun!

Hi Becky, you're almost there! The purpose of the pre-op is to reduce fat around the liver and make it easier to place the band. Everything gets moved out of the way and you want there to be room for the surgeon to work. It helped me to know that for the first time ever the weight I was losing on ore-op is weight I would never see again (unlike all the diets I went on). I agree you should call the doctor's office and let them know you're having a hard time, can you add a shake or have Popsicles, etc., but also some one has to cut out the in-house bakery -- that's not okay. Yes, they have to eat but that is too much. Let your daughter know you need her help. She can be your personal chef later but she needs to understand where you are now.

Hi Knapptown, so happy for you! I love the pageantry of food, too -- and I'm happy to say that it's not over at all. I still cook and present food, we have parties and go out, etc., but I just have a small amount. I don't eat a whole other meal while clearing up later. And I'm a cheap date. If I order an entree my husband and son are happy to lap up whatever I don't eat, or I just get an appetizer. It took a while but it's very manageable. My band is private -- I haven't told many people -- and it's not obvious that I'm doing anything but having smaller portions. What is obvious is that I'm getting my shape back. At least you had an excuse for looking like a football player, but the linebacker look was not for me! It's great you are addressing your health and starting this new chapter in your life.

Hi Tiki, it sounds like you have had your band installed and now you're waiting to start getting fills? Congratulations on all. Very exciting times. The return of appetite can be frustrating but it's a good thing to get to know hunger again, to read your body's signals. What stage are you on for foods -- mushies, real food well-chewed, etc.? This is a good time to practice mindful eating in small portions. Once you have your followup and assess with your surgeon for a fill your appetite will begin to dim. It can be a process to get to the green zone and at each step we learn more about paying attention so we don't get stuck later. Try to choose good foods and chew very well, go slow, listen for the signal of fullness and learn to stop then.

Finally, it's happened to me........199 on the scale this morning. My surgery was seven months ago and I'm very happy to have broken through this barrier. I've been hovering at the gate for a little while now. So happy! I can't thank you all enough for the support and encouragement I've found here. Now on to 198, 197, etc. -- it's a pound at a time.

For the first time in two decades I am not on a diet or about to go on a diet. I was very restrictive and feel so liberated now. I am just living. I don't miss anything because I am not missing out on anything. Gone are the days of disallowing whole food groups or planning out diet menus. I eat when I'm hungry and -- here's the key -- I don't eat when I'm not hungry. It's working!

Thanks for the inspiration! I have a few toddlers in my life and hope to be chasing them around this summer and getting up and down off the floor. A friend and I recently joked that this could be an entire exercise class -- just standing up and sitting down in place, get up, sit down. We could throw in crawling for the intermediates! Congratulations on all -- your enthusiasm is contagious.

Hi there and congratulations -- hope you got some sleep and are feeling a little better. There's nothing like sleep for the body to heal! I had a patch for nausea in the hospital and like Shazam and 2muchfun I didn't take the pain meds due to potential side effects (constipation, grogginess, etc.). Try to get up and walk as frequently as you can. As I write this I'm recalling the log roll off of this very sofa and how tricky it was to get up. Keep your sense of humor and know this will pass quickly and you'll be feeling that return to self. I loved my Popsicles during this time, also warm tea, salty broth. Sending very best wishes your way......

Nice mother-in-law! You'd better start thinking about XLs cause that's where you're headed next. I was wearing 2x tops six months ago and now I'm sitting here in a large cotton long-sleeved v-neck I bought on sale, so exciting! More like a Miracle.

Great advice, and congratulations -- looks like you are in Onederland. Yippee!

Hi there, for me this was the learning curve -- leaning just how carefully chewed up the food has to be, especially after a fill when the stoma is swollen which is good preparation for being In the green zone when there may be that same kind of "restriction." Many, many people get stuck on chicken. We each have to find out what our own difficult foods are. Really I can have most anything but if I start going too fast or eating larger bites I get that tightness in the chest. I'm still tempted to push through with more food as though it would dislodge but that's the worst thing to do. Best for me is to hang my arms from a beam, open the chest and do windmill arms. If the stuck episode is not going to resolve I have had a little hot water to produce the inevitable.

@@gowalking -- you, too? Now I feel like I'm on the cutting edge, Miss NYC! But seriously, don't go by my initial reaction as I am very sensitive to medication. This stuff is nothing compared to Neurontin, Lyrica, etc. Wouldn't it be great if it worked?! Glad to hear your doc's "jittery a few days" comment so I know it's not just me. Also glad to know this is a lower dose and not the same as for depression. I'm pretty happy and don't want to mess with that! As for anxiety, mine is pretty slight and manageable with mindful breathing, no coffee, etc. We will have to compare notes on the Cymbalta for arthritis relief. I got the 20 mg caps and took one this afternoon. So far so good, not flying like last night but still a little out of body. It's raining and my pain is down so that's something. I hope to give this a good eight-week trial and reassess. Didn't mean to hijack this thread with my pharmaceutical woes. In other news, folks......I GOT A BIKE!

You are entitled to your privacy -- and leave time for a surgery is common. No one needs to know what it's for, but why use up your vacation time.....just a thought. Best wishes to you -- I am so happy with my band and can't even really recall my surgery six+ months ago. Keep in mind you'll need time for your upcoming followup visits, though those are pretty short and could be lunch break-ish.

Sending best wishes your way -- what a rough start. You have been through a lot with the nausea, etc. I hope your body is settling down from whatever it reacted to -- could it be a pain medication you're on or a reaction to the anesthesia? I loved my Popsicles during the healing phase -- MinuteMaid Soft Lemonade. Try to stay hydrated and move around, gentle walking and a lot of sipping, can you tolerate a nice chicken broth? You will be feeling SO much better. You are worn out but you'll be bouncing back now and jumping for joy at this big initial loss. No way to do it, of course, but still a nice chunk off.....

I'm glad to be able to walk outdoors now, too, and to explore -- we had some rain so today was a basement workout day. Kind of dark down there so before the snow flies next winter I'm going to get some better lighting down there. Oh dear, sorry to mention the S word. Have fun tromping around your city!

Hi Stephy, so glad you have overcome those hurdles (what a nightmare!) and you are now back in banded world -- it will feel good to have Friday behind you to have that reassurance. A surgeon who apologizes is a rare human being in my book. I'm glad you have that relationship, plus a backup if ever needed. We live in a rural area and there are just two band doctors at the hospital. This has me thinking about whether I should have anti-nausea drugs on-hand, like the patch I had post-surgery. I wonder of they pass those out for hoarding in case of emergency. Like sailing, etc., what about motion sickness, etc. Of course the guy was out of town just then -- so sorry you had to go through all of this. Best wishes for all that is to come!

Went to the doctor for arthritis flare-ups -- have a high tolerance for pain but it's been getting out of hand.......LB surgeon is fine with NSAIDS but I'm not, too many risks overall. So it turns out an anti-depressant medication, Cymbalta, is being recommended for arthritis pain relief (osteo) so I decided to give it a try. I have been sort of tripping the last 27 hours, feeling very weird after one 30 mg dose. Have ordered 20 mg replacement and think I will give it another few days as maybe it takes time to settle in -- plus I had grapefruit last night and that could have released too much at once. Original script was 30 mg for seven days then up to 60. Any one have any experience in this world? I don't want to put it out to the whole forum. Oh, also this is an anxiety-reducing medication -- I figure that can't hurt -- and even though I am not depressed I would think more serotonin is okay...just thought I'd reach out here too while I'm feeling so weird. Any other arthritis or fibro-myalgia people who have tried Cymbalta?

Congratulations on deciding to turn your life around! For me it was such a powerful thing to choose myself first and my healthy future -- that is the main thing, showing up for yourself in this way is quite amazing. Transformative! I feel like I pulled some kind of switch in my head -- not that I wasn't empowered before but I wasn't really going to bat for myself. I was seeing to every one else's needs first and kind of sinking under from that, using food as a crutch. I chose the band for many of the same reasons stated by others. I never considered any other options as I didn't want part of my stomach cut out, etc. And the reversibility appeals to me, although I sure wouldn't want it taken out now! I love my band. But knowing that it can come out should it need to is reassuring to me. The number of office visits in the first year is a lot (11?) but that helps me stay accountable. I like it that there are medical professionals monitoring my labs and so forth and that there's extra help there if I need it. Whatever you decide, know that you are deciding on yourself -- you are deciding on your happy, healthy life and that is a wonderful thing. Best wishes to you!

Way to go! So happy for you......you look fantastic and I'll bet you feel great, too.

It's fun to go out now and just have an appetizer....and to really take time enjoying it all rather than bolting down apps then an entree, overdoing and regretting. It's great being a dainty diner-outer. Exploring is fun -- taking an unknown street or road and just seeing new scenery, discovering other places. We live in a rural area and there are a lot of amazing ponds, etc. I always think date night must be so much easier in the city -- so much to see and do -- but the country is very beautiful and I'm always surprised by the changing landscape. Sign up for ballroom, salsa or swing dance lessons?

Are you eating healthy oils and nuts, avocados, etc.? This might be a good time to introduce those -- so good for you in every way.