5.0junkie

I will say when that judge said the word congratulations, a slew of emotions over took me. It was an amazing experience. I'm not a very outwardly emotional man but when they started asking if I accept that she will be my forever daughter and am I up to the challenge, I may have had a little extra liquid in my eyes. So proud and honored to have been granted such a responsibility of loving this little girl all her life.

Again thank you all for the congrats and kind words. It's nice to know that there are others going through or that have gone through the same experiences. To update on the 7 year old girl, it didn't happen for us. DHS ended up deciding to pair her with her brother. Come to find out here brother was tribal so they will have to be in a tribal home. My wife and I are far from tribal and therefore it wasnt an option for us. Sad but obviously wasnt meant to be.

Vida I am doing great! I can't believe that it will almost be a month since surgery and I feel like it was years ago. I'm already so used to the band and the new lifestyle. I love not having that dragging feeling that unhealthy foods used to give me. I'm down 28 pounds and already feel like I have tons more energy. I still have no fill scheduled as I am very satisfied with the little solids I eat and my Isagenix shakes. Been meeting all my nutritional goals and just can't believe the difference in how I feel. I've already got people asking what I'm doing to lose weight cause they can see a difference. Just wish I had done this sooner.

Be sure and get all your vitamins and supplements in. I was starving if I missed a dosage but always felt satisfied if I was nourishing my body. V8 Fusion is great along with any supplement you can mix in your shake. I'm almost four weeks post op and still find more satisfaction in shakes and liquids than I do any solid. Just a thought but maybe it will help. It gets better... Good Luck

That's the same program I had but they did advance me to soft/solid foods quicker than they had originally told me. Biggest thing to remember about the post op diets is they are a guideline that is written for hundreds of people. Follow the diet as bet you can but also keep in touch with your doc and let him know how you're doing through the stages. They may advance your stages or prolong them depending on how you're healing. Good Luck!

Today was a big day. We finalized our adoption and the Judge happily signed off on it making it official forever. I'm now the forever father to a precious 5 year old girl. Pretty amazing feeling. Thank you all for your kind words. It truly is one of the best experiences of my life.

Carrie, no need to go back on mushies unless it just makes you feel better in your head. You ladies are killing me with all your worry!!! You would be in excessive pain whenever you ate if there was a slip along with things like choking, fever, night sweats, acid reflux and vomiting. Keep progressing but slow way down. Just cause doc says eat solids doesn't mean you should stop off and pick up a burger and fries for lunch. Slow down and take care of yourself. Your band will let you know when you've pissed it off and you should take note of what causes that. Oh and just cause you can eat as much as you want right now doesn't mean something bad either. It just means you have no restriction and its time to get a fill.

Georgia it's good to see you back. I would be willing to bet you don't have a slip. There is a search feature on the site that will show you many a post about slips that you could compare yourself to. However, if you're feeling "stuck" I would say your fine. You'd be in some pretty good pain and have other issues than just being stuck if you had slipped. As far as stuck goes, slow down, chew more, smaller bites. If you find yourself burping a lot while eating you're moving too fast. It's a new experience to us all and we are all learning to change years of habits. You'll figure out what works out best for you.

You are doing beautifully. Just left you a big long post on that thread. Stop beating yourself up and consider it lesson learned. You got this. Just slow down and listen to your body.

There's a big difference between heart burn and acid reflux. I too have been transitioning into solids and have had some heartburn issues but its just my body telling me to take it easy. I used to have acid reflux terribly so I know the difference. It seems to be reflux that is the signal of a slip or other issues, not heartburn. From what I have read about the band, certain food allergies or intolerances become more prevalent post band than before. For example, I knew pre band that wheat was one of my triggers for reflux. I can tell post band that anything that is not gluten free causes me some irritation. Its all about finding what works for you. You may just be experiencing some of your own intolerances. I could very easily see how chicken strips and fries could cause issues, fried or not. Don't fret about or worry about being on solids. You're doing what your doc told you and that's what counts. You might just kick it back a notch and experiment a little more. Eat one good at a time and see how your body reacts so you can narrow down what to eat and what not to eat.

Carrie I just read your other post and I have to say, you are a brave soul!!!

I guess brilliant minds think alike. My hats off to you ButterFly

It is very normal to question your decision and I imagine that everyone on here could say they all felt the same way. I promise you though that the worst part about the surgery and having the band are the things you conjure up in your head. What I imagined surgery to be like was far worse than it actually was. Stay connected here and everyone will help see you through pre and post op. Just remember that however you are feeling or whatever you are thinking you are not alone

ButterFly this is so not cool. I was going to start this thread and you beat me to it. Not fair!!!!! Im all over the map but currenlty listening to ARANDA.

Heres the plane story. On another thread a woman was talking about how she was miserable on a flight and is terrified to fly again. She was mortified because the guy next to her asked to change seats. I was just trying to help her look at things in a different perspective. So, heres my story I was on a flight to Detroit a few years back and the entire plane loaded. Every seat was filled on the plane except the one next to mine. I'm a big guy so I was ecstatic and happy that no one had to sit next to me. After a few minutes of sitting there a guy boarded the plane. I took one look at this guy, looked at the seat next to me, looked back at the guy, looked back at the seat knowing it was the only empty seat and thought to myself, holy cow. This was a big guy. I mean big. He made me look skinny. He was coming right for me and I was pissed that I had to sit next to this guy. I was already crowding the seat but now I was squished. As soon as the guy sat down he apologized for being fat and that I had to sit next to him. My heart broke right then and there because I understood his sentiment. Turns out, he was one of the best and coolest strangers I ever had the chance of meeting. The guy had an awesome career and one hell of a life story. We laughed until we cried the entire flight. It was one of the best flight experiences I ever had and it was all thanks to the fat guy that anyone else would have asked to change seats. The point of this long story is this. Next time something mortifying happens, don't be mortified. Don't let them think it bothered you. They don't know you, they don't know your story. Don't be shy and share your life with a stranger. You might just change their mind like my mind was changed. I can honestly say it was one of the most life changing events I've experienced. I learned to give people a chance before I place opinions.

Vickie I assure you the road you're on is a short one. Tomorrow will be better. Come Monday you will feel totally different. Just keep doing what you're doing and the misery will soon dissipate and be forgotten.

Hey TL, I figured I'd catch you here instead of on Dixie's thread. Saw your response to my post about the airplane. I'm glad you were able to take something from that story. It was a life changing experience for me.

I have to say I can't wait to hear everyone's response to getting their first fill. I don't have any plans for one right now so I will be interested to see how it's effects you all. Keep up the good work ladies!

Never ever be ashamed to see your doctor. They have seen it all and you are not the first person to go into the docs office with their head down and tail between the legs. See your doc and let them help you. Maybe you need to adjust your fill rate to help you feel better in the mornings and keep you motivated during the day. As far as this forum and its post go I will agree with you. I have read several post where people are very critical of others and their failures. From what I have read though its the people that come on here and say the band sucks or society won't allow them to lose or they do everything absolutely wrong and expect results, those are the people that get criticized and spoken to in a harsh matter. If you own you issues and admit failure, there is no other place in the world that will give you more support than this forum. Bash the band however and you will feel the wrath. So, good luck to you. You were motivated and ecstatic at one time and you can find that motivation again. See your doc and get involved on here. Tomorrow is no place to place your better days. Start over today and let all these wonderful people help you on your born again journey.

I can understand a doc saying that pure water is the absolute best. However, I have yet to discover that MIO makes me hungry. Whether its pure water or flavor added, I feel replenished either way. I also use Gatorade G2 and Pedialyte.

I use MIO and love it. Tons of flavors and options to mix and match. Does not contain aspartame (that I can find anyway)

We find out today if the 7 year old blonde haired blue eyed angel will be available to us. We found out yesterday that she has a brother. DHS may want to try and place them together but they have not been together for about 3 years so we are not sure how that is going to turn out. Fingers crossed!

I am self employed and have employees. If one of my employees were to ever feel that they could not tell me something or confide in me I would be crushed. It is my job as an employer and manager to promote confidence and support my staff. The worst thing a boss could ever do is have employees that dont trust them. I think having support from your employer or manager is crucial for lap band success. Its not just the time for surgery that you will need off but follow up vistis and fill appoinments. Be open. Be honest. They may not understand all the reasons that you have made the decision for WLS but they should at least be happy they are going to have a more energetic and positive employee.

The process is completely different for everybody but if you find yourself struggling or just not satisfied dont be afraid to call your surgeon and see if you could start to introduce some other soft foods. Some people I'm sure will disagree with me but this process should not be a struggle. There are way too many options to make it an enjoyable and exciting experience. You just have to find what works for you.