stoongal

I got a 6 pk of Isopure Protein drink and have bought them at least 3 more times, drink them even now..I didn't use any of my pkgs of SF Jello, but did stock up on homemade chicken broth - ate the chicken from it later as I chopped the meat up fine and added them to the diet as i progressed. Yogurt and fatfree cottage cheese worked well for me, poached eggs after a couple of weeks, and, like Tiffy, loved the babybel lowfat cheeses (could nibble them to mush slowly early on) I bought way too much protein powders, and have most of them still sitting here 3 months later, so go slow on those, wait til afterwards. Canned broths or soups you can strain out the solids for week 2 are great. Crystal lite - banana strawberry orange is my fav, as we all seem not to enjoy plain Water for quite a while, but do dilute well as they will be too sweet at first. Grape juice and unsweetened applesauce are good at first too! Hope this list is a help!

Mica, there are a lot of us here in Saskatoon that have had the sleeve! Come to the support meeting at the Cosmo Civic center this coming Wednesday (6th) and learn all about us and where we all went (several places in MX) and see what you think! We meet in one of the meeting rooms upstairs (up the long ramp!) and will start around 6:30 - should be a good sized group as so many of us are pretty new at the operation, pretty much all of us within the last 8 months! some really recently! So you can get a good idea of how it could be for you! Hope to see you there, Donna

I have a lower side pain too, few a few weeks now, but have had it yrs before so I know what it is, diverticuli - outpouching in my bowel somewhere, and it acts up now and then, hurts to take a deep breath and when i press on it it seems to help. At first I thought a hernia, but after a lot of thought realized that it was this old pain from years ago. Seems the older I get the more aches and pains manifest themselves. Shoulders every morning are bad, had that before the surgery though, arthritis no doubt. ~sigh~ getting old is NOT for sissies, I always say!

Don't you wish they would outlaw the band? So many things go wrong and sounds like yours was extreme! So sorry you suffered all that pain. Reminds me of my two knee replacements surgeries I went through in 2008! Thank God for morphine! Even so, was a bugger! I hope by now you are doing better and that the pain is diminished a LOT! and that you are losing weight and happy with the small amounts you can take in. (It does get better I promise) Nice to be home I bet! Welcome to the loser's bench!

Kermit you little doll, what a predicament you are in, no burps to relieve the pressure! Can I recommend something that seems to work for me? Probiotics. No not the yogurt, but the kind you take by mouth. I have 2 kinds, one that is for travelling with, individual packets that you can sprinkle on your tongue, and capsules that you keep in the fridge, anyway they really help with bloating and gas and anything related to digestion. Worth a try?

I also have new NSV. (love these things!) Whenever I went grocery shopping or even to Walmart, I grabbed the nearest cart and hung on for dear life, I manged to log quite a lot of mileage that way. Today, I noticed, I grabbed a carry basket at the grocery store without even thinking, and did my usual trek around and up and down the aisles without any discomfort and when I navigated Walmart today I parked a ways back so I could get the extra walking and never even looked at a cart, just put my choices in my shopping bag and then I realilzed, I didn't even need a cart - anywhere! Yeah! My back can finally handle the weight around my middle for an extended lenght of time! Almost 40 lbs makes that kind of difference! What a relief! Also getting through a day of housework full bore without feeling exhausted! Had a family over for a turkey dinner yesterday so went all out from morning til bedtime. Gotta love the sleeve!

Good to hear from you Bill, we were wondering how you were doing...remember how you felt when you booked your date? I bet you are saying it was a good experience after all. And your dad, is he liking the Mexican hospitality? Did you all get in the new hospital? or is it still Emmanuel location? Talk to you later... Donna Happy New Year!

I know the feeling, I just realized that I am half-way there to my goal too! Fantastic in such a short time! I am so happy with this process!

Wow! took me a month to lose that much! Way to go girl!

I have posted some new pictures (finally) - we got back from Lethbridge last evening having spent almost a week with Alison and family! Hopefully you will see a difference already as it has been three months now since my sleeve surgery. Almost 40 lbs! Yeah!!!

Kathy, You poor girl! You have had a heart-wrenching time of things - and I just want to cry thinking about it. How brave you were to go through all this! Hopefully the sleeve will be your final go-round with weightloss surgery! Most of us here are very fervent about the sleeve, we found the surgery fairly easy to recover from, and all of us will be happy to support you in your journey. Your doctor will check out your abdomen, as there may be 5 (in my case anyway) small incisions - including a drainage one. They usually heal within weeks though and end up being minimal little scars down the road. Wishing you all the best luck in the world with this one, you sure deserve it! Donna

I resolve to declutter my basement, it has been a thorn in my side for years, but, with arthritic knees, had been unable (til now) to manage the stairs to haul things out! Decluttering upstairs slowly now and it is a form of taking back control, and it feels really good! I resolve to get into an exercise routine befitting my age and my total lack of any physical fitness. That's enough! But will be huge for me to accomplish! Donna:001_cool:

I know how you feel, I received a big jar of deluxe mixed nuts Monday and had two days of nibbling on them, can't imagine the amount of calories. Today they are being put away! Talk about sabatoging myself! However, we have to forgive ourselves and get our resolve back and move on! (At least they weren't chocolates!)

Tracy, I don't remember, it was a while ago I bought it. I was just at Walmart yesterday, and am leaving in the morning for Alison's in Lethbridge. I will check next week when I am back, and let you know. Unless we end up at Walmarts there - who knows, back on the 30th! Happy holidays everyone! Donna

Thhis morning (Monday am weigh in) I was surprised that the scale registered 184 lbs - I finally weigh less than my 6" husband! That was my first goal on OH and now, for my 2nd goal, need to get to 165 and I will weigh what I did when we got married 25 yrs ago. Love this sleeve!:thumbup:

thats great Tiff, was wondering if I should take a bottle of wine to Alisons at Christmas - the men don't drink it, but traditionally Alison and I do. Do you think 3 months post op would be too soon for a few sips of wine before the turkey meal?

Well, Kermit, you are in for quite the Christmas too, aren't you? Kudos for taking the big step! You will not regret it, so easy to maintain and it is surprising how normal one feels in a relatively short time. Not the old normal of stuffing yourself constantly but normal as to food choices and fitting in again. What we all notice post-op is surprise at how much everyone else eats! Do keep us informed about your progress and surgery and all! Best wishes for tomorrow!

This is absolutely the right thing to do! What a wonderful gift you are giving yourself for Christmas! Your New Year will mean the beginning of a new you, slimmer, healthier, more confident and remember, more handsome! This is relatively minor surgery on the outside, and after a few days you will be so surprised how good you will feel. Your new tummy will take getting used to but we are here to help if you need it. Enjoy the process, savour the rewards and put your mind at ease! Be sure to let us know how it went and of your progress, and welcome in advance to the loser's bench!

Two little boys in first grade were chosen to be the leads in their first school play. It was to be a Shakespearean play. The first little boy was to say, "My fair maiden.... I have come to snatch a kiss and fill your soul with hope." The second little boy was to reply by saying, "Hark!, a pistol shot." Well, on opening night in the school auditorium, the two little boys were a bit nervous, knowing that all the seats were going to be filled with grown-ups. The teacher told them to take their places on the stage and to remember to speak very loud as soon as the curtain goes up. The curtain rose and looking out upon the audience the two boys were terrified. They stood there frozen. So the teacher whispered for them to begin. The first boy yelled out these unforgettable words..... "My fair maiden.... I have come to kiss your snatch! And fill your hole with soap." The second boy screams out....."Hark! a shistol pot, a postle shiss, a pot of shit, horse shit, this is bull shit... I never wanted to be in this lousy play anyway...." The audience left howling!!

I found my Click at Walmart here. Find it is better with a full 10 oz or more of liquid to the serving scoop, but then I am not used to sweet coffee so perhaps that is why. I am now drinking black decaf in the morning - almost a full cup now, but like the Click once in a while in the afternoon.

What a sweetheart you are! Gives hope and inspiration for us all, Thanks for posting these - you look amazing!

My dear girl, You will be in the new Jerusalem hospital by then, we are going down with family mid January and I am not very concerned at all having had mine last Sept. Everything has been checked and rechecked and they cannot find any source for the infections. I would perhaps recommend a spray antiseptic to put on your abdomen after showering and before the gauze is put on, that is what we intend to do. You will receive anitbiotics to tak while there and bring home too. My experience was that the nurses did wear sterile gloves when changing dressings. Perhaps take some hand sanitizer for yourself as you will also be handling your incisions sites. By the way, a quater inch of redness surrounding an incision is normal and so is some oozing after the stitches are removed. these are not infections, the redness would have to be much much more than that, just be sure NOT to put any oil based anti-biotic ointments on the incisions at home as oil clogs the holes and doesn't allow for proper drainage and ventilation, thus creating a bigger problem. Hope this helps in your decision, I feel it is very safe and a great fun place to go to and 98% of the people who go there feel the same way. Dr Almanza is skilled and experienced and you will be in good hands. Please do not let fear cheat you of this life altering procedure. Donna

Actually, I understand that it would take at least 6 months of low fat dieting to shrink the liver, perhaps the surgeons want their patients to be serious about weight loss and to get a head start on it. Basically the three day liquids ahead of operation day is to clean out the intestines, also the laxative helps with that job as well. I had the three day liquid diet and sailed through everything! good luck with your procedure!

This latest from NJsleever is absolutely NOT TRUE. They do NOT do any of these things after the surgery about your experience. ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!! They do not ask us to share our experience or do a documentation etc or tape any of it. So much for her veracity about anything!