RSREED53

If I were you, I would reschedule Orlando trip. You want to give yourself at least 3 weeks of time to heal and follow dr postop directions. It may not be easy to reschedule surgery, so I would just politely excuse myself from Orlando and reschedule that trip for about 6 weeks after surgery. Ronda

Sweetdreams, I am excited for you!! It will be just fine. You will be so glad to have the surgery and well on the way to recovery. I am 6 weeks out now and doing swell! Keep us posted on your progress and know that I along with others on the website are cheering you on to a successful recovery! Take care!! Ronda

Leslie, I am glad you are doing so well!! Just take extra care in doing dr's orders at home. I got to go home a day early, too. However, mine was revision surgery, so dr kept me in the hospital 3 days and 2 nights. But I agree that there is no place like home when you are on the mend!! Keep up the great progress!! Ronda

I hope you are doing better with the preop diet. It gets better, I promise. Leslie, I hope your surgery went well and that you are recovering nicely. I am 6 weeks out and doing very well. Ronda

I agree with Adri I am enjoying the new lifestyle changes. I have begun to eat some food now. It does get better! You need to decide if your health improvements are worth the change in your life.

lol, I am also questioning my decision to have the surgery now. Been thinking about whether they will refund me or not (cash patient) and whether giving up the ability to have delicious food is worth it to look better and be healthier.

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Make sugar free Jello and puddings, light string cheese, Nonfat cottage cheese and Greek nonfat yogurt.

Sorry about your job--a class act jerk of a boss. :(Ronda

Tmela, you gotta follow drs orders. It gets better--I promise! You can do this! Hang in there! Ronda

Today I went to my dr for checkup. Overall, I have lost 27.5 pounds. Starting solids this week and continuing to progress the exercise mode. We have 110 degree heat now in Phoenix, so finding the safe place to exercise and work out is challenging. I go to the dr for my first monthly in August. I was sleeved May 31st, and feeling great. The stalling and sometimes frustrations of losing weight can be a problem. Dr. says not to graze over meals, so that tendency will be immediately stopped. He is afraid the snacking habits will sabotage the work of the sleeve.

Ronda

:DYou are doing fabulously! I love the pink dress!! It and red are 2

of my favorite colors. I hear you on the fixation with scales issues, but

I would simply determine what it is that would make you happy regarding your

size and lost weight. This is your investment, and you have to take care

of it in the best way. It is wonderful that others are noticing and

complimenting your successes!! Keep up the great work! Ronda

I have not used anything but Premier brand, and Protein Plus by Muscle Milk. Both are sold at costco. It costs about $60 for a case of Premier and the big jar of Protein Plus. Premier has 30g protein, and PP is 26g protein. The Premier is premade in Choc flavor, and I use the vanilla powder for the other one. I can mix it with Water, or soymilk, or even Almond Milk unsweetened, frozen fruits, etc., for a tasty drink. When I return to work in the fall, I will probably get the Premier shakes again, and try to get a portable blender to take with me in lunches. I will be eating more solids then, so will see how it goes. Your brand is a new one so I will check it out. Good luck with your surgery--sorry it got postponed a bit--but I promise that you will be soooo happy you had your surgery, and the health will significantly improve. Take care, and give us a progress report.

Ronda

I rejoice with you! It took me 4 yrs to get OKd for revision surgery that I had a month ago. Congrats! Keep us posted on your progress! Take care, Ronda

Running the foods through the blender or food processor would work fine. I am about to graduate to semisolids, depends on what my dr says tomorrow morning. Take great care not to pull your sleeve or injure the staple line. I know I was hungry, especially for something to chew--not gum, tho! Ronda

Your doctor doing the EGD should be able to determine the condition your stomach is in. There could be ulcers forming, tissue irritationfrohom the acid reflux problems, or just scar tissue developing after having the band. I would not worry what they find or how long the healing time--just be glad situation you are currently in with the lapband. I would think the healing time might be about 4 to 6 weeks. Everybody is different, and your doctor may have a different idea about that. Just follow their orders, get the EGD, and let your surgical team work a plan for you.

Good luck! Ronda

anonynurse - do you know how long it takes for reflux damage/ulcerations to heal to the point that it can't be visually detected? I'm curious about this.

I have only had reflux twice since getting a total unfill (early last month), and both times were within a week of the unfill. My fills/unfills apparently now take about 8 days to kick in - I know that's not unusual, but it is for me. Prior to that, I was having severe reflux (severe as in the degree, not frequency -- only 1 or 2 times a month, but all night long, as soon as I would doze off, even if I was sitting up, 1 - 3 nights in a row. That had gone on for at least 2 - 2.5 years that I can remember... I got tired of hearing "need more unfill" and actually started thinking it was dysmotility, especially since it was so intermittent... with 20/20 hindsight I should have connected the dots, but I didn't have much in common with other slips I had read about. Also because I knew 100% when I would have the spells... it was a weird feeling that I thought was the food not passing thru... I just attributed that feeling to yet another change (since it was my 3rd or 4th complete change in band sensations).

I also had at least one case of aspiration pneumonia, but it was just documented/diagnosed as "pneumonia" (but when I'm not sick, and no one around me is sick, and I have no fever, and 4 days prior I woke up to acid in my lungs... I never finished med school, but I'm comfortable taking a somewhat educated guess...)

I'm wondering if that damage would still be visible, since I (hopefully) won't have had any reflux for about 5 weeks by the time of me EGD.

Wonderful feeling!! I am working on a stalling factor too! I am 197 pounds, but trying to peel more fat is a bit rough. I am 4 wks postop and will start solids pretty soon. Ronda

You are doing this for YOU!!! That is a great goal. Stay focused on this factor. Those that doubt your intentions are just jealous, and uncertain about your successes--show them otherwise. I had my revision a month ago. Doing great with it. Took me 4 years to get it. Glad I had it done! Hang in there. We are here to support each other. Ronda

Thanks for your list. Very much like the PreOp things. :DRonda

My surgeon gave me a grocery shopping list for things to have on hand after surgery. Keep in mind each surgeon's diet plan is a bit different, but here are some things from my list:

skim milk

plain Greek yogurt (or CarbMaster)

egg substitute

fat-free cottage cheese

Water packed tuna

lean beef, chicken, turkey, fish (for blending/puree)

carrots or green Beans (again for blending)

low sodium Tomato sauce

low sodium vegetable Soup

low sodium V8

unsweetened canned fruit

unsweetened applesauce

cream of wheat

oatmeal (old fashioned)

cream of rice

mashed potatoes (made with chicken broth, no butter or sour cream)

winter squash or sweet potatoes

low fat mayo or low fat miracle whip

crystal light

sugar free kool aid

sugar free hot chocolate

sugar free popsicles

sugar free Syrup flavorings

sugar substitute

flavoring extracts

true lemon packets

Protein supplement

I was sleeved in Phoenix on May 31, 2011 by Dr. Steven Simon. Doing swell after a month out!! 26 pounds lost! Ronda

:DCongrats to you for such wonderful progress, John!! I am 4 weeks postop, and looking forward to reaching my goal and maintaining it. Yes, my taste has changed alot. Foods taste sweeter that I don't really like anymore. Ronda

It does get better, Lyndy. Glad you are doing better. Take care! Ronda

So sorry to hear of your complications after surgery. It sounds like you have some anemia from blood loss, too. I hope you will be better very soon!

So I went home Saturday got very weak and had to come back in. My bp dropped to 40/10. And the dr determined I was bleeding inside. I went to the icu for a night and then to a room. So here I am waiting for my blood levels to go up. Thank u all for your prayers and well wishes

I cannot tolerate anything over 2 oz of Proteins. I usually braise my meats so they stay moist. What I like best are the pate's--whiz your portion in the blender, then add one tsp of olive oil mayo (I like Best Foods brand.) To further moisten your meat, add a tablespoon of Light Creamy Ranch dressing to that and stir it into a pate'. I place a fourth of this meat onto my crackers to eat as lunch today. It was very tasty!! I am not very interested in too much spice or condiment, but do use some pepper, or lemon juice, maybe garlic, onion, or a smidge of garlic salt to a dish, if needed. I also cook a lot with either chicken or beef broth. This adds fuller flavor to the foods. I also like unsweetened applesauce, have blended veg Soup (Homemade), and I also add a fruit to my shakes sometimes. Main thing is getting the liquids, Vitamins, and working at getting the balanced meals into place. I live in Phoenix, AZ where we have extreme heat advisories this week, so the exercise time has been challenging.

Otherwise, I am feeling great. Losing weight, and really excited to reach goal and maintenance.

EGD is a standard test needed. It allows the doc to get a good look at your band and the overall condition of your stomach pouch. This result will help determine the type of revision you need. Take this as a good thing to have, and be glad the dr is being thorough.

Good luck! Ronda

Just got a call from my surgeon's office. My insurance apparently requires an EGD. The lady called me on my cell, which gets horrible reception, so I didn't hear everything and didn't have much opportunity to ask. I'm going to call her back as soon as I have a chance.

I don't know if the EGS is required for the band removal part, or the revision part. Or if it's required b/c my chief symptom from my slip was reflux. Or if it's standard to check for hiatal hernias when doing a sleeve-type procedure. Or... who knows.

Just curious if it was "standard" for band -> sleeve revisions. Hope to have more info soon.

I have the book~~ It is a good one! He uses Myoplex Protein powders, but imagine any brand you have works fine with the recipes. I have not tried the recipes, but plan to do so. It was a gift several Christmases ago. He follows our plan very closely.

:rolleyes:Ronda

I thought I would mention that I found this cookbook/eating plan called 'Eating for Life' by Bill Phillips. The book talks about the importance of eating 6 time a day... high protein & healthy carb. Exactly like what we are supposed to be doing. He has a lot of really good recipes, including desert ideas (sugar free pudding with a couple of scoops of protein powder). I thought I would pass along the info since it seems more fitting that a lot of the bariatric surgery cookbooks I've looked at. You may want to see if your library has it available.