aubrie

One of my favorite recipes is pork chops smoothered in Bavarian style saurkraut, fresh garden tomatoes, onions and bell peppers, and baked for an hour. The chops just fall off the bone and are real easy to eat. I don't have any problem with the kraut.

Priceless.... completely priceless. Isn't it nice to know that God in His infinite wisdom created the laws of the universe that include: "What goes around comes around" (Karma)? TOUCHE!!!!

Well, I suffered the week from hell last week. I woke up last Monday night at 12:30 AM with a terrible tummy ache. No where near my band. On the other side. I paced. I tried to pass gas and took gas-x. I rocked. I drank water. Nothing.... it just got worse. By six AM I was groaning and my husband had been up with me for a couple hours. I called my surgeon at 8:00 and he told me to come right away. (A 1 1/2 hour drive.... misery) I get there by 10:00 and he tells me I have gallbladder problems. WTF???? I don't eat a high fat diet. Never have. I have had low cholesterol all my life. I was totally in denial. I was starting to turn a little yellow. I have the sono and I have multiple gallstones. YIPPEE. By 7:00 that evening I had the damn thing removed. Thought it was over. NOT!!!!! I turn more yellow. My eyes turn yellow. My amalase and lipase levels skyrocket. My bilirubin is off the charts. More pain begins..... Well, some of the stones had dislodged and settled in my bile ducts, clogging the little opening. So all this infection, bile, and crap is backing up into my liver and pancreas. (Pancreatitis) Two days later, ANOTHER SURGERY!!! I opted against full blown abdominal surgery and chose the 85% effective procedure where they put all the cameras, equipment, tubes, etc. down your throat. (I was asleep) Okay. so that's done. 4 hours later, chest pains, nausea, can't sit up or talk, and my blood pressure skyrockets to 255/150. :sleep2: I was so close to a stroke. I had a team working on me in my room. My poor husband was beside himself. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through. I spent 5 days in the hospital. Anyway. I pulled through, I have a blood pressure patch for "insurance" and am monitoring that closely. I guess to much surgery all at once? I don't know, but I don't want to do it again. I'm much better now, :thumbup:but did learn that this gallbladder thing is common for RNY patients due to the more rapid weight loss. My doctor told me it's much less common for bandsters, and he thought I would have been one of the last ones to possibly go through it. He's just as puzzled as I am. I did lose rapidly in the beginning, but I've been on a plateau for months. Any nurses out there with any insight on this????:Banane37:

Purely by accident, I was using extra virgin coconut oil on my face to cure a stubborn rash. The rash went away in 3 -4 days, but the effect it had on the fine lines and wrinkles on my face and the smoothing effect it had on my hands, was so noticable, I continue to use it. It's AMAZING.

I like the low carb slim fast as well. I use the vanilla flavor in my coffee in the morning. It gives me a few grams of extra protien, and I also like the fact that it has vitamins and minerals in it. Many protein shakes don't have anything but fat and protein. That's not worth it to me.... I also use the vanilla slim fast to make cream of wheat and oatmeal. It gives it a little extra flavor. I add some extra vanilla and cinnamon, and a half scoop of unflavored protein powder, and I have a power packed breakfast.

How much does this type of thing cost? $50, $200, $1,000??? I have no clue. I've had such a change in my bowel movements since being banded, I think this would be something that would help me, but a bit afraid of it.

These past two weeks my sister has had a scare with breast cancer. I was beside myself with worry. My band was like a vice. It tightened right up. I was sliming, had tummy ache, gas and my band actually hurt. It was very uncomfortable. I would be full for hours. so much so, that I would have to skip meals. I would force down breakfast, and wouldn't be hungry until 7:00 that night. Even then I couldn't eat much. Mushies for me!!! It's amazing how much the stress actually affects the band.

I noticed today, that I have a lot of very tiny hairs growing back along my hairline, but the new hair is several shades lighter than my old hair. Has anyone had this happen? It also seems to be rather frizzy and curly. I'm not happy about that at all. I started the 3000 mcg biotin this past weekend. I'll keep you posted on my regrowth.....

I went on a two week vacation and gained three pounds. The doctor didn't even fuss at me. He said that the point of losing weight is to get your life back and enjoy life as it should be. I did enjoy my vacation. I was able to walk and hike without being winded or stopping to rest. My arthritis in my knees no longer bothers me. I was able to wear heels with my new outfits. Anyway. I got right back on track the minute I got home. I had been on a three month plateau, and for some reason, the change of pace started my metabolism back up. It's been two weeks home and I've lost my three pounds plus two more!!! WOO HOO!!! So just get back in the swing of things, and you may be surprised. I was!

What EXACTLY do they do for a "colonic"? I have an idea, but suspect I may be off a bit. Does it hurt?

Don't get your broth TOO hot (not a rolling boil) and beat it like crazy with a fork as you add the beaten egg to the hot broth. You'll get minimal clumps. I lived on this in the beginning. You can use all manner of different flavored broths as well.

LOL!!! I love it.... "feral creatures". Yeah, that about explains that age group of boys. They are kids, and kids with no manners or good upbringing. If either of my sons had said something like that at their age, I would have knocked the snot out of them!! All that aside... Amy you are doing FANTASTIC. Great loss in a short time. You've made the committement. Don't let those little twits ruin it for you. Glad to hear you got back on that bike!!! I'm really proud of you. Hang in there and keep doing what you're doing!!!

My surgeon doesn't allow me to eat them. You're allowed to?

I agree. 2 ounces is no where near enough food. I hope you realize that if you eat to little you won't lose. You will slow your metabolism down to a standstill and do yourself no good at all. I eat about 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of food at a time. It depends on the density of what I'm eating and the time of day. My doctor requires it to keep my metabolism going. Especially since I exercise vigorously and regularly. this also increases the metabolism. I'm due for a fill, and will probably go back to a one cup limit afterwards. I've lost quite well, and am healthy and fit, which is why I did this in the first place. Quality of life. Starving myself was not what I considered quality of life. I'm big on nutrition and found a surgeon with a philosophy that matched mine. I wanted to be like a normal person, and enjoy my life. I'm doing just that.

I too go to a doctor with a smaller practice and get his FULL attention. No offense to anyone, but I would never let my doctor's nurse do my fills, and I expect to see my doctor every time I go. I pay for an office visit, and I expect him to do it. My question is, did you get your money back for the visit. You mentioned that you paid for it prior to sitting down and waiting. I think you should work up how much it cost you for the day (the milage and gas costs, the time off from work using your sick leave), and write your surgeon a letter and let him know how much it cost you for his office managers oversight and ineffeciency. The least he could do is offer a formal apology. I'd be furious. He won't know unless you say something. It's also important that you weren't the only one sitting there waiting. There was someone else whom this affected. And the nurse said she contacted everyoone??? Didn't sound like it to me. If this is your first fill, I would definately wait for your surgeon to see you. That's his responsibility in my opinion.

I agree with Smartiegirl. I think the nosebleed could be from blood thinners they use before, during and after surgery. I didn't have coumadin. I can't remember what it was called, just several shots in my belly. Have you been sneezing along with the nosebleeds? With the blood thinner and a sneeze, you could have ruptured a blood vessel.

I was a committed couch potato before banding. I was so weak I had trouble moving and going up stairs. I started exercising and I now have all kinds of muscle. Even muscle definition that I never had when thinner. I have just broken through a three month plateau with no weight loss what so ever. BUT, I lost an entire dress size. Muscle weighs more than fat, so I lost without seeing it on the scale. YES, you can develop muscle with the band!! It works better that way. Higher metabolism.

It also depends on how you are toning your muscles. I haven't lost an ounce since April. But the clothes I bought in April are falling off of me. I've been exercising a lot and my muscle tone is showing. I actually have definition in a couple places. I know muscle weighs more than fat, so I'm not to worried about it. I've lost about 59 pounds and have gone from a 24 to a 16 so far.

I'm 8 months out, and the hair loss started about a month ago. Up until that time I thought I had escaped the hair loss thing. I read that many had that happen around 4 months out. I didn't, so I thought I would not have to deal with it. It's now coming out by the handfulls in the shower. I have to clear my brush and comb every other day! My hair has always been fine, but I had a lot of it. Now when I touch the back of my head, I just feel my skull. I can see my scalp at my bangs, and my hair is also dry and brittle. I've checked my protein and I'm getting the required amount. No problem there, so I'm off to buy some biotin. Thanks for the tip!!! I've just recently added coconut oil to my diet. I think this may help with the dryness. I've taken so much fat out of my diet, it's having a negative effect on my skin and hair. Even my nails are splitting.

Too old. To saggy and to many stretch marks from child bearing to ever wear a two piece again!!! My husband is the only one to see my scars. (And my physicians, who know what they're from).

I can feel my band. It's up under my ribs, but I can feel it on occasion. It bumps into my ribs. If I slouch in a chair for a long period of time, I can feel it. Sometimes I will get a dull ache where my band is located. It's not all the time, and for the most part, I can't feel it, but every once in a while it will give me fits. I can feel my port with my hand all the time. If I do a really hard ab workout, the muscles around it will get a little sore.

I have Aetna and they covered it, but it's true, your employer may not have a rider on their group policy that covers it. But check and recheck. Aetna did this to me as well. They were ASS HOLES about it. It took me 11 months to get an approval. I had to dance through hoops like a circus animal to get mine approved. I had to have all my doctors (OB/GYN, Rhuemetologist, cardiologist, PCP as well as my Bariatric Surgeon) to write letters of support for the surgery and how it would help my health. I had to have sleep studies, dietician appointments, 6 months of supervised weight loss attempts with my PCP, psych evaluations...... It was horrible. At first I cried for weeks over being turned down. Then I just GOT MAD!!!!! don't give up just yet. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!! Exhaust ALL possibilities.

My surgeon mentioned the tummy tuck thing in passing during one of my two consultations. I was told that some need it, some don't depending on the amount of weight that is lost, age, type of skin, etc. I didn't think to much of it. At 49 I doubted I would ever wear a bikini again, so I didn't pay much attention. That's about all he answered. Well, the reality is, my stomach could use a little lift, but I still have some weight to lose, and it doesn't seem that bad. I can live with it. I am very distressed though at my sagging breasts and the mud flaps on my upper arms!!! while I can buy good bras that place everything in the right place and make it look good, wearing a sleeveless top in the hot south Texas summer looks grim for me. My arms are way worse than I ever dreamed. I asked my surgeon about it, and he said that arm surgery tends to not be as successful as tummy, butt, neck and boob surgery, and that the scars are difficult to hide. My heart sank a bit. I saw a woman in the grocery store that had matching scars down the back of both arms that were wavy, lumpy and about the width of my thumb. If that's the best I can expect, NO THANK YOU!!! So I'm a bit depressed about the arm thing.

Ditto of Jachut! I use the St. Ives Firming lotion. It doesn't really do that much, but it smells wonderful and I like the silk like feel of my skin afterward. To be honest, I've recently tried some extra vigin coconut oil on my boobs, face and neck. I tried it for a red, bumpy, sandpaper like rash on my face. The rash is disappearing very quickly, but to my pleasant surprise, it is actually smoothing out the fine lines around my eyes and mouth, and also that puckery look of my breast skin from losing weight. My rough elbows are gone. I don't know what's in it, and it did great on my rash, but the added bonus is fine with me!!!

If you have a health food store near by, check out the little boxes of organic cream soups. It's exactly two servings in a soft box. The flavors I found were AWESOME. Cream of brocolli, tomato or mushroom. Butternut squash, carrot cashew ginger, (my favorite), tomato and roasted red peppers. I actually looked forward to eating!! egg drop soup mix cream of wheat vanilla slim fast (I used it to make my cream of wheat, and also put it in my coffee in the moring for extra protein and vitamins) chicken broth with the herb and roasted garlic flavor. (Regular is to bland. I cooked my veggies in it and then put the whole mess in a blender. Not bad. Poached fish in it too, once I got to the mushie stage.)