pinkpeonies

That is so sweet. I'm about 40 mi N of Seattle. I see you're in TX? Bit of a commute! lol. I go back to work Monday, and have a job interview the same afternoon, right after work. An ambitious first day back, but MAN I hope this interview goes well!

I'm 13 days post op and today is the first day I've felt normal. Still having pain though. I planned to go back to work this week, but needed more time.

If you're up for trying a new turkey meatloaf recipe, this one from cookinglight.com is aahhhmazing: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-freezable-recipes-00412000070172/page16.html

My doc said when making protein shakes, use 4 oz liquid with one full scoop of protein (25-30g depending on brand). I'm supposed to supplement 60g protein per day, no matter what I eat.

My surgeon makes us wait a full week before we're allowed even protein, but I cheated and had protein a few days early, and started to feel better almost immediately. I absolutely could not start to heal without SOME calories and protein. Just my experience!

Try some PB2, or even a big tbsp of peanut butter, along with some ice and skim milk or water, in the blender.

In OP's defense, we don't know that it was take out. Homemade lo mein can be quite veggie heavy (at least the way I make it, with a lot of cabbage), and not ideal for a new tummy. Pasta certainly isn't the ideal meal for us, but it can fit into a healthy diet, I think.

Hmmm, you may need more protein. Are you getting at least 75-90g?

I'm not cleared for regular/unrestricted diet till the 9 week mark. I'd try something a bit lighter. It's a lot of trial and error to see what your new tummy will tolerate.

You look so much happier, you just glow. Good job!

My aunt got her band in MX before it was approved in the US, and no US docs would see her for follow up/fills. It was a huge issue. I'm interested in hearing more about what their follow up looks like.

Buffalo marinaded chicken breast (I buy it pre-marinaded from Costco), brown rice or quinoa (haven't decided which for tonight) and salad (lettuce, julienned red peppers, toasted almond slices, cucumbers and celery w/Newman's light balsamic dressing). I'm cooking for my boys, I'm still on my post-op liquid diet. But if I was able to eat it all now, it seems like a fairly sleeve-friendly dinner to me. DH is Asian, and we used to eat white sticky rice with every meal. We've made the switch to brown rice, and everyone in the fam has been loving it! But I've cut back on the rice (and potatoes) all around, really. We've been doing a lot of grilled veggies and stir fries with our Protein. Baby bok choy w/tofu, w/a bit of coconut or sesame oil, sprinkled lightly with soy sauce and sesame seeds and some Korean pepper flakes is DH's new favorite side. My teenager loves grilled skewers, usually with bell peppers, onions, and pineapple. My favorite is grilled asparagus drizzled with balsamic reduction, or roasted with a spritz of olive oil, Kosher salt and parmesan.

Are you taking an acid reducer? Prilosec chewables work pretty well. That helps with the hunger feeling. Also, I found warm liquids to be pretty satisfying (my favorite is Progresso's hearty chicken rotini soup, with all the chunks strained out).

Cigna is mostly self-insured plans, so the employer gets to pick and choose what's covered. If I recall correctly from my days working in insurance, most Cigna policies have the policy details/nitty-gritties online.

It's a texture/viscosity thing. I don't particularly care for soda, either - it's not like those are the only two options. And it's not so much about flavors, either. Some people just don't particularly care for liquids, or only certain types. Personally, I prefer icy/blended drinks, but my new sleeve isn't very accepting of them right now. That makes it exceedingly difficult to get the required quantity of liquids in, Not a lot different then a thin person not liking food, and struggling to get in enough calories, really...

Damn, you look hot mama! Good job!

I hate Water too. But I hate being fat even more. Do you like lemonade? I buy the Real Lemon lemon juice from costco. That and some Splenda is easy and pretty yummy.

It is absolutely your right to decide who gets to know and how they are told. I'm struggling with a similar issue, with my new boss. She's complaining to my coworkers about how secretive I am. No, I'm not secretive, I'm private. There is a difference. Whenever my need for leave came up in conversation, she's wave her hands in the air and say "whatever you're having done." It's absolutely killing her not knowing. To be honest, it's really pushed me into looking for a new job. Jobs in HR are hard to find these days, and I really loved my job. I've never worked so close to home (10 min away), have a wonderfully supportive group of co-workers, and am doing work I'm good at and enjoying, for employees I truly care about. I got this new boss three months ago and she has no boundaries. She piles the work on me, then sits in my office talking to me about her kids/family/personal issues. She lays off our HR assistant, then tells us we're not allowed to work overtime to get our work done. Then she approves my FMLA leave, and complains to everyone that will listen about me being out of the office, and talks crap about how I won't tell her why I needed leave. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. I'm just at a breaking point regarding the privacy issue right now and need to VENT!!!!

It's as though it never existed :-D

I'm only 12 days post op, but life SUCKS right now. I was completely unprepared for how difficult the recovery was going to be. I wouldn't go so far as to say I regret it, but I've had my moments.

IME, the key is to make lifestyle changes together. As one unit, you'll be growing together and supporting each other. DH and I were both banded six months apart, and this worked for us. Now that I have my new little tummy, he's really stepped it up. He's watching what he eats more, working out, being very supportive. If he wasn't, I'm not sure how things would be between us.

I'm scared of the same thing I had to get a muscle relaxer in order to comfortably swallow my fluids. Hope you feel better soon!

It really depends on the surgeon's skill, as well as the condition of your stomach/band. The band can leave your stomach a real mess, making it unsafe to perform the revision at that time.

I have a 3 yo, and remembering what the savory baby foods smelled like still make me cringe and shudder. I would avoid prepared purees in favor of making some yourself. They are seriously nasty.

That does not sound appetizing. Sliced garden tomatoes and a sprinkle of black pepper sure sounds yummy though!