melboyd

I haven't checked in for a while either, so I thought that I would. I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! I did ok and was happy with my turkey and green beans! Next Sunday it will be 2 months since my surgery and I am down a total of 84 pounds (53 before surgery) I had my first fill on 11/20 and I am going for another one this Thursday. I can usually go about 4 hours in between meals before I start to get hungry but I figured it can't hurt to get another one especially since we are in the middle of the holiday season! I am very curious to see what real restriction feels like. I hope that everyone else is doing well and enjoys the season with their loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I too am thankful for my wonderful and supportive family and friends! I am thankful for my health and this band, which I wish was a bit tighter. :grouphug: I am thankful that I have a job that I love, especially in these hard times! I hope that everyone has a wonderful, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving surrounded by the people that you love!!

Hi Lori, i was banded 11 days ago. Basically i went with my nutritionists instructions, they should be telling you what you can have post-op. I have found through reading this site that every surgeon is different with what they require. that being said, i use the designer whey protein mix (chocolate & caramel peanut chocolate) the first 3 days i had to mix them with water (not great) then i could switch to FF milk. i like them, it tastes like chocolate milk. My first week, i could only have protein shakes (3xs a day) and clear broth and jello. now i have to continue with the protein shakes and can have cream soups, pudding and yogurt! Some things i do recommend having with you are chapstick & gasX strips, possibly liquid tylenol, i got chewable brands of my calcium also because you probably won't be able to swallow pills. Don't forget some good DVDs , books, and magazines to keep you entertained while you are recovering!! Hope that is somewhat helpful. Good luck!!:tongue_smilie:

Thanks for the recommendation, i definetly will be looking into it. Another book that i read (i got the recommendation from this site) is Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band by Robert Sewell.

it sounds like you are on the right track, coming up with strategies and i will be keeping those in the back of my mind for when it gets tough for me. Keep up the great work!!:smile2:

Congratulations!!! That is awesome! I can't wait to reach onderland i am hoping by Christmas

CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is awesome! Pretty soon you won't be able to wear those pants at all!!:smile:

I also chose the Realize band because that is what my surgeon uses. I do actually like the website that goes along with it. i am just waiting for my access # from my surgeon so i can log in. you can track your food & water intake, your exercise and there is a place to upload photos of yourself to see your progress. i believe that you can also use a photo to see what you would look like after weight loss!

I agree, I think that soups and protein shakes are your best bet for work. I will be dealing with the same issue a week later but I will be in the mushie stage.

I teach second grade and i had to tell my students that i would be out for 3 weeks because i was having surgery. i have one student who has quite a few emotional issues and I spoke to him privately (he was suspended the day i planned to tell the class) when i told him he asked why i was having surgery and i replied that it was on my stomach. without missing a beat he said,"To get skinny?" So i looked right at him and said yes. He replied ok then changed the subject. (i think he expects me to come back a size 4 :wink2:) none of my other students caught on as to why i was having the surgery but some of their better questions were: "are you having your belly button operated on?" My favorite: "Are they going to put a baby in there?" :laugh: God i hope not! Anyway i thought those were cute and you might get a kick out of them.

That's wonderful!! Congratulations on fitting into an XL i think that has to be one of the best feelings, when clothes sizes start to go down. Hopefully i am done with going up and down :wink2: You are very inspiring to someone who is still in the liquid phase of the post op diet and feeling bad because her family is in the other room eating hamburgers for dinner. Thanks!

HI I had surgery on the 7th and also have the realize band. how are you doing with it?

i have been reading surgery stories on here and am so glad that i finally have one to post. My surgery was 10/7 at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA I got there at 7 am for 8:30 surgery and they started getting me ready. IV, blood thinning shot, etc. The surgeon was running late but we got moving at about 8:50. I remember being wheeled down the hall and talking with a nurse (she had gone to my high school) next thing i know i'm waking up in recovery. had some soreness and a headache. Love the self-regulated morphine drip No nausea thank god, they gave me a patch to wear the night before (like a seasickness) patch and put anti-nausea meds in my IV. I actually felt great, just sleepy and thirsty. i couldn't have anything to drink until the next day when they did the tests. the only problem i had was with my heart rate. when i went this summer for my pre-op testing i found out i had a low heart rate (45) so anyway my heart rate kept dropping below 40 and it would set off the alarms and the nurses would come running. i felt fine but the ending up moving me to the CCU for the night so they could monitor it. the next morning they took me for a chest x-ray and upper gi then ordered me a tray thank god!!! i had water, broth and jello they gave me 2 meals to make sure i kept it down and then let me go home! overall it was a very positive experience! the nurses were all wonderful and i had minimal to no pain. Best of luck to everyone who is still waiting to be banded! I hope you have as positive an experience as i did!

Andrea hang in there and things will get better. head hunger is the worst and i usually try to do something where i can't think about it or do anything about it. Go shopping if you can (even window shopping) i find looking at clothes that i want to wear helps keep me motivated. Give yourself a manicure. you can't eat if you are going to mess up your nails! Do you drink crystal lite? i'm not sure if that is the kind of sweetness that you're craving but it might help. Congratulations on sticking with the gym, that is something that has always been hard on me. Does your doctor have a support group? That also is a good way to get suggestions and keep your spirits up. I spoke to one woman at mine who said it was 5 months before she got to her "sweet spot" and even people who have been successful have said that they were starving in the beginning. Best of luck!

I know that it is easy to say but try not to be so nervous. I am one week out and really all i have had to deal with is some soreness where my port is but that is it. I am still getting used to trying to figure out if i am full or not but hopefully that comes with practice. This is a big step but you are taking it for all the right reasons and if you do what the doctor says you will be successful. just focus on the new you and how much better you will feel! Good luck!

Reading about all of the people who have had their surgery already is just getting me more excited for mine! I can't believe that it is almost here!! I just finished my students progress reports which was the last thing that I had to do before I left school! :cursing: It sounds like everybody is doing great!! Best of luck to those of you who are going in on Monday: October 6-Odawa; DeeH; sim78; bandedCG; sweetgothic; daydreamer1; artistapril; roxann; MississippiGirl; trinaj :cursing: I will be thinking of you! I was surprised to read that so many people are going back to work so soon. I am taking 3 weeks off and now I feel like a slacker :cursing: The doctor's office told me to treat it like a mini-vacation and I thought you don't have to tell me twice! Besides I work with some pretty aggressive 8 year olds, I don't need one of them punching me in the stomach (wouldn't be the first time). Anyway, however long you have for recovery~ enjoy it! and get plenty of rest :smile:

Best of luck to everyone who is being banded tomorrow: shanna234; salome000; wvprisonrn; 9pdmnm5; linro123; Meschultz I know you will all do great! I wish you an easy surgery and a pain free recovery!! :thumbup: Please keep us up to date on your progress!! Everyone else~hang in there it is almost our time!! :drool:

Congratulations to everyone!! October is only 3 Days Away!!!! :tt1: I just finished all my pre-op work yesterday so now all I have to do is wait for the 7th. Actually the 6th when I call to find out what time my surgery is scheduled. For the first time I wish I had a latex allergy because they get to go first! I just hope that I am early in the day! This is so exciting, it's sounds weird to say that I am excited for surgery but it does feel like the beginning of a whole new life! And I am only one pound away from my pre-surgery weight loss of 50 lbs! So I have 10 days to loss that one stinking pound! :bolt: GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! KEEP US ALL POSTED AS THE SMASHING PUMPKINS BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY AS "FAT LOSERS!"

The Upper GI really wasn't bad at all. They had me drink some stuff (kind of like Alka Seltzer that didn't taste great but there wasn't much of it) then I had to stand in front of a table while they told me to turn certain ways. Then the table tilts back with you on it :thumbup: (that was a little freaky) until you are lying down. Then they give you some barium to drink through a straw (mine was strawberry flavored, not horrible not great) they tell you to swallow slowly etc and you can see it going down on the tv screen. I actually thought this was the coolest of all the tests that I had done because you could actually tell what you were seeing. I can't wait to do it after I have my surgery so I can see the band! :smile:

The topic of bypass vs band came up at my meeting with my surgeon as well, I also said that I was nervous about all of the reworking of the bypass. His answer was, he felt both surgeries had merit and he just wanted to be sure that I had fully thought about and understood my decision. I am sorry that your surgeon is pushing you in a certain direction. We also discussed bypass vs band at my last support group because their were people there who weren't sure which they wanted. Basically they advice they got was that it is an extremely personal decision but for the most part the people who chose the bypass did so because they wanted to loose the weight quickly. They people who chose the band, weren't as concerned with the timetable and/or were nervous about the bypass surgery. Not one person said that they regretted their decision, no matter what surgery they chose. If you decide that the band is right for you don't let anyone sway your decision, only you know what is best for your body! Good Luck :thumbdown:

I tried one that wasn't bad I believe the name is Worldwide Protein (I keep it at school so I would have to double check it) the flavor is Caramel chocolate Peanut. It says to mix it with Water but I use skim milk. I also have the French vanilla but haven't tried it yet, the cals, carbs, and fat aren't bad (way under what my nutritionist gave me) and it has 18 grams of protein in a serving. I got it at Vitamin World and the container wasn't too big so you haven't committed to a huge tub of it. I'll try the French Vanilla tomorrow. It cracks my students up when I rev up the blender and they know it's time for my breakfast!!! :thumbdown:

Leslie, Thanks for all of the great information!! I am being banded on Oct 7 and it is so helpful to go in knowing all of this ahead of time. Just to be mentally prepared for what is coming is huge. I would have never expected to be hungry after surgery until I read it on this website but I am so glad that I know and am prepared. Thanks to all that have already been through this for making it easier on the people who are going into it. I hope I am able to do the same someday.

I guess I better join a gym now!! My arms have been my biggest concern through this entire process ( I have already started saving for plastic surgery!) It does make me feel better to know though that weight training will help with some of it. Good luck everyone!

Sounds good, I will try it. Thanks a bunch!!:smile:

I have been looking everywhere for the sugar free BBQ sauce, my nutritionist recommended the Atkins one but I can't find them anywhere. Where have you found them? I will have to try the salad dressing also, how is the fat content?