Kathybad

I spoke to my BF tonight and she has agreed to babysit my daughter over part of my trip to Palm Springs and then my brother has agreed to let his daughter stay at our house to babysit her for the rest of the week. Our trip is from Oct 6-11, which is Saturday to Thurs. Oct. 6-8 is our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which my BF is going to cover. Then my niece can take over from Monday night to Thursday night. Yippie!!!! I just have to confirm with my niece that she will do it, which I know she will. Once that's done, I'm going to have to surprise my DH with the news. I was thinking of getting a printout of the hotel, and creating a gift certificate sort of thing, then putting it into a card to say I love him. Any other suggestions? This will be our first trip away since our son was born in 1998.

Hi Sunny! my doc is more restrictive. I was on clear fluids for the first 4 days, then full fluids until day 16, then mushies until day 30. I can't start on solids until day 31. I also don't get my first fill until 6 weeks (Sept. 10th). I know he has done more than 2000 bands in the last 7 years, so has this down to a science. But I will probably progress the mushies up a bit, as I'm going away next Thursday, so will start it then instead of Sat. How are you feeling... energy good? pain gone?

Chimboree: 4 hours in a car anytime is enough to wipe me out, let alone being day 8 post-op! Take a break! BTW, were you happy with the reduction? Did it hurt more or less than the band?

Only4me, I didn't have much restriction at first, so don't think I'm a good judge. My dr. told me that some people's stomaches will swell after surgery and can take several days to come down. This will increase your restriction. For now, I would suggest you concentrate on getting in enough calories each day to function. Take it from me, if you don't get enough, you hit a wall really quick! If it's a choice between the water or the meal replacement, I personally would choose the meal replacement. But don't push yourself to eat too much. You don't want to stretch your pouch. Take it one step at a time!

That's for sure! I'm completely energized today. If I didn't have my scars and steristrips over them, I'd wonder if I even had surgery a week ago. I'm actually feeling some restriction now that I switched to some thicker stuff. I added unflavoured protein powder to my broccoli & cheese soup. It had a weird kind of foamy texture, but no difference in taste. I think it will be healthier for me too.

Are you on full fluids? If so, try using thicker soups, yogurt, protein shakes with a banana pureed into it. These seem to "stick" with you a bit longer. I was in hunger hell up until yesterday when I started using more protein and thicker stuff in my liquids. Seemed to work.

Beginning of Pre-op is what I did. Afterall, I gained the weight, it was my highest point and had to lose it.

Thanks for the advice Dini. I did finally relax yesterday by staying home from work. It did me a world of good. I feel great today, just like I did before surgery. My scars feel fine, no pain and no aches. I've got some energy back and a little bounce to my steps. Must be the weight loss!

Icy, you can have mine!!! LOL. I'm the other way, I'd love to get a reduction job on mine. Even skinny I'll be a DD cup. I hate it. As for the belly ring, NO THANKS! Although my DH has bugged me since day 1 of dating to get one... for some reason he thinks they're hot! LOL.

Icy, I know you will get to that goal!!! I have a similar goal in my closet, just not as sentimental... but still motivational. You can and will do it!

I've just made broccoli & cheese soup. Yummy. I've added the recipe to our recipe thread.

Ok, another great soup I just created... sorry for all the soups! Can you tell I'm in the liquid stage! LOL 1 head of broccoli, trim off all icky parts, cut up 2 cups of chicken broth 2 tsp Italian Seasonings 1 tsp garlic powder 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 2 cups cream (light cream or milk) Simmer broccoli and spices in broth until really tender (about 30-40 min). Puree with an emersion blender. (Broccoli is stringy, so won't puree purfectly until you add cheese and cream.) Stir in shredded cheese until melted. Stir in cream. Puree again with emersion blender. Reheat and enjoy! Use more or less broth or cream to get thickness to where you want it. Use more or less cheese as desired. Also, vary the cheese if you like. I like sharp cheeses like Stilton, which would work well. My DH hates sharp cheese, so I stayed with cheddar.

Bless you CeCe. I love your list!

Ok, I thought of a question for today. This is a bit recycled, but when it was asked a few weeks ago, many of our newest members weren't here and most of us weren't banded. So, for those of us suffering with REAL HUNGER, and those of you who have plateaued waiting for your first fill... let's restate what we are looking forward to as we and when we lose weight... could be motivational. My list Fitting into an airplane seat comfortably Not always so concerned about food when at a party Shopping in a normal sized clothing store Running & catching my kids Climbing up & down stairs without pain in my knees Wearing shorts that don't ride up while walking Sleeping better BETTER HEALTH How about the rest of you?

Jackie, sorry I forgot you in my note above. CONGRATULATIONS!!! 10,000 steps today. You did it!:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Jeanie: Hi sis. Hope your evening's going well. I signed on and missed you . Chris: Congrats and welcome to bandland. Glad your stay in the hospital was good (except the cath exp.). Hope your next few days at home go well. I'm day 6 post op and feel great now. Chim: Mushies tomorrow!!! Lucky you! Ssankofa73: Welcome to the lucky 7's. Glad to have you here. Sunny: I keep missing you today! Lynette: Now that your computer's fixed, I still haven't seen you much. I know, you're all healed, filled and not :ranger: anymore! You've got a life! LOL. Take care! Dini: Where oh where is our Dini girl? Everyone else, hope you're well. Any questions of the day circulating?

Sunny, so sorry about the floor $$$ scam. I honestly don't know how people can sleep with themselves when they do this sort of thing. However, once it's done... you'll love it. I love my kitchen!!! :clap2::clap2:

Welcome Donna! Congrats on the weight loss.

I did something in my email, which I think unsubscribed me from the thread, so I'm just posting again...

Sunny, my band sister... it's so nice to see you are doing so well. How's the walking around? I don't think I've won any distance races, but I'm feeling able to walk a lot farther today than on Sat. Good luck tomorrow on your dr. visit.

Marcy, love the tatoo! Hmm did someone mention hot jungle love? I had my first post op this afternoon!! I think my DH is happy again! LOL. Blue Eyed Baby, love the research idea. If you ever do find anything out, I'd be interested in knowing the link!!! JeanniePanni, welcome to the Lucky 7's. Where are you from? Jeanie, how's your afternoon going. I'm so glad I stayed home today. It was exactly what I needed. Head hunger vs. real hunger? I'm sure mine is real. My stomache is growling very loudly and it feels empty. Of course, its 5:25 right now, and I last ate or drank at 1:00, so that would seem right. But, I think my satiated feeling only lasts about 2 hours.

Wow!!! That's amazing. You've dropped your meds so soon. I'm so proud of you!

I just spoke to my sister, and she said "No". She can't babysit my daughter while I'm in Palm Springs. I understand her reason, and really can't blame her, but bummed none the less. I really wish I had more people to call upon to babysit so that my DH could come with me. I did tell her about the sugery though. She had showed up at my house on Sunday while I was resting, and caught me off guard. I gave her the story of having a hiatal hernia fixed, but since she's a nurse, I figured she didn't buy it. So when I called her today, I decided to tell her. Surprisingly, she was very supportive and understood why I didn't tell her, but wanted me to know she was really happy for me. I felt really good about that. But still bummed about needing a babysitter. On another note, has anyone been overly emotional after their surgery. I can't stop crying. At a moments notice, not even when I'm really sad, I just lose control and start crying. I don't really understand it.

I've added a new soup recipe to the Lucky 7's recipe thread: Curried Pumpkin Soup. I also noticed I made a mistake on my Butternut Squash Soup recipe, so I've edited the original post (page 1 on the thread) so it is correct now. Enjoy.

Here's another Soup I created last night for the full Fluid stage onwards. 2 tsp oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1 large can of pumpkin puree (just pumpkin, not pie filling) 2-3 cups broth (beef, chicken or vegetable) 2-3 cups cream (coconut milk, milk or light cream) Sautee onion in oil until tender. Add spices and sautee for a few minutes until spices and onion are well mixed. Add in pumpkin puree and broth. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste, while cooking. Puree mixture using an emersion blender (works best). Add cream and blend. Enjoy. Note, the above seasonings make it spicy! For less heat, but good flavour, start with 1-1/2 tsp curry powder and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Then adjust upwards as you like it. Also with the cream mixture, I used a can of coconut milk which is 2 cups, then added about 1/2 to 1 cup of cream on top. Once I've had my first fill, I'll probably switch to milk instead of cream. But right now, I'm consuming so few calories, I think I need the fat!!!