piercedqt78

I'm going to the craft store tomorrow to get supplies. This is a great idea, I will share this at group next week.

Look at the local surgeons if there are any, I'm sure they would allow you to join their group. If not do what I did when I was banded (when it was first approved by the FDA) and start a group, it can be informal, just meet for coffee, at Panera, (something for everyone) and you can sit in the comfy chairs and talk, get to know each other and even discuss the sleeve, LOL. I made some amazing friendships that way, they even had a going away party when I moved from Chicago to Jacksonville FL. And one of them has been here to visit since my move. They can really become solid friendships, and sometimes that is enough to help with some of the life issues that we deal with. I really wish you peace, comfort, and hope. I always wish for hope, since in my mind Hope is what makes the future possible, and what keeps us human.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. There is no pain greater than the loss of a child. I know you said $ is an issue, can you find a place that works on a sliding scale based on income? Many of them will waive the copays. Something else to consider is group therapy. I know that most hospitals have a group for grieving parents. Another would be a local sleeve group therapy. If nothing else, maybe it would give you something to do other than eat when you are feeling blue. I know my surgeon has a group that meets every other Tues, and they talk about ways to fill the void of food. I'm new here as well, but was a member at the sister site for lapbands for years, and I can tell you that there is no greater place to vent, celebrate, or just let it all out than here. I made friends on the lapband site that I am still friends with 8 years later. We even did a weekend at Disney a few years back. You just never know what kind of friendships may come from the most surprising places. (((hugs)))

I'm also near Jacksonville. I can eat ground beef, but I seem to have issues if it is formed into a patty, meatloaf or meatball. For 4th of July my parents cooked out and I took a 1/4 of a burger and crumbled it up with my fork, I put a dab of steak sauce on my plate and did fine. Then I got over confident and Sat I took 1/4 of a patty at another bbq, and tried to eat it in bites. I don't know if I took too big of a bite, or if I didn't chew well enough but I was miserable for about an hour. At least I know for now what I need to do. I'm also right at 8 weeks postop. ETA: I did really really lean beef, and when I eat it as ground beef, I cook it and rinse it with super hot water to rinse off as much grease as possible, always have done it this way.

I had a lapband for almost 8 years, and was converted to the sleeve in May so this has been a long time coming.

WoooHoooo!!! (said with my arms in the air)

I just checked my BMI after doing my weekly weigh-in, and I'm officially overweight. I'm not longer MO, or even obese!!!! If it weren't 10:15pm, I would go outside and shout it to the moon and stars. I don't want my neighbors thinking I'm a total nut, so I will just come here and do my little happy dance!!

I have a former friend that every time I posted something about being curvy, or sexy as a plus sized woman, she would state that it was encouraging obesity, or that I was implying that she wasn't sexy because she was built like a 12 year old boy. Like I said, former friend. If my confidence as a plus sized woman bothered her that much she wasn't a good supportive friend at all. And she was the skinny b***h that would eat a double cheese burger, and 20 chicken nuggets and then wash it down with an ice cream and cookies. This thread cracked me up, and reminded me that good friends are the ones that loved me when I was fat, and still love me as I drop the pounds.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/magazine/RestaurantCard.html Is one example of the card, and a list of places that take it. I will say Olive Garden does have a grilled chicken kids meal that is really good.

my surgeon gave me a card, and it allows me to order off the kids or seniors menu. I have better luck with seniors menus, as kids meals are usually crap food. But I find that I save more money by just ordering an entrée ala cart, and then have a bite of my hubby or daughters sides if I have room.

See if you can find a local Vietnamese place that has Pho, (pronounced fuh) It's a broth with rice noodles, and it comes with thai basil, peppers, and bean sprouts. You mix the raw veggies into the super hot broth and let them steep. Most places have an option of a container of "extra broth" and it's sooo good. It comes without noodles, or the option of meat, but is tasty, and I found it very filling when I was recovering.

It works with sliced deli turkey too, I use the jar of turkey gravy, and serve it with mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.

I have a severe mushroom allergy, and I make some similar. I use the brown gravy packets (the powder that you mix with water and boil) and then a good tablespoon of sour cream. It makes perfect stroganoff. Also if you don't want to use ground beef, go to the deli and get some sliced roast beef, just ask them to slice it a little thick. If you really love the mushrooms you can add canned mushrooms my dad does, and loves it that way.

I pureed mine with chicken broth, and made a really creamy chicken salad.

I like to puree it and then make it into 100% natural popsicles. I just run it through a strainer with big openings. Same strainer that I used for cream soups etc. I also put pureed bananas and strawberry yogurt into popsicle molds, they make a great healthy snack, and help to keep me cool in the summer.

I love the apple one, and thought the Caribbean cooler tasted way too fake. And I tried everything, even crushed ice to make it like a slurpee.

I was sleeved may 8th, and my final stitch in my navel finally came out last week. I have been swimming several times, I just covered my incisions with waterproof bandages. I bought the assorted box, and used a larger one over my navel, where the doc removed my lapband port, and then smaller ones on the other 2 incisions. Since my stitches were dissolvable I wasn't worried about wicking, since they weren't made from cloth, or anything that I felt would wick water into my incisions. I was also in a private pool, that only my family swims in, and the youngest person in the pool is my daughter at 12, so I didn't have to really worry about people peeing in the water etc.

I had strawberries at 5ish weeks, I added them to a vanilla protein shake in the blender. I had some fresh berries that I washed and cut, stuck them in the freezer for about 3 hours and then made my shake/smoothie.

I went to Universal Orlando at 6 weeks post op for my daughter's b-day and rode everything, no problems. My biggest issue was finding food. We had lunch at Margaritaville, and I had shrimp, and then dinner at Boston Market on the way home. Sliced turkey was on the menu for dinner.

The NUT at my surgeons office says to only use the Isolate. She didn't say why, and I didn't even think to ask.

That's the esophageal manometry, right? They put the tube in your nose, and then have you swallow some fluid correct? It checked the strength and motility of the esophagus.

I had the Bravo capsule done, it measures the PH and there is no tubes in the nose. They do it under sedation, and then when the stitch dissolves the capsule "passes" through the system. http://www.gastroenterologistpaloalto.com/treatment-bravo-monitor-gastroenterology-palo-alto-ca.html

I spiked a 102 fever in the hospital, they gave me Tylenol and a cool wet washcloth. It came down, and my white cell count was good. As precaution they had me have a follow-up lab to make sure the white cell count was still normal. My white count was good, and the fever stayed around 99.5 for over a week. Hope your recovery is smooth, and pain free.

You look Amazing! You get out there and have fun dating.

I was given decaf in the hospital on day 2.