piercedqt78

Every weekend I make a HUGE Breakfast for my family and what ever friend my daughter has over for the night. I usually make an extra pack of turkey bacon for myself, and put it into about 6 snack sized bags. I have that and some cheese, or cottage cheese for breakfast. I hate to start my day with shakes, and only do it when I'm really in a rush. I also like the turkey bacon with some spinach and some feta in a lettuce wrap.

We do buffalo chicken wings about once a week in my house. I just bake the chicken in a small amount of buffalo sauce, and then the last 10 minutes I pour more sauce over them. I have also made chicken legs, and boneless skinless breast tenders this way. I make ranch dressing with plain greek yogurt instead of mayo and it's just as good. I have celery on the table for the family, but I can't eat it so I have about 1/4 of a cucumber to help cool off my mouth.

I will have at least 2 trash bags of women's clothes. I believe they are sized 12 down to about about an 8. I will bring them to the first meeting if anyone wants them. They are casual clothing, but all are nice, and better name brands. I buy them at a local resale shop, the money goes to support a local domestic violence shelter. I don't pay a ton for them, and I'm really picky about buying better quality. I will gladly give them to anyone that wants them, all I ask is that when you lose out of them you pass them on to someone that is post-op.

@@Julie904 I'm just west of Jax near Fleming Island near Orange Park South. I'm working on getting a local chapter of Bariatricpal up and running I hope you will consider joining us.

Check the local chapter section, there may be a local peer to peer meeting that will have a clothing exchange.

I'm in a 2/3 in most brands now, I did keep my 4/6's but only to use while I recover from my lbl. I know that with swelling and the compression garments I will need a little more room. But as soon as I am healed they are GONE. I will not ever go back to my plus sized clothes.

I agree with @@Mom10 I went with the sleeve for the exact same reasons. That and I know that sleevers have less dumping issues, and less hair loss. I do not tolerate sugar substitutes very well, as they then to cause me migraines, so that was another factor. I just read a study that they are taking out the gland in the stomach that produces the hunger sensation, and the sugar craving in young teens with weight issues. That is part of being sleeved, when the bypass they leave that portion of the stomach intact inside your abdomen. I think the sleeve will be the "gold standard" within 5 years, and I'm a former lap band patient. Feel free to take a look at my story in my profile, and check out my before/after in my gallery.

If they aren't willing to discuss it further, find another surgeon. I would not settle.

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies: why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I live in North Florida and still have extremely low vit d. I take 2000 units a day to keep it normal. My mother and daughter also have very low vit d, our pcp told us that it's the most common deficiency and the least diagnosed. More and more docs are testing now, and they are finding the number of deficient patients staggering.

I was brought a straw in the hospital the day after my surgery. As soon as my leak test was done, they brought me a lunch tray, and there were 2 straws on the tray, one for my tea and one for my Water. I asked and the nurse said they were fine to use, I have never NOT used a straw and have no more gas/pressure/whatever else they say.

My before pics.

These were taken today. The 2 "selfies" were in the doctor's office, and the one with the Water in the background is from his parking garage. I don't mind walking the entire length of the garage with a view like that.

I had my 1 year on the 8th but due to a nasty stomach virus I was unable to go, so I went today. I'm down 91 pounds from my revision weight, and 134 from my highest. I had 100% perfect labs, and my surgeon that is normally very to the point called me a "superstar" It just made my day. I also did my measurements and I'm now a 33-28-32. I can wear a size 3 in every brand, and as small as a 0 in some brands. Today was one of the happiest days of my life!!

or just eat the filling. I skip the shells now.

@@KittyKatt Check everyday, twice a day if it makes you feel better. And you know what they say, "the squeeky wheel gets the grease"

Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery. Maybe try switching your Protein Shake? Remember if you are only taking in liquids you are only going to put out liquids.

I am a band to sleeve revision and to me that does seem extreme. You will feel hungry, not starving like before, but hunger still happens. You don't want to restrict yourself to shakes (they get old trust me) and then binge on the wrong foods. I would make a plan for lean Proteins, and some veggies. Protein shakes are not going to provide you with complete nutrition, and it worries me that a NUT would be ok with that plan. I would run it past your surgeon and see what they have to say.

I am almost your exact story just one year ago. Instead of a pregnancy I had back to back major surgeries and they emptied my band. The only other difference was you were WAY more successful with your band. I was revised May 8th 2013, and yes it gets better. I was told the migraine is a mix of things, lack of sugar, calories, caffine, and the zofran or similar meds from your time in the hospital. It does get better. I think I had those spasmy cramps for about a week. Try sipping something warm, decaf tea or broth. That was much easier for my new sleeve than anything cold. I know some say the exact opposite, try it both ways. Welcome to sleeveville population:awesome!

I came down with a stomach bug friday night, I thought it was a reaction to taking my Vitamins on an empty stomach, I just wasn't hungry so I skipped dinner. I was up dry heaving all night. I would have been in panic mode with my band, for fear of slipping. I was calm and took my zofran and laid down. It passed but holy moly was I hurting when the dry heaves started. I haven't really had any vomiting issues since surgery. I've had a bite too much and felt really full but this was intense. I know now it was a stomach bug because my poor daughter has it today. Glad it was only like a 12 hour thing, and she should feel better quickly.

You are on day 3 post-op.

@Aaliyanah http://www.wlscenter.com/restaurant_card.htm If you google bariatric restaurant card several different options pop up. I had mine laminated and carry it in my purse. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/90444-lapband-friendly-restaurants/ There are several lists online. I know that most places will work with you if you ask. The only place I've had deny me is baker's square, they are like a Denny's and have pie.

I use the P3's mentioned by @@DelayedGratification and love them. I eat the meat and cheese for my meal and then have the peanuts or almonds for later. I have also discovered that if you ask nicely at Wendy's they will go into the salad options and just charge you for an extra chicken breast (about $1.75-$2.00) it's grilled, and they will also give you a sauce or dressing if you ask for it. Right now I'm hooked on the pom vinegarette and the new Asian ginger, both are light, and really give the grilled chicken some flavor. I usually get that, and pay the extra and have them add shredded cheese to my chicken if I'm really hungry or haven't had any dairy for the day. If not I have my chicken dipped in the dressing (a better choice than their sauces) and I'm full, my lunch was cheap, and I have zero guilt. If my daughter or hubby go they get a burger and baked potato and I steal a bite of their potato, or chili, but I don't touch the fries, bun, or crackers. Not that I'm denying myself, but even pre sleeve those weren't my thing. I have also ordered the "salad sized" chili. It's the one that comes with a green salad and tortilla chips. It's also in the salad options on the register, I have had to explain it at a few locations but they are ALWAYS great about it, and more than willing to help me out. I guess they figure if I can tell them how to ring it up, that I'm a regular at their chain. I like Wendy's better than any other burger place, because they do have some healthy options. We also really love Chipotle, I order a single soft taco, and just skip the tortilla. I have them do super light rice (hey I'm skipping the tortilla, so a little rice is ok, chicken is my go to, but I also like the barbacoa, fresh tomatoes, corn, and light sour cream and cheese. I don't usually finish an entire taco. And when I ask for no tortilla they make it in the container for the bowl and I end up with almost double what comes in a taco, I hate to waste food, but it doesn't reheat well, so I either give the tortilla to the hubs to go with his bowl, or I toss it. I would rather toss a tortilla than a huge pile of meat and veggies.

@@KittyKatt Sorry you are having to deal with redtape. It's worth it. Keep your chin up, and remember things happen for a reason.