Lynn B

Alexandra, found it in my local stop & shop in the Water isle next to the fruit2O. I have mixed berry and it is good - I haven't tried the others yet.

Hey all, I don't know if anyone else has seen this but I just found it in the grocery store today:

Water Sensations - I love fruit 2 O but it is expensive and all those plastic bottles can't be recycled in my area. This stuff is like fruit 2 O concentrate in single servings - you add one packet of liquid to your 16oz water bottle and you have an instant fruit 2 O like beverage. Here are the details

1 box was $3.99 and contains 16 serving.

Flavors available:

Strawberry-Kiwi

Mixed berry

Orange

Lemon

Peach

Grape

Cal - 0, Carbs - 0

Ingredients: Filtered Water, natural flavor, citric acid, potassium citrate, Sucralose.

They have a web site www.watersensations.com

Great to just throw in your purse (or glove box for you guys)

Its funny - the other day I said that the crystal light individual packs were great but I wish they could do the same thing to Fruit2O. I didn't have to wait long.

Enjoy,

Awww now I'm crying to. Good job!!!

Well I have been cheating in my dreams - I am missing real food so much that I dream that I am eating steak and chicken >>sigh<< just a week and a half til mushies.

Oh to be on mushies....I can't wait. I am at day 11 of a 23 day full liquid post op diet and I have had it up to here with drinking my meals!!!! I wont cheat though - this means to much to me. My doctors last words on my discharge from the hospital were "Dont cheat on the diet".

If you are craving steak get some beef broth - its like drinking steak juice. The salty taste was sooooo good after all of the sweet I have been eating. Swansons makes a 98% fat free beef broth that is wonderful!!

Good luck,

Welcome Hedwig, I have been banded for 10 days. Each day a feel a little more normal. Each day something happens like getting out of bed or getting in the car and you say "all right, that isn't as uncomfortable any more" I feel that I will be back to my old self within the next week. My pain was also about a 2 (the first few days that was dependant on the pain meds but I have been off of all pain meds since day 4)

I went back to my office job on day 9 and my boss commented on the fact that she thought I would be hunched over and crabby but I was just myself only a little tired.

You will be fine - so far I have no regrets.

Good luck,

Hi Melissa, the band should be custom fit to your anatomy. Your doctor shouldn't be able to tell you what band you will get in advance as it depends on the size of your stomach and anatomy when he gets a peek inside. Your doctor should enter the OR with all three sizes in tow and band you with the one that is going to give you the best results - to big and you take the chance of slippage, to small and erosion is a possiblity. You may want to discuss this with him in depth (I was 275lb the day of surgery with a BMI of 52, I dropped 25 lbs before and my doctor was thrilled because I had reduced my fatty deposits enough for him to use the smaller band).

There is one thread that comes to mind regarding the drug stress test - but I have been unable to find it. The woman was not prepared for what the drug can make you feel like and panic and they couldn't complete the test - after she talked with DR/nurse about the symtoms that she felt and found out they were normal she went through the test with no problems. I guess it really makes your heart race. Maybe someone who has had one will post.

Good luck with your banding - cant wait to see you on the other side.

Raspberry Ice crystal light and vodka - the best almost 0 carbs!! Bandsters shouldn't have a problem with alcohol going to your head (unless it always has) because we are still conected to all of our intestines. RNY have trouble with it - just another reason to hang with the band!

Vanesa - I have heard that if you lay on your left side with your left leg straight and bend your right leg up toward your chest that you colon will untangle and release some of that gas - Just go gentle if you try as I am still having trouble laying on my side. (the gas-x didn't help me at all hopefully you have better luck with it)

Keep tooting,

I stocked up on (enough for 2 weeks) Cream Soups, broth, SF Popsicles, 0 cal flavored water (this has been a life saver), yogurt, protien powder, carb countdown milk, SF Jello. Make sure you have liquid tylenol (I got adult strength at WalMart), a heating pad can also help with gas, Gas-x chewables. Set up a comfy place to sleep if you have a recliner bring your pillows and blankets down to it because it was really more comfortable during the first few days - especially if you wont have anyone home to help you out of bed when you finally wake up.

I brought a book and magazine to the hospital but was to spacy to concentrate on it for long. When you get in your room if they don't provide you with mouth swabs ask for them - they were great to get rid of the dry mouth, lips and throat from the breathing tube. You might not be allowed to drink anything until day 2 (I wasn't).

Good luck,

Vanesa, welcome to bandland. I'm at day 8 and my port site has gone from painful to just kinda uncomfortable. Coughing/Laughing day 2-6 were murder - I had the same burning pain you spoke of. Today I coughed 3 times and no pain just a pulling sensation. I could finally get out of bed on my own on day 5 but very carefully today I almost didn't even think about it. It only gets better from here on out.

Good luck!

I have had some small amount of coffee ground material in the mornings

Sorry your not feeling well. Are you throwing up stuff that looks like coffee grounds? If so does you doctor know that this is happening - that would be blood - and I don't believe throwing up blood is a good thing. On my post - op release if I throw up anything that looks like coffee grounds I need to call my surgeon immediatly.

Good luck,

Good luck Cat - soon you'll be a big loser. I also had no problem with the bra - all of my incisions are between my pant and my bra but that depends on where your doctor pokes. I will be going back to work tomorrow - 9 days out from surgery - I will be thinking about you.

Whoa... you doctor shouldn't have told you that IMO. I know that some people are bounding out of bed and off pain meds the next day but I don't think that is the majority. You will more often than not be on morphine after the surgery and then a liquid narcotic. Driving while on a narcotic is bad, bad, bad - especially with a 2 hour drive after major surgery. I live 40 min from the hospital and my DR tried to get me to stay an extra day just in case. For me personally, I was banded on 9/12 and did finally drive this weekend but the left hand turns were murder as everything is still a little sore (not painful but sore) on that side from the port. I would have someone pick you up for sure.

On the brighter side - Congrats on your surgery date - I am so excited for you!! See you on the losing side!

Judy - stress eating is normal but you should try to stop as soon as possible. You will make the surgeons job so much easier if you actually drop some weight before your date. The liver of an obese person is larger that that of a normal person, I believe it has something to do with fat on the liver, and the liver covers the part of the stomach that they are working on.

I had my gallbladder out on 8/18 (behind the liver) after losing 10 lbs, my doctor said that my liver was still large. I dropped another 10-15 lbs before my banding on 9/12 and my DR. was thrilled. The first thing he told my Mom after surgery (he didn't know how many lbs I had lost) was "She must have lost more weight because I had plenty of room in there this time and I was even able to fit her with the smaller band". If the DR has more room and a better view - I feel that lessens the chances of a complication during surgery. Although I must say that I only lost so much because I was told that if I gained any weight they would cancel the surgery until I had my eating under control....I was so scared they would cancel me that I watched every little thing I put in my mouth!

Does your surgeon require a pre-op liquid diet? If not have the things you enjoy (but don't worry to much because you most likely will be able to have them again in the future) but in smaller amounts. Maybe replace one or two meals with protien shakes, have smart Snacks and them splurge for one meal.

I am not sure how important shrinking the liver is really, to my DR it was important - some doctors don't seem to have a requirement and others seem to go overboard. You may want to contact the program nutritionist and find out what they suggest.

Good luck on your band day!

Sally - everyone is different but I just had my gallbladder out a little over a month ago and to me personally it was easier than the band.

Questions

Did they do the gallbladder lap or open? Mine was lap so if you had open surgery that would make it tough.

Do you have a fever? If so I would call your doctor right away.

Sorry I cant be more help - hope you feel better soon!

Wow, thanks everyone - they all sound great!

Sorry, gotta go with the NO. I like a couple of others would not have had WLS if GBP was the only option - To Scary.

Thanks,

And my contribution for us Mexican addicts

Black Bean - Vegetable Burritos

8 FF Flour Tortillas

1 med onion chopped

1/2 med green or red pepper cut in thin strips

1 tbs lime juice

1/4 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp olive oil

1 15 oz can black Beans rinsed and drained

1/2 c frozen corn

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 c reduced fat monterey jack cheese

Heat tortillas wraped in foil in a 350 degree oven to soften if desired

In a med sauce pan cook onion, pepper, lime juice, and garlic in hot oil for 3-5 min until tender

Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over med heat for 4-5 min until heated through

Spoon 1/3 cup bean mixture and 2 tbs of cheese into tortilla and fold envelope style. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Serves 4 (two burritos per person) 420 cal, 8g fat, 70g carb, 20g protien.

Enjoy,

OK now I'm hungry - everything sounds soooo good! Here is one to try

meat Loaf with Vegetable Stuffing

2 8oz Cans mixed vegtables of your choice (Veg-All)

3 tbs bread Crumbs

2 eggs or equivalent Egg Beaters

16 oz lean ground beef or turkey

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c rolled oats

1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 c lite ketchup

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In one bowl mix veggies, bread crumbs and 1 egg. In a second bowl mix remaining ingredients. Spread half the meat mixture in the bottom of an ungreased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover with veggie mixture and top with remaining meat mixture. Bake 45-55 min. Cool 10 min. before serving.

Serves 6 each serving 211 calories, 9g fat, 18g protien, 15g carb.

Enjoy

Well, I have been on full liquids for one week and have two more to go (Oct 5 is my next app. when they will switch me to mushies) and I have to tell you, I now HATE chocolate shakes! Someone replied to a previous post about adding SF FF pudding mix to your shake to thicken it up a little (I can't drink watery shakes) so today I added SF FF Cheesecake flavored pudding to my shake and I am saved. chocolate cheesecake - Yum.

1 Scoop 100% whey protien powder in chocolate

1 to 1 1/2 tsp SF FF Cheesecake flavored pudding (Jello)

1 cup Carb Countdown Fat Free Milk

Blend and enjoy!

Does anyone else have any good ideas on how to make these things drinkable? recipes would be appreciated.

Thanks,

OK I have to put in my 2 cents- First my heart goes out to your friend - what her husband did was really scummy - if he felt this way he should have gone to her first before starting a relationship with someone else.

Now about John - He says he prefer sexual relations with large women - but does he mean - I would rather be in a relationship with someone who may have self esteem issues that I don't have to worry about doing this same thing to me (preemptive strike)? Maybe he needs to have the dominant personality and finds that this is easiest with larger women as they tend (not all of us) to be more withdrawn from the spotlight?

What ever the truth may be I think she is better off with out him - anyone that would throw away 23 years over sex with out trying everything in there power to save the relationship isn't worthy IMO.

I hope your friend doesn't let this scar her - just remind her it was him with the problem, not her.

Good luck,

Cheers - May this year find you lighter than the last!!

Ditto here - with out resources like LBT and other WLS Sites this would be a very lonely journey as I do not know a single person that has had WLS surgery. I also think you get the best advise from those who have been there.

Keep up the good work everyone!

Puddinpie - I am one week postop on Monday I also have cottage cheese in my diet as long as it is blended - Full Liquids for 3 weeks. Your speed seems close to mine (got through the cottage cheese in 30 min for 1/4 cup) - Protien shakes are taking me about 45-60 min. I use 100% whey protien from GNC with carb countdown milk for a total of 31g of protien per 8-10 oz shake (only need 2 day) and then its sip, sip, sip - my Water never leaves my side. I also use popsicles, Jello and creamed Soups (at dinner time) to fill in the day when I feel the need.

Are you using protien shakes? Its a nice easy way in the begining to make sure you get your protien without trying to eat to much.

Good luck,