chica

Holy Moly! :ohmy: That's just amazing! Good for you!!! Hmm, wish I has asked about the skim milk... I started using it in my shakes right away, and yes, sometimes it takes me over an hour to drink to one. Oh well, either way, we're on the road to healing. Congratulations on getting onto the fast track! :thumbup:

It's great to hear from you, O2BT, but sorry you had such a rough time! :biggrin: Welcome back...

Here's a question for all you newly banded folks: If you are like me and can only manage some portion of what you should be taking in during this liquid phase, do you try to get all the 64 oz. water in or all the 60g protein? My thinking is try to emphasize the protein because of its healing powers. But I understand that it's really important to drink the water too. What to do? What to do? :biggrin:

Best of luck, Hazel-eyes! I'm glad you're on the mend. Let me know how it goes for you.... :smile2:

Hazel-eyes, See my post about Help Please! Don't want my surgery cancelled. They can deal with this. I think it's going to be okay, just be sure to let them know how you're feeling. Plus, maybe you'll be better by tomorrow. No point in not using the power of positive thinking! :drool:

I just wanted to follow up with you all. When I went to the surgery center, the anesthesiologist came over and asked how I was feeling. Told him about the sore throat, he looked, checked my temp, agreed it was drainage from allergies since I could barely breathe at all through my nose (and not at all if lying down). He ordered double the normal medicine they give to dry you up a little, and gave me a couple of rounds of maximum strength Afrin-type nasal spray, and I could literally feel my nasal passages opening up. It was great! Surgery went well, they sprayed my throat with that numbing stuff, it stayed with me for hours, but then the pain came back. It's decreased a lot since I can breathe again. Anyway, I'm glad to be on the other side now and just begin the healing process. Thanks to all for your responses!

That's the right attitude, lynnt! You'll likely get another chance to at least try eating those things a little later down the road.... :teeth_smile:

Good to hear from you, Bossstar. But what is Previcide?

Hi, all. First, congratulations to my fellow bandsters, Bossstar, PreKTeacher and O2BThinAgain! I hope to hear from you all when you're up to it. I'm pretty sore -- I think the analogy of having done thousands of sit ups is accurate -- and my throat is killing me, but not so much from the breathing tube, honestly. I wish I could get hold of the numbing spray they used, but then I might not be able to swallow, so maybe not. :wink: Best of luck to you tomorrow, Mom007! And SObrien, are you back yet? How are you feeling? Thanks to all for the support! :smile:

Congratulations, EAbadie!! That's awesome that you're up to sending such a long note tonight after all this. It gives me hope that I'll be in as good shape tomorrow night. I can't wait to report in when I'm done. Off for my last shake, a popsicle, some water, and then a sleeping pill. I'm too excited to fall asleep on my own tonight! :blushing:

Thanks for your reponses. Those are really valid points. Maybe I'm just panicking? :sneaky: I will be sure to mention it tomorrow morning. A friend just stopped by and looked at my throat (no, she's not a doctor, but she could be certified via WebMD!) -- she said it's very irritated but maybe it's drainage. Allergy season has begun here... I hope that's all it is. Thanks again!

ARGH! My kids were sick Friday (pink eye and sore throats) and they're taking antibiotic eyedrops. I've been fighting like the devil to stay healthy. I'm due to be banded tomorrow. No problem with pink eye (phew!), but my throat has really been hurting and looks pretty irritated to my untrained eyes. I hope they wouldn't cancel my surgery over it. (It's too late in the day to get out to my PCP today). If I don't have a fever (and I don't so far), do I have to mention this tomorrow morning? I'm guessing a fever would cancel surgery?? Otherwise would it be a go? I'm gonna have a sore throat anyway when they remove the breathing tube, right? Any advice? :confused2:

I hope by the time I lose most of this excess weight that they've got that new arm procedure down. I have upper arms that look like they belong to someone 100lbs bigger than I am. They've always been freakishly larger than they should be (even when I was at a "normal" weight). But I agree... When I've seen people who've had their flaps removed, the scars are just way too scary. But they say the scarring really fades after a year or two. Does anyone here know anyone who's had the newer procedure done?

Yes! Can't wait to hear from everyone! Can you believe it's finally here? See you on the other side....:biggrin2:

Creamy Carrot/Cauliflower Soup -- perfect for when full liquids are allowed or anytime after that! :smile2: Ingredients: 1 T. each butter and olive oil 1 bag frozen diced onion (I'm too lazy to chop them myself!) 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/8 t. ground nutmeg 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets (this is what makes it creamy!) 8 cups chicken broth the zest from 1 orange 1 c. orange juice salt & pepper Melt butter and oil in large pot over low heat. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes until wilted. Add ginger and nutmeg, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, broth and orange zest. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool somewhat. Puree in batches in a blender, return to pot. Add orange juice, salt and pepper. Reheat over low heat. (Fresh snipped chives make a great garnish when past liquids stage.) I don't have the nutritional breakdown on this, but it's supposed to make 8 servings.

Have you ever heard that it's important to have some element of mystery in your relationship? Well, that mystery would be: What does she actually weigh! Clearly, DH knows I'm fat -- he would never say morbidly/severely obese -- but as when the anesthesiologist came in for my epidural, DH had to leave the room when I had to tell my actual weight. :smile2: That was 10 years ago, and he still doesn't know the exact number...

I had plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago, and was advised to put arch supports in all my shoes. Guess what? After a while, I stopped noticing pain! It works. I do this with all my shoes all the time. Do not want it back.

SydneyLouWho, When you say you keep trying to get the liquid diet going and then cheat by noon, are you expecting one shake to hold you till noon? What time are you having the first one? The reason I ask is that my doctor's office says not to expect it to last 4 hours (like Slimfast claims), especially for the first 3 or 4 days, till your body gets used to a new rhythm. They told me to expect a shake to last me about 2-3 hours at first (especially if you're exercising), but if you practice waiting an hour after you "eat" (drink that shake), then drink a bottle of Water, you can easily hold out that long. And if you mix it up a little and have broth (which should have some Protein grams in it), that'll keep you going. The most important direction they gave was: on a liquid diet, do not go hungry. If you need an extra shake, have it for goodness sake! Day 3 was by far my hardest, now it's not so bad. WE CAN DO THIS!! :smile2:

I, too, have had the "you can't get banded or you might get smaller than me" experience. You know who I got it from? My sister, of all people... who had gastric bypass a couple of years ago! I mentioned that I was thinking about getting banded, and that was her response. So I never mentioned it to her again or to anyone else in my family (yet). I've told a couple of friends, my DH and kids, and all of them have been supportive since they've seen me struggle and work to lose weight only to fail. I'm sure once my weight starts to drop, I'll 'fess up to those who ask, but I'm not sure the world really needs to know. It is nice, though, to have those friends who do support you and wish the best for you. :thumbup:

You should at the very least be drinking Isopure Protein drinks (available at GNC)!!! You absolutely need the protein. If you're only allowed Clear liquids right now, that would be the answer. I haven't personally tried them, but lots of people here recommend them for clear liquid Protein. If you are allowed Protein shakes, then get unjury. But since you'll need to order it (I believe you can only get it online), get some other isolated whey protein that you can grab at Walmart or whatever. You need protein asap! If you can get hold of your doctor (it being Saturday now), call him to check what your options are. If not, go with the Isopure. It's really important to stay healthy for your surgery... P.S. I'm sorry, did I forget to mention, you need protein?

Hang in there, PreKTeacher, and make sure you get plenty of Water and Protein. Depending on what you were eating before the pre-op diet, your headache might be from sugar withdrawal. :teeth_smile: (I had that when I did South Beach diet a couple of years ago.) Tylenol will help and in a day or so, it should pass. Check out the thread for 3/11 bandsters under March 2008 support groups. We're all in this together... Oh, no, now I sound like my daughter's High School Musical soundtrack! :crying:

I was just looking at your photos on your blog (re: cheekbones) and thought I'd tell you that the first time I saw your avatar, I thought, "Wow. That girl may have just gotten a band, but she's got awesome cheekbones!" And I'm jealous...

Thanks! I guess that makes sense. It sounds painful though. Do you know when it's happened??

I guess I don't understand how the port flips... I know my surgeon stitches the port in place in the stomach wall -- not 100% sure why if the stitches dissolve. (I mean, they do, don't they?) Is that why the port can flip? How does it flip? I don't get it... and I just want to be better informed. I should've asked my surgeon in pre-op but I didn't remember to ask this one...

Hi from Virginia. I just checked out your blog for fun. I'm going to have to find those s/f Werther's! I'm going for my band on Tuesday -- YAY! :thumbup: