Wheetsin

PB that would have been embarassing if I hadn't been hurting so much. I closed off once. The surgeon's office is about 30 mins from my work. Of course, DH and I had carpooled that day, he had the car, and was in a meeting. So I had to ask a co-worker I didn't know that well for a ride to my surgeon's office. Good thing she's nice. En route I tried to control the PBing by spitting into paper towels but that wasn't enough. I had to have her pull off the highway so I could PB (door open, still sitting in the car style). Then again about 5 mins later, and about 5 mins later, 5 minutes later (repeat until you get to 30 minutes). Made it to the parking lot, had to open the door and PB in front of everyone there... nosey snots look and see what looks like a big pile of meringue, so everyone is coming over to ask me if I'm ok, do they need to call an ambulance... Once I was at a lunch with some coworkers. Both know I had the band and that this could happen. Had to excuse myself to the restroom. Thought that took care of it. Got on the interstate, realized that hadn't taken care of it... was determined not to make this girl pull over so I controlled it (can you say PAIN?) until we got to work, but once we were there I couldn't wait any longer. I had her drop me off at the door, left my purse 7& everything in her car, and ran into the bathroom. Normally I try to find an empty bathroom but I couldn't wait. There were probably 5 other people in there. Let it loose... then I start hearing some of the other people starting to gag/wretch... sympathy pukers, I'm guessing.

My hospital stay was about 4 hours. I had surgery on a Wed, went shopping (leaned on the cart) Friday, out of town car trip Sat, worked Mon.

I caught this on NPR this morning. I'm not the best storyteller, so bear with me. A man named John had his leg amputated after a plane crash. His piritual beliefs require the body be buried whole, so he had the leg preserved. For safe keeping, he put it in his BBQ. The BBQ ended up in storage, but John didn't pay his storage bill. With most storage places you sign an agreement that upon X number of missed payments, the storafge facility assumes ownership of your property and can auction it off. The BBQ with leg inside was auctioned and bought by a man named Shannon (who didn't know it had a leg in it). Shannon eventually found the leg and gave it to a funeral home so John could claim it. Then Shannon started charging people $3 to peek inside the now empty, but once held the leg grill. Now, seeing that he can has a lot of potential to make money off the leg, Shannon is pursuing a joint custody battle with with John, claiming he's the rightful owner since he paid for it, fair and square. The latest from Shannon: "I thought about pursuing the foot just as a conversation piece, religious or not. Put it in an air tight box with a glass window on it." "It's a strange incident and Halloween's just around the corner. The price will go up if I get the leg."

Just my experience - I sipped for a handful of days. I actually did the math at one point and if I had followed my surgeon's instructions, it would have been physically impossible to get in the amount of plain water & protein they were telling me to get in. Even if I had stayed up 24hrs, I couldn't have done it. So I called, and that's when I found out about the RnY guidelines, and was told "as tolerated" for everything except food - they wanted me to be very stringent about following the food rules. The nurse (good lady) actually giggled - oh hon, you're one of the only ones who has paid any attention to that. After the first handful, I started taking normal drinks, but would hold it in my mouth and swallow it in a few swallows. Larger than a sip, not quite a full swallow. I would see how it felt. I'd say within a month I was drinking normal. TO date I still don't gulp the way I used to, but I can drink in a normal way.

Wait until your esophagus has been trying to unstick something for four hours, and then tell me that cold soup is truly bandster hell. :heh: When were you banded? I had much the same questions when I was fresh out, and then I ralized that the instructions I had been given were really for RnY patients. Of course follow your surgeon's orders, etc. - but if you aren't restricted, I'd think you could go a little faster than sip. Try small drinks and see how you feel. Unless you're extremely restricted, already have food in the pouch, etc. watery liquids tend to go right through, like a funnel.

Trying to move a post from this thread, I fat headded it and deleted the entire thread. I'm looking for a way to recover it, but I don't know if it's possible. My sincere apologies to anyone who was subscribed to, or just lurking on, that thread... for making it unavailable (if it can be restored) or for deleting it (if it can't). Bad fathead moderator. :spider:

I let the mgr know later that night. (She said, "Oh, you must be the one that used the fabric samples!") Her reply was basically that the employee was right (or adhering to policy, I think it was) by refusing to let me use the bathroom, but that she should have at least grabbed me some toilet paper or something. Ya think? She was going to instruct her people on the location of the 1st aid kit, blah blah.. and she did offer me a "guest accomodation" of 40% off one item. Which is also printable from their website, so BF woohoo. I don't complain lightly. I complained once to Hobby Lobby over the way I was treated (UGH will have to tell that story sometime) when I refunded something. Once to a "How's my driving?" number after the semi truck driver literally came at me with a crowbar. Once to Volvo service because they charged us $180 to tighten a bolt, and charged over $400 to put on new brake pads that they weren't authorized to put on. (They sent me a box of Cookies, exactly what my fat pre-op ass needed). Once to a Subway when some thug making my sandwich refused to put gloves on. And honestly - that may be it.

I posted some furniture on Craigslist today. I want it gone, yesterday, and there's no way I could ship it (if I used smtg like ebay). It's virtually new furniture, at about 30% the retail cost. In my message I listed the exact items I had. Here are the responses I've gotten so far: Let's say that hypothetically I listed two chairs, two lamps, and an armoire: #1 - Do you have a couch that matches the chairs? Can I get it too for free? #2 - Do the lamps come with lightbulbs? #3 - I'm looking for a riding lawnmower, got one? #4 - Your chairs look leather, do they come in green too? #5 - I will give you $2 for everything but only if you let me pick it up tonight.

I've not heard the lap-band discouraged, but I can understand why it would be from a medical perspective. The lap-band requires you to meet it at least halfway, probably more like 75%. Some of the other WLS do not. But this is not due to complications. I believe AGB has one of the lower complication rates of all WLS. As for suggestions on how to handle... I would ask: What are the complications and their rates, that makes it so unattractive? Are those rates based on national numbers, or that surgeon's own? if the surgeon needed to lose (enter amount of weight you have to lose), which would they choose and why? How does that compare to other WLS? Yes, AGB recipients have gone to RnY. RnY have also had to get the AGB to help control their weightgain. That one definitely swings both ways. But it's not COMMON.

My scores:

Howard Gardner proposed 7 (now 8) different types of intelligence people can have in his Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory. I have to be very familiar with learning and assimilation theories such as this one, and people tend to think this one is fun, so I thought I'd post it and see what we look like. Take the MI test.

Small world :biggrin1:

I never got nauseous, but when I was newly banded, for several months, I would have pain when I ate. Not band pain, abdominal pain. I was told "nothing to worry about." It went away, and actualyl forgot about it until reading your post and trying to remember if I was ever nauseous.

I believe the first gastric band procedure was performed in the mid 80s. The first LAP-BAND brand procedure, probably early 90s.

Mine did not.

I fix human performance problems.

I know that when I ask for honest opinions I really want them - so cheers. In the "arms up" picture, I see a very noticeable difference in size. It looks like they're even at the top, but the left one is much larger & lower than the right. (Your left, not picture left). The difference is enough that - if it were me - I would revisit with the surgeon. In the "arms down" picture, they look like they're the same size, but with uneven nipples (location, not size). IMO that's not so much an issue because none of us are completely symmetrical. This is why I don't have a tattoo. I'd get it, and then scrutinize it and be dismayed by uneven lines, imperfect circles, etc.

No need to look at online products, there are tons of great, healthy, DIY options. Quick to boot! Plus, you want substance, not just something you down. The substance is what will sit in the pouch and create the "full" sensation. drinks, etc. have their place, but you want actual food - preferably hard Proteins - whenever you can get it. If you're going to use a supplement, use a solid bar whenver possible (see above reason). I don't remember the brand of my favorite one, but Snickers makes one that's ok. Here are some I use when I'm travelling. Starkist tuna pouches, and if you prefer not to eat plain tuna, use condiment pack mayo. You could do relish, too. Just squeeze into the tuna pouch, stir and enjoy. There are also tuna salad kits that come with little spoons. Buy some turkey pepperoni and microwave it on paper towels/plates until it's crunchy. 2 - 3 min depending on the microwave. When they're dry, they'll be as crispy as chips, and will go nicely into a sandwich baggy. Jerky! I have an easier time with the more moist kinds (flavored ones, e.g. terriyaki, seem to be more moist). Our Green Acres carries a buffalo Jerky that is very low fat/carb, but all jerky will be fine if you aren't counting carbs. If you are, then just watch the carb count. String cheese... dont' want it out of the fridge for too long though. Unless the packaged ones don't need to be refrigerated (not sure, never looked, would think they do need to be). Breakstone brand makes single serving cottage cheeses. Same with refrigeration.

I can do anything except the little pieces. Give it a try. I like over medium with some cheese sprinkled on top. Mmm.

Hello and welcome! :wave:

I haven't weighed in a week or two, but I'm probably 150 - 160 lbs down.

Green, if you haven't yet, check out the Darwin Awards.

Hahahaha. Yesterday I was at Target looking for some yoga pants. In the Women's department. There was a not thin, not fat lady ahead of me poking through some clothes that were hanging on the wall. She had a kid in her cart distracting her. I wlked by and was looking on the other side of her, and she says, "Oh! I didn't realize these were the really big sizes." Then she looks at me, gives me that up & down look, turns red and says "Sorry I didn't see you there." It's ok lady, I'm PROUD of the sz 18 I pulled off the wall! (People assume you have always been as fat as wheneve they see you) Today a guy at the grocery store told me I looked like "the modern day Mona Lisa." And I'm thinking... umm... a gender neutral person with no eyebrows?!?

Strain it = liquid. On the subject of eggs. Soo weird. I can do non-scrambled eggs just fine. Scrambled ones tend to take too long to pass. I've not PBed on them, but I've thought I might. I should specify - real eggs. Unprocessed. The crap that cafeterias use that comes out of a milk carton tends to stick, but I can do it. Haven't PBed on it, but it doesn't taste anywhere near good enough to justify the 30 mins between bites.

See, I paint my ceilings and assume everyone does, even though I know it's not true. (But everyone SHOULD). :heh: When you go to buy rollers, they will be packaged based on the texture, and usually give you some examples of the texture they're suited for. E.g. "lightly textured, wood or sanded drywall", "medium texture, stucco or cement," etc. If you are uncertain, go to a paint store (not hardware store) and ask them what nap you should use. You can even bring in pics of your walls to show them the texture.