Cheri

60 lbs in 5 mths??? I'm following YOUR diet!!!!!! You go girl! I can't stand the texture of refried Beans - bleck - but I like chili, so maybe I should put on a pot of chili with extra beans (are all beans the same in Protein?) and ground sirloin or turkey. If I blend it, that would fit in the mushy stage (and fill up my tummy!!) Woo Hoo, you have opened up a new world for me!! Oh by the way, anyone who crosses me with chocolate is truly in for it!!!! It honestly takes all of the power of Heaven to keep me from inhaling every morsel of chocolate I see!!! thanks anwyn! ~cheri

liquids - potato Soup Mushies - mashed potatoes Where do baked potatoes fit in here? I went out for dinner last night - again, nothing healthy for the bandster on the menu! I ordered a plain baked potato with butter on the side. Mushed it up about mashed tater consistency, then mmmm mmmm mmm the best thing I've had since surgery!!! Why aren't baked potatoes on the list? They have to be better for you than mashed (no mountain of butter and milk) or soup (all the fat cream used in soups!) Have I totally screwed up my diet? I have finally begun the downwards movement on the scale (almost 2 weeks at same weight, was down 2 pounds this morning!!!) I have a Protein Shake in the AM, cottage cheese and either sf pudding or cream of chicken soup for lunch, and then something mushy for dinner (potato soup, blended chicken and veggies in broth, egg drop soup, etc.) I am usually hungry later, so I might have a glass of milk or sf Jello. I feel good, no stomach pains, no potty issues, etc. Please keep in mind that my doctor left NO instructions for me except, "the band is just a tool, it's up to you to use it!" So I am depending on y'all to keep me in line! Guess I need to come clean, though - a friend gave the family some ghiradelli chocolates for Christmas and you know what happened! After thanking her, I ripped her a new one for the temptations she laid upon me!! hehe Thanks Guys! ~cheri

Count me in!

Same problem here. I had to go sans undies... they charged me for the pads to put under me and the pads to put between my legs!!!! I guess any bit of money they can scrounge up is all good for them!haha I suppose every doctor has different views on this, so, unfortunately, you may not know until you get there!! Sorry~ cheri

Merry Christmas (a day late, as usual!!!) Happy New Year, too!!!

Hey TommyO! That is Exactly what I had starting at day 3! I called the doc...he was in surgery all day so he called in a round of antibiotics (just in case). I saw him for my 1 week check and he did an upper GI to check things out. Everything was fine, he said, so he sent me on my way, stinging/burning and all. I think you are absolutely correct in assuming it is your tubing irritating your insides (that's what I thought too - kinda like an interior friction burn, right?) I can tell you now that mine is for the most part gone...I just get a twinge when I move wrong (dropping soap in the shower, stretching to grab the good plates from the top shelf, bending and stretching to pick up those toys waaayyy over there, etc.) Just to be on the safe side, I would give a call to your doctor. Since yours just started it may be that you have pulled a stitch or something. Best to let a professional check it out (are your follow-up visits free??? hope so!!) Let me know what he says!! ~cheri

Delarla ~ I am totally freaked out!! I don't want to gross you out, but will you look at this pic and let me know if it looks familiar? This is my port incision as of today (12/24), almost three weeks out. I have already completed a course of antibiotics, and I was experiencing (and continue to have) burning/stinging in my left abdominal area! I keep filling it with neosporin, hoping to keep infection at bay. It ooozes from time to time, "scabs" over, but everytime I take a shower or bath, the "scab" melts away leaving an even bigger hole! Sorry to bring it up so close to Christmas, but I truly am worried! I already have a lint trap on my tummy, I really don't need another!!! Thanks and Merry Christmas, Lisa! Love ~cheri sorry so fuzzy, can't take good close-ups mods, please make smaller [ATTACH]3151[/ATTACH]

Hey lady! check out bhg.com! I found a recipe for asian turkey and rice soup, sounds absolutely delicious! You would probably do well to leave out the rice for now, but when I make it I will use lo-mein noodles!! chicken salad - mmmmm! Never thought of that delectable little tidbit! Well, I'm off to make some yummy chicken salad - oh wait, I'm still on mushies ... darn!!!!! ~cheri

Hello dear Delarla! My, your insides sure are pretty and pink! I am really sorry about your erosion - that is not a very good way to continue this weight loss journey, ya know? Oh, and I can't believe you haven't even uttered a single "I told you so"!!! I am sure you wished you were wrong about this, but I am glad you found out instead of letting it go! Please take care of yourself, and try to take it soo easy until after you are healed. Love ~cheri

Same nasty gas experience here! Ya feel like you're gonna die, then one day you wake up, spend half the day doing whatever and realize . . . hey, the pain is gone!! It does go away. I still have a teenie tiny pang sometimes when I sleep on my left side or drink too much too fast!! Just know that it does go away in time (I am 2 1/2 weeks out and finally mostly pain-free) - keep on the gas X. I found that the pain meds didn't help, heating pad was okay, but the best thing for mine was one of those massager pillows (Walmart $9) and an ice pack!!!! Good luck, girlie, you'll get through this and be glad you made the decision to find the happier, healthier you!!!! ~cheri

I SOOOOOOO recommend the unflavored! I haven't tried the flavored yet (bought samples to try it out first), but the plain in skim milk is almost undetectable - almost (I add a TBSP of sugar free chocolate syrup to help with the flavor) ~cheri

Thanks thanks thanks! I thought about y'all while I was in the car, and how i wanted to be at home sharing my story with you! My poor hubby didn't know what to think, he is still on pins and needles - haha! I am on mushies now (sort of, I'm still afraid to try much bulk) I found that a little sugar-free chocolate syrup really helps the taste of the Protein shakes (is that okay?), and I have discoverd that potato Soup is delicious and filling - Woo Hoo! I am starting my exercise today, well, walking for exercise, not shopping anyway!! My YMCA membership is getting a little dusty after all!! Thanks again for all of your support - you guys sure have made this new life a whole lot easier to bear!!!! Merry Christmas! {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} ~cheri

I love my band too (except the day the family went to Cracker Barrel and I spent the meal in the car starving and crying - LOL)!! I am on sort of mushies now - I'm doing a Protein shake for Breakfast (

Good luck! Be careful on your drive, and heal quick!!!! Prayers for you - and good vibes coming your way (it make take them a while from Alabama - hehe!) ~cheri

I can honestly say that I feel your pain ~ actually I felt the EXACT same pain over the weekend!! It really stinks right now, doesn't it? Everyone has said that once you get on solids it will be easier. Boy I sure hope so!! I don't really feel like eating, but just driving by a steakhouse starts the mouth watering and visions of a big fat steak begin dancing through my head!!! Oh well! Good luck girlie, and know that you definitely are not alone in this!! I for one am here looking for and giving support - you lean on me and I'll lean on you, that way we don't have to sleep with our heads in the mud (My favorite Forrest Gump quote!!) Love~cheri

Hey guys, just wanted to share this experience to maybe help save someone out there the anguish I went through! So, I went to a restaurant this weekend for the first time since surgery. We had spent the day Christmas shopping...building up quite a hunger I must add. The family chose Cracker Barrel for dinner because they are known to have Soups, applesauce, and cottage cheese - you know, things I can have. Well, after waiting almost an hour for our table, we find out that they only had chili (yikes!), don't serve cottage cheese, and I was afraid to put applesauce in my tummy (it makes the runs even runnier in my case)! I was already struggling with the visions of people stuffing their faces with all that yummy food - everywhere I looked there was something I will never eat again being shoved into the pie-hole of someone who obviously didn't want it as badly as I did! Adding to that was the fact that I could not have anything there but Water - the next thing I know the tears come streaming. How utterly embarassing!! I was completely horrified with myself, how could I be so upset over something so stupid!?!? Well, no matter how hard I tried to chill myself out, the tears just would not stop! I excused myself from the table (did I mention that my MIL had been staying with us for the past week, and was heading home the next morning? ... ah, that's a whole other story), went out to the car, sat there and cried until I was almost sick! I had NO idea food had such a hold on me! Point of this story - next time I go to a restaurant, I will be certain I am mentally ready to face all of my issues head-on! Anyway, I hope everyone out there is doing well. I hope you are all finished with your holiday shopping, and I pray for continued wellness for all of us here!!! ~cheri

Glad to see you are home and doing well! What an ordeal for you! Wow, it took me three days to get back down to my pre-op weight - you're only 4 days out and down 10.5 - WOO HOO Girl!! Keep up the positive attitude - it will help you heal more quickly!! Also, keep the pain meds going, don't stop taking them because you might be having more pain than you realize!! Once you feel it, it is hard to get rid of!!! Congrats, Dawn! ~cheri

Girl, I would be getting my money back from that doctor!!!!! He blatantly lied to you, and if you can prove it, you could have a lot more than just the consultation fees (for your mental anguish and emotional hardship!!) I would seriously talk to him about it, and keep pressing - the amount isn't the issue, it's the principle...how many more hopeful bandsters has he done this to?? I can't believe the lines they will use to get patients - you must be from an area with choices in bariatric surgeons. Where I am from, we have very few in the field, so it is not easy to get in. They don't have time to feed you lines of bull, and I guess they don't need to!! I am so sorry about this whole situation for you - don't lose hope that you will make it into bandland!!! My insurance didn't cover it either, but we figured the financial hardship now is a better option than any of the foreseeable other options!!! Good luck with the whole process, and visit anytime you need to vent!!!! ~cheri

Welcome, new bandster!!! Keep up the great attitude!!

Michelle - I don't know what to say! Sorry that you are having the problems with your insurnace, sorry that your doctor will be starting over (sorry for your doctor, too), very sorry that you are going to have to deal with an insurance change through all of this. I would like to advise you to check out your new insurance coverage, though. My old insurance covered the procedure, but by the time I was ready to go, my hubby's company had switched to BC/BS (which is supposed to stand for blue cross/blue shield, but for me it stands for buncha crap bull sh*&%!!) You may want to think about COBRA with your current insurance until you are banded! You might also talk to someone else at the insurance company. Are they stopping all procedures from that doctor (that doesn't seem possible) since he has lost everything, or are they reaching for a reason to deny weight loss surgery? Just some thoughts, dear! Hang in there, keep your inspiration, stay on the boards, and work toward your goal with or without a band. We all love you, banded or not, and we will do our best to help you out!!! {{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}} ~cheri

Hey! Feeling the same today as before. I drank a glass of skim milk today because I am actually HUNGRY (I think appetite is probably a good thing at this point??), and I feel pretty good tummy-wise. I wish I could describe the sensation I am having a little better. I have an area about 2 1/2 inches around that is discolored somewhat to the left of my two big incisions. Right at the center of the discoloration, it is warm to the touch, and it feels like something is stinging me (the way a steroid shot feels when they first put it in) and burning me (just like your finger on a curling iron). It feels this way all of the time, but is severe when I change positions. I am wondering if it is maybe the tubing rubbing my insides, but doc seems to think it is an infection (although I haven't actually seen him). My dear dim-witted hubby says he sure hopes they didn't leave something inside me (nice thing to say, eh?), but at least I would have my surgery covered for sure then!!!! lol So, any medical people out there, he put me on cephalexin for the "infection" and will see me Tuesday. My question for you is, would you go ahead and be seen (I am a chicken I think from reading all of the bad things and having a friend pass away after bypass due to sepsis last month). Not that I would wish this on anyone, but I sure do wish someone else had the same experience so they could talk to me about it! If you know anyone or talk to anyone with a similar situation, please have them talk to me, as I am actually quite freaked out right now!!!!! thanks everybody! ~cheri

Hey Guys! Thanks for the support! I talked to the doctor's office today. He was in surgery all day, so they talked with him briefly concerning my issues (discolored patch on side of tummy, bees stinging me with their fiery stingers, hot and hard area, as well as tremendous diarrhea and shoulder pain). He said it sounded like infection to him. Since he was not able to see me today, he called me in some antibiotics to use over the weekend (my post-op appt is Tuesday). He told them that if I don't feel better to go to the ER. I don't like the thought of that since my local hospital puts more people in the ground than back on their feet! But, I will definitely not fool around with this!! The worst part is that the pain meds he prescribed do Nothing for the issues I am having - but an ice pack on both seems to relieve it somewhat! I'll keep you posted! ~cheri

Woo Hoo Tess! Way to go! You are still in my prayers for a nice, quick recovery!! ~cheri

Wow, it is amazing how so many people so far apart can have so much in common! I have read (and taken to heart) every word written in this thread! I must say thanks to all of you for the words you have written, and this wasn't even my post!!! I feel the pain you feel, and I am using your positive words to help myself through this time!!! Thanks thanks thanks! ~cheri

Hey again everybody! It seems that all I have been doing lately is researching on here about this and that. Which is why I am here again, as you probably figured. Okay, I had surgery on Monday. I am of course still sore (does the shoulder pain ever stop?), but I am a little worried. My stomach is hard and hot, feels like bees are stinging me inside - not at my insicions though. I have had diarrhea today (haven't had anything to eat but swanson chicken broth, water, propel fitness water, a grape sno-cone, and sugar-free jello since Saturday). I am also up 3 pounds. I don't understand what is going on, and I am afraid I might have done something to my band by overdoing it my first day post-op. I keep forgetting not to bend over until I get bent over and the pain starts. I keep forgetting not to pick up heavier things until the pain starts. Etc, etc. Should I call my doc? or should I lock myself in my bedroom so I don't forget again and start picking up after the family?? I don't want to sound like a whiner, I went through three childbirths with less pain than this. Everyone else seems to be doing so well already, I don't know what is going on! PLease let me know if you have heard of others with this same situation and what was up!! Thanks thanks thanks ~Cheri