Morsaille

Hey Jack! Love your posts. I agree completely that a plateau is infinitely preferable to a gain. I am just vainly frustrated with the success of others *slapping own hand*. I am working toward restriction and hope that once I find it, my plateau will nose-dive (at the sensible pace of 1-2 pounds per week).

I have restriction in the mornings, thank goodness for the little things, and notice that breakfast is easier if I drink first. My stomach is usually full of (forgive me for this) foam from swallowing all night long. If I start with a cup of tea and my vitamin I can eat more AM protein. Protein really helps with the carb cravings. *in a whisper* I put protein shake on my shredded wheat. It sounds like you just need to plan your "instants". A crock pot makes meat protein an 'instant' dinner if you have a few minutes in the morning. I keep frozen veggies around for snacks. Green beans are wonderful if you just run hot water over them for a minute or so. Or a hard-boiled egg white? Is this an instant PB for you? I save small servings in both the freezer and refrigerator because I am an instant girl myself. Sliced chicken breast is great this way since you can throw it into a salad, dip it in honey mustard, or sandwich it (if you still do breads). I agree with the other ladies... eat more. Don't worry, I'll send you some stuff. :eek:

That's an understatement P'nut, I know how great you are doing. Silly wabbit shaking head Sorry I have been avoiding the gfgc. Just hate losing the same five pounds over, and over, and over....

Dani- Sorry, just reading here and I am curious about the deleted posts although I can guess their content. Educated people deleting posts? I strikes me as odd that you ask what happens if you cheat, specifically "Why not CHEAT?" When people chime in with information you say that you are only accepting technical information from medical personnel..Huh? Ask a doctor or three but this is a support group, not an online medical forum. Then you say that you are looking to be 'scared into compliance', but when you get the info I read that you are not looking for any 'nagging and tuff love'. How do we help without telling you that what you are doing is OK? Because that is what I want to type. I want to help, but what you confess to having done to yourself is not OK (in the medical opinion of 96% of the currently practicing bariatric surgeons). Sending out only care and concern, honestly, Brenda

Been thinking about you today! Congratulations on your official initiation to the club. Welcome, Heather, to Bandland. Population: Big, but getting smaller all the time...

I have a corny one too. My baby girl, OK, two isn't technically a baby, but you get the idea. I was so miserable as a shy kid with a fat mom, then as a shy, fat kid with a fat mom, then as a shy, fat teen with a fat sister and a fat mom. I want a healthy family with issues that most people have in common, like acne... or maybe even bed-wetting. My mom is only in her sixties, but diabetes and TIA's (mini-strokes) have turned her into a ninety year old woman who falls all the time and forgets the important things in life. I do not want to become my mother until I am good and ready, maybe 110. I will consider frailness when I hit 110 years old.

Thinking about you Heather, hope all is well and that your fast approaching surgery will be a breeze. Are you thrilled or terrified? Both? I think my favorite part about the post-op period was no hunger. Oh, and blended clam chowder at the end of week one. Take care, Brenda

The Costco ones aren't bad. I cut them for my niblet, and I take a Centrum. When I run out, I may switch to hers. Cute dinosaurs. If it's the B-vitamins you are looking for either go natural and eat more fruits & veggies or take a b-complex. Some of those are pretty small.

Hey Kat, do you have any protein bars? If you skip the noodles (they are just a tease anyway) and eat a few low carb protein bars you will have something to send along the pipes. Add a few more shakes too. As long as I stayed below 40 net carbs for the day, my doc said I could eat all the protein dense/low fat stuff I could swallow. I ate alot and rarely hit the 20 mark. I don't want to mess with your process if you have a specific diet in mind. Ignore me please if I am just screwing with your head. Lots of good feelings for you while you go through this nastiness!! Brenda

Marvin the Mountie always gets his Brenda I am waiting.....

It gets a little easier after your first fill, for some people it gets a LOT easier. I hope you are one of those. I am still waiting for restriction and have been playing with the same five pounds for almost a month. The biggest thing has been the water. If I stay focused on getting enough, it is either too soon, or too late to take a bite. Vitamins have really helped with my cravings, I use a Centrum chewable. Some people like flintstones. I had my first fill with Dr. Neal in Olympia. He has fluoroscopy which can be important for a first fill. He charges $350, but later fills are less. I have been told this is a fair price for fluoro fills. If you hear of anything cheaper... His website is www.pacsurgical.com <- I think this is the right one. There is Dr. Chebli in Seattle, check out Obesity Help for info on him. I like him, but he does blind fills. My port is still too deep. There are many more, try the WA and OR local support pages.

Is it DaVinci that makes the peanut butter flavored syrup? SF blended mocha with Peanut syrup is the best thing ever.

I had a clot, a big one judging from the recovery time. While I had the IV it kept clogging. I am sure the painkiller (morphine?) didn't help because it burned so badly. When it was removed my whole forearm was swollen. In later days, the swelling subsided, but the vein was hard. As it healed the tenderness moved from my hand, to my wrist, to a place in my forearm. I don't remember when it finally cleared, but I was getting myself all worried about a possible stroke. More typos recently, maybe there is something there? It will probably be fine, but if you are anything like me... Enjoy your stress. :eek:

Kat, Since you are self-pay don't worry too much about it. On average, even a 40 pound weight loss cures sleep apnea in 90% of cases (or so I have read) since the apnea is generally a result of having extra weight and tissue obstructing your air flow. Long term, OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) puts a strain on your heart, but is just generally a nuisance for both you and your sleeping partner. I have the diagnosis, but HATED the mask. Glad the ins. covered it. I was collecting comorbidities for ins. but ended up self-pay. If you aren't needing to build a case for insurance, skip it. Why buy a mask and machine you'll probably only use for a year...max.

I don't have good restriction yet so my bites are much larger than a restricted bandster. I take moderately sized bites and swallow it in three or more separate parts. I don't expect this to work forever. Most veteran bandsters talk about using children's utensils or a shrimp fork and putting it down between bites. This may give you a little more time to find your "max fill line". Luck

I had "bubble-gut" too. It went down in less than a month. I remember thinking how weird it was that it was so solid. I would put my hand flat on it and it would not give. I am usually squishy, but looked moderately pregnant for more than 2 weeks. I carried my real pregnancy well and I am large enough that I was the only one who noticed. It felt like an NSV when I realized it was gone.

It's OK Boo, I had that too. Freshly post-op and for the first month. It was how the burps started. Hic-burp, hic-burp I couldn't burp like I felt I needed to unless it was preceeded by a hiccup. The doc (mine anyway) anchors the band into the diaphragm, this is done to reduce slippage events. Your body is adjusting to the new set-up. Not sure if we are rare, but I posted this question in January and got the same kind of responses. Good info, just not quite right for me. After you are healed, a hic is a "soft-sign" of fullness. But at least for me, the early ones were just my band and body making friends. They hurt a little at first, but got easier. PB's come later - the hiccups there are quite a bit different. Take care

6 weeks or until the scabs are gone. Short showers only until then. I was a little less than obedient. It enlarged one of my scars by dissolving one of my scabs, the scab fell off and deepened the wound. No biggie, just cosmetic. I am a long way from flashing my stomach to people who don't know about the band.

I use 1/3 of a protein shake on my shredded wheat (chocolate rocks!), but there are some GREAT ideas here scribbling notes... Since I have almost no restriction, I use SF metamucil (psyllium husk) on occasion. Lumps can be painful for tight bands, or so I have been told. The thickness of it gives me a sense of fullness too.

1. At lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses On And Point A hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. 5. Put Decaf In The coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone Has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch To Espresso. 6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "for Smuggling Diamonds". 7. Finish All Your Sentences With "in Accordance With The Prophecy." These are my favorite! wiping tears of laughter I am posting just for the subscription so I can show my DH later. THANK YOU PAULA for these. Did anyone see the one that went around for awhile "Things to do in an elevator"? The only ones I can remember are: 1) Stare at the person standing next to you, when it gets really awkward, smile and say "I have new socks on". 2) Draw a box on the floor with chalk and tell everyone getting on that "This is MY space" 3) Move your desk into the elevator and demand to know from passengers if they have an appointment. 4) Scream "We're all going to DIE!!" and clutch the walls in panic every time the doors close and until they reopen.

If it isn't gas... (I HOPE it's gas) Get help for even stupid stuff. Want up from a chair, get a hand. Need out of bed? Holler for help. Walking was easy for me, but all the abdominal muscles were shredded until week 2. DO NOT BEND. This is a one way ticket to Painsville, population: you.

Yoda, The barium swallow shows the band placement. It is the best way to make sure stuff is going through your brand new band stoma. It is painless, just chalky. You drink and they take pictures, I even got a souvenir photo...

The port incision (at least mine) is about 2.5" long. It is the one that hurts. I barely noticed the others. It twinges if you shift or bend. A twinge isn't nearly as fun as it sounds. Putting pressure on it is a great help. We used a pillow between in missionary, I was OK on my knees or side after 7 days. Back to FULL activity a month later. winks

If you get a catheter, it stays for awhile after you are awake. It is not fun to remove, but doesn't hurt either. The nice thing about it is if you are uncomfortable, there are no painful trips to the restroom. Sitting down and standing up were the worst for me. Walking was the easiest position.

I think the coma statement was a joke to say it knocked her out/very sleepy. This is probably the most comfortable way to recover...unconsciously.