adamsmom

I have heard about the body not being able to handle a lot of protein at once--it can be very taxing to the kidneys, so drinking water takes on a whole new importance!

Hey everyone! I just had my post-op. Everything is great and I can eat anything I want--no more pureed or mushy food! If I'd known, I would not have packed soup for lunch!

So, after much soul-searching, I made the decision in October, 2008 to pursue weight loss surgery. I already knew that I did not want gastric bypass. I kind of like having my internal organs the way God made them, thank you very much! The Lap Band seemed less scary and a compromise I would be willing to accept, even though it would mean living with a foreign object inside of my body for the rest of my life. Everybody has to come to their own informed decision for their reasons for choosing one procedure over another, and I equally respect bypass and band patients who have their personal reasons for the going with choices they have made. I scoured the Internet and read practically everything on the World Wide Web that has anything to do with weight loss surgery. I Googled “Bariatric surgeons, Sacramento area” and found Dr. Waldrep’s name, among several other local surgeons. Through Obesityhelp.com, and some other sites, I was able to read patient accounts of their experiences with the various bariatric surgeons. The countless glowing reports about Dr. Waldrep outnumbered those of every doctor in the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area. After attending the Group Consultation meeting, I was convinced unequivocally, that I could trust Dr. Waldrep to cut my belly open on an operating table. I had to change medical groups and sever ties with my PCP of sixteen years, so that I could get a new Sutter PCP who could get me the referral I wanted with Dr. Waldrep. This required additional research because I needed to select a PCP that I could stay with for a very long time. The SALSA team were wonderful, gracious, helpful and informative. I sailed through the pre-op process in record speed, so I am told, and had finally made it to this day when I would make one more effort for a chance at thinness, better health, an improved self-esteem, and the myriad of other reasons why all of us find ourselves succumbing to drastic surgical measures in pursuit of the otherwise unobtainable. Throughout my journey, one recurring theme that surfaces above many of the others is that the band is only a weight loss tool, and not a panacea for weight loss. Even though I was a little disappointed that it wouldn’t be as simple as having the device implanted, and voila!, the weight would melt away with no effort on my part, I knew in my heart that in order for the Lap Band to work, I would have to work it. It would mean changing how I do a lot of things, most importantly, it would mean rearranging my priorities by “putting my self on the list”, as Wynona Judd says in her Alli commercials. Perhaps this is why I was compelled to reflect upon the past 15 years the night before my surgery. By doing so, I could take an honest look at how I had allowed myself to get to this state, and perhaps this time, I could enjoy permanent success and say goodbye to each and every one of those extra pounds forever. Our children’s care giver arrived at 7:00, and finished getting the kids ready for school. I held my sweet boys tightly, kissed them both goodbye, and wished them a great day. They had been told that mommy had a doctor’s appointment today and she might not be home at the usual time. My husband and I decided not to tell our boys about the surgery because they are both extremely anxious about anything to do with hospitals or medical procedures. A part of me wanted to change my mind and be truthful about what I was about to do today, but their need for peace and calmness will always be greater than mine. The boys left for school, oblivious to my secret, but leaving me enough time to pour a deep, hot, swirling bubble bath, a small luxury I normally keep for the end of the day before I go to bed. Knowing that I would not be able to submerge my body in water for an entire week, I allowed myself this last indulgence one last time before surgery. The surgery was uneventful and a complete success. I came home later that evening, told my children that I had a little operation on my tummy, and then I went to bed. My older one went with his dad to a medical appointment, and my little one climbed up on my bed next to me and read his Goosebumps book out loud. Only six days out, I have already lost eight pounds and I feel great! I even surprised myself by attending SALSA’s Gastric Band Support Group on Saturday. I have begun to work in daily exercise and I’m following the rules. My children know that Mommy will be taking “Me Time” from now on, and they accept that. My husband, who has been my rock, and has always loved and supported me no matter how much I weighed, continues to offer his full support as I embark upon this adventure. Being on the “other side” will be a learning curve for a while. I was never a protein shake drinker, and I’m learning how to eat all over again. I’m not so naive as to think it will all be smooth sailing, but for the first time in years, I have hope that this time, this weight loss effort will work.

Hey Ladies, Back home from work, and it wasn't too bad, except that I left my lunch at home!:thumbup: I was at the County office of Education and they provide lunch for us when we're there. They were serving 2 types of salad, Pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, and Cookies. Oy Gevalt! I had a couple of bites of pasta and meatballs--I chewed real well, and ate tiny bites--had no problems. However, I won't let that happen again! BYW: The meatballs were heavenly!:biggrin: And I don't even eat red meat--haven't in more than 19 years! Regardng telling people: As you know, I have only told my DH, BFF and my mother. Even Dad thinks I had a hernia operation. Why? It's easier not being judged or scrutinized if I make a mistake, or for having the surgery in the first place. I have heard people talk about people who have had WLS and they are cruel! I did not want to be the subject of those kinds of conversations. Amy, glad you like the unjury. I think it's pretty good, too. I also found Nectars at the Vitamin SHoppe which is very tasty. If you want a loooooong read, check out my last 3 blog entries in the blog section of LapBandTalk. I go into great detail about how and when I gained weight and how I came to the decision to get the band. Hope you enjoy it.

Good moring, ladies. Today's my first day back to work. This is the real challenge. Wish me lucK:unsure:

Thank you, Band Groupie. Puttng my self on the list is a daily challenge, but I'm getting better

So, after much soul-searching, I made the decision in October, 2008 to pursue weight loss surgery. I already knew that I did not want gastric bypass. I kind of like having my internal organs the way God made them, thank you very much! The Lap Band seemed less scary and a compromise I would be willing to accept, even though it would mean living with a foreign object inside of my body for the rest of my life. Everybody has to come to their own informed decision for their reasons for choosing one procedure over another, and I equally respect bypass and band patients who have their personal reasons for the going with choices they have made. I scoured the Internet and read practically everything on the World Wide Web that has anything to do with weight loss surgery. I Googled “Bariatric surgeons, Sacramento area” and found Dr. Waldrep’s name, among several other local surgeons. Through Obesityhelp.com, and some other sites, I was able to read patient accounts of their experiences with the various bariatric surgeons. The countless glowing reports about Dr. Waldrep outnumbered those of every doctor in the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area. After attending the Group Consultation meeting, I was convinced unequivocally, that I could trust Dr. Waldrep to cut my belly open on an operating table. I had to change medical groups and sever ties with my PCP of sixteen years, so that I could get a new Sutter PCP who could get me the referral I wanted with Dr. Waldrep. This required additional research because I needed to select a PCP that I could stay with for a very long time. The SALSA team were wonderful, gracious, helpful and informative. I sailed through the pre-op process in record speed, so I am told, and had finally made it to this day when I would make one more effort for a chance at thinness, better health, an improved self-esteem, and the myriad of other reasons why all of us find ourselves succumbing to drastic surgical measures in pursuit of the otherwise unobtainable. Throughout my journey, one recurring theme that surfaces above many of the others is that the band is only a weight loss tool, and not a panacea for weight loss. Even though I was a little disappointed that it wouldn’t be as simple as having the device implanted, and voila!, the weight would melt away with no effort on my part, I knew in my heart that in order for the Lap Band to work, I would have to work it. It would mean changing how I do a lot of things, most importantly, it would mean rearranging my priorities by “putting my self on the list”, as Wynona Judd says in her Alli commercials. Perhaps this is why I was compelled to reflect upon the past 15 years the night before my surgery. By doing so, I could take an honest look at how I had allowed myself to get to this state, and perhaps this time, I could enjoy permanent success and say goodbye to each and every one of those extra pounds forever. Our children’s care giver arrived at 7:00, and finished getting the kids ready for school. I held my sweet boys tightly, kissed them both goodbye, and wished them a great day. They had been told that mommy had a doctor’s appointment today and she might not be home at the usual time. My husband and I decided not to tell our boys about the surgery because they are both extremely anxious about anything to do with hospitals or medical procedures. A part of me wanted to change my mind and be truthful about what I was about to do today, but their need for peace and calmness will always be greater than mine. The boys left for school, oblivious to my secret, but leaving me enough time to pour a deep, hot, swirling bubble bath, a small luxury I normally keep for the end of the day before I go to bed. Knowing that I would not be able to submerge my body in water for an entire week, I allowed myself this last indulgence one last time before surgery. The surgery was uneventful and a complete success. I came home later that evening, told my children that I had a little operation on my tummy, and then I went to bed. My older one went with his dad to a medical appointment, and my little one climbed up on my bed next to me and read his Goosebumps book out loud. Only six days out, I have already lost eight pounds and I feel great! I even surprised myself by attending SALSA’s Gastric Band Support Group on Saturday. I have begun to work in daily exercise and I’m following the rules. My children know that Mommy will be taking “Me Time” from now on, and they accept that. My husband, who has been my rock, and has always loved and supported me no matter how much I weighed, continues to offer his full support as I embark upon this adventure. Being on the “other side” will be a learning curve for a while. I was never a protein shake drinker, and I’m learning how to eat all over again. I’m not so naive as to think it will all be smooth sailing, but for the first time in years, I have hope that this time, this weight loss effort will work.

We returned from our trip to Barbados in early January. Messages on our home answering machine from our son’s geneticist asked us to return her urgent calls. Our son had undergone a plethora of genetic testing before we’d left for our trip, and an abnormal 11th chromosome was identified in his genetic material. I was now 13 weeks pregnant with my second child, and had to see a prenatal geneticist immediately to get my unborn child tested. Doctors were suggesting that I consider terminating my pregnancy. I didn’t think I could cope with the stress anymore. My weight began to soar again. Even though my baby’s genetic testing came back all normal, I stayed on edge for the balance of the pregnancy. I just waited for the next shoe to drop. Pre-eclampsia developed by the fifth month, and I was hospitalized once because it got so bad. My new baby was born on the 4th of July of 2000, and I was again 100 pounds heavier than the day I got pregnant. This birth was also a nightmare. Isaac was born with bruises all over his body, and wherever the nurse wiped him dry, he broke out in another bruise. A blood test determined that his platelet count was dangerously low and that he would need a transfusion immediately. He was unceremoniously whisked off to NICU, where he stayed for the next few days. More testing of my husband and me showed that I lack a certain protein in my blood—very rare and not routinely tested. My body created antibodies that attacked my unborn child, which almost killed him. I told my doctor I felt depressed—I thought I could use some counseling; she said I had the baby blues, so I never revisited the idea again; I just ate a bag of cookies instead. One week after my son was born; I re-joined Weight Watchers, for at least the 10th time. Over the years, I continued to join and re-join Weight Watchers more times than I can count. I also tried Nutri System, Jenny Craig, Ediets, and many more diets. I’d lose a little; gain it all back and more. And thus the cycle continued. When my son turned 6 months old, I noticed odd behaviors. By now, a veteran parent of an autistic child, I was quick to notice the signs, and pushed to get him assessed. Most worst fears were realized: Isaac was also on the autistic spectrum and suffered from a mild seizure disorder as well! I pushed hard in my career, possibly as a way to escape the grief of having my dreams for my children stripped away from me before they were really even born. In my work, I was now training and coaching teachers for my school district. In the summer, I trained teachers from other school districts for the County Office of Education. Always a learner, I again decided to go back to school and earn an administrative credential. I pressed ahead, working in a highly demanding job, raising two special needs children, and going to school on nights and weekends. Overtime, I developed arthritis in my knees and asthma. I suffered from terrible back pain, and headaches and my hormones had gone awry. A year-and-a-half-ago, when I had to get a breast lump surgically removed, I finally developed hypertension. Not surprisingly, I was permanently exhausted. It doesn’t take rocket science to see where my health was headed because of my weight. The stress in life my never subsided. Since the birth of my first child, it has been one stressful event followed by another, with never enough time for me to fully process what just happened before the next stressful event occurred. My older boy had his heart defect repaired in 2004, and did exceptionally well; he struggles in school, but demonstrates a work ethic that could stand as an example to many adults I know. Last summer, he became a Bar Mitzvah, and humbled the congregation of more than 200 family and friends with his poise and command of Hebrew and Judaism. My younger son, because of very early interventions, has overcome most of his autistic tendencies and outgrown his seizure disorder. He is currently at the top of his 3rd grade class in all academic subjects, and will be recommended for the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program next year. After working for nineteen years to build my career in one local school district, I had to make the hard decision to resign from my position and take a job with a 30 mile commute. My husband and I have fought hard and relentlessly with the schools to get the appropriate special education services in place for our sons; however, we finally reached a point where we had no choice but to hire an attorney. As an aspiring administrator in the same school district that my children attend school, I knew I could not stay on any longer as I was about to sue my employer in order to get my kids the services they need. I have been in my current position with my new school district for 18 months, but the transition and pressure to perform for a new employer has taken a huge serving of what’s left of my inner strength. The stress won’t ever go away, but I have finally decided to make sure that I take care of my needs someway, somehow. Continuing at my pre-op physical condition is no longer an option if I am going to live long enough to see my children grow up. It took me years to come to the decision to have weight loss surgery—countless diets, punctuated by regaining the little bit of weight I’d lose, plus a few more pounds, added up to my coming to the realization that the small weight loss successes I did realize were fleeting, temporary, and left me feeling like an even bigger failure than before. For me, diets didn’t work. Like the majority of obese people I know, I am not stupid or lazy. I understand about nutrition and exercise. I have succeeded in absolutely everything I have set my mind to in life. Everything that is, except for maintaining a healthy weight.

We returned from our trip to Barbados in early January. Messages on our home answering machine from our son’s geneticist asked us to return her urgent calls. Our son had undergone a plethora of genetic testing before we’d left for our trip, and an abnormal 11th chromosome was identified in his genetic material. I was now 13 weeks pregnant with my second child, and had to see a prenatal geneticist immediately to get my unborn child tested. Doctors were suggesting that I consider terminating my pregnancy. I didn’t think I could cope with the stress anymore. My weight began to soar again. Even though my baby’s genetic testing came back all normal, I stayed on edge for the balance of the pregnancy. I just waited for the next shoe to drop. Pre-eclampsia developed by the fifth month, and I was hospitalized once because it got so bad. My new baby was born on the 4th of July of 2000, and I was again 100 pounds heavier than the day I got pregnant. This birth was also a nightmare. Isaac was born with bruises all over his body, and wherever the nurse wiped him dry, he broke out in another bruise. A blood test determined that his platelet count was dangerously low and that he would need a transfusion immediately. He was unceremoniously whisked off to NICU, where he stayed for the next few days. More testing of my husband and me showed that I lack a certain protein in my blood—very rare and not routinely tested. My body created antibodies that attacked my unborn child, which almost killed him. I told my doctor I felt depressed—I thought I could use some counseling; she said I had the baby blues, so I never revisited the idea again; I just ate a bag of cookies instead. One week after my son was born; I re-joined Weight Watchers, for at least the 10th time. Over the years, I continued to join and re-join Weight Watchers more times than I can count. I also tried Nutri System, Jenny Craig, Ediets, and many more diets. I’d lose a little; gain it all back and more. And thus the cycle continued. When my son turned 6 months old, I noticed odd behaviors. By now, a veteran parent of an autistic child, I was quick to notice the signs, and pushed to get him assessed. Most worst fears were realized: Isaac was also on the autistic spectrum and suffered from a mild seizure disorder as well! I pushed hard in my career, possibly as a way to escape the grief of having my dreams for my children stripped away from me before they were really even born. In my work, I was now training and coaching teachers for my school district. In the summer, I trained teachers from other school districts for the County Office of Education. Always a learner, I again decided to go back to school and earn an administrative credential. I pressed ahead, working in a highly demanding job, raising two special needs children, and going to school on nights and weekends. Overtime, I developed arthritis in my knees and asthma. I suffered from terrible back pain, and headaches and my hormones had gone awry. A year-and-a-half-ago, when I had to get a breast lump surgically removed, I finally developed hypertension. Not surprisingly, I was permanently exhausted. It doesn’t take rocket science to see where my health was headed because of my weight. The stress in life my never subsided. Since the birth of my first child, it has been one stressful event followed by another, with never enough time for me to fully process what just happened before the next stressful event occurred. My older boy had his heart defect repaired in 2004, and did exceptionally well; he struggles in school, but demonstrates a work ethic that could stand as an example to many adults I know. Last summer, he became a Bar Mitzvah, and humbled the congregation of more than 200 family and friends with his poise and command of Hebrew and Judaism. My younger son, because of very early interventions, has overcome most of his autistic tendencies and outgrown his seizure disorder. He is currently at the top of his 3rd grade class in all academic subjects, and will be recommended for the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program next year. After working for nineteen years to build my career in one local school district, I had to make the hard decision to resign from my position and take a job with a 30 mile commute. My husband and I have fought hard and relentlessly with the schools to get the appropriate special education services in place for our sons; however, we finally reached a point where we had no choice but to hire an attorney. As an aspiring administrator in the same school district that my children attend school, I knew I could not stay on any longer as I was about to sue my employer in order to get my kids the services they need. I have been in my current position with my new school district for 18 months, but the transition and pressure to perform for a new employer has taken a huge serving of what’s left of my inner strength. The stress won’t ever go away, but I have finally decided to make sure that I take care of my needs someway, somehow. Continuing at my pre-op physical condition is no longer an option if I am going to live long enough to see my children grow up. It took me years to come to the decision to have weight loss surgery—countless diets, punctuated by regaining the little bit of weight I’d lose, plus a few more pounds, added up to my coming to the realization that the small weight loss successes I did realize were fleeting, temporary, and left me feeling like an even bigger failure than before. For me, diets didn’t work. Like the majority of obese people I know, I am not stupid or lazy. I understand about nutrition and exercise. I have succeeded in absolutely everything I have set my mind to in life. Everything that is, except for maintaining a healthy weight.

The Beginning of One Bandster’s Journey By Ivy Adamson’s Granddaughter The alarm sounded at 5:30 on the morning of January 13th, 2009. My husband leaned over to silence the buzzer, and then he turned and kissed my cheek. “Wake up, Honey. Today’s your big day.” No need to wake me up. I’d been lying wide awake since 4:00, and had only slept fitfully throughout the night in anticipation of this day. Sleep? Who can sleep on the night before surgery? And this wasn’t just any surgery. This was Lap Band surgery! This day, I would “cross over to the other side”—a term I had learned from lurking on weight loss forums. Sleep was the very last thing on my mind! Instead, a variety of surgery scenarios floated through my head: how much would it hurt? How long would the pain last? Would it be successful? These and other questions helped cause my lack of sleep, but dispersed in between the thoughts of how my surgery would play out were floods of memories. My mind forced me to relive snippets of the last fifteen years. Memories bounded back to me in random snapshots, with no respect for chronological sequence—just bits and pieces of events in my life that I could identify as times when I experienced the significant weight gains and losses that put me in a position today where I was facing bariatric surgery. I was married in the summer of 1993, and worked fulltime as a middle school English and reading teacher. I routinely beat myself up about being about 30 pounds overweight, but I was no where morbidly obese. By April of 1994, I was pregnant with our first child. This is when the first big weight piled on. I was sick with bad headaches every day of my pregnancy and developed pre-eclampsia. I gained 100 pounds by the time my son was born, and had a horrific birth, which resulted in an emergency cesarean to save both of our lives. Juggling the responsibilities of a fulltime work, and handling a tough pregnancy, and now a sickly child, who never slept through the night until way past his fourth birthday took its toll on me. However, with lots of determination and hard work, I took off 118 pounds within about 2 years. Our son was always ill, hardly ate, and was not meeting his developmental milestones. He was clingy and lived with permanent dark circles around his gaunt, sunken eyes. At 18 months, he had surgery to repair bilateral hernias. While in surgery, the anesthesiologist noticed that our son had a suspicious heart murmur. Subsequent visits to a pediatric cardiologist confirmed that he had a heart defect that would need to be repaired if he could ever gain enough weight to endure heart surgery. When he turned three and still could not speak intelligibly, we had him assessed by the school district and a pediatric neurologist. The word, “autism” was thrown around by the professionals, but we did not get a definitive diagnosis until he was at least five years old. The strain of caring for our child wore me down. I was permanently sleep-deprived, and constantly worried about his health. Additionally, I had decided to go back to school to work on a master’s degree, plus I continued to work fulltime. The weight began to creep back on. Looking back, I realize now that I was probably clinically depressed. No one ever suggested that I seek therapy, and I was too overwhelmed at the time to realize that I could probably use it. I was putting the needs of my child and my job first, leaving no time or energy to take care of me; hence, I continued to gain weight. I completed all of my course work for my master’s degree in the spring of 1999. I discovered I was pregnant with our second child in October of the same year; on December 15th, I turned in my thesis, thus completing all of my requirements to receive my diploma. And that same night, my husband, son, and I boarded a plane for two gloriously, tranquil weeks with my family in Barbados. I spent my time relaxing on the beach every day, and reading all four of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies. Each book was better than the last. Angelou impressed me with her indomitable strength and spirit to overcome all kinds of adversity. I thought I would like to have her strength; she was an example to me of the kind of woman I would want to be. Before long, I learned that I would have to summon some of Angelou’s strength to get me through the next challenge.

The Beginning of One Bandster’s Journey By Ivy Adamson’s Granddaughter The alarm sounded at 5:30 on the morning of January 13th, 2009. My husband leaned over to silence the buzzer, and then he turned and kissed my cheek. “Wake up, Honey. Today’s your big day.” No need to wake me up. I’d been lying wide awake since 4:00, and had only slept fitfully throughout the night in anticipation of this day. Sleep? Who can sleep on the night before surgery? And this wasn’t just any surgery. This was Lap Band surgery! This day, I would “cross over to the other side”—a term I had learned from lurking on weight loss forums. Sleep was the very last thing on my mind! Instead, a variety of surgery scenarios floated through my head: how much would it hurt? How long would the pain last? Would it be successful? These and other questions helped cause my lack of sleep, but dispersed in between the thoughts of how my surgery would play out were floods of memories. My mind forced me to relive snippets of the last fifteen years. Memories bounded back to me in random snapshots, with no respect for chronological sequence—just bits and pieces of events in my life that I could identify as times when I experienced the significant weight gains and losses that put me in a position today where I was facing bariatric surgery. I was married in the summer of 1993, and worked fulltime as a middle school English and reading teacher. I routinely beat myself up about being about 30 pounds overweight, but I was no where morbidly obese. By April of 1994, I was pregnant with our first child. This is when the first big weight piled on. I was sick with bad headaches every day of my pregnancy and developed pre-eclampsia. I gained 100 pounds by the time my son was born, and had a horrific birth, which resulted in an emergency cesarean to save both of our lives. Juggling the responsibilities of a fulltime work, and handling a tough pregnancy, and now a sickly child, who never slept through the night until way past his fourth birthday took its toll on me. However, with lots of determination and hard work, I took off 118 pounds within about 2 years. Our son was always ill, hardly ate, and was not meeting his developmental milestones. He was clingy and lived with permanent dark circles around his gaunt, sunken eyes. At 18 months, he had surgery to repair bilateral hernias. While in surgery, the anesthesiologist noticed that our son had a suspicious heart murmur. Subsequent visits to a pediatric cardiologist confirmed that he had a heart defect that would need to be repaired if he could ever gain enough weight to endure heart surgery. When he turned three and still could not speak intelligibly, we had him assessed by the school district and a pediatric neurologist. The word, “autism” was thrown around by the professionals, but we did not get a definitive diagnosis until he was at least five years old. The strain of caring for our child wore me down. I was permanently sleep-deprived, and constantly worried about his health. Additionally, I had decided to go back to school to work on a master’s degree, plus I continued to work fulltime. The weight began to creep back on. Looking back, I realize now that I was probably clinically depressed. No one ever suggested that I seek therapy, and I was too overwhelmed at the time to realize that I could probably use it. I was putting the needs of my child and my job first, leaving no time or energy to take care of me; hence, I continued to gain weight. I completed all of my course work for my master’s degree in the spring of 1999. I discovered I was pregnant with our second child in October of the same year; on December 15th, I turned in my thesis, thus completing all of my requirements to receive my diploma. And that same night, my husband, son, and I boarded a plane for two gloriously, tranquil weeks with my family in Barbados. I spent my time relaxing on the beach every day, and reading all four of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies. Each book was better than the last. Angelou impressed me with her indomitable strength and spirit to overcome all kinds of adversity. I thought I would like to have her strength; she was an example to me of the kind of woman I would want to be. Before long, I learned that I would have to summon some of Angelou’s strength to get me through the next challenge.

My DH, BFF and mother know I had lap band surgery on January 13th. Everyone else was told I had a hernia surgery. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Don't need to be judged or scrutinized as I work to lose weight. I don't need the pressure of feeling I have to lose a certain amount by a certain time. I also don't want lots of nosey questions.

Good morning, ladies. I reading that a lot of you are having trouble with the Protein shakes. I dod, to at first, even though I used lactose-free milk. I just cannot tolerate a lot of dairy in my diet. I switched to soy milk and have not had a problem since. If you're using cow's milk, you may want consider switching to soy for a while and se how you do. Amymoe--you are lucky about not feeling hungry, I feel it all the time. I can't wait to get a fill! I went to my son's IEP yesterday morning with my Protein shake in hand. His study skills teacher came in, and she had a protein shake. She doesn't know that I know she had gastric bypass about 18 months ago, and of course she doesn't know I was banded last week. Incidently, she's lost a ton of weight and is hardley recognizable from before. I kind of smiled privately to myself that the 2 WLS patients in the room were sipping shakes and everyone else was slurping Starbucks!

You poor thing! No food or another week! I think I would go insane! I am on pureed foods, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal now, which makes life much more tolerable. I have heard about going all the way back to clear fluids and working up to solids, via full liquids, mushies, etc after each fill. I know that's wheat they require at my bariatric clinic. Your stomach can get inflamed after a fill, so youhave you do the fluids for a couple of days, but it shouldn't be as long as post-op. At my band support group, they say that they like it because sometimes their weight loss has slowed down or stopped before a fill. The few days on fluids kind of jump starts them back to losing again.

cherbear, that's a good idea. You really need your protein, for wound healing, weight loss, and to curb hunger. You will find lots of choices at GNC. Good luck!

the 4oz containers are great fro premeasuring food. If youopen a can of soup, you can put a serving in each of the containers and put them in the fridge for later. It saves a lot of time with fiddling with your tiny meals.

I guess everyone is different. I also had my surgery onthe 13th and I definitely feel the restriction. I've lost 8 pounds since the surgery and can last on probably less than 1/2 of what I could consume pre-op.

I've been blasting through my chocolate flavor Unjury, so I went to the Vitamin Shoppe to get something to tide me over until my next shipment. I got Nectar Sweets. It's 100 calories, 23 gr. of protein, no sugar, no fat per serving and the lady in the store says it tatses good. I'm down another 1.2 ppounds today--that is 8 pounds since surgery!

I did not tell my two sone. I knew they'd freak out. I had outpatient surgery and came home the same day--I told them that mom had a little hernia operation in her tummy, and now she's fine. They didn't have to stress in advance about it, and by the time they found out, it was all done and they could see I was just fine.

perfectforme: there is no vanity in wanting to look and feel beautiful. The way I see it, I have felt unattractive for many years now, and embarrased about how I look. When this weight comes off, I want to pull out all the stops. Don't you think we deserve it?:huh2:

I use Unjury protein powder, as it was recommended to me by my nutritionist. You can only buy it from their website. I got one of each flavor: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry sorbet, chicken soup, and unflavored. Each scoop is 20 gr. of protein. When I make a shake with 8 ounces of my soy milk, that's 28 grams. I also mix the chicken soup flavor into all my creamy soups, mashed potatoes, etc. I use the unflavored one in jello and pudding mixes. Getting in protein has not been that tough for me. I had oatmeal for breakfast today. I also took a 15 minute walk in my neighborhood with my dog. Another pound down, too! I hope you're all c ontinuing to feel better. I am doing well.

I ate food! OMG I ate food! I saw my PA at the support group meeting today and he said I could have anything pureed. I had pureed rotiserie chicken breast, pureed brocolli and carrots and mashed potatoes. My entire meal was about 2/3 of a cup, and looked gross, but it was delicious, went down fine, and took me as long to eat as the rest of my family who had their food normal and in much bigger portions. It was so good to taste real food!

Yes, we're all different. I got to start mushies today. I started the morning with a scrambled egg. It took me so long to eat just 3 tiny bites that the rest of it got cold and i gave it to the dog. I was afraid of not chewing properly, but everything stayed down. I just had a 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes for lunch! HEAVEN! I mixed in some unjury chicken soup flavored Protein powder to boost the protein. I also had a chocoltate Unjury shake with soy milk and gerber baby food pureed pears. I am down another pound today--I am averaging about a pound of weight loss each day. Andylou--I get that weird feeling everytime I eat or drink. It's very uncomfortable. Last night I thought I would die whenmy antibioic capsule got stuck on the way down. It made me feel really bad for a long time. I went to my support group meeting today. My Weight Loss clinic has seperate support groups for bypass and band patients. The other band patients and prospective band patients were amazed that I was up and around so quickly after surgery and driving myself across the county to get to the meeting, and looking well. A lot of the veteran bandsters say the gas will ease up after time, but gets bad again for a day or so after each fill. Glad to hear you're all doing better.

As for the incision count: I have 5. 4 of them go along my waist line: one is in my belly button, one slightly to the left, and one more left of that. One is on the right of my belly buttonby about 8 inches. The last is up higher under my right breast, but level with the bottom of my rib cage. The 4 along the waist line caused some discomfort when I put on real clothes for the first time yesterday.

Good morning, ladies. It seems we are all going from strength to strength as each day goes by. I still have the gas pains, but it's not as bad as before. I agree--those Gas-X strips are a Godsend. I could not live without them! :yikes: I am down another pound today--it's averaging slightly more than a pound a day since I began the liquids-only diet on Sunday. So, the pain and suffering is showing an immediate payoff! Last night, I slept better than I have since surgery, but I did wake up, coughing mucus again. That stuff is really gross!:w00t: I have had my morning cup of coffee and tried the Gerber pureed mangoes. OMG! It was so sweet to me that the first taste made me cringe. I cannot eat it! I had 1/2 a chocolate protein shake, and will venture onto other things today. Tomorrow, I can advance to having bananas in my shakes, as well as mashed potatoes and stuff like that. I am famished! It was interesting cooking dinner for my family last night, though--I made them brown rice, with orange chicken and steamed broccoli and carrots. I had 1/2 a cup of split pea soup in a plastic Glad food storage container! My kids looked at me like I was crazy:lol: I reminded them that mommy had a hernia operation on her tummy and can't eat the same as everyone else for a while. I sure missed a good plate of chicken and rice and veggies, though! I am finding that I can consume about 1/2 a cup of anything at a time. If I go past that, the gas is ferocious! I need to wait a good 30 minutes before I try anything else. Tonight will be my first time out around other people and food--My younger son is leading our synagogue services with his Hebrew school class tonight, and I plan to attend. With the exception of my inlaws, (who think I had hernia surgery) no one at my congregation knows I had surgery, not even the rabbis--I will tell them tonight. After the service, there's always a huge spread of desserts and coffee. Obviously, I won't able to partake, not even the obligatory eating of bread for the blessing. Come to think about it, I probably won't ever be able to that again!:crying: I'm sure all of you are also realizing some of the little things that will change forever--for me, it's a little bit of an emotional jolt each time I realize I'll never eat a certain food again. Yes, food is an addiction, isn't it?