Elisabethsew

That toradol put me in a coma! LOL. I hope you're feeling better today.

I've kept mine open in the fridge for several weeks and it's fine. I just had a cup of the chocolate for my breakfast and that's the best I can do... 7 g protein and 70 cal. LOL. The count down to Sat is narrowing... soft diet is finally on the menu.

Congratulations on your phenomenol success! Were you a revision from a band to a sleeve? I look forward to hearing more. Many of us are newly sleeved and the verterans who have been successful (several here) keep us going.

Yes, I've tried different brands and both whey and soy just "break through" whatever I mix them in. On a good day I can get in close to 30 g protein and on Sat., I go to a soft diet. I'm a fish lover so I'll be able to bump up the protein in a few days.

I am already bored with full fluids. LOL. I don't like the protein powders and am not getting in the required protein. I got a little inventive and diluted 1/3 cup of part skim ricotta cheese with some skim milk to get it to the tomato soup stage of thickness and found that to be very satisfying. Coffee still takes weird but I do have a cup in the AM. THAT is the one thing I really miss. I go to a soft diet on Saturday so the protein sources will be more plentiful. One thing I do enjoy is hot chocolate. I found one that's only 25 calories and it makes a good dessert.

I'll think good thoughts that all goes well with the visit. You've done great with the band so it makes sense to work it as long as possible.

I hope your Dad feels better and that you figure out a good time for your surgery.

I believe you can stretch out the stomach but why would you want to? As for eating out, I would much rather just skip the appetizers and dessert and enjoy the entree. If the portion is too much, I can either give out taste portions to those who might want some or bring it home. I would much rather have people commenting on how little I am eating as opposed to how much. LOL.

What happens on May 6? I really do see it as a strength that you recognize you need a tool to keep you at a healthy weight. Obesity is a disease just like diabetes is a disease. Without the aide of insulin, many would die. It's so sad that because obese people wear their disease for all to see we're seen as lazy or worse.

Keep us posted as to how the fill goes. You've really done well losing with the band and I know a 25 pound regain is a set back. Try and focus on how wel you've done so far. You've already proven your success.

I think it's important to remember that obesity is a disease and that weight loss surgery helps to control the disease but does not cure it. There are genetic, physical, emotional, and social aspects to obesity. Genetics you can't do anything about but that still leaves you all the others to work on. Before I was banded, I went on a healthy diet and got myself down from 440 pounds to 195 pounds. When a series of events and the death of my father ensued, I fell back to "old" but "comforting" patterns of eating. The focus was off me and on caring for others. When I could not get back to healthy habits, I decided the band was what I needed to help me. Unfortunately, I was one of those whom never achieved restriction. The major advantage I see to VSG over the band is that I can eat healthy again. Because of the awful heart burn and acid reflux, I began to eat foods that produced the least amount of acid. With the VSG, I will eventually be able to eat anything... just smaller amounts. Somewhere on this forum Mac said that the more healthy things she eats, the more her body repels the crap foods (I am NOT using her works - LOL). I agree with that because it's exactly what happened to me when I was able to lose over 200 pounds. Once you feel better, your body wants to move more. I think we'll always need to ask, "Is this REAL hunger or I am looking to eat because X"? The "X" is what each of us deals with and varies.

I can only imagine what that will be like. LOL. I was out all day today and had to have some fasting blood work done so Breakfast was out. Since it was a nice day, I went shopping with a friend to look for some new tops. At 12:45, she was hungry so we went to a diner. That was fun. I scanned the 7 pages of the menu and came up with 2 choices; soup or a milkshake. I opted for a cup of coffee and matza ball soup minus the ball. LOL. My friend asked if I would be OK if she ordered "real" food which I was fine with. I don't eat beef so the burger didn't bother me but those 2 onion rings and fries did smell wonderful. I ate my soup and was not hungry but it was hard watching all that food come out to a crowded diner. Once I was out of there, we went back to shopping and I never felt hungry. I'm now home and not physically hungry at all.

Congratulations on the great loss!

Campos had it done on 4/2 and Ernesto had it done on 4/3. One of the male RNs had it less than a year ago and said he lost 106 pounds and is at goal. It's interesting that the surgeon (Campos) elected VSG over the band.

Welcome Jackie, I revised from a band to a sleeve on 4/1 and am very happy to have the band out. Congratulations on being almost at goal. I look forward to hearing your experiences with the VSG surgery.

I think the mental part is the hardest. I grabbed a 4 oz diet pudding and my instinct was to dive in and make it gone in a flash like pre-surgery. Instead, I had to consciously only put a small amount on a spoon and "test" how a little went down. Head hunger is another issue. When I have dinner and see another person eating a "normal" meal and I'm about to start in on my Soup, I "think" I am starving. I didn't feel that way before I saw the food. When I can't make it through the can of soup because I'm full, I recognize head hunger from physical hunger. Since I never achieved real restriction with the band, this is all new to me.

Happy Easter and Happy Full Fluids! I'm still doing my soy slender drink for breakfast and the liquid in/liquid out seems not to apply to me... thank God!

It sounds like your Dad is capable of making his own decisions so he's aware of the consequences. If he's fallen twice and continues to make his own decisions, you can't do anything. I would not put my life on hold waiting to see when the next shoe will fall. If something happens and you're unable to run to his side, your brother, kids, etc. will have to handle things until you are able to tend to them. When I had my surgery, the man who had it the same day that I was there was permitted to leave a day early but it's only 3 nights in the hospital. For me, the recovery from the revision was a lot easier than the banding. Happy Easter/Passover.

I hope all is well with your Dad. Maybe he needs to be in a better supervised environment? Two falls in a short period of time seems excessive.

Congratulations on your surgery and I wish you all the best!

The same thing happened with my drain site about 2 days ago but I'm a medical person so I knew it was normal. Today, I just have a bandaide on it and all is fine. When I showered, the last of the coverings came off the trochar sites and the incisions all look good. Enjoy your full fluids and Happy Easter!

Thankfully, tomato soup tasted the same. I made a can and used water instead of milk and took my time eating it. I was stuffed 3/4 of the way through but it was delicious. I'm wondering if cutting out part of the stomach is the causative factor in the altered taste/smell sensations?

Yes, that stuff had a sickening, sweet smell to it.

I'm glad we have the option of going to the soft diet after 7 days because it won't be such a struggle to get the Protein in. I don't like creamed cereals so I'm sticking with the soy slender drink for Breakfast. When I was banded, ricotta cheese was a savior. Four ounces of the skim milk version gave me a good protein source for lunch and kept me satisfied. I was making a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich yesterday for a friend (no meat on Good Friday) and the peanut butter did not smell "right" to me. It was a brand new jar and my friend thought I was nuts because it tasted and smelled "normal" to him. I am finding this very strange but the only part that effects me is the coffee. I'm drinking tea to get fluids in but I'm not much of a fan and I LOVE coffee. It still smells awful. Sigh! The post-op instructions say to stay on soft diet for as long as you need to and not to attempt solids until 30 days have passed. You're wise to listen to your body and do what feels right. Congratulations on making it to the one month point! You must be feeling great.

LOL. I woke up this AM and tomato soup was the first thing I thought of! It's on the menu for my dinner tonight. Another person told me to freeze 60 cal Jello puddings and then eat them like ice-cream. I checked the full Fluid menu at my hospital and was surprised pudding was on that menu.