NewBeginnings2018

LMAO Kat! You are too funny! I just may have to be quarantined for a while! I will do some internet research and see what I can find out. Thanks again!

Well I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! My breath was worse the first week out, and I thought it was better until I heard otherwise. haha. I'm wondering if switching to mushies will help at all. Hi Kat - the port incision is doing much better thanks! Still a little drainage, but it's not red and puffy anymore. Doc said it looked great.

I am just under 3 weeks out from surgery and have not been able to get rid of my horrible bad breath! I have a sour taste in my mouth all the time and my friends (god love them) told me today that my breath has been horrible the past couple of days. I have excellent oral hygene (I brush & floss) and have never had this problem before. I know ketosis can cause bad breath, but where I am on the liquid diet I am getting carbohydrates in my skim milk, tomato Soup, etc, so I'm not sure if the ketosis is it. I was curious if anyone else has had this issue and what I can do to help it go away! Thank you!!

Good to hear texasbrat. Did you clean w/hydrogen peroxide or anything? Right now I am just keeping it covered and the surgeon put on new steri strips when he opened it, and I've kept them on there.

OH! By the way, a little birdy told me that Sherry may have some new pics to post!! Ahem.

Congrats on the new floors Cindy! You'll have to post pics once they're finished! Hope everyone else is doing well. I'm doing great with one exception - halitosis!! I'm horrified! I have a constant sour taste in my mouth and my good friends told me my breath has been really bad. Gotta love true friends! lol. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm in my third week. Thanks!

Hi Dreaminbig! Glad to hear the surgery went well!! Just two weeks until your band date - that is great! A little hint - they don't weigh you the day of surgery so don't kill yourself. Don't binge, but you don't have to starve yourself. Trust me - there will be plenty of that on your liquid stage! lol Hi Flower. Great to hear from you! Sounds like you have been a HUGE banding success! Any tips or advice you'd like to share would be great. Dez, there were only three of us in the chat but we'll work at setting up something a little more formal in the future, and with a little more notice this time. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Glad to hear our newly banded folks are doing great! Good luck to macdeb59, moon goddess, three beauties, Denise2, kennedy, mdk63, Ward1990, and Momotrips!! You ladies will do great!! I am 16 days out and my port site is still tender. I can sleep on my side and my stomach, but the incision is tender. Granted I've had some draining and my surgeon had to open the wound last week to let it drain out a bit, so I think that is part of it. I was told to leave my steri strips on until they fell off but when I went in for my two week follow up, they took them off. The liquid stage is tough. The first week I would get hungry but never eat more than a few bites of anything. Going into the second week I was sooooo hungry but I didn't want to eat soup or any of the liquids. After a few days of that I would get hungry and enjoy my soup. Now in my third week, I am doing ok with the soup, etc but am looking forward to starting mushies this weekend. One thing I've noticed is that I have really bad breath. It's quite embarassing. Has anyone else noticed this??

Hi everyone! For the first 7 days after surgery I could care less about eating. I wasn't hungry, and when I did eat I would maybe have 1/2 a pudding cup or a few sips of broth. Then one day, my hunger came back - just like that. Those next 5 or so days were really tough. It has gotten a bit easier now that I am on my third week out on liquids, but I am looking forward to moving to mushies/soft food. I find I'm ok when I've had something to eat, but if I'm hungry I dream of cooking all these elaborate meals. lol. But I agree that we will all have to face our own demons with food and that our journeys will be similar, but different at the same time. That is what is so great about having a site like this for support! Yes, I still have some port discomfort, especially when I bend over. Just a few days ago I was able for the first time to sleep on my port side and this morning I was able to be on my stomach for a little bit. Port discomfort in the beginning is totally normal so I'm told. For ticker factory, you need to copy the first code "bbc" and copy and paste the entire URL address. Every time you need to update your weight you have to re-copy and paste into your LBT signature. I lost 12 pounds in the first week, and then nothing in the second week. I have lost another 2 pounds since Sunday, so it looks like the scale is moving again. I know once I start mushies/soft food next Monday my weight loss will likely stall. But that is when I want to start kicking up the excercise, so hopefully that will help. Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Good luck to those who are getting banded soon!

Congrats on the jeans Dez!!! That is awesome!! Good luck with the house hunting. The prices really are sick, aren't they? Funny - the psychologist yelled at me too. lol

Hi everyone, just popping in before bed. Kat - glad to hear DH is doing well! I'm sure things are still stressful on the homefront for you. Don't forget to take care of yourself during this whole process! Good luck tomorrow at the doctors. I hope it all goes well. Mandy - so sorry to hear about your kitty. I am an animal lover in a big way, and they are such a part of your family. It is horrible to lose a pet, but know in your heart that you gave your kitty a GREAT life.

Congrats Irene! You'll get under 300 in no time! Thanks to everyone for their support with the port incision infection. I saw the doc this afternoon and he said it looks great, and he is not worried at all. I still have to keep it dry and covered, but he thinks I am in the clear. Phew!

Good news! I saw the doctor today and he said everything looks great. As scary as it was, him opening it up and letting it drain really did do the trick. Thank you all for the well wishes and support!

Good luck dreminbig & seuol! You will both do great with your respective surgeries!! Post when you're home and feeling better! Hi Marie! Welcome to the post. I had Tufts, so I can't give you any feedback on Aetna. A lot of people consider both surgeries. For me, I was too afraid to be permanently re-wired which is why I chose the band. I'm only two weeks out, but there are a ton of people who do fantastic. It does take work, but I'd rather do some of the work than have the other surgery.

Good luck to everyone being banded this week!!!!

Purtynailz I would call your doctor's office and speak with them. I was just told to eat lightly the day before. Oatmeal for breakfast, small sandwich for lunch, soup for dinner. Nothing to eat after 7pm, nothing to drink after midnight. But again - check with your doctor.

I am an insurance broker. I manage large commercial accounts. Small world KLO!

I had a cathedar as well, but they put mine in after surgery started and took it out the next morning. It didn't hurt at all when they took it out. I think the cathedar is moreso for after surgery as it takes a while for the anesthesia to get out of your system.

No problem Mark! Glad we got you up and running.

I want to try and start up running myself, but I know it will be a slow process in the beginning. I used to be very athletic back in the day, and strive to get there again. Telly - I'd love to get some exercise in but with my incision infection I was told I couldn't even do housework until it heals up. BUT when I am feeling healthy I will gladly take you kicking my butt into gear!

Hi MA Bandsters. SherryW, myself, and a couple of other MA Bandsters are going to set up a chat in the chat room portion of this site around 7pm tonight. No real agenda just yet, but we thought an on-line support group is better than no support group! So hope you fellow MA Bandsters can join us. If you're not from MA and still want to join us, feel free!

Knowing the way Sherry and I can talk, we very well may be!!

transpo1 - after you enter your information on ticker factory, you need to copy the "bbc code" and go to "user cp" on LBT, click "edit signature" and paste the url address to the bottom of your signature. That should do it.

They had me take a pregnancy test because I was late, even though I was 100% sure I could not be pregnant. It ended up coming 3 days before surgery, so I got to wear a pair of those sexy mesh panties. I was embarassed a bit until I told my nurse who said I was the 4th woman that day, so I think it's something they are completely used to. I just felt bad for the person who had to put in my cathedar. Eeewww...

I'm in the same boat Cat. The appetite coming back does totally stink. It's funny - I read your blog and you and I have a lot in common. Our age, the shoulder pain, the port incision drainage, getting hungry every two hours on the soup, etc. Although I'm not allowed mashed potatoes on liquids, so I have total potato envy! lol.