Malaika

Happy Anniversary! (and you can celebrate in the 'proper' way - just have to be a little creative on the position so it doesn't hurt your incisions):blushing:

Hi Chin and welcome to the forum. My surgeon recommended starting with about 2 oz. As for mashed food (also called mushies or soft foods) here are some ideas I received from my doctor's office: Soft food should be the consistency of a thick liquid (no chunks or solid material ) and it should be chewed very well before swallowing until it is a liquid consistency ) Tofu Low fat cottage cheese Cereal oatmeal Precooked pureed rice Low fat Yogurt Yogurt mixed with fruit very well blended Cream Soups eggs Boiled pureed fruit ( example pear, apple ) Watermelon, papaya or melon in small pieces Boiled pureed vegetables Beans I also bake a sweet potato until it's very soft/mushy and eat some of it with a tiny bit of butter. Hope that helps some - am sure others will have a lot more suggestions too.

WELCOME SPOTOX to the forum - we're glad to have you join us and hope you find lots of information and answers to your questions. I never had the band; however there are LOTS of members who have had revision and they will tell you that the band is good for a little while and then you have nothing but trouble. With the sleeve, there's nothing to slip and no follow-up is needed -- you just have a smaller stomach and you can't eat as much. However, you can eat anything you want - unlike with the band, from everything I have read. Good luck with your decision. I think I'd go with my surgeon's opinion over a GP -- my own personal opinion.

Be sure to get off of all caffeine before surgery, too, otherwise you'll have withdrawal headaches and those suck as well.

Exercise while you're losing, and plastic surgery afterwards ... they have a new laser surgery out that seems to be getting good results; however, I think that is if there is only a small amount of sagging skin that needs to be dealt with.

That's right -- the surgery and any costs associated therewith can be claimed as deductions on your taxes if you itemize. I have saved all my receipts for the medications, travel, gas, food, etc. and of course for the cost of the surgery itself.

I chose not to tell anyone except Bearded, and my two closest friends. Everyone at work is very judgemental and I didn't want the policing my every move, etc., etc. What I told them was that I had a hiatal hernia repaired- which is the truth - and that I had to follow a special diet to give the swelling time to subside. As it turns out - the only issue I am having is where the hiatal hernia was repaired (spasming) and I am told that may take up to 6 months to dissipate. I have also been told to stay on mushies another 4-6 weeks, so the weight loss is a given. Although I've lost 30 lbs, hardly anyone at work has even noticed. None of my family live nearby, so I didn't see any reason to involve them and cause them worry and concern. I think it is a very personal choice and only you will know what the right decision is.

Helen, so glad you're home and recovering -- from all that you had done, it sounds as though you're doing quite well. Looking forward to hearing more from you as your recovery progresses and your weight comes off. Hang in there, every day will get easier I'm sure.

I agree - why didn't he just step up to the plate and tell you what was on his mind? And, if his DIL was upset, why didn't she talk to you about it instead of bringing him into the mix? I love facebook, and chat, and email; however, it's difficult for people reading it to know the infliction with which you wrote it, so sometimes it can create issues ... they both need to just get over it and both need to learn how to communicate!

CONGRATS on finding out that your insurance will pay for the surgery - that's wonderful!

I would think the inside of a bean burrito would be the same as the pinto and cheese, only not as much of it - which would be okay because you're not going to be able to eat that much anyway. You could probably order the bean burrito with sour cream -- don't forget, they usually have onions -- I always order mine without, because I don't like onions.

I had pinto and beans - they were great - only thing is, I forgot they put taco sauce on them and that caused me to have some heartburn -- next time I'll order them without the taco sauce --oh, I also got a side order of sour cream, that helped to make them a bit more mushie, if that makes sense. They tasted great.

Thanks Susan, they all sound wonderful and simple too!

Definitely!

Well this is true ... HOWEVER before your surgery, it was NOTHING for you to go to bed at 10:00 pm and sleep until Noon ... admit it - you like to sleep!:001_smile:

Yes, isn't that sad that 8 is sleeping in? During the week I'm up between 5:45 and 6:15 ... and usually on the weekends, I can't sleep much past that either -- so I was surprised when I slept "in" until 8 ... Bearded has NO trouble sleeping - and finally had to wake up up at 10:15 as we have a 12:30 appointment and it takes him a few hours to actually wake up ... I wouldn't know what to do if I slept until 10! I'd feel half the day was over.

Well I can guarantee you Bearded is anything but boring!:001_smile:

WELCOME CHANCIE! Great WEIGHT loss - congrats. You'll find all kinds of support here - we're all in the same boat so to speak and so we all know where you're coming from -- don't hesitate to ask any questions or hey - give us advice - there are a lot of newbies here - me included. Looking forward to hearing more from you soon!

What the heck was all of that???????

When I had my barium swallow while Bearded was having his surgery, I still had some swelling where he fixed my hernia - also some scar tissue; however, the worst is that where he made the repair, everytime I eat or drink, I get a spasm (on the fluoriscope it looks like about the width of a piece of string) so everything sits above the spasm until it decides to relax and let my food pass - Dr. Campos told me to stay on mushies for another 4 to 6 weeks to let the swelling go down. Dr. Aceves said the spasming and scar tissue would dissipate; however could take up to 6 months. I am glad it will eventually go away; however, in the interim, I really don't like feeling the way I do - it's almost to the point that I even hate to think about eating. :001_smile: I use Campbell's low sodium tomato soup - in fact, all the Soups I purchased were Campbell's. I didn't look at the sugars quite truthfully -- I was just looking for things I could get down.

I was wondering the same thing! Fess up Amanda!

9 SPEEDS - I can't imagine - even on "hi" speed I have to cover the top of the cup or I get sprayed -- with 9 speeds it'd be on the ceiling! Let us know how the ice cream turns out -- and what your recipe is.

WOW - sure wish I'd asked this question weeks ago - you've given me some great ideas on how to get in my protein - even though I am on "mushies" and will be for another 6 weeks, I am still struggling with the protein as I can't eat very much at a time ...THANKS again - I will be grocery shopping this weekend for sure! I think the lack of protein has fogged my brain and it isn't firing on all cylinders. Everything you said makes perfect sense.

Well I'd keep a mental journal and see if that is what happens - pain in the morning - eat - pain goes away ... you may have solved your own mystery ... sleeping in ... awwwwwwww ... what a luxury that was this morning -- I didn't get up until 8 am ...:001_smile:

Yes, the broth from the soup is a clear - just strain the noodles and chicken off and drink away -- you can do the same thing with vegetable soup too ... SF Jello is also considered a clear. So was tea.