JazzyMom17

I'm kindof feeling a little panick and a little obsessive about the sense of needing to make a plan. My new "lifestyle" of eating. (NOT calling it a DIET!!!) Here's the thing. I followed my PREOP Adkins--then two days preop liquid adkins---then one week postop liquid diet to a tee. When I was sitting on my hospital bed one week postop I called, and the awesome nurse at my LB Surgeon's office told me that it was ok to start introducing purees and soft foods. After I got over the initial shock from hearing THAT I did. I've only gained a pound since then, but I've found myself during the liquid postop phase especially, using sugar again---alot of it. They gave me only grape juice for two whole days after surgery. Which coming off Adkins tasted like nectar from the gods. Anyway....I am able to eat almost anything now. I am not "testing" my band--but if it is something soft (meatloaf) then I will eat it. I haven't PB'ed, Slimed, or thrown anything up yet. But I definitely feel the "hard stop" feeling and the need to march the halls after I eat something just to try to either get some gas out of my stomach or move the food thru--not sure which. Some times I can only eat a few bites and it's like "AAAAGGGH!!" I have to walk....other times--like last night I ate a whole hotdog/bun/ketchup/mustard/onions/relish and could have still kept eating. Also---I have not ever had a problem drinking when I eat. I know I shouldn't and try not to, but when I forget, it goes right thru. I was reading BandGroupie's blog yesterday about "redefining full" and that really struck a chord with me. I'm still feeling restriction, but I'm finding myself mindlessly eating or comfort eating STILL. That is what scares me---to death. Did I have this surgery without really nailing down head hunger first--the real culprit?? Can I get a grip on this NOW?? I am on the verge of "Bandster Hell" I know it--if I'm not already there, but I really want to get a grip on my mind before I'm completely in the middle of it all. There is alot going on. Next week my family is meeting in Gatlinburg, TN....can't wait. But everything has revolved around food. :crying:) I do feel a real sense of FREEDOM like never before---where before I would have been DREADING this free-for-all of food like the plague then getting there and going WAY OVERBOARD. This time I have a calm sense of "cool, food" indiference. I'll get to taste some things I haven't tasted in a long time, but it won't rule or consume me. That

I'm kindof feeling a little panick and a little obsessive about the sense of needing to make a plan. My new "lifestyle" of eating. (NOT calling it a DIET!!!) Here's the thing. I followed my PREOP Adkins--then two days preop liquid adkins---then one week postop liquid diet to a tee. When I was sitting on my hospital bed one week postop I called, and the awesome nurse at my LB Surgeon's office told me that it was ok to start introducing purees and soft foods. After I got over the initial shock from hearing THAT I did. I've only gained a pound since then, but I've found myself during the liquid postop phase especially, using sugar again---alot of it. They gave me only grape juice for two whole days after surgery. Which coming off Adkins tasted like nectar from the gods. Anyway....I am able to eat almost anything now. I am not "testing" my band--but if it is something soft (meatloaf) then I will eat it. I haven't PB'ed, Slimed, or thrown anything up yet. But I definitely feel the "hard stop" feeling and the need to march the halls after I eat something just to try to either get some gas out of my stomach or move the food thru--not sure which. Some times I can only eat a few bites and it's like "AAAAGGGH!!" I have to walk....other times--like last night I ate a whole hotdog/bun/ketchup/mustard/onions/relish and could have still kept eating. Also---I have not ever had a problem drinking when I eat. I know I shouldn't and try not to, but when I forget, it goes right thru. I was reading BandGroupie's blog yesterday about "redefining full" and that really struck a chord with me. I'm still feeling restriction, but I'm finding myself mindlessly eating or comfort eating STILL. That is what scares me---to death. Did I have this surgery without really nailing down head hunger first--the real culprit?? Can I get a grip on this NOW?? I am on the verge of "Bandster Hell" I know it--if I'm not already there, but I really want to get a grip on my mind before I'm completely in the middle of it all. There is alot going on. Next week my family is meeting in Gatlinburg, TN....can't wait. But everything has revolved around food. ) I do feel a real sense of FREEDOM like never before---where before I would have been DREADING this free-for-all of food like the plague then getting there and going WAY OVERBOARD. This time I have a calm sense of "cool, food" indiference. I'll get to taste some things I haven't tasted in a long time, but it won't rule or consume me. That

YEAY! Happy Bandiversary!

I'm feeling the freedom in your voice!!! Woo-Hoo! This is huge!! Congrats!

Hey, guys... Tomorrow is two week anniversary of getting banded!! I am down officially 16 pounds total--including my one week pre-op diet and I am THRILLED with that progress. I've had pneumonia...etc. so I have not focused at ALL on losing weight--just surviving and getting well---so seeing the scales dropped SO much is just SUCH a cool thing. I'm getting used to my new world of eating. I eat less than my six year old!!! We have gone out to restaurants as a family a few times, and I got the "is everything ok with your food, Ma'am? YOu havn't hardly eaten anything".....I'm sure there will be many more to come. This last time I just shared with my little girl -- the kid's meal. I have ULTIMATE restriction right now. But I know bandster hell is on it's way. I'm just loving being able to eat 1/2 cup of refried beans and feel completely full for hours. I haven't focused on protein, getting my water in, nothing like that. So, I am going to make a plan today of how to attack this next chapter...from now as I start feeling better to my first fill. My husband is making comments every day about how much weight I've lost--he can't believe it...and when I went to work yesterday the lady that NEVER says anything good said that she could tell I was sick, because "you have lost alot of weight". My hubby broke down and told my skinny MIL when I was so sick in the hospital the second time. (!!!!!!) So she came over and had to get the whole story. Why would I do it? What exactly did they do? She had to see all of my incisions. My incisions are almost completely healed. Thank God, that is the one part of this surgery that has been a breeze had has healed mutantly fast. My MIL could hardly find all five of them. The only one that looks like an incision is my port (when I went back into the hospital they put those hideously sticky heart monitor things smack over the top of my port incision. ????!!!! Not fun to take off, but it's ok now) I'm getting ready to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes then make up some tuna salad for lunch. Probly be able to eat 1/2 cup of that! :redface:) I'm wasting SO much food. MIL did make me her awesome deviled eggs and those went down GREAT!!! My postop appt is July 7th at 1:00pm...I can't wait! Things are looking up! I'm SOOOO glad I have the band!

Hey, guys... Tomorrow is two week anniversary of getting banded!! I am down officially 16 pounds total--including my one week pre-op diet and I am THRILLED with that progress. I've had pneumonia...etc. so I have not focused at ALL on losing weight--just surviving and getting well---so seeing the scales dropped SO much is just SUCH a cool thing. I'm getting used to my new world of eating. I eat less than my six year old!!! We have gone out to restaurants as a family a few times, and I got the "is everything ok with your food, Ma'am? YOu havn't hardly eaten anything".....I'm sure there will be many more to come. This last time I just shared with my little girl -- the kid's meal. I have ULTIMATE restriction right now. But I know bandster hell is on it's way. I'm just loving being able to eat 1/2 cup of refried beans and feel completely full for hours. I haven't focused on protein, getting my water in, nothing like that. So, I am going to make a plan today of how to attack this next chapter...from now as I start feeling better to my first fill. My husband is making comments every day about how much weight I've lost--he can't believe it...and when I went to work yesterday the lady that NEVER says anything good said that she could tell I was sick, because "you have lost alot of weight". My hubby broke down and told my skinny MIL when I was so sick in the hospital the second time. (!!!!!!) So she came over and had to get the whole story. Why would I do it? What exactly did they do? She had to see all of my incisions. My incisions are almost completely healed. Thank God, that is the one part of this surgery that has been a breeze had has healed mutantly fast. My MIL could hardly find all five of them. The only one that looks like an incision is my port (when I went back into the hospital they put those hideously sticky heart monitor things smack over the top of my port incision. ????!!!! Not fun to take off, but it's ok now) I'm getting ready to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes then make up some tuna salad for lunch. Probly be able to eat 1/2 cup of that! :thumbup:) I'm wasting SO much food. MIL did make me her awesome deviled eggs and those went down GREAT!!! My postop appt is July 7th at 1:00pm...I can't wait! Things are looking up! I'm SOOOO glad I have the band!

YEAY! 14 pounds! Good for you! They had me start on Mushies last Thursday and I've kept on losing!! I was worried about that...but the key for me is eating mushy beans....they keep me full for a LONG time! This time you will accomplish this lifelong battle! Sieze the day!

WOW, girl!! you are doing AMAZING!!! Keep it up and just let those abs be sore---you are making great progress!!

AWESOME JOB!!! Kudos on all your hard work! You are an inspiration!

YEAY!!! Isn't it GREAT!!!! I never thought mashed sweet potatoes could taste THIS good!!

You sound like you're doing great!! Now that I'm feeling better I've been itching to get starting working out too---10 days postop. Just don't do "The 100" or any of the other abdominal pilates moves---my DR was very specific about not doing ABS right away because the port can flip or twist if you do core work too soon. Good luck with everything! I'm right with you on the beans---:thumbup:)!

Ok, so I'm back from another hospital stay (since Tuesday)...Monday, when I went to the Primary Care DR to get my sore throat checked out he told me it was Thrush...OK..fine. So, then he told me that I needed to get the Pneumonia Vaccine. I asked three times if that was a good idea while I was already TRYING to get better...and he assured me that there would be NO problem. Tuesday at 3 I was in the ER--again. I ended up having a reaction to the vaccine. High fever, chest pain, HUGE lymph nodes under my arm, and cellulitis in my shoulder where they put the injection. Added to that my lower right lung was still "not expanding". ..which can also cause fever, chest pain, tachychardia..etc. They gave me a bag of Vancomycin--not sure I even want to know WHY---but I had a reaction to that too--which caused my arm to be that much more inflamed and SORE!!! Cry cry cry--sob sob--cry! Another CT scan with contrast...more blood cultures and blood work every 6 hours. Sniff Sniff--cry. My husband has been SO incredible--I think I scared him to death. I'm pretty good about pain, pretty matter-of-fact and grit your teeth and do it kind of person--but I cried more in the last two days---my arm was SORER than I can even describe--having someone lightly brush my shoulder would send me into sobs. He was completely in shock of all the crying, and didn't know whether to hurt the people that hurt me or what to do--certainly couldn't hug me!!! :oD Yesterday after my 10 laps around the hospital I called my LapBand surgeon to let them know everything that has been going on. The nurse was SOOO sweet that I cried some more--and then she said words that were sweeter than honey..."if you want and feel hungry--start trying some "soft foods" like refried beans, mashed potatos, scrambled eggs" I was in complete shock...like a prisoner let out on parole early! :crying:) AWESOME!!! Today they finally let me come home...my little girl had made the SWEETEST "Welcome Home Mommy" party---she made EVERYTHING..chocolate cake, banner, carefully colored and snipped up confetti, streamers. SOOO sweet. My sister canceled her flight home on Wednesday and is able to stay until Sunday morning! It is SUCH sweet relief to know that my little girl is relaxed, getting supper, getting baths, and having so much fun thru all of this. I know that all of this is NOT TYPICAL lap band surgery stuff---I was up 20 minutes after recovery walking to the bathroom feeling fine. My LB is something that I think of from time to time but haven't really had a chance to let it sink in that I'm ON THE OTHER SIDE--(Not the other side that I thought I might end up on!) :target:) My scars are hardly showing--I can feel that something is different in my tummy and I am getting excited to think about taking off with diet and excercise!! It's starting to sink in now!!! I can't wait!!

Ok, so I'm back from another hospital stay (since Tuesday)...Monday, when I went to the Primary Care DR to get my sore throat checked out he told me it was Thrush...OK..fine. So, then he told me that I needed to get the Pneumonia Vaccine. I asked three times if that was a good idea while I was already TRYING to get better...and he assured me that there would be NO problem. Tuesday at 3 I was in the ER--again. I ended up having a reaction to the vaccine. High fever, chest pain, HUGE lymph nodes under my arm, and cellulitis in my shoulder where they put the injection. Added to that my lower right lung was still "not expanding". ..which can also cause fever, chest pain, tachychardia..etc. They gave me a bag of Vancomycin--not sure I even want to know WHY---but I had a reaction to that too--which caused my arm to be that much more inflamed and SORE!!! Cry cry cry--sob sob--cry! Another CT scan with contrast...more blood cultures and blood work every 6 hours. Sniff Sniff--cry. My husband has been SO incredible--I think I scared him to death. I'm pretty good about pain, pretty matter-of-fact and grit your teeth and do it kind of person--but I cried more in the last two days---my arm was SORER than I can even describe--having someone lightly brush my shoulder would send me into sobs. He was completely in shock of all the crying, and didn't know whether to hurt the people that hurt me or what to do--certainly couldn't hug me!!! :oD Yesterday after my 10 laps around the hospital I called my LapBand surgeon to let them know everything that has been going on. The nurse was SOOO sweet that I cried some more--and then she said words that were sweeter than honey..."if you want and feel hungry--start trying some "soft foods" like refried beans, mashed potatos, scrambled eggs" I was in complete shock...like a prisoner let out on parole early! :thumbup:) AWESOME!!! Today they finally let me come home...my little girl had made the SWEETEST "Welcome Home Mommy" party---she made EVERYTHING..chocolate cake, banner, carefully colored and snipped up confetti, streamers. SOOO sweet. My sister canceled her flight home on Wednesday and is able to stay until Sunday morning! It is SUCH sweet relief to know that my little girl is relaxed, getting supper, getting baths, and having so much fun thru all of this. I know that all of this is NOT TYPICAL lap band surgery stuff---I was up 20 minutes after recovery walking to the bathroom feeling fine. My LB is something that I think of from time to time but haven't really had a chance to let it sink in that I'm ON THE OTHER SIDE--(Not the other side that I thought I might end up on!) ) My scars are hardly showing--I can feel that something is different in my tummy and I am getting excited to think about taking off with diet and excercise!! It's starting to sink in now!!! I can't wait!!

Oh, I know!!! Not more soup!

Five days out==WOO-HOO! I'm in "ONE"derland! I dreaded this post op liquid phase so bad--but it has FLOWN by and I am actually LIKING my protein shakes! I CAN'T beleive I am saying that. MY scars look like NOTHING and are very minimal and little brown lines on my belly. Yesterday I woke up and my throat was "scratchy"....and felt kindof sore when I swallowed. By last night 10pm my fever was going up and my tonsils were the size of golf balls and white. The back of my tongue looks like a red globe with white continents--patchy and there are little white bumps covering the whole back of my very red throat. It hurts SO bad to try to swallow. I'm going to the PCP for throat culture today. I'm still on POTENT meds for pneumonia and everything else. Can't figure out HOW could I get Strep?! Also, it doesn't feel like THRUSH--I've gotten that before and I remember incessent itching and no fever. I felt "sore" throat after being intubated that lasted about a day--then with some good hard candy--that went away....this CAN'T be from that?? Once I get well from all of these freak illnesses I'll be on mushies! ) Trying to stay positive!

I just had surgery on June 17th. Things to buy would be: some hard candy to suck on and get the taste out of your month...an abdominal binder from CVS or Walgreens...LOTS of soup--the creamed kind...Gatorade...Isopure Vanilla protein--tastes GREAT with chocolate milk.

Good news! It WAS thrush!!! So definitely the lesser of two evils! I will be better soon! PCP said NO WORK ALL WEEK--not because it would be too difficult to be up walking around, but that my immune system is too compromised right now and NOT a good time to be around people. :thumbup:| So...today I got YET ANOTHER afternoon nap! After that, I felt really refreshed and alive...coming out of the woods feeling. If my DH will get the treadmill down I will do another 5-10 minutes today. Almost time for another protein drink...and a follow up swish/swallow of the antifungal. After all of this--I could win big $$ on Fear Factor, right? ) Thanks, BG for all your support!

YEAY!! Good for you! 41 pounds! This time is for keeps! Keep up the good work and SO glad you didn't SLIME!!

Five days out==WOO-HOO! I'm in "ONE"derland! I dreaded this post op liquid phase so bad--but it has FLOWN by and I am actually LIKING my protein shakes! I CAN'T beleive I am saying that. MY scars look like NOTHING and are very minimal and little brown lines on my belly. Yesterday I woke up and my throat was "scratchy"....and felt kindof sore when I swallowed. By last night 10pm my fever was going up and my tonsils were the size of golf balls and white. The back of my tongue looks like a red globe with white continents--patchy and there are little white bumps covering the whole back of my very red throat. It hurts SO bad to try to swallow. I'm going to the PCP for throat culture today. I'm still on POTENT meds for pneumonia and everything else. Can't figure out HOW could I get Strep?! Also, it doesn't feel like THRUSH--I've gotten that before and I remember incessent itching and no fever. I felt "sore" throat after being intubated that lasted about a day--then with some good hard candy--that went away....this CAN'T be from that?? Once I get well from all of these freak illnesses I'll be on mushies! ) Trying to stay positive!

Daren--Hope you feel better! Yes--get off ALL the sugar free stuff. Just focus on HEALING right now. Drink whatever you can keep down. Track your calories and make sure you are getting enough---if not then drink milkshakes or anything rich. YOu've got to get better right now. MY DR says NO sugar free as well until AFTER first fill.

So, I'm trying to figure out if today is day 3 post-op or day 4 post-op....I had my surgery on Wednesday the 17th. The surgery went really well. It was scheduled for 2pm...and about 1 they told me it would be later like 2:30---then pushed it back 30 more minutes...etc. I was really stressing from not eating and it was really rough to wait--but it sure helped me not get nervous. Somehow after/during the surgery but before I was released I developed fever--crushing pain in my chest--low oxygen levels and feeling pretty wretched. They took me down to scan my lungs for pulmenary embolism (TURNED out negative) and then told me I had fluid in my left lung (pneumonia). I had to start an antibiotic drip and breathing treatments. I was SO glad they didn't release me from the hospital I was feeling so bad. All I had in the hospital was broth and rationed out grape juice for two and a half days. I felt like that maybe why I was dying! ) Anyway--long story short---I was released last night. I am still a long way from feeling "good", but mostly it's from my chest/lungs. I'm drinking my liquids and thanking God that I'm ok. oh, by the way, when I stepped on the scale with my hospital gown on in surgery prep room, I had lost 10 whole pounds from the PREOP diet. I lost almost 2 more SINCE surgery--but still feel swollen/bloated from the IV's. I can't believe it!! Thanks for all the thoughts/prayers. I'm on the OTHER SIDE now!! Time to drink more milk! Rebekah

I know!! Isn't it funny to be so excited about passing gas and Number 2 again!!! hahahaha...but I share the joy! It's the little things in life! You sound like you are recovering really well!! One day at a time, right? My DR won't allow me to do jello, someone got some stuck...so the rest of us patients are off-limits! )

I'm on day 3---4 days to go after this one! Yesterday morning---after my HORRIBLE day one--I woke up and felt AMAZING (Not OK--really really good). I still haven't figured out why, but I wasn't even hungry. When I stepped on the scales I had lost 4 pounds that first day. I drank my protein drinks (gag) and my RELIV vitamins (GAG GAG!!) and started my day. My surgeon told me that I could to Adkins diet along with liquid---AS LONG AS I WAS LIMITING MY CARBS TO LESS THAN 50/day. So, I did liquids all day until around 4:00 and my husband and I went to LongHorn steakhouse and I had a steak with blue-cheese crumbled over it and some lettuce. No tomatos, no croutons, no carrots....just leaf lettuce. I could only eat a little of the steak (about half) but it was the best thing I've ever eaten. So driving home last night--I know I can make it thru this next week. This morning I had lost another 1 1/2 pounds....so down 5 1/2 pounds from just two days of preop diet !! I can't believe it. Back to protein drinks today!! I have to pay a little penance for my steak splurge. The shakes are gone now--I can focus again...I'm feeling really good--which still astounds me.