~*leeann*~

Last Friday:220 today: 213 Lost 7 lbs this week. Although this is great, it is also due to the tragic and unexpected death of my 4 month old niece. I know that normal weeks wont be like this (as far as the amount of weight loss) , however next week I am cleared to start working out again. hopefully i can keep that momentum going. Great job to everyone....keep up the good work!

This is my first post into this thread. I just got my first fill on Wednesday..and WOOHOO! It took me outta bandster hell!!! YAY! Last Friday (and the 2 weeks previous): 222 Today: 220 Total since surgery:16 Total since start of Pre-Op: 24 WOOOHOOOO! Keep it up everyone!!!!!

well...its 7:50pm...and I had my fill at 3. A little disappointed. I have been reading on here how everyone is getting pretty significant amounts in their bands..and I only got .8cc's!!!! When talking to the nurse, and she was asking me about my diet...she said in so many words that I wasnt making good food choices. Today Marks the end of my "mushies" phase. My surgeon told me during my mushies phase to eat baked/mashed potatoes (no skin obviously), Soups, oatmeals, creamed corn, etc. She wasnt feeling this. She was definately not happy that I have had avocado. I didnt really realize how high it was in fat and calories, so that was my fault..but it was good, and mushy...and i was getting so tired of the other stuff. So she said that she was only giving me .8 (she said a normal fill is 1cc). This makes me concerned because the past 2 weeks i have been stuck on a plateau, and felt little to no restriction on the amount or what I am eating. I have been nervous to eat alot, for fear of stretching, or slippage. The .8cc's brings my total to 3.8 out of a possible 10cc's. I hope this gives me a better satisfaction level than I have had the past 2 weeks. As for the fill itself..I opted to not get the numbing meds..and it was fine. A little stick, much like giving blood...and a very small amt of pressure, but was over in maybe 30 seconds at the most. She was awesome...she knew exactly where it was by touch, and only had to stick me once. WHEW!!!! I was very thankful for that. ESPECIALLY since I declined pain meds. It has been about 4 hours since my fill...and I have no soreness, or anything.

I have my first fill this afternoon! Im excited!!! I have been stuck in bandster hell for about 2 weeks...I lost a total of 24#s (Pre/Post op...15 Post op the first 2 weeks) and then 2 weeks ago it just stopped. I feel like I have NO restriction..and have been trying to be so careful about eating, and portion control. I havent had anything get stuck, havent gotten sick...etc. The weight loss just STOPPED! GRRR! I hope i get enough to make a difference on this trip! I think I am a monthly filler as well. So I dont expect much. Im crossing my fingers and will update Post-Fill!

The other day I went walking, and walked about 3 miles without my knees popping out of place or getting very stiff. I also put on a pair of jeans that I keep in my "Skinny" drawer (my drawer full of all my fav jeans, shorts, and tank tops I cant fit but refused to get rid of!!)...they arent skinny...they are an 18....but coming from 22W..I was really excited!

If you like Tuna, I have discovered something...where the tuna is in the grocery store there are now 3oz packages that you can just rip the top off of (as opposed to being in a can). This 3oz packet of tuna has 20g of protein!!!! I have make tuna salad with it. (My favorite is Albacore White Tuna...it almost tastes like chicken salad..not as fishy)...It is the perfect serving size..and lots of protein for the amount. Not too difficult to eat, since it breaks up pretty small...and it is really lean.

Today makes our 2 week mark! YAY! How is everyone doing? How is eating... My appetite is BACK in FULL FORCE! AHHHH! I eat very little and get full...but I dont stay full for long. A couple hours later I am hungry again. I have lost a total of 22 lbs since the start of Pre-Op diet on May 6th...and 14 lbs since surgery! That is exciting! I am so ready for real food. I am sick sick sick of Protein shakes! It has gotten to the point that I get so sick to my stomach if I drink one. UGH! I dont care for sweet stuff...so pudding and Jello (Even SF) are getting really old. I am now on to sweet potatos, oatmeal, creamy Soups, and mushies. THANK GOODNESS! :confused: How about the rest of you?

I understand your concern! I went 7 days with no #2....and I asked my dr, and they told me that it not normal. I got pretty nervous...and didnt want to get backed up and have more pain...so I did an enema per my dr's advice. Not fun...but it worked....then I went about 3 days with nothing...then went on my own. So it will come...but you may have to help it along. Appearantly the pain meds are a major reason for that backup (at least with me..they gave me hydracodone..which causes it pretty bad)....and the lack of food intake. Good luck!

i am the opposite...hrmm...i feel like I eat a small amount until im kinda full ...then a couple hours later I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Hungry!!!! For example...this morning around 830 I ate half a packet of oatmeal...it is now 10:30....2 hours later and my tummy is growling like i havent had anything AT ALL!

mm....man my tummy is growling now just reading all of this! Here is my list of favs... -Pasta & Garlic bread(grew up in an italian household full of all different kinds of pasta dishes!!mmmm...) -pizza (yummm...guess that goes along with the italian ) -Fajitas with flour tortillas -baked potatos...and dipping the skins in ranch dressing -pbj sandwiches man...im starvin now. doh!

well we have hit the one week mark (today is actually day 8 post op) ....how is everyone doing? I hit a milestone last night...I was able to sleep on my right side for a couple hours..with the support of a pillow on my stomache. YAYAY! What a relief. I am getting SOOOOOO Tired of Protein shakes its not even funny. Im still drinking them...but wow. On a good note..I weighed this morning and I am down 11 lbs since surgery day. That is awesome! That makes 19 pounds since starting the Pre-Op Diet...I know I will hit a couple more pounds before the month is up. May has been a good month!!! I am so ready for different foods...only 3 more days til i can have creamy Soups and mashed potatoes etc. (*my mouth is watering already*). I made dinner last night for my family...so that I could live through them...and i sipped on my broth. It was pretty funny. Still having some gas pains on and off. Yesterday I had a pretty bad one. (if that is what it was...) It hurt to breathe. Anyone else still having this? :thumbup:

I very much agree! I love my magic bullet! It will be easy to take to work and mix and blend things for lunch! Definitely comes in VERY handy!!!!

Carrie: About my port site, (at least what I am guessing is my port site...cuz im not really sure...i was a little morphined out when my surgeon was talking to me) is what I am guessing is hurting from time to time. Its like a stinging sensation every once in a while. especially when I turn the wrong way..or stretch too much. You mentioned you have had broth ...popsicles...and Jello. I have figured out that 4 oz of skim milk, 1 scoop of vanilla soy Protein powder, and a few shakes of cinammon makes a pretty good Protein shake. It curbs the hunger, and gives you the protein your body needs to recover (and helps prevent that hair loss!!!!) WIP: glad to see you can sleep comfortably on one side at least...man i am SOOOO not a back sleeper...I have a pretty expensive king koil pillowtop, and it might as well be a straight piece of plywood. It is so uncomfy for so many hours...I am looking forward to turning! I tried last night...and nope...wasnt happening. Wsully:Sorry to hear about that sickness. That is no good. That is awesome though, that you are getting so much protein in. My intake is supposed to be between 40g-60g...and i seem to struggle with that...how are you taking in so much??? Remember liquids will not really fill up your pouch...(according to my surgeon) they will go right through. So i was told i could have as much Water, broth etc that I wanted...I didnt drink much water for the first couple days, BIG MISTAKE! I started getting dehydrated, and having leg cramps and muscle cramps. I have been drinking more water, and actually drinking on my favorite gatorade as well...to help prevent dehydration. And about that shower....its a great feeling! I was able to shower the next day, but just to stand in that hot water is so relaxing! How is everyone doing taking chewable Vitamins?

thanks SpideyMom! Wow...that sounds like no fun! Being hospitalized for 36 hours...eeek! No I dont have a lazy Boy (I WISH I DID THOUGH!!!!!) But I figured out how to sleep semi-comfortably on the couch. I hit a milestone last night...i SLEPT IN BED!!!!! WOOHOO! the only thing is...i woke up with my back muscles cramping from not moving. lol. go figure. I went to bed at about 11, woke up around 3am...drank some Water and took some pain meds, and went back to sleep...and slept until 8ish. WHEW! I did make 1 mistake last night, I thought I was ok enough to get in a car. Yeah...anyone reading this who is about to be banded....dont do that! All of the movement made my stomache really sore. But...it was nice to walk at walmart for a few mins and pick up some more protien powder and fresh fruit for my protien shakes. Today is Post op Day 3, and I woke up feeling pretty good. Still too scared to try and lift out of bed alone, in fear of tearing something or popping stitches. The leg cramping is not as bad today as it was yesterday. water water water and more water. And actually my DH got me some gatorade so I have been drinking on that as well to help with the prevention of dehydration. Not really any hunger to speak of. I have had a few times where I couldnt tell if i was starving and my stomache was hurting from that...or hurting from surgery. So i would drink my protien shake, and that coated it enough to take away the hunger. I am down 6 lbs since pre-op day on tuesday. YAY! I still feel like I have gas in my chest...and I still cant burp yet. I am almost there...lol...but it still hurts those muscles a lil too much to strain them. I know once that chest gas is out..ALOT of that discomfort will be gone. Im breathing better on the incentives spirometer too. Im hitting between 1500-2000. My goal set by my dr is like 2500..so not quite there. But the first 2 days I was only hitting 1000-1250. So I am doing much better. Are other people having to do this as well? Hubby says he can tell the difference on some of the weight loss already. I have lost a total of 14 lbs since pre-op diet began. YAYAY! Hope everyone is alright...still would love to hear from you all!

sanderson......how did it go????

Thanks carrie for posting! Last night was a bit easier to sleep. I was having a lot of gas pains in my back so my DH went to the store and got me a heating pad...he also picked up some gatorade so that I wont get dehydrated. I layed down on the couch, with the heating pad on my back...and it felt great. I fell asleep right away. I woke up around 130, took some pain meds...(when i was finally able to get off the couch), and drank some Water. I think I am getting dehydrated....ive been so scared to over drink , that i havent been drinking much. Today I am going to make sure I get my 8 glasses of water ...drink my protien shakes all day....and maybe have some sugar free pudding later! One thing I have noticed is that my legs are cramping. I think that is due to the lack of water intake. I still feel some gas pains in my chest, only not NEARLY as bad as yesterday. Im ALMOST to the point to be able to comfortably burp them out! As gross as that is...but WOOOHOO! My back is pretty stiff still too, probably from sleeping on my stupid couch. Maybe tonight is the night to go back to my BED! One great thing that came out of this already....my father is overweight, and is a Type II Diabetic. He is fully covered on Medicare, and wants me to get information from my dr about the procedure for him!!! So that will be awesome!!! I am really excited. I hope he gets to have it..I know it will be so good for his health. (Plus, if he does...I wont have to worry about going to his house to eat those big home cooked italian meals!) haha. Hang in there everyone....it is slowly gonna get better..and we are on our way to great new places!

alrighty, here is my story. Sorry it took til today to write...but here it goes. Tuesday the 19th was my pre-op day. I went in and met the staff and True Results, and met Dr B. He is really a nice guy...he put me at ease. He told me I was going to be the first one to be done the next morning...WOOHOO!!!! He said to go out that night and have a nice big dinner, whatever I wanted...so thats just what we did. (only...i couldnt eat much.) Ever since the pre-op diet started..when I would eat, I could notice that the amt I could eat was cut in about half. Yesterday my husband and I got up around 415am. We got ready, called my mom, and met her and she followed us to the surgery center. While I was sitting there filling out a bunch of paperwork, we were all cracking jokes a bit. So that made me feel a little better too. The nurse came to get me around 645am, and had me take a pregnancy test, and put on the robe, socks, and little hat. then I went and got my IV started. my husband and mom were able to come sit with me during that time. We took a couple of pictures (funny ones..I will be sure to upload them soon) and the anesthisiologist came over. He told me he was going to give me something to "take the edge off" since my BP was a little high from nerves. About 10 mins later I felt drunk. :smile: Everything was kinda blurry...and I was probably slurring ..I dont remember. Next thing I know I was waking up in recovery. There was a nurse guy talking to me, asking if I was ok. I just kinda shook yeah. After a few mins, we got up and walked a bit. The getting up and down was making me feel really sick. My mouth started doing that whole watering thing that it does, right before you vomit...but i just closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I never did. I almost did...but just burped instead. I was given some morphine, and some nausea meds, and walked again. Almost got sick again. So instead of leaving around 11 or 12, i didnt leave til almost 2. People that went in after me were doing awesome....and they got to go home. Last night sucked pretty bad. I walked around outside a couple of times, and tried to do my breathing thing....but it was hard. Of course they said I need to do it, to prevent pneumonia or a collapsed lung...so I have been trying. Just not doing really great yet. I didnt really have any kind of appetite all day....just a really dry mouth. I tried laying in bed...worst mistake EVER!!! It hurt so so so bad that i started crying...and when I was crying..it hurt to cry and breath...so it was hurting worse doing that! UGH!!!! so my husband helped me get up and go back to the couch. He slept on the loveseat all night as i SOMEWHAT slept sitting up on the couch. Because of that...my neck and back are really sore today. My chest was hurting a lot yesterday as if gas was in there. my DH went to the store and got me some gas x chewables, and dissolving strips, but i dont know that it is helping. I managed to get about 3 hours of sleep from about345-7 this morning..but thats about all. This morning, everything still feels really painful. I am going to have to call the dr. because it looks like 2 of my incisions are open. (they were open on the way home yesterday). So i am going to check to see if that is ok. I feel like i need to burp, but when i try..straining those stomache muscles kills me. So i cant ever get anything out. So today my goal is to sip a lil broth, walk walk walk, breathe on the breathing thing, walk walk walk....try to get some sleep, and walk and breathe some more, ,and see what Dr B has to say about my incisions. Thats all....will write more later.

congrats on everyone getting banded...hang in there....and thanks for the updates! Seems like you both did so well! I am getting banded on the 20th...and hopefully I will not freak myself out! It really does help to read everyones surgery stories....thanks again!!!!!

I wanted to start a thread for us May 20th bandsters, since i know there are a few of us out there. Only 6 days away....how is everyone doing on Pre-Op Dieting? I have slipped a few times, but picked back up and am doing much better. Bad habits are somtimes hard to break. But I am focused..and ready...and getting excited!!!!!

yeah...i bought some bell peppers and have them in the fridge. I LOVE fresh cold bell peppers...and I think tonight I am going to get the ready and cut them up...and when my nightly hunger attack comes on...I am going to take a bite of a bell pepper...maybe the "crunch" of that will satisfy my "snack" hunger!

I am on Day 3 of my Pre-Op diet! I have to drink 2 adkins advantage protien shakes a day, and up to 2 healthy meals. (Healthy meals = 4-6 oz lean chicken, turkey, beef, and green veggies only). Doesnt bother me, I like both of those. I dont have a problem following the diet all day, it is at night that is hard. I drink a shake for breakfast...have lunch...and a shake late afternoon to curb any hunger until dinner. Then eat dinner. I have discovered that my problem is my "snack" hunger at night. On night 1....i cheated and ate some hot fries (one of my fav things to have) and on night 2 I had a couple cookies! AHHH! So this morning I was really thinking about it...and realized that the hardest thing for me will be that. I am going to have to come up with a way to avoid that night time snacking. Today though, I am starting the day and focusing ONLY ON TODAY! Today...im going to do well...I am going to go into the night KNOWING what is coming...and distract myself from it.

Thanks a lot for sharing this!

thanks for the warm welcome!