Bunz1969

That is awesome! I would definitely consider that an NSV! When things like that happen, it reminds me of when I was the plump one making comments to "skinny" people. Your perspective changes when you become the skinny one. We never know the journey of others.

Never think that something you feel is irrational or insignificant. I have thought many of the same things that you have. My main fear, after having surgery, was that I would gain weight back. You know what? I did - put on 10 lbs after an unfill at Christmas 2010. It was like getting the first scratch or dent in your brand new car - you freak out for a minute and then think "Whew, glad that first one is over". I have hit the reset button and started doing the things I did when I was first banded - exercising and watching my liquid/mushy calories. The weight is coming back off. A year from now, when you read back over your fears, you won't think they are silly - but you won't be as afraid of them. :-)

Oh how I wish I would have found this thread yesterday. I was banded two years ago and thought I had most of my "what not to eat" foods worked out. Well, not so much - had a hot dog last night and WOW! I was up most of the night PB'ing. I finally got it out this morning and will NEVER eat another one again. Who would have thought that a piece of outer skin less than a half of an inch could cause so much pain and agony.

I own a tanning salon and although I don't personally do the airbrush, I can tell you that they have seen everything, so don't worry about it - for the most part, they are professionals. If you want, you can email me at amyfrets@me.com and tell me where you are located. I will let you know if I have any salon owner friends around your area. In my salon we have the Magic Tan, which is a spray booth and I would put it up against an airbrush tan any day. With the Mystic Tan, or Magic Tan or Versa Spa you are in the room by yourself. Good luck and let me know if I can help. :thumbdown:

I am about a month out and also have a pain on my left side (opposite side than port), about where you describe. I notice it after I eat sometimes and other times it is a dull pain, not around feeding time. It's a lot more painful after I eat. My next appointment is 9/1 and I've decided that it's not bad enough to warrant a visit before then, but will be curious to hear what your doc says.

I think it will be fine. I actually started mushy stage the night before because I was so hungry and soup just wasn't going to cut it. I haven't had any problem at all.

I, unfortunately haven't lost enough weight to need her yet, but I know a lot of people that have used Suzanne Yee in Little Rock, AR. Serving Little Rock and Arkansas - Cosmetic Surgery By Dr. Suzanne Yee

First off, I'm sorry that you were hurt. I don't mean to sound critical of your boyfriend or your relationship, but it sounds like he was looking for a reason to split and maybe the relationship wasn't as sound as you may have thought. Is he overweight? Whether he is or isn't, this is all about his insecurities. The right "one" will be presented to you when it's time.

You are NOT a failure. If slipping meant that we were failures, I don't know of one person on this board that wouldn't fit into that category. A couple of things you did right, you admitted it to yourself that it was an "oops" and you came here and told others about it. I think being held accountable is key for us and if you promise to post every time you slip, then you will think twice next time (or at least I do). Don't beat yourself up, it is what it is and you can't go back and change it. Learn something about yourself from the experience and move forward!

I didn't really think about missing the food so much as I thought about missing the situations where food was involved. Pre-op, after church, my hubby and I would always go to a specific restaurant and I would enjoy the best pecan pancakes, bacon and diet coke. Right after my banding, I would get emotional thinking about "missing" that. What I've had to realize is that we can still have breakfast after church, but it will be different.

I just signed up today on Twitter. I'm @amyfrets (i think...lol)

I am also a recovering DC addict and thought it was going to be the end of the world. I don't look at it as that I'll never have another one for the rest of my life. There are a lot of people who have carbonated drinks later down the road with the band. I have been able to drink iced tea and get the caffeine, to avoid the dreaded caffeine headaches. I'm only 3 weeks post op and there have been a couple of times where I wanted to down an ice cold can of DC, but it's just not worth it and the feeling passed quickly. After your surgery, something changes (or it did with me) and having one just won't be as important. I also quit smoking cold turkey when I heard that I wouldn't be able to have the surgery while continuing to smoke.

I had my gallbladder taken out during my banding because I had large gallstones. My surgeon and primary care Dr. said that if there is any problem with it pre-op, they almost always take it out because there will definitely be issues after weight loss.

I would definitely recommend a Magic Bullet or some variation of one. It came in handy during thicker liquids stage and I'm still using it during mushies stage. I also got a variety pack of tea (hot). I found that if I was feeling a little hungry, a cup of hot tea with Splenda did the trick. I also got a couple of packages of Miso soup (strain out the seaweed and tofu). I am not a fan of chicken or beef broth and found that this really worked for me. Also if you don't already buy the little "to-go" packettes of Crystal Light - I would load up on those. I'm not a fan of plain ole Water and they have been life savers, especially the Peach Tea. Good luck!!

I'm so glad I found this thread today. I have been telling myself that I will not have ice cream or shakes, heeding the warnings of my surgeon's office. I'm not sure why, but today I started craving a chocolate shake. After sitting there thinking of nothing else for 30 minutes, I said "screw it, I'm having one". My consolation is that I made it with fat free ice cream and a little Peanut Butter (gotta get that protein!) I felt guilty for about 10 minutes and then decided that there was no reason to - I didn't go overboard, it satisfied a craving and it was a treat, not an every day necessity. jkend - don't beat yourself up. It is what it is - just ride an extra 20 minutes on your bike!

The only time I have thrown up was right after surgery. Apparently my surgeon took out my gallbladder first and there was some bile left and it drained back into my stomach. My husband had to pull the car over on the way home from the surgical center and I was doing some serious throwing up. Not a pretty site. Are you actually throwing up from the stomach or just having productive belching?

I don't know how far out you are from surgery, but I did experience that feeling for a couple of days after surgery. It just tastes funky and there's nothing I could drink to get rid of the taste. I will say that hot tea did help more than cold drinks. Or could it be that you are in ketosis (body burning fat). I don't mind it because I know that fat is being burned by the body, but man oh man does my mouth feel funky!!

I can definitely vouch for the Magic Bullet. I started out using my blender, but found that it was just way too big and too much of a pain in the rump to clean each and every time.

Regarding celery - I was told that if (when the time comes) I eat celery, just to make sure to break the stalks in half and get as many strings off as possible. Some people have problems with them bunching up around the stomach opening.

Sounds like my gas pains too. I was banded on 7/21 and those pains lasted for about 5 days and disappeared when the burping/pooting began. I, too, was really nervous about not being able to breathe deep.

How weird is that? Mine had 3 or 4 different versions of SF popcicles, but all the nutritional values were wrong. I agree with just creating our own.

I think it's more of a self esteem or trust issue. If one partner does something to drastically change their appearance, it could be normal for the other to become jealous or worried about the marriage. I think it all comes down to what the marriage was like BEFORE the transformation. I know a lot of cases where the marriage got stronger because the obese person finally felt better about themselves and was able to be more intimate, trusting and true in the relationship.