Drasan

Aww . . hugs to all of you. That is exactly what I needed to hear. There will be no shortage of before pictures for me. There are so many camera bugs in the family. 'Next year' sounds like a foreign place that I've never seen before. I know that place is there though. Those of you who have already arrived or see it on the map keep encouraging the rest of us on our journey to get there. Thank you so much for another way to look at those pictures. I'll try not to cringe.

I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful Easter day with family and friends. Some of them have already posted Easter pictures on Facebook. I've had such a good attitude, but seeing myself in those pictures is depressing. Stupid pictures have a way of undoing me.

fmarie I had some of that pain. It surprised me because like you, I was really starting to feel a lot better. I almost wondered if I'd done something to tear the port loose it hurt so bad sometimes. But I knew I hadn't done anything. It went away for me within days. Like Broadway said, go gently, be careful if you twist or bend. Gentle hugs. I hope you are feeling better very soon.

I had the same thing happen to me about 5 days post op! I stretched, reaching for something and had this sharp pain, like I pulled the stitches or shifted the port. I've read a thread about somebody whose port had twisted. I'm worried right along with you. I guess we won't know until our first fill! Yikes! Good luck to us! or Maybe we're just being paranoid? Don't know.

Congratulations on your weight loss! And the 14 lbs you lost even with the band unfilled! Have a lot of fun with your personal trainer. I look forward to hearing all about the weight losses in your near future! Congrats on jumping back on the wagon! It's a lot attitude, isn't it.

I'm going to start my exercise routine today. I'm still feeling pretty tired. But in the past, when I've exercised I've found I have more energy. I'm hoping this will hold true now. Starting slow and working up.

Congrats to the most recent March bandsters. Give yourselves a lot of TLC. ... gentle hugs ...

WOW! Congratulations! The most exciting part is that you can really get rid of the clothes that are too big. No more saving them just in case you need them again!

I was going to start a thread about this today and then I saw yours! I too am exhausted. I keep thinking I'm just being lazy but I'm so tired. I was banded on 3/10, just one day before you. I just had company from out-of-town last week. I worked so hard cooking and entertaining. When they left I spent the next day in my pajamas feeling completely used up. My husband thinks that I'm not getting enough nourishment. But I'm following the diet plan to the T and taking all my Vitamins, etc. I too am so exhausted. When will the energy return?

I had a similar experience to Todd and mjbf. I didn't really have gas pains until 4 or 5 days later. I felt it mostly in my right shoulder. My surgeon said that some people experience pains for up to a month. They aren't awful but they can get your attention. Like Todd said, heat and walking helps. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who never experiences this. Wishing you the best in your healing process. It's tender, loving care time!

I have some redness around the incisions. When I went for a post-op check the surgeon said the incisions looked great. I think a certain amount of redness is normal and expected. If you're concerned, trace the outside of the redness with a pen. If it spreads you should definitely call your surgeon. I'm not a doc or a nurse but I've had other surgeries so I'm just speaking from personal experience. Good luck!

I was told the crust could scratch .. lol. Believe me, after I chew, chew, chew there is nothing scratchy about it. :frown: Here's more bizarreness. Remove tomato seeds and remove cucumber seeds cause they will stick together and clump. Ever hear that one?

I thought it sounded bizarre. It's the soft, doughy part that would get stuck in my thinking, like you said. I left that NUT. I'm now seeing another one. Can anybody think of a reason why this makes any sense?

I haven't had a fill, my first is scheduled for May 5th, but I feel restriction already, at least I think I do. I can't eat more than 1 cup of food without feeling uncomfortably full. I don't think I should still be swollen from surgery. Maybe I won't need the fill? I'm sorry that you're feeling hungry. I can't imagine trying to work the different phases of the post-op diet while being hungry. That really sucks.

Main course is a spiral, honey-baked ham and au gratin potatoes. Others will be bringing some delicious side dishes, hor d'oeuvres and desert. So far, I've managed to eat correctly and stay within my allotted food amount. I'm confident that I will manage on Easter as well. Surgery is still fresh on my mind, I'm not completely healed yet which I think helps! :frown: I also feel very full much of the time. I plan to enjoy the company and well chewed bites of the healthy food choices! Happy Easter everyone!

Has anybody ever been told that they have to trim the crust off all bread, even off toast?

Dontgoggilme . I'm on mushies too but we still eat lunch! I'd be interested in hearing what people on mushies eat as well. I went out to lunch yesterday to a Mexican food restaurant. I selected a side order of refried Beans. It was delicious and I felt like part of the group. I know I missed my vege, but I don't think that is going to do much damage just this once. Favorite mushie lunch so far. pureed chinese chicken and broccoli. I separated the broccoli and chicken before blending, measure 1/4 cup of each. Add 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce on the side and yum! I froze the leftovers in 1/4 cup little balls and pull them out and microwave when I need a quick lunch. Delicious.

USA I'm watching the Today Show and they're talking about tax deductions for weight loss if you have medical issues caused by obesity. This includes a tax deduction for the costs for bariatric surgery and ongoing expenses. Fantastic!!

WOW! 8 months! Congratulations!

Do you see a nutritionist on a regular basis? If so, are you finding it helpful or do you do it simply because your surgeon requires it? If not, do you feel like you understand nutrition enough to monitor your own diet? Does your surgeon not require it for fills? Do you attend monthly seminars and feel like you get enough information there? I would really appreciate your thoughts and experiences about this topic. Thanks!

Did your nutritionist or surgeon approve Goldfish crackers on a full liquid diet? I don't think they qualify as a full liquid, even if you do let them soak up the liquid and get mushie. Be careful, don't hurt yourself. You've been through so much, don't risk it by pushing the limits now. Gentle hugs and best wishes for your total success!

When I started mushies, I had to call my nutritionist because I couldn't eat everything that she told me to eat. She wanted me to eat one full cup of food at every meal with, in addition, 1/2 cup of pureed fruit 3 times a day as Snacks. Some of the food assignments seemed bizarre, ie a required 1/2 c of mashed potatoes or Pasta at every lunch and every dinner. 1/2 c of rice could be an option to the potatoes or pasta in the second week of mushies. After 1/2 cup of food, I just felt full, I had no interest in taking another bite. In fact, I thought if I did take another bite it might make me ill. When I made the call to the nutritionist, she still insisted that I had to eat it all or I wouldn't lose weight. I was literally in tears from frustration. So I made another call to the Coordinator of Bariatric Surgery at the hospital where I'd had surgery. The coordinator has a lap-band and she was awesome while I was in the hospital. She told me NOT to overeat, to stop when I was full. I'd received a notebook full of information from her before sugery, which included phases of a lap-band diet following surgery. What life saver. Long story sorry, anyway .. let's just say there are huge differences in opinions about diet. Even my surgeon has a different opinion but tries to work as a team with the nutritionist who is in the group where he practices. I'm not sure I can go back to the nutritionist. There have been many things I've doubted about her diet instructions a long the way and now I'm convinced that I cannot work with her for the lack of confidence I have in her knowledge and experience with lap-band diets. Not sure how I'm going to handle this. I hope my surgeon will give me fills even if I don't return to the nutritionist. I'm now following a diet from the bariatric surgery coordinator which totals 3/4 cup of mushie food at each meal. 1/4 c Protein (eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, meat, fish, beans) 1/4 c vege 1/4 c fruit (but don't eat it if feeling full) - mashed potatoes sparingly replacing fruit or vege - pasta and rice NEVER in this phase. 64 oz of clear non-caloric liquids THIS makes a lot more sense to me and it's keeping me full! I also supplement 8 oz of my Clear Liquids with an 8 oz protein Water (20 grams of protein) And that's my story of feeling full Sorry about the book.

I wish the bill would have been directed more toward health care reform and not health insurance reform. But the insurance companies are HUGE and to bypass them would prevented any sort of health treatment reform, imo. I had a nephew, at 2 1/2 years of age, max out his insurance. He was denied the surgery he needed unless we could raise a HUGE amount of money. Through blood, sweat and tears we raised the funds. Unfortunately, he passed away at age 3. That was a defining moment in my life. I realized how immoral it is to deny health care to those who need it. The bill may not be perfect, but I'm hopeful that it's a step in the right direction.

I'll be getting my first fill in a 6 weeks. I've read a lot about fills using fluoroscopy and just watched a video explaining why fluoroscopy should be used, especially for the first fill. My surgeon doesn't use fluoroscopy to do fills and now I'm worried. Should I request/insist that my first fill be done using fluoroscopy or is it really not that big of a deal?

I'm thrilled to hear that you had beer! I was just banded and I thought it was out of my life forever. I've never been one to drink a lot of beer. One or two and I'm good. But I do love a good beer every now and then. I'm more a wine gal myself. Again, not too much, 1 or 2 glasses and I'm done. I like Betsy's perspective, "did you have fun? and exercise is an insurance policy" very nice thoughts.