fatmom

Does anyone attend the support groups at either St. Mary's or Parham? If so, do you find them helpful? Is it worth while to go prior to surgery? Are there other groups in the area? (Other than south side, I'm way east end, not driving that far!) My surgeon's website says they meet once a week, but talking with the person in charge I found out it's really only once a month. That doesn't sound like enough for newbies. My brother in law had by pass a number of years ago and said at that time there was even a clothing exchange available. I see there's one here on the forum, but to find one locally would be great. Any chatter on in person support groups would be helpful. Most of the posts here are a year or so old and I don't know how things have changed in that time. Thanks!

I have to stand with Elfie Poo. Yes089 I don't believe I'm judging the people, but the behavior. What baffles me is everyone had this surgery to improve their health, and here you are doing something that is proven to be bad for your health. And don't tell me otherwise. Yes089 even stated in his/her post: I stopped smoking a month before my surgery just so my lungs could be clear. What's the point of being thin if you're gonna die of lung cancer?:thumbup: If you're weeks post op and having pain that otc pain relievers don't help, you need to be talking to your surgeon, not self medicating with illegal substances. I am living the hell that illegal drug use puts teens and their parents through and I wish it on no one.

I found MetroMint waters in the organic section of my local Kroger stores. Yes, it's silly to pay for Water, but these take some of the dull out of it now and then. My favorite of course is the chocolatemint. They have orange, peppermint and spearmint. There might be others, my store just doesn't carry them. I like the pepper or spear mint sometimes when I'm exercising. Just thought I'd share in case anyone wants to check them out for a treat now and then.

My thought is that if you ate it and had no problems, then don't worry. I think the idea is not to strain the new tummy and I think you'll know if you strain it. It will HURT. I think I would have switched quantities of meatloaf and potatoes as the meat has the Protein and the potatoes are just empty calories for us these days.

I buy the bottled Carnation Instant Breakfast Lite. I tried a couple others and the EAS made me naseauos. The CIB is worth the cost to me, it fills me up, satisfies the chocolate craving and meets the protein requirements.

I'm two and half weeks post op. Especially after I eat I get a great deal of gurling in my gut. Sometimes it's like I'm about to have the runs, but I don't. But when the air comes out, sometimes its rather explosively loud. Fortunately there's no aroma, and fortunately it so far has not happened in front of anyone except family. But I'm sure I'm on borrowed time and one day at work I'm going to be soooo embarrassed! Does this ever go away? Surely it's not from surgery still. I eat slowly. It takes me an hour and half or close to it to eat a 4 oz. can of Underwood chicken salad. Thanks in advance!

I'm not much of one to answer you since I was only banded on Sept. 14. But I sure did experience anxiety after the surgery. I almost freaked when I took my first couple showers. I've never had an anxiety attack before. You only mention the theme park as a trigger, and I can understand that. Most rides...you feel the motion in your stomach. I can see why that would cause anxiety. Even if you're unaware of actually thinking it, you've got this band and you're afraid of it slipping, or you bumping the port and something going awry. I think you will need more than your surgeon to help you deal with this especially since you seem unaware of the causes for the anxiety. You need someone who can help you find out what triggers the attacks, teach you the signs of an oncoming attack and how to ward them off, and you need to learn what you can and can't do with a band so you don't worry when you do things that are perfectly safe. I wish you the best in getting this under control!

Foxxy, Reconsider your friends. Instead of talking behind your back they should have asked if you needed to talk or offered support with these other problems you are dealing with. I have a heavy load without the surgery as well. In fact several times during the 6 month insurance required diet I almost decided to back out because of these other problems. But my insurance required pyschiatrist - who is a gem! - talked me out of it. This was something I had to do for myself when the rest of my life was out of my control. I was really really down immediately after the surgery. Thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. It took me more than a week or so to be at least human again. But then, I'm a life time anti-depressant user, so that underpinning helped. Do not set yourself a time limit to stop taking the meds. Maybe you'll be ready to go off in 3 months, maybe not. You need to find someone to talk to, a spiritual leader, a counsellor, a psychologist, .... to help with the other issues in your life as well as the changes as a result of surgery. There is NO shame in it. You are helping yourself to wellness, physical as well as mental, it's the WHOLE you. If you can find someone who deals with eating disorders, or compulsive eating, it would be ideal, but I have no idea how many of them exist. I am lucky to have found the only one in my area. She is helping with all my issues, not just eating. You are normal. Take care of yourself!

I agree 100% with what everyone else has said, especially this above.

I make something similar and it's easy. You just pound out the chicken breast, put some thawed, drained and squeezed dry spinach and low fat or fat free feta cheese on the chicken. I sprinkle some Greek seasoning on it, roll 'em up, close with toothpicks and bake.

There is no shame in being human. I'm not there yet, so my advice may be lame, but my doctor said when waiting for a fill, try and eat Breakfast and lunch closer together, then allow yourself a midafternoon snack to tide you til dinner. That is supposed to help you not get so hungry.

I'd like to hear more on this as well. I'm only two weeks out and already craving real food even though I'm only starting week two of mushies. I exercised three days last week, not as much as I should but, I am pleased with the fact I went at all and how long I stayed. I want to CHEW! I'm dying for some ribs. I've already faltered once, getting myself a big milkshake over the weekend. I haven't lost any weight since surgery. I'm afraid I've gained because of the shake. Today is my post surgery appt. with the dr. so we shall see what he says!:smile2:

I thought nuts were no-no because of getting stuck.:smile2:

How do you feel? Do you feel constipated?:smile2: I didn't have one until 6 days after surgery. I didn't feel constipated, didn't think about it or worry about it, but once it happened I felt SO much better.:smile2:

I'm in the if-you-can-afford-it-stay-the-night camp. As someone mentioned, the pain meds alone were worth it. The IV gets it in your system right away. And I sure as heck did not feel much like swallowing a pill just yet and that liquid Tylenol is nasty if you have to sip it! Being there also spurred me on to do my walking. As soon as I went home I was less inclined to do so. I got tired of the leg thingys that help with circulation, they were a nuisance since I had to call for help any time I did want to get up and move, but I'm quite sure they were vital to my well being. As was the saline IV for hydration. I really didn't feel like putting anything in my mouth until late in the day. I had a private room and my DH stayed the day, though he left earlier than originally planned since our son came down with Mono three days before my surgery. I was lucky he stayed with me at all. I slept some. They didn't bother most of the night, though I was told to expect the phlebotomist around 3 or 4AM. My dh was in the hospital a few years back and he said my stay was much quieter than his. It was a different hospital. But there were few intercom calls, and those were quiet. The halls were quiet too. I remember when he was in there was so much chatter in the halls, and you could hear the people in adjacent rooms. I didn't have that. I don't think I had as many people on my floor as he did, which would account for some of it. I was the only one wandering around, that's for sure.

You probably don't need any more boosters, but here I am. You have worked very hard since surgery, that deserves ALOT of credit. It far outweighs your first mishap. It's all in the perspective. The second thing you did right was tell someone, share it so it's not a secret you are hiding. Getting it off your chest and sharing it seems to me a good way to help you get back on the wagon. I am only today 2 weeks post op and I have already screwed up. Saturday my dh was away all day and it was just me and my son who is back up and around but still has mono. He didn't eat much all day. There isn't much in the house for him to eat since the dh is trying to lose weight and eating similar to me right now. So I offered to go out and get my son whatever he wanted for dinner. Well, he wanted a Wendy's triple! (He even told me later that was the first Wendy's hamburger he has ever eaten. He's always had the spicy chicken.) So there I am at the drive through ordering his #3 and what do I do? I added a LARGE chocolate shake -- for me! Boy did I love every 90 minutes of it, but I know it was not what I should have done. No, I didn't ruin it by adding Protein powder which would have been a good idea. Funny thing was my son who is usually very observant and stays on my case didn't say a word about it. I even hid the empty cup in the Wendy's bag in the trash so the dh wouldn't see it when he came home. But then in bed that night I confessed. It was like the weight of the world was off my shoulders. I also knew having confessed I was less likely to continue that path. I'm glad this place is here for all of us!:smile2:

The sugar free popsicles are good for helping with getting hydration. The coolness just somehow makes you feel better and you don't really feel like you're drinking. I'm starting week two post op and I still snag a pop now and then when I'm tired of h2O. :smile2:

Hey, has anyone noticed other "problems" they had before surgery have now gone away? I was in physical therapy for 2 and a half months or so for an aching arm that seemed to stem for extremely tight back and shoulder muscles. I noticed in the hospital that my arm didn't hurt any more and it still doesn't now, going on two weeks later. I'm guessing in this case the pain killers also acted as a muscle relaxer and got the last of the nasty kinks out. Yes, no, maybe??? And then there's my allergies and snoring. I know I should have less snoring as I lose weight, but I haven't lost enough yet to make that a viable thing. My allergies manifest as a post nasal drip COUGH that generally begins at night, and gradually over time will start to interfere in my waking/upright hours. I had been getting that night time cough about two or three weeks prior to surgery. Now it's gone. My spouse says I'm not snoring. I am sleeping slightly upright, though that doesn't usually help my cough. Anybody else find the surgery "cured" something totally unrelated?

Cooley, I was banded on the 14th as well. I know where you are at! (pardon my grammar) I started mushies this week though. I so much want to CHEW something! I did the pre diet using Carnation Instant lite (chocolate, of course) and that was perfect for me. Filled me up, satisfied my need for chocolate, was smooth and creamy. But it's only 13 g. Protein. So dear hubby, who is trying to do this along side me, sans surgery because he only needs to lose 20 lbs., found EAS lite which has 20 g. I do not like them as much, they are sweeter, thinner and just don't sit on the tummy as well. We buy them by the case at the local warehouse club (BJ's, PriceClub. costco, Sam's....). Yesterday I had to ask my father in law to go with me to buy them because I can't lift the carton yet. The things we do.... Anyhow. I'm even having trouble finding mushies to enjoy. Adding Protein Powder to mashed potatoes or Soup ruins the flavor. It's supposed to be unflavored, but you taste it believe me! So far I'm eating a lot of one scrambled egg with 1/2 cut fat free cottage cheese or a can of Underwood chicken salad. (So far the store has only offered chicken or ham, though the label says they have barbecued chicken and roast beef.) It gets old after a while. The best thing I've had is a Tropical smoothie with soy protein. Either they didn't add the protein or you really can't taste it. Of course I don't know how much protein they add. I can't find it on the website, though if you go there you will see that they have several smoothies with 20+ g. protein. Tropical Smoothie recently updated their menus, but my son used to work there and he told me they keep the receipes from the old menu. So if you have a favorite they've removed from the menu just ask nicely and they may make it for you anyhow. Same with substitutions and deletions. I hate bananas, so I ask them to leave them out. And of course ALWAYS ask for Splenda instead of sugar. It's a nice treat now and then. Anyhow, you're not alone, and I'm sorry I don't have any solutions for you. The only thing I keep telling myself is "this too, shall pass." Keep your chin up!

While I didn't experience the pain you are, I was "seasick" for almost a week. I am 11 days post op and I'm still not getting in 64 oz. I simply do the best I can, a little at a time. If your pee is getting dark, you're not getting enough fluids. Remember, too, that popsicles and yogurt count as fluids. We all want to be back up and, well maybe not running, but at it again as soon as possible, but we have to let our bodies heal or we will relapse, and we don't want that. So cut yourself some slack, take it easy.

Can't hurt to find out more. I replied too, we'll see what happens. There was a misspelling in the post, so I am on "alert" for red flags or things that aren't quite right. We can always go to the Realize website and find out if it's for real as well.

Okay, this might be kinda gross and personal, but I gotta figure out what's goin' on, if it was my bad hygeine or what. I was one of those folks who did not take well to surgery. I was miserable. Surgery was on a Monday, I didn't shower until Fri. afternoon. I also wasn't wearing a bra and no undies, just elastic waisted sweat shorts. Over that first weekend I started experiencing some abdominal itching and thought it was the incisions healing. But then when I went for shower #2 on Sunday, hubby noticed that I had a rash under my breasts and under the tummy roll. I have been putting Gold Bond Medicated powder on it and that helps, but there a couple of spots that just don't seem to want to go away. I might add, I am showering every day now and wearing a bra. Has anyone else experienced any kind of rash? I can't figure out what it might be caused by, surely not just being dirty. Any advice on how to make the last stubborn spots go away? Thanks

I take the Bariatric Advantage vits too. Berry flavored. I don't usually chew them, just dissolve them in my mouth. I also use their chocolate calcium citrate lozenges because the citrate is supposed to be better absorbed than the caltrate that is in the yummy Viactiv chews.

Wonderful suggestions. Thank each of you! I tried Caladryl last night and this morning and it seems to be working, but if it doesn't clear up I will try some of your other suggestions next. I have my follow up with the surgeon on Monday, so I'm hoping ot have it cleared up by then so I don't have to ask him about it. I am pretty sure it was my poor hygeine in the days after surgery. Wish I'd know about baby wipes then! Thanks ever so much!

I wonder if for those who can't yet eat solid foods and allthose yet to come if there is a way to make this thread a "sticky" so we can always have it handy to refer to for ideas. My dr. says three meals a day no Snacks unless you know it's going to be a long time between meals on a particular day, then only something like a 90 cal yogurt, one string cheese or 10 baby carrots. I know fruit skins are supposed to be a no-no, I'm wondering about raw sweet peppers. I'm not much of a veggie eater and those I do like I prefer raw, so I'm having trouble figuring out what I will be eating when I get back on solid food. I was craving chili today and wondered if the skins of kidney Beans might be a problem as they tend to be tough even well cooked. Keep the recipes coming, maybe we can create our own cookbook! :mad: