kuurtamo

...and yes, I am concerned that my band will slip. But I'm not sure what that feels like, or what to look for.

I'm concerned that I've started abusing food to take care of that gaping hole inside of me that I have stopped using... in any case, when I've had fluid added in the past, I've had a few days where I needed to um... "remove" the offending items from my stomach. Soft things included- like spaghettios or mashed potatoes. Granted, I'm making very poor choices, such as eating bread... But I've made it a habit of eating the wrong things several times a day and then throwing them up when it causes pain (i.e. bread). I only do it when in pain, but I seem to be giving a "devil may care" attitude to whatever I eat. Regardless, the frequency with which I am making myself throw up is a little bit disturbing to me. Any thoughts? __________________

When I've had fluid added in the past, I've had a few days where I needed to um... "remove" the offending items from my stomach. Soft things included- like spaghettios or mashed potatoes. Granted, I'm making very poor choices, such as eating bread... But I've made it a habit of eating the wrong things several times a day and then throwing them up when it causes pain (i.e. bread). I only do it when in pain, but I seem to be giving a "devil may care" attitude to whatever I eat. Regardless, the frequency with which I am making myself throw up is a little bit disturbing to me. Any thoughts?

Wow- I didn't even think of that! Yes, i am drinking enough, but perhaps the question I should be asking is how soon after eating can I drink? Maybe I am washing out all of the food?

I get a feeling of fullness, but it doesn't seem to last- at least the hunger is there. I'm pretty sure it's psychological, because sometimes I am PB-ing and yet craving more food... So is there a time set on how long I wait between meals? I've seen between 3 and 4 hours- but that seems pretty often. Just Curious. Oh- and I'm not a binge-eater. I do the 5-6 oz and eat in the right order... I just don't lose that desire to eat. But I don't want to push it or stretch out my pouch. I only have 25 pounds left to lose... so I'm kind of waiting for my "sweet spot" without having food get stuck (just had .5 cc's removed because of this- I can't get it just right- it's either too much or not enough- argh!)

Don't do the drugs, man! LOL! The band will take care of your cravings and appetite- you won't need any additional assistance. If you want to "prepare", then start timing yourself as you eat, and make it take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal. Also, chew your food until it's practically dissolved. that's the best way to prepare yourself. DOn't worry about portion size or frequency- you will get there. Start with the basics- stretch the time it takes to eat waaaay out. Like, take a bite, chew, swallow, put your fork down and wait 30 seconds to 1 minute before picking your fork back up. REally really hard to do, but damn, it works- because you get full faster and on less food.

Hey everyone! I was hoping someone could help me out- the layout of this site is a little confusing, so I need some help... How do I join a group? I've (kind of) figured out how to join a thread, but joining a group seems to elude me. Also- posting new posts is enormously confusing to me. I have to basically search the site for like 10 minutes until I can find a link to post a new thread! Any suggestions or step-by-step instructions would totally help. Thanks in advance!:willy_nilly: __________________

Absolutely! A bowl of mashed potatoes made with some skim milk and a tad of butter- maybe throw in some garlic salt? Also, there's always deviled eggs or egg salad, potato salad, crock-pot fare (slow cookers almost digest the food for you!) or chowders like clam or corn. As long as you chew really really well and keep to soft foods, there's really nothing that you can't have at the mushy stage (besides bread, rice and pasta. Avoid them at all costs!) Don't feel like you have to throw food in the blender to eat it- there's lots of options out there that are both healthy and delicious! Another option is to eat before you attend the party, and then bring "normal" food for the rest of them, sticking to healthy beverages like fruit juice or crystal light. You can even bring some cran-grape juice with you- that's pretty festive! Good luck to you!

Since the port was sewn into the actual muscle, it is possible that you overextended yourself when you turned, bent, got out of bed, etc. and made a micro-tear in the muscle surrounding the port. Even though you are 4 weeks post op, the rate at which we recover is different for everyone. And even though it was laparoscopic, this was still a surgery- so healing on the inside is hard to track, since we can't see it. :willy_nilly: I made a slight tear in the muscle surrounding my port site by overextending myself and riding my bike. Such a thing usually takes between 3 days to a week to heal, but the pain is pretty intense and stabby. Every once in a while I'll twist the wrong way or something, and my port site will hurt again for a few days. It's just a foreign object in our body that we aren't used to yet. Once you've had more time to heal, it will get much easier to become "mobile" again- depending upon your definition of mobile, of course. I mean walking up stairs, riding a bike, etc. I've found that alternating heat and ice works- you can almost immediately tell which one is better by trying both. And ibuprofen is best for muscle pain- it is an antiinflammatory, which aspirin and tylenol are not. Good luck to you!

Hey everyone! I was hoping someone could help me out- the layout of this site is a little confusing, so I need some help... How do I join a group? I've (kind of) figured out how to join a thread, but joining a group seems to elude me. Also- posting new posts is enormously confusing to me. I have to basically search the site for like 10 minutes until I can find a link to post a new thread! Any suggestions or step-by-step instructions would totally help. Thanks in advance!:willy_nilly:

Wow- that is phenomenal! Kids are great- they really tell you like it is. They don't have the filters that most of us gain as we age- so if she's calling you "little nana", you know it's the truth! Congrats!:willy_nilly:

That's exactly what he's doing. My mom taught me to feed pain and anguish with food. So he's following the example of what I've done in the past- he knew that it worked for me. I just have to change my own thinking and behaviors, and find something else to fill the void- otherwise my addiction to food will become an addiction to something else.