Okay Guys, I think everyone was happy with 1 month, so I started the thread. Here are my goals. Good Luck to all!!:canada:

Is anyone else in Ontario going mad with this heat?

*foaming at mouth*....ya the heat is intense but better today!!! Did you get that WICKED storm last night?? HOLLLLLLY CRAP!!! Our power went off at 7:30 pm and came back on around 4:30 am this morning. LOTS of trees and branches down etc......

Leila: don't worry about not reaching the goal in this heat; to be expected!!!! Keep up the good fight!

Kim - ya there are I think two different size bands, the surgeons don't know which one until they see during surgery. Both work the same way. But hold different amounts of saline. Look at you go . You are in the home stretch now Kim. We all told you you could do it, and you didn't let us (and yourself) down!!

Yoda - Do you and your husband own the restaurant he is a chef in? If yes what do you do there?

No Cloe....we don't own a restaurant!!!! But, WoodyS and her DH do.

I'll pm you with what I do!

:omg: PM me too! Why's it a secret!?

I downloaded someones inamed info packet. Is that a brand name of a band? Also sorry to bug you about my stuff, but I guess date is fast approaching and I am well GULp, you know. Someone told me I would never be able to eat stuff like shrimp etc, cuz it doesn't break down..is that true?

Hey Kim - that's one kind of band, yeah. There's a few different kinds.

Don't listen to things like that.... like that you'll never be able to eat ___. I had some shrimp the other day, and I'm fine, and it went down fine. Same with bread and Pasta... I'd heard it was the devil, I was sure I would never eat it again.. but.. still am (or CAN, I should say) It's gonna be different for everyone. You really just have to experiement with everything (in very small amounts) and see if it's ok with you!

Probably the one thing I have listened to warnings about is gum. Not that you can't have it, but I don't have it ever, because I'm a compulsive gum-swallower, and I'd do it without even realizing, and that could be bad. :eek:

p.s. I should say... I *hope* another fill, when it comes, will make certain things harder to eat. Maybe the reason things are so easy for me right now is because I don't have much/any restriction. But still... you should still try things yourself to know what you can/can't have. Like if you're chewing a chunk o' shrimp, and it doesn't seem to be getting broken down enough by chewing... spit it out! I do that alot (not in public)! LOL

okay I don't get this. I can try to eat something and knwo if it doesn't go down to spit it out?? but it is already down my esophagus right? so how can i spit it out? As for chewing, that is kind of freaking me out..how small are the pieces supposed to be?

oh, I don't mean once you've already swallowed it, spit it out... that's kinda be like pukin! For example, I had steak the other night, and I got a piece that was just not chewing very well, and I knew I wouldn't be able to break it up anymore enough to swallow safely.... so I spit it back onto my plate!

And the pieces... well.. you're gonna have to gauge that yourself too. Maybe a 1"x1" piece? I've heard of people using baby forks and spoons, to make sure they don't take more than they can handle. I haven't done that, but it might be a good idea later on when I can't take as big of bites as I am now. You'll know when you've taken either too big of a bite or not chewed it good enough. I get the 'golfball' as they call it, if I do that. I don't get the golfball thing, I just call it 'stuck', cause that's what it feels like to me.

p.s. I should say... I *hope* another fill, when it comes, will make certain things harder to eat. Maybe the reason things are so easy for me right now is because I don't have much/any restriction. But still... you should still try things yourself to know what you can/can't have. Like if you're chewing a chunk o' shrimp, and it doesn't seem to be getting broken down enough by chewing... spit it out! I do that alot (not in public)! LOL

I agree....Kim.....we a learned (& still learn) what each of us can individually handle and not handle. I've also heard that something you can "handle" one day you may not be able to "handle" the next day (& vice versa). Right now...I"m like you Mandi....can have anything (even the supposed dreaded bread etc) ...but in small amounts and chewed chewed chewed!!!

oh, I don't mean once you've already swallowed it, spit it out... that's kinda be like pukin! For example, I had steak the other night, and I got a piece that was just not chewing very well, and I knew I wouldn't be able to break it up anymore enough to swallow safely.... so I spit it back onto my plate!

And the pieces... well.. you're gonna have to gauge that yourself too. Maybe a 1"x1" piece? I've heard of people using baby forks and spoons, to make sure they don't take more than they can handle. I haven't done that, but it might be a good idea later on when I can't take as big of bites as I am now. You'll know when you've taken either too big of a bite or not chewed it good enough. I get the 'golfball' as they call it, if I do that. I don't get the golfball thing, I just call it 'stuck', cause that's what it feels like to me.

I agree...that is my experience too. I just chew to almost mush like consistency before I swallow and if I know I have too much in my mouth, I'll only swallow a lil' bit at a time until the blob that was in my mouth is gone. Like Mandi...if I'm chewing and it isn't chewing up well (ie. a fatty piece of steak with grisel or something), I won't bother...I'll spit it out and try another piece.

Don't worry Kim.....you'll get the hang of it....

but i worry that until I get the hang of it I swallow something large and then I am going to be introuble right?

Well... I think that's where the "PB" comes in. (when things are beyond stuck and wont go passed the band, so they come back up).. I've never had anything stuck bad enough that it doesn't just pass through on it's own. Granted it's a very uncomfortable, a couple times almost painful wait until it does, but it always has for me.

I've read here, about people using a little dash of meat tenderizer in a little bit of Water, when they've had something stuck that doesn't want to unstick.

I went and got some before surgery, cause I was so scared of it happening. I have only used it a couple times when it felt like it was never gonna pass. It actually DID help... at least I think so. It was always something meaty that I used it on, so I don't know how it works on anything else. I do keep a tiny ziploc bag in my wallet (you know, like what you'd get from a drug dealer!), just incase I ever need it. Hopefully I never get stopped and searched, cause I don't know if the cops would believe that those orange granules are meat tenderizer!

Soooo... that might be something you want to consider getting. JUST in case. I don't rely on it, and I think it's good to suffer sometimes, cause it makes me be more careful.

Leila, what's up with your fills? What band do you have, and how many fills, what are you at now?.........Nosey eh? Just wondering cause I think I might call for a little fill. :eek:

I have the big VG band. I've had three fills in three weeks... LOL. First fill was 4 cc's. no restriction, second fill was .5 cc's, no restriction, last fill was this wednesday, 1 cc bringing me up to a grand total of 5.5 cc's. Well, I have some minimal restriction, I'm definitely not tight. I've been able to eat everything just fine, but my hunger seems to have gone away, I'll see how it is after a week goes by.

I managed to get my steps in today! wooooo! I have blisters all over my feet though.. argh!

Someone told me I would never be able to eat stuff like shrimp etc, cuz it doesn't break down..is that true?

I am 4 weeks in my banded life and I had grilled shrimp last weekend. I think alot of it depends of fully chewing stuff so that it couldn't possibly get stuck...

You'll learn as you go what's going to work and what won't, just trust yourself...you'll do fine!!:biggrin1:

Sunshine

I managed to get my steps in today! wooooo! I have blisters all over my feet though.. argh!

Congrats Leila!!! Be careful of those blisters....from personal experience...they can become baaaaad (I was hospitalized once for 'em!). So....just treat your feet well during this phase where they are getting used to the torture you are putting them through! LOL