Good mornin' Everybody!

I hope ya'll don't mind me starting a NJ November thread. I didn't know if there was a protocol in place since you guys have been together for so long! LOL!

Yesterday (1st day banded) really wasn't too bad at all. No sore throat or chapped lips from the breathing tube, that was great. More discomfort than pain, except when I tried to get in or out of bed. Our bed is one of those temperPedic mattresses, which basically means your hand sinks into the bed whenever you try to use it to push-off (making it tough). Think I'll stick to chairs today

Jessica, everybody is of course, different....but for me it really has not been bad (knocking on wooden head). Unless it's gonnna sneak up on me I havn't had any of those shoulder gas pains I've read about. But there sure is a lot of rumbling in the tummy......it's probably still trying to recover from all the smell in the October thread: red candy apples, caramel apples, Cookies galore, stuffed jalapenos!

Chrissie how was the date? Great I hope. Sounded like a nice comfortable way to spend it.

Pat thanks so much for letting folks know how things went for me. At the time I was just feeling a little too nauseous to post. They gave me some Dilaudid (sounds like delotta) and I think thats what made me queasy.

Cindy & Mandy you guys deserve a big hand for all that you did to make a happy time for all the children. Today you breathe a little, I hope! Mandy, Awesome Jack-O-Lanterns!!!!

Hey Betty, Can you believe somebody's actually UP at this hour?!!!! LOL! Been laying around since the surgery yesterday morn. now I can't sleep! I notice where you were the first one up in the October thread

Kat, hope your house is still in one piece, after grandson's visit!

Sherry, you're right about the protien shakes. I knew they were'nt gonna be great, so my first day banded was my first taste, ugh....I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top so I could smell & taste that a little. It sorta helped.

Hey Jess, see you in bandland on Tuesday

I can't believe I'm actually thinking of doing some Christmas shopping saturday. It's been a thing with me to take off on my birthday to do that. I thought I'd be out of commission, but I don't feel too bad :clap2:

Have a great day everybody!!!!

Hey Jessica, glad to hear from you You have been doing so well...and sticking to the 3 meals only, no snacking? My hat's off to you!!!! My tummy gets to growling in between meals and I'm reaching for a little protein beverage!

thanks for the encouragment diane!!! my belly only really starts to growl when it knows lunch or dinner time is coming up! I started my full time job yesterday so I am getting myself back on schedule and I need to figure something out when I start my part time job on thursday. when I work at night I would always eat when I got home from work and I dont want to do that anymore so I am going to have to take and extra meal with me to eat in the car on the way there. I am afraid to weigh myself since i started eating mushie food because I think the number went up and I need to get my booty on the treadmill and do some exercise!!!

have a great night all!!!

Jetti, be very careful eating in the car. That can lead to serious PB issues. Too big of bites, not chewing well enough or swallowing before you are ready to. A word of caution... my worst PB ever was on wendy's chicken nuggets in the car. Normally I am fine with them, but not while driving. ~Mandy

thanks for the advise mandy!! I was thinking of doing mashed potatoes (I can heat them up before I leave job number 1) or tuna fish - something already mushie. I get out of my first job at 5 and start the second one at 6 and it takes about 50 minutes to get there so I never have time to eat anything before I start work :-( I will figure something out so that I am not starving by the time I get home and try to stuff myself

Just stopping in to say hello! Thanksgiving was a bit of a bust this year... we had to admit my MIL to the hospital Wednesday night. She was showing signs of a stroke (droopy left side, slurred speech). The good news is - no stroke. The bad news is, she has diabetes. She hasn't seen a doctor in 5 years and was self medicating. Her sugar was 360.

She also needs a knee replacement from an accident she had 25 years ago. She's only 65, but for as long as I've known her she's acted like she's 85. Does that make sense? Anyways, she's in a rotton mood stuck in the hospital bed, and is making our lives miserable.

Kat, I'm so happy to hear that your tumor is benign!! Are you feeling fully recovered yet? Next Thanksgiving I say you show up with a big bag full of canned corn and nothing else. It would be fun to see the looks on everyone's faces! Then you can order in Kentucky Fried Chicken...

Cindy, a belated Happy Birthday and congrats on the new job! It sounds like a perfect fit.

Pat, you must be so nervous and excited about your surgery!! I'm so happy for you! So, can you send those guys over to my house in Michigan and have them get my Christmas lights down from the attic?

Betty, Happy anniversary!!

Jessica, good luck with your mushies! Personally, I'd stay away from tuna. I have a hard time chewing it well enough, and it can be pretty painful going down. Do you like refried Beans?

Mandy, you're a braver woman than I am. I stay away from Black Friday - I just can't handle the crowds. Congrats on all the great deals!

Diane, how was your Thanksgiving? I remember feeling like everyone was looking at what I ate when I first got my band too, but they'll get used to it (and so will you!) :eek:

Patty, how are you doing? I'm thinking positive thoughts that things are going to pick up for you. Do you have any leads on a new job?

Eilene, is DD enjoying karate? I'm ready to take a break - I can't handle all these after school activities anymore. DD and DS start gymnastics this Saturday (goodbye sleeping in!), so I'm making them drop karate for a while. It would be a harder decision if their karate instructor was drool-worthy like yours.

Okay, I'm sure I've missed some of you and I apologize. I'm off to bed so I can have the energy to plaster a smile on my face when I visit the MIL in the hospital tomorrow. (((((HUGS))))) everyone!

Psssst!! Don't tell, but I got on the scale this morning and my ticker's a big fat liar!! Stupid Thanksgiving...

Anne

Pat I wanted you to see this Santa tree---the picture does not do it justice. It has all these little critters hiding in the branches, and a pair of boots peeking out at the base, it truly looks like a man/tree. The berries and little birds, and even cobwebs---very different...I liked it a lot, it was totally different!

It is called Father Christmas and is one of a bunch of trees at a local Festival of Trees---which is a fund raiser for a local hospital for kids.

Anyway you said you had Santas, so I thought of you!!

Kat

Good Morning Y'all!

It sounds like everyone is busy decorating! Maybe this weekend I'll get a few things out too.

They put up a tree at work yesterday, then they took everyone's picture and put it in a small frame and hung them on the tree. It was kind of neat!

Pat - No new bike, the same old one I have had since 2002.

Kat - I have seen some Santa's like that and they are really cool.

Chrispy - Glad you found such a sweetheart!

Anne - Hope your MIL gets well fast.

Jessica - Maybe a Protein Drink will help you between. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes/gravy at first, or Soup is great too.

Diane - It won't be long till you can get a fill and some of the hunger will go away for you.

Mandy - Have you got all the presents wrapped yet?

Cindy - How does the new mixer work?

Well my friends, the clock tells me it is time to get ready to go to work. I would much rather crawl back in bed for an hour, but then I wouldn't go to sleep anyway so I guess I better go make some money.

I have been eating either tuna that I smash til it is very fine or mashed potatoes and a scrambled egg here and there and have had no problems...so far. I am also doing a protein drink as well

hi there gals, how's everyone doing? Just had an appt. with the nutritionist, who tells me I seem to be doing well with food choices etc. Dec. 12 is my first fill

Thanks Betty for the encouragement re that first fill. I hope I'm one of those people who can tell the difference from the first fill. I hear some can't.

Anne, thanks for asking...yeah the Thanksgiving was ok...was kinda funny tho' when a relative (who didn't know about my surgery) saw my "sampler" plate with a tablespoon of this and a tablespoon of that commented: what the heck are you? A costco sample person?! (LOL)

Jetti, I lived on Tuna salad from Wawa and TacoBell refried beans, both very high in protein. I also did sausage gravy from our local fast food store..Hardees. I don't do the gravy now, but it surely was good back then.

Well off to get ready for my PS appt today

Later

Good luck with your appointment Pat

Jetti, if you have an Aldi near you they now have Chicken salad in the cooler section. It's in a cup like sour cream for about $3. It's good but chunky, so toss it in a blender first. I lived on chicken salad, refried beans, and guac. ~Mandy

hmmm i have never heard of Aldi but i will check online to see where they are located. I only have a few more days left on mushies and then i am on to solid food YAY!!! i dont go back to the doctor until just before christmas and then i guess we will talk about a fill and i am soooo scared of that!

Jetti, I'm 2 and 1/2 years out and still love chicken salad. It is also good for the first few days after a fill, they usually have you slowly start back on real food. I use the chicken salad when my family is having something I don't want or can't have (pizza, or anything pork). It is also a great light meal that is high protien, and easy to grab in a hurry. I try to keep some in the fridge. Here is the website for Aldi ALDI - Home page They are owned my Trader Joe's. They have great stuff really cheap. You have to bag your own stuff, and buy the bags, but you can save a fortune there. Canned veggies are only .39 all the time. I also love their "fit n' active" yogurt. It's cheap, taste really good and is lowfat. They carry tons of sugar free, and low cal stuff. The sugar free fudgepops are great. They are worth checking out. Make sure you bring a quarter if you find one near you, they have a cart system that requires a quarter, and you get it back when you return your cart. They also do not accept credit cards, or checks. It's cash or debit only. I was there yesterday and got a cart full of stuff for about $70. I get all my staples there, and sometimes pick up the special purchase stuff. Right now they have barbies for $6.99, and they are the Disney princess barbies.

Anyway..... my tree is all up and decorated. I will take some pics over the weekend. I hate the way it looks without presents. I'm wrapping tomorrow. My weekend is pretty laid back this week. I'm coloring my mom's hair tomorrow afternoon. Sat is present wrapping, and Sunday is shopping for my subdivision kids party. Santa brings each child a present, based on what they put in a letter to Santa when they RSVP'd to the party. I have 23 kids comming so I have lots of gifts to buy. I will have help so it should be fun. What's everyone else doing?

~Mandy

Hey Gal Pals!

Had my appointment with plastic surgeon yesterday, I chickened out for Dec 3, moved to Jan 14

We discussed implants, he said he preferred not to, but would consider it, but the one he showed me was huge, I told him I would let him make the judgement call during/at surgery, if he didn't feel he could give me the proper lift or fullness that I'm looking for with my own fat and breast tissue, that he would have my authorization to do the implants, but I'm probably going to tell him def not when I go back for my EKG and blood work.

I like the fact he prefers not to use them on me, because he said the implants are a "lifetime" commitment, whatever that means, I guess the massaging and the possibility they could leak. He showed me a silicone one, which feels really natural and a saline one, which if IT, the saline one, leaked, the body would absorb it and pee it out, whereas the silicone one would be trapped in the body and cause a lump, so I've pretty much changed my mind on letting him do the implants....will do just the reduction and lift, heaven knows he has lots to work with .

Getting ready to plan a trip for Cancun, anyone been there? Any suggestions?

Anne, I'll send my guys if you'll come put my tree up....deal?