Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Good thought coming your way Carol!!! Welcome to the Shamrocks!

Congrats Karen, get some rest and welcome!

Good morning fellow shamrocks! Its just about time for me to leave for the hospital, have to be there at 8:00am. It wont be long before I get on board the band wagon (yipee). Best of luck to all the fellow 26ers!:sneaky:

Hi all, Best of luck to Charity, Midwest Carol, Debbiecatal, Reen, stellabella, mrodr41. I too am ready to head out for the long drive to my surgical appointment. It's raining outside and thankfully my DH will be driving. I don't like to drive in the rain and the dark. I have to check in at 7am. Surgery is at 10. I'll write again when I get home. Good luck and smooth sailing for all my fellow shamrocks going under the knife today...............Kathy

Best of luck to all those getting banded today and tomorrow. You'll do great and can't wait to hear all about it! :sneaky:

Harley, I bet if your surgeon bill it right you could get most of your surgery covered for the hernia repair and just have to pay for the band. It may turn out to be a very good thing. When I signed my conscent for surgery it was also a consent for hiatal hernia repair in case they found one. It was explained before surgery and they did not find one, so it's a moot point now for me. I agree it should have been discussed with you before and especially after!

Texgirl, I hope you are feeling better soon. I had a stomach bug about 4 weeks before surgery and I had absolutely no appetite which might be a good thing after surgery. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Christine

Hey everyone!!!!

Well i am having a hard few days.....i think i have entered bandster hell....my apitite is back...i am on soft foods so anything i can cut with a fork....and i am eating like 6-7 oz of food i am going nuts....today i think i ate a little too much because i have felt sick all day sorta nauses but other than that i am ok.....just having a hard time just like you Fenton.... I am eating too many calories i think espically the last few days....and i am not seeing any movement in the scale....

I am going to go hide the scale LOL and i am going to go pull my hair out...i am seriously going nuts....i dont get my first fill for another 2 weeks.... HELP what do i do....

Frances, try to hang in there. The first few months of this journey will be tough, but you can do it. Hopefully your first fill will give you some restriction and you can get over the hump. Until restriction really kicks in I think we'll just have to be really aware of everything we put in our mouths. For me, keeping a food journal really helps. Hang in there just a couple weeks til your fill.

Hugs!

Christine

Good morning allllll!!:sneaky: First of all, best of luck to everyone getting banded today, and these last few days of March.. Yay for Shrinking Shamrocks!

Second of all, today is day 7 post op for me. I am thrilled to start mushies! This morning I am down 12lbs from surgery day, and 19lb down in a month!! I am so thrilled that I am feeling well, and have seen results thus far:)

I have 2 questions- Does anyone know how many "Shrinking Shamrocks" there are? Just curious:)

And I've seen that some people have "my photos" set up in their public profile to share pictures.. Can someone tell me how to get there? I don't see it on my user cp..

Thanks!:tt2: Kerri

everyone, remember there is light at the end of the tunnel. we had the surgery to have the tools to help us loose the weight. We have to put up with the discomforts of recovery after the surgery!!!!!

It does get better as the days pass. I am 1 week post op and doing so much better than last week. Yeah, I had pain, gas, discomfort, but still feel it is the best choice for my health..

Good luck to all those getting banded this week.

Surprised to hear about cream of wheat being a "bad" food, it is on my list as a good one. of course all of these products need to be the low carb, weight smart varieties.

Think of how great we will all be as far as health and well being when the weight is gone

:sneaky:

Wow, it's a banding frenzy today!

Good luck to all you.......holding good thoughts for a very successful journey!

Good luck to everyone and thank you all for your kind words! I was feeling pretty sorry for myself last night! I also had a hiatal hernia repaired and since I was self-pay it would be awesome to get the insurance to cover part of the surgery!

I'm getting quite bored with my chocolate Protein shakes....so this morning I made it with soy milk and put a teaspoon of decaf instant coffee in it......and lovely Mocha Latte it was!

The soy milk adds 6 more gms of protein as well.......not a fan of soy milk on it's own, but it's okay with the flavored protein powder!

Just a little tidbit from my morning.....which is MUCH better than yesterday!

I'm off to get my hair done before the wicked grays take over!

Good luck to all the bandsters today. I will be praying for you. Today is one week post op for me and I'm feeling 100 times better than last week. I tried a new source of protein so I'm excited about that since I was having trouble getting my protein in.

DO TELL?

New source of Protein for early bandster stages, I'm all ears!

I am deeply and passionately in love with my new blender! Being a guy, I splurged and picked up an Oster Professional Blender - it feels like you're starting up a 200 hp engine on your counter! But what is REALLY cool was the Oster Mix'n'Go Cup (I don't think that's the real name, but it's something doinky like that).

It's a heavy plastic cup which is double thick with air between the two layers of plastic like a Thermos, so Soups or shakes stay hot or cold for a good while. But what's cool about it is that you unscrew the top of the cup, load it with eg Slimfast Optima shake, banana, Peanut Butter and Protein Powder, then screw on the BLADE attachment of the blender as if it were the cap of the cup, then turn it upside down and plug it into the blender. Then you blend the contents, unscrew the blade attachment, and screw on the normal lid, and you're good to go with your perfect shake.

It's great! Indeed, I shall make my lunch shake in a minute and carry it in to my office for consumption...

Congratulations to all the new bandsters! You've listened to us whine, now it's our turn to listen to you whine.

And we're going to tell you to STOW IT, because you've already listened to us and you knew what to expect!!!!