First question:
Do you think, at least here at the beginning, I should expect to want/need a fill about every month? I think I've heard several of you say that, so that's sort of what I've been expecting.
My first fill is April 12th. So I started looking about for flights around mid May. They are super cheap right now - $114 for a round trip. Until just now, the best I've found was $135 or so. Anyway, that makes me excited.
Second question:
When those of you that travel for fills travel to your destination, do you rent a car or Super Shuttle? I might have asked this before - I think Robin says she rents, and Gen says she does Super Shuttle.
Third question:
For those of you that rent a car, what's the rate you're normally getting? I've always used Expedia to buy my travel (but will try Priceline next time I want a hotel, based on Gen's experiences!), but I can't seem to get a car for under $45-$50 a day. Doesn't that seem a little pricey? Why can't I get those $13 a day that are advertised? Or at least in the $20-$25 range?
By the way, I'm a super bargain hunter, so I work these prices over and over again trying to find the right deal. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks much!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
I just want to chat . . .
I haven't been on blogger for at least 4 days, I think. Inconceivable, huh?
Anyways, I think deep down, I sort of avoided it on purpose. Why, you ask? I feel like I don't have my head in the game. Now that I have basically no restriction (almost 3 weeks out from band placement), I feel like I'm up to my same old tricks. I think, deep down, I didn't want to see other people being successful. It's the same thing as avoiding the WW meeting. At least it feels the same to me.
I sure hope a fill changes things for me. Obviously, I've never had one, so I don't know what it'll do to me. But right now, I feel like I'm cramming everything into my mouth that'll fit. Last night we grilled out with my brother and his family. I didn't have the second hot dog that I might have had in the past, but I still had the chips, dip, baked beans and ice cream cake.
Let me ask you this: when you're appropriately full, do you eat until your tummy is no longer grumbling, or do you eat until you feel sufficiently full? I'm not talking about overly stuffed, gonna chuck full, but more like, "Hm, that was a nice meal, I don't want anymore, but if someone told me they'd steal my kids if I don't eat another 3 bites, I could definitely eat those 3 bites, plus 2 more for good measure."
If, after a fill, I am allowed to eat until I'm comfortably full, then I think I can do this. However, if I'm supposed to eat until I'm just barely no longer starving, I think I'm going to struggle.
I don't know. It's so hard to believe that I won't be one of those people that fail.
Poop. I'm such a downer. I want to have a good attitude again!
Anyways, I think deep down, I sort of avoided it on purpose. Why, you ask? I feel like I don't have my head in the game. Now that I have basically no restriction (almost 3 weeks out from band placement), I feel like I'm up to my same old tricks. I think, deep down, I didn't want to see other people being successful. It's the same thing as avoiding the WW meeting. At least it feels the same to me.
I sure hope a fill changes things for me. Obviously, I've never had one, so I don't know what it'll do to me. But right now, I feel like I'm cramming everything into my mouth that'll fit. Last night we grilled out with my brother and his family. I didn't have the second hot dog that I might have had in the past, but I still had the chips, dip, baked beans and ice cream cake.
Let me ask you this: when you're appropriately full, do you eat until your tummy is no longer grumbling, or do you eat until you feel sufficiently full? I'm not talking about overly stuffed, gonna chuck full, but more like, "Hm, that was a nice meal, I don't want anymore, but if someone told me they'd steal my kids if I don't eat another 3 bites, I could definitely eat those 3 bites, plus 2 more for good measure."
If, after a fill, I am allowed to eat until I'm comfortably full, then I think I can do this. However, if I'm supposed to eat until I'm just barely no longer starving, I think I'm going to struggle.
I don't know. It's so hard to believe that I won't be one of those people that fail.
Poop. I'm such a downer. I want to have a good attitude again!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Is this normal?
So Gen's post from yesterday really got to me. Not the part about shopping, the part about using the band correctly. To sum it up, she had several quotes from several doctors that said that the purpose of the band is NOT to see how MUCH you can eat, but to see how LITTLE you can eat without getting hungry shortly afterward. That if you PB frequently, you're testing your band, and basically not doing it correctly.
Sometimes I think this is me. Granted, I'm now just two weeks out from surgery, and I haven't had a fill yet, nor have I ever PB'd (I think, see below).
But I have had several (maybe 4 or 5) incidents where I swallowed something and I could feel that it wasn't going down well. I felt a little nauseous (enough that I considered heading to the bathroom for a bit), some regular old burps came, and then it passed. These whole incidents lasted maybe 30 sec, a minute, tops.
That's not what they mean by a real PB, do they? I thought a real PB was when something actually came back up.
Until I read Gen's post yesterday, I was thinking to myself that my little mini episodes were me learning how to eat. I mean, there has to be a learning curve, correct? I can't just know how to do it immediately, right? Plus, unlike a lot of new bandsters, I was only required to do full liquids until day 7, then I could move on to mushies. At this point (two weeks) I'm allowed to eat anything.
But, am I wrong? Am I testing my band already - thus failing? Or, am I on the path to failing? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!
I think this also stems from the fact that I sort of (I guess naively) expected to have some sort of epiphany the day a little plastic device was shoved in my gut. Well, I didn't. Sure, the first couple of days I didn't want to eat, but as soon as I opened up a little, I've been having what I want - and feeling guilty about it. Of course, the quantity has been greatly reduced, but I still grab a Dorito here and there. Also, I've been drinking with my meals, and not doing my protein like I should. What the hell? Why would I want to sabotage this?
I don't know, sometimes I'm convinced I'm going to fail at this, too. Like, I see myself being successful initially, but what am I going to look like in 5 to 7 years? I know you can gain weight back pretty easily, what's going to keep me motivated for the rest of my life?
Ugh. I'm one Debbie Downer today, huh. Sorry to drag you all down on a Friday, especially one as beautiful as this one (at least in my neck of the woods).
I guess the only thing to keep me sane in all of this is that I've maintained my initial loss of around 11 lbs. It goes up and down by half a pound here and there, but there's been no real gain. So maybe I don't suck? I don't know.
Sometimes I think this is me. Granted, I'm now just two weeks out from surgery, and I haven't had a fill yet, nor have I ever PB'd (I think, see below).
But I have had several (maybe 4 or 5) incidents where I swallowed something and I could feel that it wasn't going down well. I felt a little nauseous (enough that I considered heading to the bathroom for a bit), some regular old burps came, and then it passed. These whole incidents lasted maybe 30 sec, a minute, tops.
That's not what they mean by a real PB, do they? I thought a real PB was when something actually came back up.
Until I read Gen's post yesterday, I was thinking to myself that my little mini episodes were me learning how to eat. I mean, there has to be a learning curve, correct? I can't just know how to do it immediately, right? Plus, unlike a lot of new bandsters, I was only required to do full liquids until day 7, then I could move on to mushies. At this point (two weeks) I'm allowed to eat anything.
But, am I wrong? Am I testing my band already - thus failing? Or, am I on the path to failing? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!
I think this also stems from the fact that I sort of (I guess naively) expected to have some sort of epiphany the day a little plastic device was shoved in my gut. Well, I didn't. Sure, the first couple of days I didn't want to eat, but as soon as I opened up a little, I've been having what I want - and feeling guilty about it. Of course, the quantity has been greatly reduced, but I still grab a Dorito here and there. Also, I've been drinking with my meals, and not doing my protein like I should. What the hell? Why would I want to sabotage this?
I don't know, sometimes I'm convinced I'm going to fail at this, too. Like, I see myself being successful initially, but what am I going to look like in 5 to 7 years? I know you can gain weight back pretty easily, what's going to keep me motivated for the rest of my life?
Ugh. I'm one Debbie Downer today, huh. Sorry to drag you all down on a Friday, especially one as beautiful as this one (at least in my neck of the woods).
I guess the only thing to keep me sane in all of this is that I've maintained my initial loss of around 11 lbs. It goes up and down by half a pound here and there, but there's been no real gain. So maybe I don't suck? I don't know.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sandy Lee brought up a good point . . .
And I just want to make sure you can all sleep at night!
I do have a good back up plan close to home, in case something were to go terribly wrong. There's a good Band doc in Omaha (about 45 minutes away), but she wanted $1000 buy in, and then about $300 per fill to do my aftercare. I've already talked to them, and if I needed to come in in an emergency, they would do whatever fill/unfill is necessary for the $300 fee. I would only require the $1000 buy in if I set up an actual aftercare program with them.
So I do have an emergency back up close to home. They charge an arm and a leg, but at least I have some where to go in an emergency.
I do have a good back up plan close to home, in case something were to go terribly wrong. There's a good Band doc in Omaha (about 45 minutes away), but she wanted $1000 buy in, and then about $300 per fill to do my aftercare. I've already talked to them, and if I needed to come in in an emergency, they would do whatever fill/unfill is necessary for the $300 fee. I would only require the $1000 buy in if I set up an actual aftercare program with them.
So I do have an emergency back up close to home. They charge an arm and a leg, but at least I have some where to go in an emergency.
Lots of questions!
Howdy!
I've been MIA for a bit, mainly because I don't think I had anything important to say!
I've sort of gained/lost a pound or two over the last week or so, but I'm more or less maintaining an 11 lb loss. I'll take it. I'm currently 12 days out from surgery, and my first fill is scheduled for April 12th.
I have several questions today:
1) Do any of you mix your protein powder into yogurt? Is there a special way to do it? I've been mixing my flavorless powder into drinks and ice cream, but I let it sit in a little bit of water or milk until it all dissolves, then I actually mix it into my drink. But I've been having a hard time getting protein done in the morning, I think because I'm just hungry and we're always trying to get out of the house, so I just grab my yogurt and then figure out where to get the protein in during the rest of the day. I guess the same question holds for something like pudding or applesauce? I just have never tried it. I thought I'd ask you all before I wasted any trying to figure it out.
2) Along those lines, I think I'd be more likely to whip up a tasty treat in the morning if I had myself one of those handy Magic Bullets. Right now, I'm using a cheap stick blender to mix up any thick drinks. But that's sort of a pain in the butt because I only have one, so I have to wash the attachment all the time. Plus, it's super cheap, so it really doesn't work all that well, anyway. I think I might do more if I had a really good blender that blended right in a cup. Stephanie, didn't you buy an off brand blender from Target? How do you like it? Does anyone else have a good review of any particular product?
If you're not already aware, I had surgery with a doctor that's about an hour plane ride away. I live near Omaha, and Dr K is in Denver. I am going to go to him for my fills. His aftercare is included with the cost of the surgery (I'm self pay), and I'd have to pay any where from $300 to $500 to have it done here at home. As I can fly to Denver for about $130, that just makes sense. Plus, then I get to see my original surgeon.
So, I already have my first fill scheduled for April 11th, and I just bought my travel stuff for that. For the first fill, I'm going to stay overnight, just in case I would need to go back the next day or something. I told Dr K about it, and he said it's overkill, but that it certainly wouldn't hurt.
Anyway here's my question:
3) Should I be scheduling my second fill? I mean, I do have to buy a plane ticket, and the Omaha to Denver flights fill up pretty fast (It's hard to leave Omaha without going to Denver, no matter where you're traveling!). But when would I schedule it? Do you veterans know how your fills went at the beginning?
4) And furthermore, after this first fill, I sort of expected to be able to fly to Denver, have my fill, and fly back home, all in the same day. I don't think that's ridiculous, do you? Robin, how do you do it? Do you rent a car or do you take Super Shuttle? I'm finding rental cars for about $40 to $50 a day, and I think Super Shuttle is about $20 each way, so it almost makes sense to me to get the car, just so I could be on my own schedule, right?
Thanks in advance for all of your answers! I really appreciate it!
I've been MIA for a bit, mainly because I don't think I had anything important to say!
I've sort of gained/lost a pound or two over the last week or so, but I'm more or less maintaining an 11 lb loss. I'll take it. I'm currently 12 days out from surgery, and my first fill is scheduled for April 12th.
I have several questions today:
1) Do any of you mix your protein powder into yogurt? Is there a special way to do it? I've been mixing my flavorless powder into drinks and ice cream, but I let it sit in a little bit of water or milk until it all dissolves, then I actually mix it into my drink. But I've been having a hard time getting protein done in the morning, I think because I'm just hungry and we're always trying to get out of the house, so I just grab my yogurt and then figure out where to get the protein in during the rest of the day. I guess the same question holds for something like pudding or applesauce? I just have never tried it. I thought I'd ask you all before I wasted any trying to figure it out.
2) Along those lines, I think I'd be more likely to whip up a tasty treat in the morning if I had myself one of those handy Magic Bullets. Right now, I'm using a cheap stick blender to mix up any thick drinks. But that's sort of a pain in the butt because I only have one, so I have to wash the attachment all the time. Plus, it's super cheap, so it really doesn't work all that well, anyway. I think I might do more if I had a really good blender that blended right in a cup. Stephanie, didn't you buy an off brand blender from Target? How do you like it? Does anyone else have a good review of any particular product?
If you're not already aware, I had surgery with a doctor that's about an hour plane ride away. I live near Omaha, and Dr K is in Denver. I am going to go to him for my fills. His aftercare is included with the cost of the surgery (I'm self pay), and I'd have to pay any where from $300 to $500 to have it done here at home. As I can fly to Denver for about $130, that just makes sense. Plus, then I get to see my original surgeon.
So, I already have my first fill scheduled for April 11th, and I just bought my travel stuff for that. For the first fill, I'm going to stay overnight, just in case I would need to go back the next day or something. I told Dr K about it, and he said it's overkill, but that it certainly wouldn't hurt.
Anyway here's my question:
3) Should I be scheduling my second fill? I mean, I do have to buy a plane ticket, and the Omaha to Denver flights fill up pretty fast (It's hard to leave Omaha without going to Denver, no matter where you're traveling!). But when would I schedule it? Do you veterans know how your fills went at the beginning?
4) And furthermore, after this first fill, I sort of expected to be able to fly to Denver, have my fill, and fly back home, all in the same day. I don't think that's ridiculous, do you? Robin, how do you do it? Do you rent a car or do you take Super Shuttle? I'm finding rental cars for about $40 to $50 a day, and I think Super Shuttle is about $20 each way, so it almost makes sense to me to get the car, just so I could be on my own schedule, right?
Thanks in advance for all of your answers! I really appreciate it!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Clarification to Last Post . . . .
I should clarify that I'm on real food. My clear liquid phase was only required for a day or two. I did full liquids until the end of the first week, and now I'm on soft foods for about another week. I was told to expect to be eating regular, every day food by 2 1/2 to 3 weeks after surgery.
Bonnie and Amanda, thanks for commenting on my previous post, but the mushies are already not satisfying . . .
Bonnie and Amanda, thanks for commenting on my previous post, but the mushies are already not satisfying . . .
Yep, I'm hungry
Exactly 8 days after surgery, I've got my hunger back.
I had a yogurt for b-fast, and heated up a half bowl of leftover soup for lunch. The bowl of soup, which two days ago would have been two meals for me, was delicious, but I was still hungry afterwards. I made the kiddos one of those small frozen pizza's for lunch, and stole 2 PIECES!
Granted, what I ate today is about a third of what I would have had before surgery, but it's HUGE compared to what I've had the last few days.
I believe . . .isn't it called . . .I think . . .Banster Hell?
Yup.
First fill in 3 weeks. That seems impossibly far away.
I had a yogurt for b-fast, and heated up a half bowl of leftover soup for lunch. The bowl of soup, which two days ago would have been two meals for me, was delicious, but I was still hungry afterwards. I made the kiddos one of those small frozen pizza's for lunch, and stole 2 PIECES!
Granted, what I ate today is about a third of what I would have had before surgery, but it's HUGE compared to what I've had the last few days.
I believe . . .isn't it called . . .I think . . .Banster Hell?
Yup.
First fill in 3 weeks. That seems impossibly far away.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I think I whined too soon.
I feel legitimately hungry right now.
In pretty much all aspects, I feel normal. I don't seem to have any weird pains, I can sleep in any position that I want, and I haven't taken even Tylenol for two days now.
Plus, right now, I just feel hungry. No weird rolling in my chest or anything. I'm going to try some soup.
Thus far, both pre-op and post-op, I've lost 11.2 lbs. That's already 10% of what I wanted to lose overall. Even if today is my last day of post-surgery restriction, and even if I gain back a little bit, I'm going to be pretty happy with what I've done so far. I know it'll be easier when I have a fill, so I'm not going to complain about what's happened thus far.
In pretty much all aspects, I feel normal. I don't seem to have any weird pains, I can sleep in any position that I want, and I haven't taken even Tylenol for two days now.
Plus, right now, I just feel hungry. No weird rolling in my chest or anything. I'm going to try some soup.
Thus far, both pre-op and post-op, I've lost 11.2 lbs. That's already 10% of what I wanted to lose overall. Even if today is my last day of post-surgery restriction, and even if I gain back a little bit, I'm going to be pretty happy with what I've done so far. I know it'll be easier when I have a fill, so I'm not going to complain about what's happened thus far.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
This is gonna sound crazy . . .
but I can't figure out when I'm hungry. I'm sitting here typing with my tummy growling, but I seem to have a pain in my chest. I feel like if I eat, it'll be too much (I had a yogurt about an hour ago) and the pain in my chest will be worse. But, I don't exactly want to go to bed starving, either. I just don't know if I'm starving.
Am I still messed up because I'm only 5 days from surgery? I feel pretty normal, except for the fact that I don't know how to tell if I'm hungry.
Am I still messed up because I'm only 5 days from surgery? I feel pretty normal, except for the fact that I don't know how to tell if I'm hungry.
NSV! and Restriction!
I'm gonna call this my first NSV, because I've been looking forward to it.
See my ticker above? ^ My current weight no longer interferes with my starting weight. Cool, huh? That's 10 lbs down.
I think I'm starting to see what this "restriction" business is all about. All day yesterday, I was extremely bloated. Thanks to Stephanie's advice, I started using a heating pad last night on my tummy. It has really released the gas pains. I've been doing that off and on throughout today, too.
Today for lunch, I felt that because the gas pains are being handled by the heating pad, perhaps I could try some real lunch.
So, I made some super yummy potato soup for the girls and I. A few weeks back, I had purchased some larger ramekins to use for my meals - they hold maybe 1/2 a cup. Well, I filled one of those about 1/2 full, melted some shredded cheese in it, then placed it in the freezer for it to cool down. I sat down with the girls, had my bowl of soup, and repeated the process - 1/2 bowl of soup, melt cheese, freeze for a bit, eat soup with girls. So all together, I probably had about 1/2 a cup of soup, plus the bit of cheese melted in.
I am stuffed! I can't believe how much this has filled me up. And I didn't even come close to using a cracker. In the old days, if I had soup without crackers or bread, I wouldn't even be close to satisfied. But now I feel really good! I had a normal, everyday food, and just got full off of a very small amount.
I realize this probably won't last much longer, but now that my tummy isn't aching from gas pains, I see how this Lapband may actually work.
Woot!
See my ticker above? ^ My current weight no longer interferes with my starting weight. Cool, huh? That's 10 lbs down.
I think I'm starting to see what this "restriction" business is all about. All day yesterday, I was extremely bloated. Thanks to Stephanie's advice, I started using a heating pad last night on my tummy. It has really released the gas pains. I've been doing that off and on throughout today, too.
Today for lunch, I felt that because the gas pains are being handled by the heating pad, perhaps I could try some real lunch.
So, I made some super yummy potato soup for the girls and I. A few weeks back, I had purchased some larger ramekins to use for my meals - they hold maybe 1/2 a cup. Well, I filled one of those about 1/2 full, melted some shredded cheese in it, then placed it in the freezer for it to cool down. I sat down with the girls, had my bowl of soup, and repeated the process - 1/2 bowl of soup, melt cheese, freeze for a bit, eat soup with girls. So all together, I probably had about 1/2 a cup of soup, plus the bit of cheese melted in.
I am stuffed! I can't believe how much this has filled me up. And I didn't even come close to using a cracker. In the old days, if I had soup without crackers or bread, I wouldn't even be close to satisfied. But now I feel really good! I had a normal, everyday food, and just got full off of a very small amount.
I realize this probably won't last much longer, but now that my tummy isn't aching from gas pains, I see how this Lapband may actually work.
Woot!
Monday, March 15, 2010
How on earth is this supposed to work?
I'm supposed to do 3 protein servings and 60 oz of water every day. Plus actually eat. Really? There's no way I can get all of that down. I really haven't had much for protein supplements at all since surgery. Granted, I wasn't supposed to start them until yesterday anyway, but I only had 1/2 of one yesterday, and nothing today. I tried the grape flavor Isopure that Kristen Z sent me (thank you!), but I'm not a fan. I still have a big bag of samples from Robin (thank you!) that I need to try, but I can't figure out when I'm supposed to!
I'm just having a rough time with it.
Did you guys get all that in at the beginning? If not, how long did it take you to be able to handle all of that?
I'm just having a rough time with it.
Did you guys get all that in at the beginning? If not, how long did it take you to be able to handle all of that?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Home for a couple of hours
We landed in Omaha at about 10:30 central time, which was a loss of two hours if you count daylight savings time and the switch from mountain to central time.
Fortunately, Grandma and Grandpa still had the girls out shopping, so we had a few hours at the house by ourselves before they got here. I took a nap, and Hubby graded papers for school.
I'm to the point where I can get myself into and out of bed. It's not pretty, and it hurts a little, but I'm not dependent on Hubby to do it for me. That was about the last thing I needed to do.
I honestly feel pretty good. I was able to get a ride through pretty much the entire Denver airport. I had to do a wheelchair for part of it, and a golf cart for part of it, but I didn't have to walk much. Also, they let us put my big liquid prescriptions in one of our carry-ons and check it for free, so that worked out well.
Traveling was more or less painless. The shuttle bus to the parking lot at the airport was rough, I think the driver aimed for every pot hole at 50 mph.
I think I'm gonna be done taking the Lortab. We stopped and got Liquid Tylenol on the way home from the airport - we actually bummed around Wal-Mart for a good hour, and I felt fine. Anyway, I just took a dose of Tylenol, I'm gonna see if that will work.
I haven't been able to eat much. This morning, I had about 1/2 of a Costco protein shake, a sample from the doc's office, before we left for the airport. At the airport, I had about 8 oz of chocolate milk. Once we got to Omaha, for lunch, I had about 1/8 of a McD's shake. I came home and had 1/2 a pudding cup before I napped, and then just now finished the other half. Right now I just feel so full so fast, I'm not going to push any more. I keep trying to drink water, though, as I feel like I'm not getting enough.
Hubby has to go to work tomorrow, which means I'm back to being a mom again. The girls understand that they can't be rough with Mommy - in fact, my 4 year old was afraid to hug me because she didn't want to hurt me. Fortunately, my college age neighbor is out of school these next two days. She has a part time job in the morning until about 10:30, and then she's sort of going to spend the day with us. That'll help. She goes back to school on Wednesday, so I'll have the girls the whole day by myself. Hubby teaches school Wednesday nights, though, so Hubby's sister is going to drive the 20 miles to spend the evening with us. That way I won't have to do the ENTIRE day by myself. Starting on Thursday, I'm on my own entirely. That'll be a full week, though, so I think I'll be ok.
Thanks so much for all the good vibes sent my way. This would be so much harder without everyone to answer questions for me!
Fortunately, Grandma and Grandpa still had the girls out shopping, so we had a few hours at the house by ourselves before they got here. I took a nap, and Hubby graded papers for school.
I'm to the point where I can get myself into and out of bed. It's not pretty, and it hurts a little, but I'm not dependent on Hubby to do it for me. That was about the last thing I needed to do.
I honestly feel pretty good. I was able to get a ride through pretty much the entire Denver airport. I had to do a wheelchair for part of it, and a golf cart for part of it, but I didn't have to walk much. Also, they let us put my big liquid prescriptions in one of our carry-ons and check it for free, so that worked out well.
Traveling was more or less painless. The shuttle bus to the parking lot at the airport was rough, I think the driver aimed for every pot hole at 50 mph.
I think I'm gonna be done taking the Lortab. We stopped and got Liquid Tylenol on the way home from the airport - we actually bummed around Wal-Mart for a good hour, and I felt fine. Anyway, I just took a dose of Tylenol, I'm gonna see if that will work.
I haven't been able to eat much. This morning, I had about 1/2 of a Costco protein shake, a sample from the doc's office, before we left for the airport. At the airport, I had about 8 oz of chocolate milk. Once we got to Omaha, for lunch, I had about 1/8 of a McD's shake. I came home and had 1/2 a pudding cup before I napped, and then just now finished the other half. Right now I just feel so full so fast, I'm not going to push any more. I keep trying to drink water, though, as I feel like I'm not getting enough.
Hubby has to go to work tomorrow, which means I'm back to being a mom again. The girls understand that they can't be rough with Mommy - in fact, my 4 year old was afraid to hug me because she didn't want to hurt me. Fortunately, my college age neighbor is out of school these next two days. She has a part time job in the morning until about 10:30, and then she's sort of going to spend the day with us. That'll help. She goes back to school on Wednesday, so I'll have the girls the whole day by myself. Hubby teaches school Wednesday nights, though, so Hubby's sister is going to drive the 20 miles to spend the evening with us. That way I won't have to do the ENTIRE day by myself. Starting on Thursday, I'm on my own entirely. That'll be a full week, though, so I think I'll be ok.
Thanks so much for all the good vibes sent my way. This would be so much harder without everyone to answer questions for me!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Vitamins?
What vitamins should I be taking right after surgery?
What do you guys take now that you're a ways out?
What do you guys take now that you're a ways out?
About 45 hours after surgery
So is this day 2 or 3? Was surgery day called day 1? Or is the day after surgery day 1?
How did you guys call it? I want to be consistant for others reading!
Anway, I feel ALOT better this morning. I got a pretty good night's sleep. I never sleep flat on my back, so that threw me off just a little. My neck has a kink in it from laying to the side.
I took my lortab at about 11 pm last night, and didn't get up to take it again until about 6:00. That's the longest I've stretched it. It's now 10:30, so I'm allowed to take it again, but I think I'm gonna wait a bit. I really don't feel that I need it.
My 5 incisions have never hurt, they are still fine.
The biggest pain I had coming to in recovery was my port site. I had really sharp pains there. That's what I was managing up until about 7:00 last night. About that time, I could literally feel the pain move from up under my boob on my left side(the port site) to accross my whole lower abdomen. I new the gas pains were starting. Shortly thereafter, my whole tummy felt like it was rolling in circles. The gurgling and bubbling was really loud. Hubby could hear it plain as day.
We walked a little last night, but I didn't want to over do it, as I had had two dizzy spells. So we really only walked about 20 yards from our room door and back. As I was walking, I could feel the gas sort of swelling up, and then releasing a bit.
Finally, at about midnight last night, I was able to start passing gas out the back end. Holy moley, was that a releif. I've been able to keep that going pretty much all night and this morning, so that's really helping! I told my hubby that it's a good thing he already loves me.
Also, I feel like I've finally got some calories in me. My doc gave me general guidlines about when to switch from clear to full to mushies, but said I can switch when I feel up to it. My guidline was clears for the first day or two. So last night, I started in on a bottle of chocolate milk. Man, it felt good to get some nutrition in me, I was just so weak. I started that bottle at about 11:00 pm, had some more this morning at 6:00 with my lortab, and just finished the pint size bottled right before I sat down to type, about 10:00 am. So I took almost 12 hours to finish it, but it has 420 calories!! That's about 7 times the calories I had the day of and the day after surgery combined!! No wonder I was getting dizzy.
Anyway, I really feel like I've turned a corner. I hope I'm not just feeling this way because I slept all night - hopefully I'm really on the mend. I'm glad that it looks like I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully!
We fly back home tomorrow - really freakin early. The plane leaves at 7:30, which means we need to get to the airport probably around 5:30. We have to drop of the rental car first, so we have to leave probably around 4:30. PLUS, we lose the hour of daylight savings time. Not looking forward to that. I'm also not looking forward to walking all of the Denver airport, it's pretty big. I think we're going to call today to see if I can get a golf cart ride through the airport. Hopefully they'll be accomodating with my prescriptions, too.
Thanks to all my blogger buddies for helping me get through this!
How did you guys call it? I want to be consistant for others reading!
Anway, I feel ALOT better this morning. I got a pretty good night's sleep. I never sleep flat on my back, so that threw me off just a little. My neck has a kink in it from laying to the side.
I took my lortab at about 11 pm last night, and didn't get up to take it again until about 6:00. That's the longest I've stretched it. It's now 10:30, so I'm allowed to take it again, but I think I'm gonna wait a bit. I really don't feel that I need it.
My 5 incisions have never hurt, they are still fine.
The biggest pain I had coming to in recovery was my port site. I had really sharp pains there. That's what I was managing up until about 7:00 last night. About that time, I could literally feel the pain move from up under my boob on my left side(the port site) to accross my whole lower abdomen. I new the gas pains were starting. Shortly thereafter, my whole tummy felt like it was rolling in circles. The gurgling and bubbling was really loud. Hubby could hear it plain as day.
We walked a little last night, but I didn't want to over do it, as I had had two dizzy spells. So we really only walked about 20 yards from our room door and back. As I was walking, I could feel the gas sort of swelling up, and then releasing a bit.
Finally, at about midnight last night, I was able to start passing gas out the back end. Holy moley, was that a releif. I've been able to keep that going pretty much all night and this morning, so that's really helping! I told my hubby that it's a good thing he already loves me.
Also, I feel like I've finally got some calories in me. My doc gave me general guidlines about when to switch from clear to full to mushies, but said I can switch when I feel up to it. My guidline was clears for the first day or two. So last night, I started in on a bottle of chocolate milk. Man, it felt good to get some nutrition in me, I was just so weak. I started that bottle at about 11:00 pm, had some more this morning at 6:00 with my lortab, and just finished the pint size bottled right before I sat down to type, about 10:00 am. So I took almost 12 hours to finish it, but it has 420 calories!! That's about 7 times the calories I had the day of and the day after surgery combined!! No wonder I was getting dizzy.
Anyway, I really feel like I've turned a corner. I hope I'm not just feeling this way because I slept all night - hopefully I'm really on the mend. I'm glad that it looks like I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully!
We fly back home tomorrow - really freakin early. The plane leaves at 7:30, which means we need to get to the airport probably around 5:30. We have to drop of the rental car first, so we have to leave probably around 4:30. PLUS, we lose the hour of daylight savings time. Not looking forward to that. I'm also not looking forward to walking all of the Denver airport, it's pretty big. I think we're going to call today to see if I can get a golf cart ride through the airport. Hopefully they'll be accomodating with my prescriptions, too.
Thanks to all my blogger buddies for helping me get through this!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Late night, Day 1
I feel like I really have gas pain. I keep trying to burp, and there's a little bit coming out the other end, too.
My doc told me Gas-X strips are a waste of time. I know Stephanie told me she used them, what about the rest of you? Should I try them anyway?
I should clarify that the doc said I could try them if I want, but that he considers them a waste of time.
My doc told me Gas-X strips are a waste of time. I know Stephanie told me she used them, what about the rest of you? Should I try them anyway?
I should clarify that the doc said I could try them if I want, but that he considers them a waste of time.
Day 1 continued
I had another dizzy spell this morning. I had tried to sit down to some broth of egg drop soup, and I just couldn't do it. I got reallly dizzy, hubby had to hold me up and get a washcloth on my head again. It wasn't as bad as last night's episode, but still not fun.
In my former life, it I went too long without eating, I would get really shaky, and start to get that dizzy feeling. I wonder if that's what this is.
Up to about an hour ago, I bet I had maybe 60-70 calories over a day and a half.
What we had been doing went like this: get some rest/sleep, get up feeling pretty good, get some walking done, and then try to eat.
I think both times that I nearly fainted was because I waited too long to eat. So here just now, I woke up from a nap, than ate, and now I'm gonna lay back down for some more rest.
Just now I was able to handle three small bowls of chickn broth, a little carton of apple juice and I'm working on a sucker, so that about as many calories as I had all day yesterday and today.
I might walk around the room for a few minutes, but I'm not going to do 2 laps around the hotel that we did last night. I think it was just too much, too soon.
That's about all for now. Thanks for all your comments, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one going through this!
Also, a big shout out to my friend Robin, who dropped some protein samples off at my hotel today. She's such a blessing! I think I'm going to try a chocolate one in milk tomorrow. That sounds pretty good.
In my former life, it I went too long without eating, I would get really shaky, and start to get that dizzy feeling. I wonder if that's what this is.
Up to about an hour ago, I bet I had maybe 60-70 calories over a day and a half.
What we had been doing went like this: get some rest/sleep, get up feeling pretty good, get some walking done, and then try to eat.
I think both times that I nearly fainted was because I waited too long to eat. So here just now, I woke up from a nap, than ate, and now I'm gonna lay back down for some more rest.
Just now I was able to handle three small bowls of chickn broth, a little carton of apple juice and I'm working on a sucker, so that about as many calories as I had all day yesterday and today.
I might walk around the room for a few minutes, but I'm not going to do 2 laps around the hotel that we did last night. I think it was just too much, too soon.
That's about all for now. Thanks for all your comments, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one going through this!
Also, a big shout out to my friend Robin, who dropped some protein samples off at my hotel today. She's such a blessing! I think I'm going to try a chocolate one in milk tomorrow. That sounds pretty good.
Post Op, Day 1
Well, I made it.
We got to the hospital at 11:30 yesterday. I was wheeled into the OR almost exactly at 1:00 (my scheduled time), and the first time I was aware of in recovery was about 2:50. My hubby got to come into recovery with me at about 3:30. I got a little pain meds through my IV durnig that time, and also had a popsicle so I could take some oral pain meds.
All the nurses told me I was doing great, I think it's because I drank so much water in the two days before surgery. They unhooked me from everything, and we were back to the hotel by 4:30.
I feel asleep at 5:00, and napped until 7:00. I went to bed at 10:30, woke up at 12:30, had some water, woke up again at 2:15, had some pain meds, and then woke up for good this morning at about 7:45. I slept pretty good last night, all things considered.
We spent some time walking around the hotel last night, but I think I might have over done it a bit. When we came back from walking, I sat down to a tiny bowl of cool chicken broth. I got maybe 6 or 8 spoonfulls in, and then suddenly got REALLY light headed. I started sweating really bad, my eyes got all black, my ears filled up, and I know I was wobbling. Fortunately, I was sitting, and my hubby was sitting right next to me. He held me up and put a cool wash cloth on my head. The feeling passed after about 5 minutes or so. I know I was on the verge of passing out. Thank goodness I was sitting, I'm sure I would have fallen if I was vertical.
I had a follow up appt with Dr K this morning. His building was really busy, so we had to park a long ways away. I wanted to walk this morning, though, so I was ok with the far parking. To the office and back was quite a bit of excercise for this morning, so I've been just laying around so far today.
Since surgery, I've had as many sips of water as I could, one full popsicle (I couldn't do it all at once), and those few spoonfuls of chicken broth.
I don't really have any shoulder pain. The worst part right now is my ab muscles. I cannot use them at all. If I need to lay down, my hubby has to physically lay me down. I've had an ice pack on them when ever I'm resting, but man, they hurt.
For you veterns, I'm sure you experienced the same REALLY SORE abs, right? How long does that take to go away, or at least let up a little bit? I just cannot use my abs at all right now. Other than that, I think I'm doing pretty well.
We got to the hospital at 11:30 yesterday. I was wheeled into the OR almost exactly at 1:00 (my scheduled time), and the first time I was aware of in recovery was about 2:50. My hubby got to come into recovery with me at about 3:30. I got a little pain meds through my IV durnig that time, and also had a popsicle so I could take some oral pain meds.
All the nurses told me I was doing great, I think it's because I drank so much water in the two days before surgery. They unhooked me from everything, and we were back to the hotel by 4:30.
I feel asleep at 5:00, and napped until 7:00. I went to bed at 10:30, woke up at 12:30, had some water, woke up again at 2:15, had some pain meds, and then woke up for good this morning at about 7:45. I slept pretty good last night, all things considered.
We spent some time walking around the hotel last night, but I think I might have over done it a bit. When we came back from walking, I sat down to a tiny bowl of cool chicken broth. I got maybe 6 or 8 spoonfulls in, and then suddenly got REALLY light headed. I started sweating really bad, my eyes got all black, my ears filled up, and I know I was wobbling. Fortunately, I was sitting, and my hubby was sitting right next to me. He held me up and put a cool wash cloth on my head. The feeling passed after about 5 minutes or so. I know I was on the verge of passing out. Thank goodness I was sitting, I'm sure I would have fallen if I was vertical.
I had a follow up appt with Dr K this morning. His building was really busy, so we had to park a long ways away. I wanted to walk this morning, though, so I was ok with the far parking. To the office and back was quite a bit of excercise for this morning, so I've been just laying around so far today.
Since surgery, I've had as many sips of water as I could, one full popsicle (I couldn't do it all at once), and those few spoonfuls of chicken broth.
I don't really have any shoulder pain. The worst part right now is my ab muscles. I cannot use them at all. If I need to lay down, my hubby has to physically lay me down. I've had an ice pack on them when ever I'm resting, but man, they hurt.
For you veterns, I'm sure you experienced the same REALLY SORE abs, right? How long does that take to go away, or at least let up a little bit? I just cannot use my abs at all right now. Other than that, I think I'm doing pretty well.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The night before surgery . . .
I've sort of been out of the loop last night and today, so I'll have to catch up on everyone's blogs!
Here's a summary of today:
We left the house this morning at 7:00, drove to Omaha, and waited for our plane. We got there WAY to early, so we had to wait quite a while. We boarded and took off by 10:45 central time and landed in Denver at 10:50 mountain time. Just barely an hour in the plane, so that was great. The rental company was out of the type of car we had reserved, so we ended up with a free upgrade. We grabbed some lunch, and were able to check into the hotel a bit early.
I was scheduled for my pre-op appointment at 4:00. I received a call from Dr K's staff telling me he was running late in surgery, but that he should be able to still meet me at 4:00. Well, we screwed up. Dr K has an office that he does regular visits in, but he does the surgeries at a nearby hospital. Well, I didn't read over my stuff very well, and we just headed to the office for my appointment. When we walked in, the staff told us we were in the wrong spot!
I guess on these days that he does surgeries, he has the pre-op appointments at the hospital to avoid the drive in between. We had gotten to the office around 3:55, but the hospital was about a 20 minute drive. We hopped in the car, and got there as fast as we could. But by the time we found parking, and then figured out exactly where we were supposed to be, it was already 4:30.
Fortunately, he was still running behind, and didn't come out to see us (there was another patient waiting for her pre-op) until 4:50. What a releif for me! I HATE being tardy, and I would feel terrible if a doctor had to wait on me because I made a mistake!
Anyway, we had the first appointment, but we let the other couple go in first because they had a daughter waiting at the hotel. We had no where to be, so we just hung around in the lobby watching TV.
We finally got to truly meet Dr K at about 5:30. Let me tell you, I think I'm really gonna like this guy! He was VERY personable, and was joking and teasing the whole time. He told me what I have to do tonight to get ready - shower with special soap and drink lots of water. Tomorrow morning, I have to shower with the soap again and thoroughly wash my hair. I'm not to eat anything after 5 am, except for clear liquids. After 9 am, I am to allow nothing in my mouth but air. We are to report to the hospital at 11:30, and surgery is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
The procedure lasts about 45 minutes, and then I will be in recovery for an hour or so. After that, I can go home. I asked if I need to pee first, and he said "Nah, you'll pee, we don't need you to do it here!"
I am so much more at ease after actually meeting the doctor. They really seem to be taking care of me. I know Dr K's patients are happy with him, and I'm starting to see why.
All in all, this day has gone pretty well. The traveling was pretty much painless (I don't know how we ever did it with out a GPS system), my flub with the appointment location ended up not being a problem, and the doc that I've never met before seems like a pretty good dude. The only thing that I can complain about is the freakin' altitude. I live in Nebraska, you know, so we're pretty much at sea level. Any increase in altitude gives me a headache. This is the 3rd time I've been to Denver, and I always get a pounding headache. I brought this up to Dr K, and he suggested Advil and LOTS of water. He said if it's really bad tomorrow, they can send me home with an oxygen tank. I took the Advil a couple of hours ago, and I've been drinking water like crazy, so I honestly feel pretty good right now. We'll see how it is in the morning.
So, finally, I get to sign off by saying:
See you on the other side!
Here's a summary of today:
We left the house this morning at 7:00, drove to Omaha, and waited for our plane. We got there WAY to early, so we had to wait quite a while. We boarded and took off by 10:45 central time and landed in Denver at 10:50 mountain time. Just barely an hour in the plane, so that was great. The rental company was out of the type of car we had reserved, so we ended up with a free upgrade. We grabbed some lunch, and were able to check into the hotel a bit early.
I was scheduled for my pre-op appointment at 4:00. I received a call from Dr K's staff telling me he was running late in surgery, but that he should be able to still meet me at 4:00. Well, we screwed up. Dr K has an office that he does regular visits in, but he does the surgeries at a nearby hospital. Well, I didn't read over my stuff very well, and we just headed to the office for my appointment. When we walked in, the staff told us we were in the wrong spot!
I guess on these days that he does surgeries, he has the pre-op appointments at the hospital to avoid the drive in between. We had gotten to the office around 3:55, but the hospital was about a 20 minute drive. We hopped in the car, and got there as fast as we could. But by the time we found parking, and then figured out exactly where we were supposed to be, it was already 4:30.
Fortunately, he was still running behind, and didn't come out to see us (there was another patient waiting for her pre-op) until 4:50. What a releif for me! I HATE being tardy, and I would feel terrible if a doctor had to wait on me because I made a mistake!
Anyway, we had the first appointment, but we let the other couple go in first because they had a daughter waiting at the hotel. We had no where to be, so we just hung around in the lobby watching TV.
We finally got to truly meet Dr K at about 5:30. Let me tell you, I think I'm really gonna like this guy! He was VERY personable, and was joking and teasing the whole time. He told me what I have to do tonight to get ready - shower with special soap and drink lots of water. Tomorrow morning, I have to shower with the soap again and thoroughly wash my hair. I'm not to eat anything after 5 am, except for clear liquids. After 9 am, I am to allow nothing in my mouth but air. We are to report to the hospital at 11:30, and surgery is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
The procedure lasts about 45 minutes, and then I will be in recovery for an hour or so. After that, I can go home. I asked if I need to pee first, and he said "Nah, you'll pee, we don't need you to do it here!"
I am so much more at ease after actually meeting the doctor. They really seem to be taking care of me. I know Dr K's patients are happy with him, and I'm starting to see why.
All in all, this day has gone pretty well. The traveling was pretty much painless (I don't know how we ever did it with out a GPS system), my flub with the appointment location ended up not being a problem, and the doc that I've never met before seems like a pretty good dude. The only thing that I can complain about is the freakin' altitude. I live in Nebraska, you know, so we're pretty much at sea level. Any increase in altitude gives me a headache. This is the 3rd time I've been to Denver, and I always get a pounding headache. I brought this up to Dr K, and he suggested Advil and LOTS of water. He said if it's really bad tomorrow, they can send me home with an oxygen tank. I took the Advil a couple of hours ago, and I've been drinking water like crazy, so I honestly feel pretty good right now. We'll see how it is in the morning.
So, finally, I get to sign off by saying:
See you on the other side!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sort of freaking out about the protein . . .
I had no idea it would be such a pain to find. I thought I would go to the store, get the flavorless stuff, mix it into a glass of water, and it wouldn't change at all. I guess that's ignorant of me.
But there's that one Benefiber (I think) commercial where they mix it into a glass of water, and it totally disappears, and it looks just like a glass of water. I thought that's what I'd be getting.
Now I have to scramble.
I'm going to order the sample pack of PURE from the bariatriceating.com website, and I think I'm also going to try the Unjury.
Thoughts?
We leave tomorrow, so I'm going to have to have my neighbors get my packages from my front door. Also, this means that I have no protein lined up for immediately after surgery. They told me I won't need it for a few days, but I wanted to be ready to go.
Dang it!
*UPDATE*
I just ordered the PURE flavorless stuff from bariatriceating.com. I talked to someone there for 1/2 an hour, she thinks it'll fit my needs. Unfortunately, it takes 5 days to ship, so I won't have anything in Denver with me. I'm not supposed to do protein during clear liquids (days 1 and 2) but I'm supposed to start protein when I start full liquids on day 3. So I'll need to find something for Saturday only, as we'll be home on Sunday, and my PURE should be here by then.
I'm sure hoping that's not nasty!
But there's that one Benefiber (I think) commercial where they mix it into a glass of water, and it totally disappears, and it looks just like a glass of water. I thought that's what I'd be getting.
Now I have to scramble.
I'm going to order the sample pack of PURE from the bariatriceating.com website, and I think I'm also going to try the Unjury.
Thoughts?
We leave tomorrow, so I'm going to have to have my neighbors get my packages from my front door. Also, this means that I have no protein lined up for immediately after surgery. They told me I won't need it for a few days, but I wanted to be ready to go.
Dang it!
*UPDATE*
I just ordered the PURE flavorless stuff from bariatriceating.com. I talked to someone there for 1/2 an hour, she thinks it'll fit my needs. Unfortunately, it takes 5 days to ship, so I won't have anything in Denver with me. I'm not supposed to do protein during clear liquids (days 1 and 2) but I'm supposed to start protein when I start full liquids on day 3. So I'll need to find something for Saturday only, as we'll be home on Sunday, and my PURE should be here by then.
I'm sure hoping that's not nasty!
Monday, March 8, 2010
OMG. Gag me with a spoon!
I just tried my first protein powder. Hubby stopped and picked up the GNC brand Whey Protein (21 g per serving). When I opened the bag, I got a wiff of formula smell. I have an extreme aversion to that smell! When my daughter was 9 months old, she got the flu really bad (she actually had to be hospitalized for 3 days for dehydration) and threw up formula for about a week and a half. All over me. All the time. The formula smell makes me what to chuck.
Also, I had no idea the scoop would be so HUGE. It's like a quarter of a cup! The nutritionist had told me I could mix it in with stuff, so I tried to mix it in with my little cup of applesauce. But there was so much of it, it turned into a sticky paste. I couldn't even bring myself to try it, just washed it down the sink!
So then I tried to mix it with a glass of V8. It mixed pretty well, but really changed the color of it. I took a quick sip, but it was horrible! I couldn't get past the smell.
Debi and Southern Belle - you are so right! That stuff is going back to the store!!
I really needed to be doing this stuff a few weeks ago. I had no idea it would be such a pain in the patooty to find something tolerable.
Has anyone had any luck with the PURE unflavored protein powder from Bariatriceating.com?
Also, I had no idea the scoop would be so HUGE. It's like a quarter of a cup! The nutritionist had told me I could mix it in with stuff, so I tried to mix it in with my little cup of applesauce. But there was so much of it, it turned into a sticky paste. I couldn't even bring myself to try it, just washed it down the sink!
So then I tried to mix it with a glass of V8. It mixed pretty well, but really changed the color of it. I took a quick sip, but it was horrible! I couldn't get past the smell.
Debi and Southern Belle - you are so right! That stuff is going back to the store!!
I really needed to be doing this stuff a few weeks ago. I had no idea it would be such a pain in the patooty to find something tolerable.
Has anyone had any luck with the PURE unflavored protein powder from Bariatriceating.com?
Need more advice on protein powder
I didn't want to buy any online, because we're leaving in about a day and a half, and I didn't want anything sitting on my doorstep for 3 days.
The stuff I was looking at is at GNC, but it's not the GNC brand.
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2138524&cp=3593187.2108294
Has anyone tried this? My hubby is planning on picking this up on his way home from work. . . .
The stuff I was looking at is at GNC, but it's not the GNC brand.
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2138524&cp=3593187.2108294
Has anyone tried this? My hubby is planning on picking this up on his way home from work. . . .
I. Can't. Belive. This. Week. Is. Here.
Really. This took so freakin' long to plan, I can't believe the time is actually here. I'm home for this afternoon/evening, all day tomorrow (Grandma and Grandpa are coming to pick up the kids tomorrow evening) and then we leave early Wednesday morning. I'm getting nervous just typing this. Breeeaaaath.
I sort of yo-yoed over the weekend, but ended up with a loss, so I'm down a total of 4.2 lbs now. I emailed my nutrition this morning, and she said that sounded good, so that's good to hear. Plus, I still have a few days, so I could do a little more.
Yesterday, we went out for lunch. I was a little worried, as Hubby wanted to go to Village Inn, and I didn't know what I could have, as I thought they only had pancakes or sandwiches. Turns out they had a delicious chicken dish - two grilled breasts smothered with onions, peppers, and Swiss cheese. I LOVED it.
After lunch, I wanted to do my post-op shopping. I found all the groceries I wanted, but I could not find the protein supplement I wanted.
My nutrition went over all of my options, and to me, it seems like the flavorless powder would be the easiest to deal with. I don't like weird tasting shakes, so I thought the powder would be best. The nutritionist had recommended Beneprotein. Guess what? No one carries it, and it seems that no one can order it, either. I tried Wal-Mart, Walgreens, GNC, and the Hy-Vee pharmacy. What the H, huh?
I guess I'll just have to figure out which GNC product best fits my needs.
What do you guys use? Has anyone used the flavorless powder?
I sort of yo-yoed over the weekend, but ended up with a loss, so I'm down a total of 4.2 lbs now. I emailed my nutrition this morning, and she said that sounded good, so that's good to hear. Plus, I still have a few days, so I could do a little more.
Yesterday, we went out for lunch. I was a little worried, as Hubby wanted to go to Village Inn, and I didn't know what I could have, as I thought they only had pancakes or sandwiches. Turns out they had a delicious chicken dish - two grilled breasts smothered with onions, peppers, and Swiss cheese. I LOVED it.
After lunch, I wanted to do my post-op shopping. I found all the groceries I wanted, but I could not find the protein supplement I wanted.
My nutrition went over all of my options, and to me, it seems like the flavorless powder would be the easiest to deal with. I don't like weird tasting shakes, so I thought the powder would be best. The nutritionist had recommended Beneprotein. Guess what? No one carries it, and it seems that no one can order it, either. I tried Wal-Mart, Walgreens, GNC, and the Hy-Vee pharmacy. What the H, huh?
I guess I'll just have to figure out which GNC product best fits my needs.
What do you guys use? Has anyone used the flavorless powder?
Friday, March 5, 2010
Days 8 and 9 Pre Op
Howdy blog world, hope all is well.
Nothing much new here. Just the same ol', same ol'. I lost another pound over these two days, so that brings me to a total of 3.4. I think I'm on the right track.
I learned a valuable lesson last night - I need to be prepared.
We had tickets to Disney on Ice last night. The arena was over an hour drive, so we had to leave pretty early. My hubby works near the arena, though, so when he got off work, he was going to run a few errands for me that needed to be done before the show. He was also going to stop and grab us some dinner, because we had been driving through the dinner hour.
Well, he gets of work, and stops at the gas station first before running his errands. . . . .and he proceeds to lock his keys in his car. Fortunately, the gas station he was at had "a guy" that could come and unlock it free of charge. Unfortunately, it was going to take him 45 minutes to get there. So that means I had to stop and run the errands that had to be done.
So I did, but it takes FOREVER when you have two little girls to load and unload at every place. Hubby was able eat and grab the girls some chicken nuggets at the Burger King next to the gas station while he waited, but there wasn't really anything there for me. So everyone was getting dinner except me.
Hubby was able to find some me some beef jerky at the gas station, so when we met up shortly thereafter, the girls and I ate really fast before we went in.
How are we going to handle these types of situations after banding? We eat on the run all the time. I think it's because we tend to meet my hubby in Omaha after he gets off work at 5:00, and it's a good 45 minute drive, so we're always in the car during that 5:00 to 6:00 hour.
We just really need to plan better. At the very least, I need to have some band friendly food around me. It would probably help if we got an extra key made to put in my hubby's wallet. That would've been nice last night.
Nothing much new here. Just the same ol', same ol'. I lost another pound over these two days, so that brings me to a total of 3.4. I think I'm on the right track.
I learned a valuable lesson last night - I need to be prepared.
We had tickets to Disney on Ice last night. The arena was over an hour drive, so we had to leave pretty early. My hubby works near the arena, though, so when he got off work, he was going to run a few errands for me that needed to be done before the show. He was also going to stop and grab us some dinner, because we had been driving through the dinner hour.
Well, he gets of work, and stops at the gas station first before running his errands. . . . .and he proceeds to lock his keys in his car. Fortunately, the gas station he was at had "a guy" that could come and unlock it free of charge. Unfortunately, it was going to take him 45 minutes to get there. So that means I had to stop and run the errands that had to be done.
So I did, but it takes FOREVER when you have two little girls to load and unload at every place. Hubby was able eat and grab the girls some chicken nuggets at the Burger King next to the gas station while he waited, but there wasn't really anything there for me. So everyone was getting dinner except me.
Hubby was able to find some me some beef jerky at the gas station, so when we met up shortly thereafter, the girls and I ate really fast before we went in.
How are we going to handle these types of situations after banding? We eat on the run all the time. I think it's because we tend to meet my hubby in Omaha after he gets off work at 5:00, and it's a good 45 minute drive, so we're always in the car during that 5:00 to 6:00 hour.
We just really need to plan better. At the very least, I need to have some band friendly food around me. It would probably help if we got an extra key made to put in my hubby's wallet. That would've been nice last night.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A bit of food porn - sort of.
I was just reading this blog:
http://ldswims-journeytoembrace.blogspot.com/
And left a nice comment about cheap restaurant gift certificates. I just wanted to pass some helpful information on to my regular readers!
Restaurant.com is a website that sells discounted gift certificates. It's specific to your location. Their normal deal is that you can buy a $25 restaurant gift certificate for $10. However, they ALWAYS have sales, so I can usually get the $25 certificate for $2 or $3. Rarely do you have to pay the full $10 (which would obviously still be a deal!), you should at least be able to get them for $4 or $5.
I buy these all the time. In fact, we rarely go out to eat without them. Usually the chain restaurants aren't on there, it's more of your local eateries that participate. But it really is a great deal.
Usually each restaurant has some requirements to be able to use the cert. More often than not, the only requirement is that in order to use the $25 cert, you have to spend $35. So for me, I can usually get a dinner that's worth $35 for about $12 or $13. Some restaurants are a bit more stringent about how you can use them - some say you can't purchase alcohol with them, and I've even seen one that says you can't use them on Friday and Saturday nights. That's rare, though. The usual requirement is the $35 minimum.
To find any available coupon codes for restaurant.com (or any other online retailer, for that matter) check retailmenot.com. People list usable coupon codes on that site, and tell you how well they work. If I buy anything online, and it has a spot for a coupon code, I can usually find a current one.
Just thought I'd pass on some helpful info to anyone looking for a cheap dinner!
http://ldswims-journeytoembrace.blogspot.com/
And left a nice comment about cheap restaurant gift certificates. I just wanted to pass some helpful information on to my regular readers!
Restaurant.com is a website that sells discounted gift certificates. It's specific to your location. Their normal deal is that you can buy a $25 restaurant gift certificate for $10. However, they ALWAYS have sales, so I can usually get the $25 certificate for $2 or $3. Rarely do you have to pay the full $10 (which would obviously still be a deal!), you should at least be able to get them for $4 or $5.
I buy these all the time. In fact, we rarely go out to eat without them. Usually the chain restaurants aren't on there, it's more of your local eateries that participate. But it really is a great deal.
Usually each restaurant has some requirements to be able to use the cert. More often than not, the only requirement is that in order to use the $25 cert, you have to spend $35. So for me, I can usually get a dinner that's worth $35 for about $12 or $13. Some restaurants are a bit more stringent about how you can use them - some say you can't purchase alcohol with them, and I've even seen one that says you can't use them on Friday and Saturday nights. That's rare, though. The usual requirement is the $35 minimum.
To find any available coupon codes for restaurant.com (or any other online retailer, for that matter) check retailmenot.com. People list usable coupon codes on that site, and tell you how well they work. If I buy anything online, and it has a spot for a coupon code, I can usually find a current one.
Just thought I'd pass on some helpful info to anyone looking for a cheap dinner!
Day 7 Pre Op
I lost another pound this morning, so that puts me down 2.4 total. I'll take it!
I had the whole day off today - no extra babysitting, no kid swap, no school - so the girls and I decided to surprise Daddy at work and go out for lunch. He has a pretty healthy commute (about 1 hr, 10 mins each way, and that's if there is no crappy weather or traffic), so we don't go very often.
He's worked for this company in other locations, but now he works in the main location in downtown Omaha. At other locations, the girls and I definitely visited more often, and got to know his co-workers. But at the downtown location, the security is CRAZY, and he's never wanted to bother with the hassle of getting us through. So we've never been to his office or really met his boss or co-workers.
Today, however, as he was leaving to come down and meet us, his boss rode the elevator with him. He told her that we had just showed up for lunch, and she asked him if he'd like to bring his family up to meet everyone. So we go grab some lunch, and then get back downtown to find some parking.
Now you have to understand that he works in THE tallest building in downtown Omaha, on the 28th floor. The company he works for is huge in Omaha, they practically sponsor the air you breath there. My point is that it's a really nice building, really great company, and everyone there is dressed accordingly.
I was mortified by my appearance. Here I am in a ponytail, my faded jeans with bottoms that are disintegrating because I walk on them, crappy Payless tennis shoes, college T-Shirt, and tourist hoodie from DC.
I really wished I had had some warning that we'd be meeting his boss and co-workers. Not that I could have dressed much better anyway, I don't have much to pick from (and I'm certainly not buying anything in this size), but I could have at least been mentally prepared. Of course I was going to go up though, he wants to show off his daughters and I don't blame him (because, frankly, they're freakin' adorable). But man, I wish I could have just crawled under a rock.
Maybe we can go back in a year and I'll be a cute little sporty mom. I definitely don't want to go back as the schlumpy, dumpy person that they saw today.
I had the whole day off today - no extra babysitting, no kid swap, no school - so the girls and I decided to surprise Daddy at work and go out for lunch. He has a pretty healthy commute (about 1 hr, 10 mins each way, and that's if there is no crappy weather or traffic), so we don't go very often.
He's worked for this company in other locations, but now he works in the main location in downtown Omaha. At other locations, the girls and I definitely visited more often, and got to know his co-workers. But at the downtown location, the security is CRAZY, and he's never wanted to bother with the hassle of getting us through. So we've never been to his office or really met his boss or co-workers.
Today, however, as he was leaving to come down and meet us, his boss rode the elevator with him. He told her that we had just showed up for lunch, and she asked him if he'd like to bring his family up to meet everyone. So we go grab some lunch, and then get back downtown to find some parking.
Now you have to understand that he works in THE tallest building in downtown Omaha, on the 28th floor. The company he works for is huge in Omaha, they practically sponsor the air you breath there. My point is that it's a really nice building, really great company, and everyone there is dressed accordingly.
I was mortified by my appearance. Here I am in a ponytail, my faded jeans with bottoms that are disintegrating because I walk on them, crappy Payless tennis shoes, college T-Shirt, and tourist hoodie from DC.
I really wished I had had some warning that we'd be meeting his boss and co-workers. Not that I could have dressed much better anyway, I don't have much to pick from (and I'm certainly not buying anything in this size), but I could have at least been mentally prepared. Of course I was going to go up though, he wants to show off his daughters and I don't blame him (because, frankly, they're freakin' adorable). But man, I wish I could have just crawled under a rock.
Maybe we can go back in a year and I'll be a cute little sporty mom. I definitely don't want to go back as the schlumpy, dumpy person that they saw today.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day 6 Pre Op - Back down
I think it's so strange that I'm yo-yoing this week. But whatever, now I'm back down to 240.2, my lowest recorded weight since I started the pre-op diet. Hopefully it'll stick around for tomorrow!
So, like most, I haven't told many people about my decision. I just don't want to be judged by people who know nothing about the process.
So last night, I called my dad just to chat, and we were talking about how I haven't told my sister about the LB because she's a total blabber-mouth, and couldn't keep anything to herself. She's always the last person I tell important things to (ie, pregnancy) because if I told her first, there would be no need to talk to anyone else.
Dad goes, "Well, I told Janile (an old friend of my mom's from back home who has an interest in my life) and Bonnie (my aunt from back home who owns a hair salon)."
I said, "You did!?!?" And he goes, "Well, I didn't tell them until you started telling people." I said, "I haven't told anyone!!!!!"
I was so mad at him. Why one earth would he tell these people?!?! Janile is a non-stop talker, and Bonnie cuts hair. I think you have to minor in gossiping when you learn how to cut hair. That's just what they do. I wanted to say, "What the hell were you thinking? This is my private business!" But, I didn't. I said, "Well, that really sucks, I was hoping to keep this to myself." Plus, you can't un-ring a bell, so it does no good anyway.
So I'm almost positive my sister knows now, as she gets her hair cut by said aunt mentioned above. And if my sister knows, that means everyone from back home knows. G*d d*mn it.
The only silver lining to all of this is that these people are people that I only see maybe once or twice a year. Even my family. We just don't get together that often. I won't have any regular contact with them, so I shouldn't have to face any criticism. It just sucks. I just really wanted to show up next Christmas and be 50 lbs lighter and have them all shocked.
Now, on the other hand, there are those folks that I see on a regular basis. I've been pretty vague about what we're doing for 5 days next week - I've just been saying "we're going to be out of town." But all my friends know that's weird because it makes no sense that we'll be out of town during the week. We're going to miss our Wednesday playgroup, the kids swap that I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my 4 year old is missing school (so my mommy friends will notice that I'm not there to pick her up), and we'll have to find substitute teachers for the two Sunday school classes that we teach before church (I know Sunday school teachers probably aren't supposed to say G*d d*mn it, but G*d d*mn it). What I'm getting to is that a lot of my everyday acquaintances will notice we're missing for a while.
Anyway, one friend who is involved in pretty much all of that called me up yesterday to discuss the kid swap. I said we might just have to put it on hold for a few weeks, because she's busy this week, and next week doesn't work for me because I'm "out of town." She goes, "I don't mean to be nosy, but what are you guys doing?"
Uh-oh, now I have to tell her something. So, I thought on the fly and told her that we're just taking a long weekend to ourselves. I said that my in-laws have tons of vacation to use now that they don't have any kids at home, and wanted to keep our kids for a while, so we're just going to have a lazy trip. She keeps going, "Oh, that's so nice, you guys deserve it, you've been working so hard!"
Now I feel bad. I didn't want to outright lie to anyone, I just wanted to avoid the topic. But I can't change it now. Crap. Or, should I say, G*d d*mn it.
So, like most, I haven't told many people about my decision. I just don't want to be judged by people who know nothing about the process.
So last night, I called my dad just to chat, and we were talking about how I haven't told my sister about the LB because she's a total blabber-mouth, and couldn't keep anything to herself. She's always the last person I tell important things to (ie, pregnancy) because if I told her first, there would be no need to talk to anyone else.
Dad goes, "Well, I told Janile (an old friend of my mom's from back home who has an interest in my life) and Bonnie (my aunt from back home who owns a hair salon)."
I said, "You did!?!?" And he goes, "Well, I didn't tell them until you started telling people." I said, "I haven't told anyone!!!!!"
I was so mad at him. Why one earth would he tell these people?!?! Janile is a non-stop talker, and Bonnie cuts hair. I think you have to minor in gossiping when you learn how to cut hair. That's just what they do. I wanted to say, "What the hell were you thinking? This is my private business!" But, I didn't. I said, "Well, that really sucks, I was hoping to keep this to myself." Plus, you can't un-ring a bell, so it does no good anyway.
So I'm almost positive my sister knows now, as she gets her hair cut by said aunt mentioned above. And if my sister knows, that means everyone from back home knows. G*d d*mn it.
The only silver lining to all of this is that these people are people that I only see maybe once or twice a year. Even my family. We just don't get together that often. I won't have any regular contact with them, so I shouldn't have to face any criticism. It just sucks. I just really wanted to show up next Christmas and be 50 lbs lighter and have them all shocked.
Now, on the other hand, there are those folks that I see on a regular basis. I've been pretty vague about what we're doing for 5 days next week - I've just been saying "we're going to be out of town." But all my friends know that's weird because it makes no sense that we'll be out of town during the week. We're going to miss our Wednesday playgroup, the kids swap that I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my 4 year old is missing school (so my mommy friends will notice that I'm not there to pick her up), and we'll have to find substitute teachers for the two Sunday school classes that we teach before church (I know Sunday school teachers probably aren't supposed to say G*d d*mn it, but G*d d*mn it). What I'm getting to is that a lot of my everyday acquaintances will notice we're missing for a while.
Anyway, one friend who is involved in pretty much all of that called me up yesterday to discuss the kid swap. I said we might just have to put it on hold for a few weeks, because she's busy this week, and next week doesn't work for me because I'm "out of town." She goes, "I don't mean to be nosy, but what are you guys doing?"
Uh-oh, now I have to tell her something. So, I thought on the fly and told her that we're just taking a long weekend to ourselves. I said that my in-laws have tons of vacation to use now that they don't have any kids at home, and wanted to keep our kids for a while, so we're just going to have a lazy trip. She keeps going, "Oh, that's so nice, you guys deserve it, you've been working so hard!"
Now I feel bad. I didn't want to outright lie to anyone, I just wanted to avoid the topic. But I can't change it now. Crap. Or, should I say, G*d d*mn it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A shout out to my post-op followers!
I'm so sorry about the food porn! At least I didn't post pics!!
Day 5 Pre Op - Back where I started
So I gained this morning, I'm exactly at 241.6, right where I started on Thursday. Boo. Hopefully I show some sort of real decrease in the next 9 days. I don't want my liver in the way!!
Not doing too bad food-wise. I'm definitely getting tired of meat and veggies. Plus, the closest thing I've had to sweet is sugar free jello.
Last night, I made myself a BLT lettuce wrap. My hubby commented that it looked good, so I offered him a bite. He goes, "That's delicious! I'm jealous of your diet food." It was pretty cute.
Other than that, no new news. The laundry room is more or less done, I just need to finish paining the cabinets (they were my brothers old cabinets that he gave to us when he re-did his kitchen). I want it done before we leave for Denver, so I'm going to try to paint a cabinet or two during the kids' nap time every day. I want to leave this coming weekend fairly open, as we'll need to shop for post-op diet, get packed, and I'm getting my hair done.
That's the plan anyway. The weather here is supposed to be in the 50s this weekend!!! After all the snow we had, I cannot wait for some lovely weather. In fact, right now it's about 35 - just beautiful!
P.S. Doesn't this sort of sound like a letter to my Grandma? Or maybe what you'd write on a post card?
Not doing too bad food-wise. I'm definitely getting tired of meat and veggies. Plus, the closest thing I've had to sweet is sugar free jello.
Last night, I made myself a BLT lettuce wrap. My hubby commented that it looked good, so I offered him a bite. He goes, "That's delicious! I'm jealous of your diet food." It was pretty cute.
Other than that, no new news. The laundry room is more or less done, I just need to finish paining the cabinets (they were my brothers old cabinets that he gave to us when he re-did his kitchen). I want it done before we leave for Denver, so I'm going to try to paint a cabinet or two during the kids' nap time every day. I want to leave this coming weekend fairly open, as we'll need to shop for post-op diet, get packed, and I'm getting my hair done.
That's the plan anyway. The weather here is supposed to be in the 50s this weekend!!! After all the snow we had, I cannot wait for some lovely weather. In fact, right now it's about 35 - just beautiful!
P.S. Doesn't this sort of sound like a letter to my Grandma? Or maybe what you'd write on a post card?
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