Adventures in Pizza, Part Two

Ok, so there were a few problems with yesterday's concoction.  First, it didn't fill me up.  Second, I was hungry two hours later.  Not cool.  I revised the "recipe" today.  I added three ounces of chicken.  Yesterday's meats on the pizza were only a bit over an ounce.

I'm not sure that the string cheese adds any flavor.  I only used 1/2 of a stick, but I still don't think it is necessary.  Next time I'm going to take that out and instead use a tablespoon of tomato sauce and actually mix everything together and then put it on the tortilla.  It won't look pretty, but it will be moist and the toppings won't fall off as easily.  Or better yet, nix the tortilla and find another base of some sort.  I saw a recipe that called for an egg white that was sort of scrambled, but that just sounds gross.  Still, the tortilla adds 100 calories, as well as carbs, which I'm watching, too.  Or maybe I don't even need a base?  Just mix it all up and eat it out of a custard cup?

I've got a tenderloin in the slow cooker with a dry rub recipe from my friend.  He swears by it.  There's brown sugar in there, but I cut some of it out and tossed in some Stevia.  We'll see how it turns out.  5 more hours to go.  I'm not going to be able to eat much because breakfast and lunch today were both 250 calories.  My current calorie goal is 800/day, but it may increase once I have some fluid in the band and eat more meat.  Right now is the most dangerous time - I don't ever feel full, and don't want to gain and weight.

Pizza, Part Two (with chicken)

Adventures in Pizza

The old Amy would have ordered a pepperoni pizza tonight.  The new Amy made it another way.  I guess it was successful?  I just threw some stuff together.  It looks strange but it tasted good.  I like the idea of using string cheese, but it doesn't melt at all.  The picture below was actually after it was baked.  

What I used:

1 small flour tortilla

1 wedge of Laughing Cow spreadable cheese (Tomato/Basil flavor)

1/8 cup turkey sausage

1 T fake meat

1 lowfat string cheese

sprinkle of garlic powder

I didn't taste the fake meat at all, so I think I'm getting close to being able to use it half and half in recipes. 

The Question I Dislike...

 "How much weight have you lost?"  Most of you know that I haven't made my surgery details very public.  Only some of my family and a few good friends know.  Why?  I'm not totally sure.  I'm not ashamed that I have a Lap Band, but I just don't want a bunch of questions, and I know people are curious about it.  Despite what people say, I believe that having weight loss surgery is viewed differently than any other type of surgery.   Stigma.  And you know what?  The Lap Band isn't an easy way out.  It is hard.  Very hard.

I went to my PCP this morning for a post op check up.  The surgery center provides this also, but I felt more comfortable seeing my PCP as well, just because she takes care of "all of me" - not just the weight loss issue.  I got some blood drawn (only two attempts this time, yeah) to check my vitamin levels.  I'm anxious to see those results next week.  I was asked my dreaded question three times.  One by the nurse, one by the PCP (which I'm ok with) and one by the receptionist (which I actually don't mind because I told her about the surgery at my last visit).  I guess the thing that bothers me is that the first question is about the number. 

I didn't have a Lap Band put in because I want to weigh a certain number.  I want to be healthy, whatever weight that ends up being.  My weight loss ticker at the top of the page says that I should lose something like 155 pounds.  That number is the target weight for someone of my height.  Will I make it there?  I don't know.  What I do know is that I will no longer be prediabetic, have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or high cholesterol.  When those things are gone, I will know that I've reached my goal.  Along the way, I'd like to decrease my antidepressant.  I'm kind of hoping to snag a husband and crank out a kid or two in the process, but I'll take what I can get ;)

So please..... don't ask my number.  I might tell you myself, but let me be the one to bring it up.  Right now I update it every morning on my iPhone, but after my first fill next week, then I'll only be weighing weekly. 

Will? Will Power? Is there a Will Power in here?

  

My second taste of "fast food."  My first experience was a kid's meal at PF Chang's (half of it, as I was only 2 weeks post op).  Today was Chili's.  The appetizer had 10 boneless wings.  I took a picture because I wanted to remember how many were actually on the plate.  Although I have the Lap Band, there is not a sense of restriction yet.  Basically what that means is that unless I eat too quickly (or a dangerous, banned food), I don't feel full.  I have to stop myself.  

 
Two months ago, I would have mowed down that whole order, and probably more.  Today, I allowed myself four pieces.  I don't have words to express how difficult it was to not only leave it on my plate, drive home with it in the car and then to be in the house, knowing that the leftovers were in the fridge.  Whew.  It's going to be a long road.

Me? READ?

I picked up a few books from the library today.  Most of the books were just to get some recipe ideas for the cooking-ability-challenged, but one is actually a book to "read."  I don't like to read.  I know.  A teacher that doesn't like to read.  But it's true.  (and I just started that last "sentence" with but).  I made a new rule.  There are no grammar rules for blogging.

My current read:  SKINNY BITCH by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

"A no-nonsense tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous."  

So far it seems pretty good.  I just finished reading a part that compares sugar, chocolate and cheese to alcohol, cocaine, heroin and nicotine.  I wish I could find my dopamine fix with broccoli or tofu.  But I don't.  The authors say, "The trick is resetting our memory tracts to feel pleasure from healthy food, and no pleasure from junk food."  

And I walk on...filled with more knowledge, but few spots in my brain to absorb it.  So much to learn.

Progress

Brave Food Warrior

I don't really care for eggs.  I've had them plenty of times in my life (mom made that horrid breakfast casserole a few too many times on Christmas morning).  I know that eggs are a good source of protein, which I really need to work on....so I made eggs for dinner!  Never, EVER in my life have I made eggs. 

I bought the liquid egg substitute (which are only egg whites, if I understand correctly).  Here is the recipe that I made up using lots of things I like (in moderation) and mixed 'em with the eggs, which I obviously didn't want to eat.

1/2 C Liquid egg whites

1/3 C Turkey sausage

1/2 T Bacon Pieces

2 T Salsa

1 Piece of Velveeta cheese

Dash of Cayenne pepper

Yield = 1 Cup  (two servings for me)

I combined everything in my Magic Bullet.  It looked terrible before I cooked it and it looked terrible when it was done.  However, it was good.  Only 185 calories.  <patting self on back>  Next time I can cut back on the turkey sausage and bacon and slip in some mystery meat.  I bet I could switch to Laughing Cow Queso Fresco instead of Velveeta, too.

I'm proud of myself for trying a food that I have disliked for years.  Go ME!

Looks scary.

3 Weeks Post-Op Today - What Does Amy Look Like?

I know there are people that want to see this out of curiosity.  I never thought that I'd be posting jelly belly pics on the internet, but in case you were wondering, here's how I look 21 days post-op.

Click to enlarge...if you dare.

At the 5:00 position is the largest incision.  This is the Lap Band access port.  More about that in another blog.

I'm sportin' my new attire from Lane Bryant.  A bra that actually fits!  My girls are happy! <sorry Dad>

Teaspoons, Tablespoons and Tiny Bowls, Oh My!

In the past, I owned one set of measuring cups and one set of measuring spoons.  No more.  I've lost count, but I now have at least 4 sets of each.  Why?  Well....I measure.  A lot.  Everything.  Anything.  If it goes in my mouth, it has to be measured.  I'm trying to train my eyes as to what appropriate amounts of foods are.  Why do I have so many?  I hate dishes!  I measure once and it goes into the dishwasher.  I now have 16 glass custard cups with lids, which are perfect for the amount that I'm eating for meals.

I'm vigilant about tracking everything so that I have an accurate look at my food choices.  Everything is logged into my food diary on myfitnesspal.com.  I love that website.  It syncs with my iPhone and I always know where I am with all of my nutrients.

Dessert for 20 Calories

1/2 C Sugar Free Cherry Jell-O

4 Medium Strawberries

2 Tablespoons Fat Free whipped cream

Voila.

Protein!

My daily goal is 60g of protein.  Unfortunately, I've never met this post-op.  Today I got pretty close - 54 grams.  I'm doing a happy dance.  I know that protein is very important (especially since it helps with energy level).  I had three good meals today and even a dessert after dinner: cherry Jell-o with 4 chopped strawberries.  I'm just happy to have a day without protein powder!  That stuff is wretched! 

I discovered Laughing Cow cheese.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I'm a cheese-a-holic, and that stuff is good.  It isn't Velveeta, but it is nice and creamy. I tried Queso Fresco & Chipotle first :) Gotta watch out though, high in sodium.  Each little wedge has 35 calories.  I think I'll use it for my lunches (2 oz of deli ham+1 wedge = a good choice).   It was my dinner tonight - I spread the cheese on my ham slices and rolled it up.  I was going to be over my carbs if I had too many crackers, so I only got to have 8.5 crackers.  I found some imitation Wheat Thins that don't taste too good, so I won't overeat.  :)  I miss my crunchy crackers a lot.

Clothes Shopping

I'm officially down a pants size.  I must retire this size, as I'm afraid that my pants will actually fall down at some point.  I'd really like to have a ceremonial bonfire, but I live in Arizona and it is fire season, no thanks. 

Today I dropped $130 at the Lane Bryant Outlet.  I got two sports bras, 5 pairs of underwear (in one size smaller, plus I just needed some in general), a pair of leggings, two t-shirts and two pairs of shorts.  It is so hard to find plus size clothes that fit properly and that don't cost a fortune.  Thank goodness for the LB outlet!

I made it through the day with only one nap (1 hour).  I've been averaging two naps of 1-2 hours each since surgery.  I'm still pretty tired, but I expect it to get better and better each day.  I'm 19 days post op, I'm ready to get back to "life."

Still waiting on one more pound to go away so I can add another bead...but nothing in a few days. 

Victories

I went to a local bead store today with an idea that I got from a fellow bandster (Thanks, Shauna).  She is rewarding herself charms for a bracelet for specific amounts of weight loss.  I'm not a big jewelry person, but I liked the concept.

I decided to make a keychain.  The end of it screws off, so I can continually add beads along the way.  I'm going to add a bead for every 10 pounds lost, so right now there are only two beads on there.  I'm close to my third, though.  :)

click pictures to enlarge

The Rant (originally written 6/28/11)

To all of those who have negatively influenced me to have this surgery (my rant).

-This is for you, high school bully, who I remember screaming, "Boom Baba! Boom Baba!" when I stood atop the high dive at the pool.
-This is for you, person in the airline seat next to me, who glared at my belly when he saw I was the person sitting next to him.
-This is for you, carnival attendant at the state fair, who told me I was too big for the ride and made me and my friend get off.
-This is for you, ex-boyfriend, who broke up with me when he discovered that he could not make me skinny.
-This is for you, friend, who distanced herself from me when I said I didn't want to eat out so much.
-This is for you, insurance, who denied me.
-This is for you, grade school friend, for saying, "I like not being the only fat one here."
-This is for you, Mom, for saying, "But you have such a pretty face..."
-This is for you, friend of a friend, who said, "You can ride shotgun. You need more room."
-This is for you, neighbor, for asking me when I was expecting.
-This is for you, medical assistant, for yelling out the exam room door, "I need the extra large blood pressure cuff!"
-This is for you, doctor's office, for having a super small gown that barely covered half of me.
-This is for you, employers, for judging me because of my weight. I know you did.

To all of you, you'll never read this, but in some twisted way, I thank you for your belittling comments, because without those, I'm not sure if I would be having surgery. Each comment was like a dagger in my heart. Sometimes I laughed your comments off, but I always thought about them later. Your comments made me angry enough to WANT to love myself, to WANT to change my life and to WANT to be a better person.

I don't want to be skinny. I never will be. But I WILL be healthy, and I WILL find Amy, and I WILL LOVE her.

The Zoo

I've become like an animal at the zoo.  I have feeding times.  If you mess with my feeding times, I can be like a tiger.  A very pissy Tiger.  My stomach will rumble louder than any human being has ever heard.  I'm not kidding!

Feed the animal at these times:

9 AM - 1/2 C

1PM - 1/2 C

6PM - 1/2 C

No water within 1 hour of the end of any meal (pushes the food through too fast and I lose the full feeling).  No snacks in between meals.  High protein, usually meat.  Animal may have a strawberry or two for dessert.

 

The Tears Flow

Unless you know me really well, you don't understand my fear of new foods.  I bought the veggie crumbles (a.k.a. mystery meat) to mix into some 93% lean ground beef.  Tonight I cooked up a pound of ground beef and the package of veggie crumbles.  Ok, so the fake meat (let's just call it what it is) looked like ground beef.  It didn't really smell good or bad.  I was crying while I was cooking it.  How stupid is THAT?  I didn't want to eat it.  I didn't taste test it.  I divided up my ground beef into 1/2 C portions and added one tablespoon of mystery meat to each serving.  I figured it is a bit healthier.  There's no way I'll eat a bowl of mystery meat, but I can make the leanest ground beef available and hide some mystery meat in there.  I am mourning my taco shells :(

Now I have a bunch of small bags of "meat" in the freezer.  When its time for a meal, I can take a baggie out and add some water to soften and then put some taco seasoning in it or put it in something Italian (love Italian stuff).  101 things to make with the ground beef and mystery meat mixture.  A step in the right direction, I guess.  But dang, why am I so dramatic about this stuff?

Answer:  food ruled my life.  Every part of it.  But that's another blog for another day.  Today I'm just proud of myself for actually eating something I really didn't want to.

Food Roulette

Today at the grocery store I bought veggie soy crumbles. Ugh.  I'm sure my face did not look pleased as I placed the package into my cart.  I'm going to make some taco meat next week and sneak in a tiny amount of the soy crumbles.  Bleh - but I have to do it.  I'll just mix a little in and hope I don't notice.  I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I have anxiety just thinking about it.

I also purchased a rotisserie chicken and ripped it all to heck.  Lunch was my infamous salsa-cheese-chicken puree.  And dinner......was BBQ chicken!  I can have more texture in my diet now (cautiously, of course).  I made my own BBQ sauce (Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 Cookbook), mixed it all together, and voila.  1/2 Cup of Heaven.  I didn't puree it, just shredded it and made sure to chew well.  I put one serving in the fridge and the other two servings in the freezer.  I'm not even hungry for dessert (not much of a dessert person to begin with)...but I have watermelon and strawberry all ready if I find some room later.   A medium strawberry has 8 calories, just in case you were wondering.  <wink>

One thing I've learned from the forums and talking to people is that every day is different.  Today the BBQ chicken went down fine.  Tomorrow I might get sick and throw it up.  It might be because I didn't chew enough and it got stuck, it might be because I ate too fast, or it might be because I ate too much without realizing until it was too late.  Regardless, I know this will happen someday.  I just hope it isn't today.   I have a zero vomiting record since pre-surgery.

Tomorrow Marks Two Weeks Since Banding!

It's hard to believe that three weeks ago today, I started the liquid diet.  Seven days of only protein shakes just about killed me, but I did it.  I managed to lose 16 pounds prior to my surgery.  Since surgery day, I've lost another 9 pounds.  I know that this weight loss pattern will not continue at the present rate, but it is nice to look at myself and know that I'm 25 pounds lighter today.  I'm curious to see how my weight changes because I'm due for my period in another week.  I'm trying not to weigh myself daily, maybe every other day or so.  

I had a support group at the weight loss center tonight.  It was small (5 people), but really helpful to sit with people who knew exactly how I was feeling.  I'm going to make sure that I attend the monthly meetings for sure.

Still dealing with hunger feelings, but I'm recording anything I eat and how long until I feel hungry again.  Oh yeah, also, I had my first fruit since surgery.  Two strawberries, cut into tiny pieces.  It took me a half an hour to eat them.  LOL.  Still haven't added any veggies yet.  Kinda dreading that.

Changes, changes

All of my steri strips are off now and I can see my four incisions.  The port incision is the largest one, then the one under my right breast, then two tiny ones (a couple of mm each).  I still have some tenderness at the port area, but the other ones seem fine.  I still keep looking down and trying to believe that I really did it.

The mushy food stage (day 6 of 14) is going well.  I'm working in some more lumpy things.  Today I named my lunch "Mexican Casserole."  It was an ounce of pureed chicken, 1 T of salsa, 1 T of low fat cheddar cheese and 2 T of milk.  When it was all blended up, it looked like cat food.  It tasted good, though. Ha.  It made 1/3 C and I ate it all. I forgot to put protein powder in it, but I'm having it for dinner, too, so I'll add some then.

As a side note, many of you know that I'm a painfully picky eater (particularly veggies).  Today I went to the grocery store and bought a whole bunch of spices.  As I walked by the produce section, I noticed they had melba toast and chipotle hummus.  I'm scared to death to try new foods, but I took a deep breath, dipped the cracker in a bit of the hummus, and ate it.  Yes, there was hardly any on the cracker, but I did it.  That was also my first grain since surgery.  I ate it slowly but it went down ok.  Baby steps.

Post Op Appointment

An explanation of what you see: 
Starting at the 12:00 position, you see the black line that curves down and to the right.  This is my esophagus.  It is black because there is barium in it.  As it curves down, you see the lap-band, placed toward the top of my stomach.  Right above the band is the new "stomach" area.  Some people refer to this as a pouch.  Most of my stomach is below the lap-band now. 

First Look at Incision #1 (warning: photo!)

Last night my steri-strips came off of one of my incisions.  It is one of the smaller incisions (this one is under my right breast).  Not too bad!  I still have steri-strips on the other three incisions.  If they don't come off by this Friday, I can take them off.  I'll be glad for that - they're super itchy!!

Tomorrow I have my post-op visit with the surgeon and Thursday is the monthly support group.  I was able to eat a good amount today, but still chasing the water.  Yesterday I only got 16 oz in and today is looking to be the same.  However, for lunch today, I was able to eat 1 oz of pureed chicken that was mixed into my no-pasta lasagna.  I felt really full afterwards, but otherwise it went down just fine.  :)

I named my Lap Band!

His name is SAL.  Saving Amy's Life.

No Pasta Lasagna

Oh yum! I just had to share my first "cooking" experience since getting the band. I'm on day 3 of mushies. First, I have few cooking skills. I've lived on fast food and frozen dinners for much of my life.  This was my masterpiece for one:

-2 Tablespoons plain tomato sauce (with whatever spices you like...I used garlic and basil)
-1 Tablespoon of low fat ricotta cheese
-1 teaspoon of skim milk
-1/2 teaspoon low fat parm cheese sprinkles
1 teaspoon ground turkey sausage crumbles (Jimmy Dean, precooked)
-1 glass 1 Cup custard cup
-1/2 low fat string mozzarella cheese, pulled apart

First I mixed the milk, parm and ricotta with a fork. I covered the bottom with sauce, then layered the cheese and sauce. The sausage crumbles were precooked, so I just took a teaspoon out of the bag and ground it up further in my Magic Bullet. The sausage went on top, then the string cheese. Since it was in a glass custard cup, I could put it in the oven. 375 for about 8 minutes. Oh yum. Totally simple, but really hit the spot.

Because I used my own homemade tomato sauce, there were no lumps. The string cheese didn't melt particularly well on top, but I stirred this altogether and it was great. I didn't have to chew a whole bunch (I'm still pretty tired and lazy) and the yield was 1/2 cup, which was perfect. I used just a touch of sausage because I hadn't had any meat up to this point and really just wanted some flavoring. It was enough to really fool my mouth into thinking it was really lasagna!! YUMMMM. The was really my *first* real food and my *first* meat, even though it was only a teaspoon. LOL.

Please be my friend on Myfitnesspal.com!

It is FREE!  I could go on and on about how much I like it, but really, you just need to check it out for yourself.  You can track everything you eat - super easy to update.  If you find something that isn't in the database (my shake wasn't), it is really easy to add something.  They also just came out with a barcode scanner - how cool is that?!  It is also a free app on my iphone.  

My user id is lifeisjustbeginning2011

Hope to see you there!

I feel good!!

Today was my first "good" day since pre-op.  I didn't feel like I was going to faint all day!  I still feel really tired, but starting solid food yesterday has really helped.  I got in 500 calories yesterday and should get that or maybe a little more today.  I'm up to 30 ounces of liquid and I can still do another 20 before I go to sleep tonight.  It is so incredibly difficult to get in the fluids.  

My food choices aren't the best, but at least my tummy has food and water again.  I'm planning that my body will really hold onto these first calories and I'll gain some weight, but I'd rather be healthy and be able to leave the house for more than an hour (haven't been able to because of feeling really faint).  YAY for a GOOD DAY!! 

Hungry Girl Cookbooks & Website

Found a potentially helpful website/tv cooking show/series of books:  Hungry Girl.  I'm not sure how band-friendly her recipes are, but they seem to be popular and may give me a few ideas.  I put them on hold at my local library.  One was called 200 under 200, another was 300 under 300, and there was one more.  She has a newsletter and some interesting videos on her website.  One of her recipes is a mozzarella cheese stick dipped in egg substitute and breaded with Fiber One crumbs to make a baked cheese stick.  Man....that sounds gooooood.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/ 

Sometimes my stupidity amazes me

As much as I comb the internet for hours a day, I missed something obvious.  I always like my drinks to be cold.  Milk, water, lemonade, everything.  DUH!!!!!  

COLD WATER MAKES THE LAP BAND CONSTRICT.  Duh.  I know I read that warm beverages might help if I get stuck, it never occurred to me that I could be making myself uncomfortable by drinking cold beverages.

I get the DUH award for the day.

Powdered Peanut Butter

My saving grace!  

http://bellplantation.com/

I bought a sample of regular and also chocolate peanut butter and I think my total with shipping was $3.99.  I'm a terrible critic - especially when it comes to my favorite things.  This suff tastes EXACTLY like peanut butter.  Once I tried the sample sizes, I bought 4 jars (2 regular and 2 chocolate) and it came to $25, including shipping.  The shipping is the killer - the stuff doesn't weigh much at all, but they only ship UPS, which was pretty expensive.  In the entire state of Arizona, it is only sold at one store called House of Fitness, and it is $9.99 a jar.  Once I found out the price, it only made sense to buy it online in a quantity.  

The website has all the nutritional information.  Go buy some!!!  My super picky tastebuds give this powdery delight double thumbs up!!!

New food today

2 tablespoons of fat free chocolate pudding with 1/2 teaspoon of powdered peanut butter.  Hopefully this ends better than last night.  <crossing fingers>

5 Day Postop Pic

This picture was taken as if you were facing me.  The white is a heating pad covering my chest area.  The heavily bruised incision is the port location, which is really the only part that still has a constant ache, but not pain. 

Today I'm headed up to Bed Bed & Beyond to buy one of these!  I'm not huge into protein drinks and smoothies, but I think I'm going to need this a lot for the next few weeks on mushies.  I'm finding that preparing for mushies (well, obsessing) is helping me get to Friday.

Sharting.

I refuse to discuss.

POOP!! YEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!

Well, I guess the title kind of gives away my surprise.  Man, I thought the day would never come.  I credit the applesauce (4 tablespoons) yesterday to helping with that.  After yesterday's bout with horrible chest pain after trying a protein shake, it will be a while before I attempt that again.  So right now, no protein intake - but focusing on hydration and some calories from fruit drinks to keep my energy up.  I'm quite sniffly today and I'm coughing up junk - I'm guessing mainly extra lung stuff from the anesthesia.  I'm using my Incentive Spirometer as often as I remember during the daytime to keep my lungs clear.  I'm feeling much less burpy today.  Yeah!

Day 3 Postop - How I Feel

Well, really, like someone is sitting on my belly and bouncing up and down.  There are all sorts of gurgling sounds and tummy rumbles.  There is still surgical gas present (they inflate your belly so they can see better).  I'm walking circles around the house because that is the only thing that seems to help. I'm off of the Lortab liquid pain reliever and onto liquid Tylenol, although I haven't needed it in the last 11 hours. I'm constantly burping!  Good news though - I had 2 tablespoons of applesauce for lunch today and no problems.  Hooray for small victories.

Post -Op - What can I eat?

For the first 48 hours, I only had water and fruit juice.

For days 3-7, I can have small amounts of protein shakes, water, juice, jello (I made 7 flavors), sugar free popsicles.  Honestly, that's all I want anyway.  :)

I will gradually work up to mushy food like mashes potatoes and pureed stuff like fruit cocktail.   Long term, in about a month, I'll be able to eat food with more texture. 

What has changed about my eating?

-SMALL portions (3-4 oz, three times a day),

-SMALL bites (I have to chew like crazy and nothing over the size of a dime

-NO water 1 hour before eating, while eating, or 1 hour after eating.  The area above the band is small, so it needs to be filled with healthy food, not space taken up by water.

Preparing for the surgery

What did I do to get ready for the surgery?  Well, I wanted the surgery right away when I went to True Results.  I had just bailed on a sneaky money hungry surgeon, so I was all ready to go.  Depending on their BMI's, some folks do a 2-3 week liquid diet.  It consists of about 4 protein shakes a day and a super low fat, low carb dinner (like a lean cusine).  Well, seeing as I'm unemployed right now, let's get the show on the road!! I opted for a 3 shake a day, 7 day diet (and nothing else).  I was so terribly weak and dizzy, but I made it!  The major stumbling block was discovering that I'm actually allergic to Whey Protein Isolate, the main ingredient.  After an episode of violent vomiting, I had to switch to Soy Chocolate.  Yeah, sounds great, eh?  Well, when that's the only thing you can have, it isn't so bad.

48 Hours Post-Op

These were taken yesterday, July 3rd, two days post op.  I removed the gauze squares and finally saw what things *sort of* look like.  These were taken looking down at my legs.  The picture with one incision is on my left side and the one with three incisions is on my left side.  The incision closest to my pj pants is the port site.

Officially Banded!!

 Pre-op - nifty gown and hat!

I knew that the IV start would be an issue!  Nurse tried several times and then the anesthesiologist ended up getting one in.  Apparently I have "valves" in my veins. 

 Success at last!  Took 45 minutes to get the IV in.  Crappy veins!!

 Warm toes while waiting for my turn for surgery

Here goes nothing!  I'm scared out of my mind, but you wouldn't know it from this picture!

This was taken after I got home.  It was taken up by my head and the pants are red if that helps.  The port is the most sore, it is the one furthest away from the camera to the left of my belly button.  Holy COW - talk about BLOATED!!