Saturday, January 22, 2011

Of Rice and Men...


So, on Tuesday I had my band filled for the first time. It was an interesting experience. I went to my surgeon’s office, checked in, got weighed (down 4 pounds since last appointment!), and waited for the doc. Once he arrived, he got me set up on the table and stared looking for my port. He managed to locate it, so we did not have to go down to radiology and use the x-ray machine to find it. So I’m lying on the table flat on my back and the doctor tells me ‘now, I need you to put your legs straight out and raise them about six inches off the table.’  Pardon? I should mention here that I have a bad back. An epically bad back. Like two herniated disks and arthritis bad. I don’t medicate it because if I took enough so that I could function normally, I would not actually be able to feed myself. The last time in the past year that I noticed no pain in my back was the first two days after surgery. Unfortunately, I also didn’t notice if I was dressed at the time, so whatever they gave me at the hospital is not really a viable daily option.  Anyway, after showing the doctor that I could only raise one leg at a time, and that it had taken three months of PT to get to that point, we tried a few other positions and finally found one that worked. He added 3cc of saline to the band, and sent me on my way. I was on liquids for 24-48 hours. I did feel some restriction the first day, but I’m pretty sure I will need another fill, considering how much sashimi I was able to eat last night. Sashimi is very good for me, but I should not have been able to eat the better part of a sashimi special, plus a pair of uni nigiri, and not feel like my gut was in imminent danger of exploding out of my chest and doing a little alien dance across the table, or at least feeling really, really full. 

This brings me to a favorite subject of mine: Sushi.  I love Sushi. A lot. Like, a lot, a lot.  The first thing I asked for once I was off liquids after surgery was Uni. Not ice cream, not a hamburger, but sea urchin roe. My husband, wonderful man that he is, actually went and got me some. So my first solid meal after surgery consisted of raw fish and miso soup. I was in heaven. Now, I have made the switch from actual sushi (raw fish and vinegared rice) to sashimi (raw fish and no rice). The rice, while wonderfully delicious, is full of carbs and prone to getting stuck in one’s band. Since I am morally opposed to things getting stuck, I will avoid the rice. I have always been more of a fan of sashimi and nigiri then of fancy rolls, so this is not a huge sacrifice for me. If you must have your volcano rolls, know that they can cause problems going down, not to mention that they have a ton of calories and carbs due to the rice, and mayo based sauces used in a lot of them. Many rolls are also deep fried, and some even have cream cheese in them. So, besides being about as traditionally Japanese as a bootleg Hello Kitty waffle maker, they are also yummy little fat bombs.
In review, today’s lesson is:  going out for Sushi is fun and can be very good for you. However, choose sashimi and miso soup over deep fried rolls and shrimp shumai.  Your band will love you for it.

2 comments:

  1. Could you please re-follow my blog! I changed the URL and now everyone who follows my blog can not see my new posts in their blog feed. http://mandyblapbandjourney.blogspot.com/

    Thank you,

    Mandy

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