AWholeNewMama

I'm glad you posted this! I've been wondering too. For some reason the drain freaks me out more than anything else!

I have never been able to maintain more than a 20-lb weight loss. I've come to the conclusion that no, I can't do it on my own. I am 100+ lbs overweight, and have been depressed since my oldest child was born. Between the depression and the extra weight, the energy is simply not there, and psychologically, the self-control is not there either.

Okay, six weeks is about what I thought. This will be my 4th abdominal surgery, so I think I know the drill, but then again I've never had my insides rearranged to quite this extent. Thanks to you both for the input!

Hi all! New(ish) to the forum. I was here in 2012, considering a lap-band, but surgeon advised me to finish having kids before I did WLS. So here I am, done having kids, and now I'm looking at RNY. I go for my initial consult in a couple weeks, and if the timeline is anything like it was when I first saw my surgeon in 2012, I should be having my surgery in just a couple months. That said, I need to start thinking about recovery. I'm a stay-at-home mom and have 3 little kids, including a 2-year-old whom I still need to lift on occasion. For those who have done this surgery and have kids, can you please tell me: How long was it before you could lift your children? How long did you need help taking care of the kids after your surgery? How many nights did you stay in the hospital? Anything else I should know about post-op and kids? TIA!!

My surgeon said that he will keep me overnight, although it will be less than 24 hours, so it's still considered "outpatient."

I have a couple goals. One is to be able to shop wherever I want, not just at the plus-size stores. Another is to feel more comfortable in my own skin. A third is to feel more confident and less self-conscious around other people. And most importantly, I have two kids, and I want to be healthy for them.

Congrats on your weight loss, and on the TT! You look fantastic!

Thanks for the welcome! I have BCBS-IL, and they recently got rid of the 6-month waiting period. But I'm still worried I won't qualify, because my BMI is 39.5, and overall I'm moderately healthy (I've been very lucky in this regard). With BMI of 35-39, they require 2 other conditions off a list of several things (heart disease, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea). I only have one (high cholesterol), and possibly two, but I'm not sure if all my back pain could be construed as arthritis. I have a strong family history of heart disease (everyone in my family has it. Literally, everyone.), but I don't think that will help in this case. Darn that half a BMI point! The woman on the phone actually said "wear heavy clothes," LOL. So we'll see.

Hi! I'm new here too, not banded yet, but going for my consult on Friday. I saw your thread and had to respond, because I've had a couple surgeries. I had my appendix removed in '07, and my gallbladder removed in '09. Appendix was done the old-fashioned (not laparoscopic) way, and the gallbladder was done laparoscopically. Honestly, neither of them was that terrible! In both cases, the nurses were really helpful. I was able to speak with the surgeon beforehand. The nurses talked me through the whole process. And my husband was able to sit with me in the pre-op area while they were getting me ready. As far as the needles, I highly recommend just looking away. Tell the nurse in advance that you don't want to see the needle! They deal with patients who are afraid of needles all the time, and they'll be nice! The anesthesia is sort of a weird thing, because once you wake up, you realize that you don't really remember much before the surgery! So like, I was told that I was still conscious when they wheeled me into the OR, but I don't remember it at all! Not sure if that helps you at all, but it does for me. The recovery isn't that bad. With my appendix, I've got an approx. 2.5" scar, and with the GB, I have four small scars. The large incision hurt a LOT more than the bunch of small ones! Anyway, good luck, and I hope that helps!

Hi, I'm Molly, and I'm going for my Lap-Band consult this Friday. I'm very excited, a little nervous, and a lot terrified that insurance will deny me! Fingers crossed! Anyway, I've been lurking for a few days, and just wanted to say this forum has so much great advice, info, and inspiration!