Kathie52

Hi Kathie- what your looking for is a sticky topic at the top of the
POST-Operation Lap Band Surgery Questions & Answers forum. It's the surgery day stories thread. That is where people have posted their experiences.
As for me, it was a pretty easy go. I have had 3 c-sections and an ankle surgery. This was BY FAR easier than all those. I was in and out same day. I was in surgery about an hour. Before the surgery, I was nervous (I hate needles and always stress about the IV) so they gave me a little shot of somethin' somethin' (I can't remember what it was, but it was good stuff) and next thing I know I was in recovery. The anesthetic was not super heavy, I was able to "get out" from under it quickly- where with my last c-section where I had to be put completely out it was tougher. The big thing is the gas they pump you full of to maneuver around your guts. Walk, walk, walk is my big advice!

Its only a light anesthetic and lasts around an hour sometimes less .

I don't know about the others but I only remember being talked to as they wheeled me into the OR. Next was waking up. I only had 3 very small incesions and 1 a little larger. My insurance required me to stay overnight. I had ice chips in recovery, and was sipping Water soon after getting in my room. I had broth for lunch and carnation instant Breakfast for dinner. Doc put in a med delivery system so I had little pain. The gas started my first night home and was real bad for about three days. It would wake me at night and I would have to get up and walk around the house.

I was traveling today and it ended up taking longer than expected so I was not prepared and I had no time to stop to sit and eat.
I panicked...until I remembered that Chick-Fil-A now serves grilled chicken nuggets on the kids menu. I ordered 6 grilled chicken nuggets, fruit, and an unsweetened tea (for later) and it was awesome!!! The chicken probably had more salt than I would have used if i had cooked it at home, but it was still a much better choice than some other options.
Chicken = 110 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, & 20 grams of Protein
Fruit = 65 calories & 0 fat
Talking about saving the day! I could have had a major cheat situation but I avoided it!!!
Next time I will be more prepared, but this low fat, low calorie option did the trick today :-)

I'm still getting used to the adjustment I had Thursday and swallowed too big of a bite at dinner...instant misery. Sliming, burping, pain, the whole bit. I don't keep any pineapple juice in the house because I never think of it, but I knew I needed something acidic to help the food go down and fix my stupidity.
Desperate, I started rooting through the fridge and found a bottle of lime juice...unsweetened, mind you. I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I squirted some in a cup, held my nose, and drank it down. Holy crap, was it horrible! It actually made me shudder, it was so sour.
The next time I decide to be careless about my eating, I'll remember the taste of that lime juice and that should set me straight. Never again!

I drank & still do EAS ADVANTAGE. It is the best. Propel Zero Water in black cherry. You can eat Soup, Jello & jello pudding. sugar-free yogurt. Everything has to be sugar-free. It is a whole new lifestyle. I hate but, I need healthy. I am praying for you. I have been where u are at. Be strong & you can do it. If you can find CLEMMY'S ice cream it is sugar-free & good. I am here for u.

Strongly suggest going through insurance! A co-morbity that you could have and not know is sleep apnea. The time that it takes to get approved you can also do a ton of research and prepare yourself. Slow and steady wins the race

Cupcake, I know how your feeling. I am scheduled for the 6th and freaking out also. My pre op diet is kicking my a$$, hardest thing I ever did. Having that said, it doesn't take away from my mental satisfaction that I am actually doing something about my weight. You are 3x younger than me and my advise is that your so smart to do this before you go through menopause and all the other crap we women have to go through getting older.
I always think of 10 yrs down the road. What if I am facing open heart surgery, eye, kidney etc. problems because of diabetes. I look back and say "hmmm, that simple operation would of taken care of all this"
I hope I helped here. Please feel free to message me if you need to talk!

Cupcake, I know how your feeling. I am scheduled for the 6th and freaking out also. My pre op diet is kicking my a$$, hardest thing I ever did. Having that said, it doesn't take away from my mental satisfaction that I am actually doing something about my weight. You are 3x younger than me and my advise is that your so smart to do this before you go through menopause and all the other crap we women have to go through getting older.
I always think of 10 yrs down the road. What if I am facing open heart surgery, eye, kidney etc. problems because of diabetes. I look back and say "hmmm, that simple operation would of taken care of all this"
I hope I helped here. Please feel free to message me if you need to talk!

I am disappointed, I wrote a long and elaborate post to respond to this and my computer failed and deleted it....
Essentially, I am getting banded July 6th and share many of your concerns (or did). My big fears are how people will react to my weight loss and change in diet (no more chugging beers and eating pizzas with the boys). How I will like my new body (will I be a bag of skin? Will I lose weight in the right places?). And how I will cope with not having food as a comfort (I am seeking out support - therapy, overeaters anonymous, this forum, trying to start journaling). For me, as a type-A person who likes to do things right and be the best, a huge part of my anxiety was the food. Getting my supplements, taking the right Vitamins, following the rules so I don't make myself sick by being ignorant.
What really eased my mind was making a list of the things I needed, calling my Drs office and asking questions when I didn't understand the packet, posting on here for more variety/first hand experience with these issues, and then actually going out and making the purchases to prepare my self to be successful. I talked to my doctor about scars and found out about/opted for single incision. I got my Vitamins, found Protein powder/shakes I like, started tracking my calories (myfitnesspal.com), and bought a lapband specific cook book. I youtubed all sorts of skin remedies (I am using MSM and Biotin, and stopped tanning + more). I bought a fitness tracker (fitbit) and just set myself up for success. I ate through the excess food in my house that I wouldn't be allowed to have preop and post surgery so that it wasn't a temptation later. I made a bucket list of 10 foods I knew I would miss or restaurants I had been dying to try and I ate them all before starting my preop diet. I tried to count the calories and track them and see what I was really eating and I even took note of how I felt after each meal (to be honest when I really thought about the food, it wasn't as good as it was in my imagination). Thinking about my food I was also able to actually feel being full (not that that really stopped me from eating what I am kind of considering 'my last meals').
As for some of your direct questions, the pain can be monitored by pain killers that your Dr will prescribe. And the pain of surgery will last a few weeks most, but the emotional pain of being obese.... maybe we'll never fully kick that. Not to mention the physical pain of being obese -- chaffing, clothes pinching, sweating, walking far, stairs, sore feet, back pain, broken ankles (I fall all the time being fat and having awful balance). The reason I am doing the band instead of other bariatric surgery is because if I regret it, I can reverse it. You can get a 100% unfill, or the band removed completely. I can almost promise you will regret not getting it in a few years more than you regret getting it. I don't know if your regret is cost related (I am lucky that my insurance is paying), but when I talked to my surgeon, he asked why I decided now. I told him I got insurance that would cover it, and he said "but if you think about all the costs you have from being obese, is the band really that expensive?". I went home and crunched the numbers and I spent >$15,000 last year on food/fad diets/trainers/gyms/fat people clothes/obesity related drs appts/stretchmark creams/herbal remedies. The band costs well below that and will maybe even SAVE YOU money. I still can't imagine what it will be like not to tear through the only pair of jeans ($80/pair) that fit my body well every 3 months, and not having the perpetual "food drip oil stain" or "hole from where my stomach leans on the counter and rubs my jean zipper" on my shirts and having to buy new shirts every couple months (the same freaking shirts!!!). How nice it will be not to fight myself from breaking out the credit card at every infomercial offering weight loss/cleanse/diet pill. How it will feel to order $10 of chinese food and have leftovers rather than $40 of chinese food and wish that I had gotten those crab rangoons too.
I don't mean to be corny, but you can't succeed if you don't try. You automatically fail. So worrying about failure, seems moot. If you are like me, lapband is not the first diet plan you have tried. It is the last ditch effort to get your weight and life under control. By having the surgery you are upping your chances of success hugely, and without it, at least for myself, there would be virtually no chance of success, and a better chance at gaining another 100lbs in the next 4 years. A huge reason I chose lapband was because of the automatic support it provides and the virtually guaranteed success (with patience). You are REQUIRED to see your doctor for fills and follow ups. They don't just cut out half your stomach and say "good luck". They work with you and your band to help you get the results you are looking for. The support and motivation that seeing your doctor until you have it under control, for me, is a huge win. It almost feels fool proof as long as I am willing to put in the time and wait until I find my sweet spot.
My advice is to keep using this forum to ask any last minute questions you have. Re read through the surgeons packet and make sure you have no questions. Start taking the steps to success by purchasing the tools you need to begin with your best foot forward. Get into the mentality that you are about to add life to your life. Make a list of the things you want to do once you hit your goals and use that as motivation to do the preop diet and walk into the surgery feeling confident you can be successful. I started looking at all the skinny girl clothing sites that I have not fit into for >6 years and started making "shopping bags" of all the clothes I would want to fit into. I made a pinterst board of the tattoos, skydiving, rollercoasters and things that I can't or don't feel comfortable doing now, that I want to add to my life. Think of scenarios that frighten you (for me it is how I will be social with my friends without food) and make alternatives (go kayaking, see a movie, have a cookout at my house where I can provide myself with proper food, work out with the boys instead of drinking beer with the boys). My therapist helped me look up overeaters anonymous groups in my area and lapband support groups from my surgeons office and plan to attend a lot in the first few months. I'm sure it won't all be easy, but removing these "variables" has eased my mind SO MUCH.
I hope this is more helpful than preachy. It was actually a huge help to me to write all this down and reaffirm why I am doing this. I wish you luck with your surgery, fellow-july-bander. And please contact me or ask more questions. I don't have all the answers and I would love as much support as I can get as I make this change. This forum has been beyond helpful for me in answering questions and realizing that I am not the only person with my concerns. I have found plenty of people with the exact same fears/concerns/flaws and sometimes they have the answers too. There isn't one way to be successful on the band, and between lapbandtalk and youtube I have found the pieces I need to feel like I can succeed.
.... Can you imagine what my pre-deleted post was if this is my "essentially" version. HAHA.

Cupcake, I know how your feeling. I am scheduled for the 6th and freaking out also. My pre op diet is kicking my a$$, hardest thing I ever did. Having that said, it doesn't take away from my mental satisfaction that I am actually doing something about my weight. You are 3x younger than me and my advise is that your so smart to do this before you go through menopause and all the other crap we women have to go through getting older.
I always think of 10 yrs down the road. What if I am facing open heart surgery, eye, kidney etc. problems because of diabetes. I look back and say "hmmm, that simple operation would of taken care of all this"
I hope I helped here. Please feel free to message me if you need to talk!

Cupcake, I know how your feeling. I am scheduled for the 6th and freaking out also. My pre op diet is kicking my a$$, hardest thing I ever did. Having that said, it doesn't take away from my mental satisfaction that I am actually doing something about my weight. You are 3x younger than me and my advise is that your so smart to do this before you go through menopause and all the other crap we women have to go through getting older.
I always think of 10 yrs down the road. What if I am facing open heart surgery, eye, kidney etc. problems because of diabetes. I look back and say "hmmm, that simple operation would of taken care of all this"
I hope I helped here. Please feel free to message me if you need to talk!

We will be just fine!! I am scheduled on July 10th and I know the nerves are bound to kick in...but right now I am just excited and anxious to start my new life.
Remember how you feel everytime you do something that you are miserable doing because of the weight...or how you look in the mirror...or when your doctor gives you yet more bad news about your health? Well think about that and then think about the joy you will have when all of that no longer happens...it is so worth a few days or even a week of pain to get to that healthy person we are on the inside.

You are both doing one of the best things for your bodies you could possibly do. Do you know how many wonderful benefits you'll enjoy once the weight starts coming off? No more worries about diabetes type II - your blood pressure worries will become a thing of the past - your energy and happiness levels will fill the room - Truly, it feels like winning the lottery. Yes, there will be some difficult times: remember, this surgery is NOT a magic bullet, but it will be like receiving an unfair advantage. Failure? Forget about it. Seriously, the last thing on your minds will be eating poorly. For me, I was afraid of the coming years continuing as I had! That's what was scary to me. I didn't want to leave my wife a widow before hitting 50 years old.
Also, attend your support groups through your hospital / surgery center. Communicate here. And: "To worry is to pay interest on a debt that might not even come due"

So I'm sure we have all misspelled things here and there and that is not a big deal. But I'm getting a little irritated trying to read through some of these posts that people can't use the correct spelling or even near proper grammar! There is spell-check on the computer for you, use it if you're that bad at it! I have stopped responding to some posts that have decent questions because I want to tell them to go back to school and get it right! I don't take people very seriously when they can't type a sentence. To clarify more not talking about using little words like lol, lmao, btw etc. I'm talking about spelling & grammatical errors. These are not some of the larger, harder to spell words such as anesthesia either, these are simple every day words!

Is anyone else bothered by this?? I hope I'm not the only one! (Once again, typos are common…but a few things I've noticed on here tonight I'll list…I even used it in a small sentence!

Right spelled Wright….(…eating the right way…)
Right spelled Rite…(…eating the right way…)
Weigh spelled Way…(… I weigh myself…)
Weight spelled Wait…(…my weight this morning was…)
Losing spelled Loseing…(…I've been losing lots of weight…)
You're spelled Your…(…you're over thinking this…)
Waste spelled Waist…(…why waste your time…)

Ok I'm just going to stop there, I'm sure you get the point.

July 12th is my B-Day!!!! I'm so happy! I start Pre-op on July 5th. Congratulations to everyone that will be getting banded this month, WE ROCK!!!!

I dunno if there is another area for this. It is all coming at me so quick. I am in League City, Tx, just south of Houston about 20 minutes. Having surgery at Memorial Hermann SE.
I have, of course been watching many a you tube video and one in particular says it is super important to have persons around you in the same boat to keep you on your toes.
I am approved and awaiting my July date exactly. Anyone interested in maybe creating a FB page for SE Houston bandsters? Maybe some coffee/tea somewhere and then a phone support system after?

Hi. I had surgery June 13. I felt the same way right before, however, my doc did not require a pre-op diet for me, just a day before was all liquid. I felt scared, nervous, worried, everything but excited. After surgery, for the first I'd say 4-5 days I repeatedly questioned myself. As time passes, I feel better each day. The worried doubts and thoughts are less and less as I get used to this lifestyle change. Good luck! Remember, in the end it will be well worth it.

Oh girl, you bet I will. And on Wed I will be thinking of you! Please post how it went. If you start to get the pre op nerves Tues night, you PM me, K?
Sending angels to be with you!

I have a confession to make?!......I am a yankee But for the last 5 years I have lived in TX! AND I love you TX peeps! Please dont hold it against me. I got here as soon as I could!

Just a note to say that this morning I hit 145.0 pounds - which means I've lost 131 pounds in just over 11 months from surgery - And I finally hit a normal BMI!!!! (i'm on the high end of normal - but normal nonetheless!!!!). I'm so excited. From tight size 22/24 to loose size 8 and size 6 - with medium and small shirts!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!! BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!!!

First 6 days for HELL, excuse my language but it was, nausea, Constipation, gas pains, soreness, etc. And finally I hit today and feel great! yay. I'm down 17 lbs total in three weeks, I'm excited about that. Thanks for all of you all who gave me suggestions for constipation and gas pains and nausea, it helped.
Donna

Today is the day!!!
I go in about 2 hours ??????????????? very excited!!!

Now thats sounds like how the process should work