Ronnivee

Congratulations!!!!

I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't get banded. At 43 years old I managed to avoid a lot of health conditions that run rampant in my family. My eating and weight gain was out of control and it was starting to affect my quality of life. My mobility was at stake and I was afraid of what my life would be like at 50.

Hello Everyone, My name is Ronnivee and I am 43 years old. After several years of being on the fence about Lap-band surgery, I have finally done it! My surgery date was June 12th and went very well. I still have a bit of port pain (burning and pulling sensation around my port area when I transition positions), but according to my doctor this is normal and will subside in a few weeks. Some of the things I learned and didn't expect: 1) Recovery time - I thought that since I only had to stay in the hospital 1 day, I would be fully recovered and life would resume to normal. I was very lucky, I didn't experience the horrible gas pains in the neck and shoulders that most people do. I had some discomfort in my stomach but it went away with mylanta gas and walking around. What bothered me most was the pain around my port area. It was not constant pain, but any transition that I made there was an intense burning and pulling - like something was going to rip. I was assured by my doctor that it was the muscle healing around the port. 2) Energy level - I feel like I am in limbo. Before surgery, my eating habits were HORRIBLE and usually ended up with me on the couch in a carb induced coma. Currently, I am still on low/no carb liquids which has certainly been a challenge itself. My brain is fully awake and ready to go, but my body is still recovering from surgery and I am tired. This is a very strange feeling for me. 3) Getting Hungry - pre-surgery, I was constantly eating. I never allowed my stomach to be hungry. Stuffing myself constantly was an everyday thing for me - so feeling hunger pangs is very odd. I'm learning to listen to my body and training myself to eat because I need to and not because I want to... 4) Buyers Remorse - around day 4 and 5 I didn't expect to feel so sorry for myself - sorry that I couldnt indulge in all the food that my family was eating. I got depressed that I couldn't just pick up the phone and order my normal take-out and binge myself into yet another carb-coma. I cursed myself for making this decision, thought about ways I could get this removed (only for 2 seconds) and thought to myself "Damn, what the heck did I do." a lot of self-talk, watching inspirational you-tube videos and journaling really helped me on these days. As they say, This too shall pass - and it did - at least for now... Sorry I was so long winded, but I hope this helps those who were banded after me or those who are considering becoming banded. 2 weeks out and I would do it again... Especially since I am down 16lbs since surgery

It's tough and I am still struggling. But I kept reminding myself of why I came to the decision of a lap band in the first place. I try to remember how awful I felt AFTER I ate the food that wasnt good for me - how I'd end my evenings in carb-induced coma and so sluggish that I didn't want to do anything but sit around and sleep. How I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I made a list of all of the NSV's (non-scale victories I want to accomplish). Things I haven't been able to do in a long time - like get on an airplane without an extender belt, wear heels higher than 2 inches and going to six flags without stressing if I am going to fit on the rides or not. I watched video after video on you tube - lap band success stories. I also researched recipes for healthier substitutes of the stuff I want to eat when I am cleared for regular food. I have recipes for a healthier option pizza, Mexican chicken, Chinese stir fry options, burgers - all of my favorite foods. I have been collecting recipes and will begin to make them them and modify them to suit my new lifestyle. I have healthy recipes for the next stage I will be on... Journaling helps a whole lot too. It keeps your thoughts in order and provides a bit of a distraction. Hang in there - this too shall pass. At least for a while lol...

I was banded on June 12th. I felt like I was going to rip apart. I would say it began to feel better to move around day 11. I still have some burning day 15 but nothing near to what I felt at first. Hang in there!

Good Luck!!! You will be better before you know it!

Thank everyone for your encouragement! DeAna N, I was fortunate enough to be able to take several weeks off to recover. I was completely off of any pain meds by day 4. Sitting for a long period of time was not a problem for me. What hurt was transitioning positions - sitting to standing, I could not really bend, if I got up I had to sit back down slowly. Everyone's experience is different, but I was lucky in terms pain. I was really fatigued though - I felt like napping through out the day. it was not unbearable though - I think if I had to return to work I would have been ok. Hopefully, your job is not too demanding. My only advice would be to get up and walk, walk, walk as soon as you can in the hospital. It helps to move the gas around and I think that really helped me avoid all the serious gas pains. Good luck

I was Banded on June 16th and I had the same reservations/fears that you do. 1) regrets once you have the band in - I am sure you will have your days of regrets. Mine were days 4 and 5 post op. I thought to myself, what did I do. Lots of self-talk, journaling, reminding myself what brought me to this decision and reading others stories helped this feeling pass. 2) initial pain - I was fortunate enough to not have severe gas pain. But I did have pain/burning at my port site. Pain was managed through I'V medications at the hospital and liquid meds at home. By day 4 I didn't anything at all. 3) what if I fail - I think everyone feels this at one point in time. I think the beauty of the band is that it has it's own "restart" button. If at anytime you feel like you are "failing" you can go in for a fill. This allows you to examine your choices, figure out why you are gaining/not losing and modify your game plan. Remember, the band is not a quick fix, it is a tool to help you lose weight. If you use the tool correctly, you can't fail... I wish you much luck!