buckeyegirl4

11 hours post op and I am feeling pretty good. Pain at about a 2 on the 1-10 scale. Ice chips are the best! I am so happy to be on this journey!

you had surgery 5 days ago right?
first let me say if you're concerned call your doc...
second, you're gonna be sore, they pumped you full of gas sewed a port to your muscle, put a band around your stomach and sewed that too. I was sore for 2 weeks before it really started getting better and the 3rd to 8th days were the worst.
also it can take awhile for your appetite to return, but be careful of what your eating most people are only on liquids right now.
again though it is normal to be very sore, listen to your body and if you think something isn't right call your dr.s office thats what their there for.
as far as having regrets i guess thats up to you, i had surgery in april and have lost 50lbs and still going strong, I have no regrets, maybe in a few weeks i hope you won't regret it either!
Goodluck and take care

I had my gall bladder removed on Feb 1, 2013 and I am having LB on May 30, 2013. My surgeon, GP and LB Surgeon were completely fine with it. And said the healing process is going to be about exactly the same. They said that they will not use the same incisions that I have, so I am going to look like a collinder LOL! Other than that, he was not concerned at all. I had surgery on a Thursday and came back to work the next Tuesday. I was tired, but fine. Good luck to you.

The band itself does not cause gb disease weight loss caused by the band does. This is why the fatter you r the higher the chances. Because most of us have dieted on and off for years. One fad diet or another weight loss and gain up and down. This is what causes Gb disease.
Every patient is different and Gb removal effects every one differently. My recovery was quick as I was back at work in 3 days. But I think we got off the question which I think was how long too wait before having lb after Gb surg. I think that's up to the Individual person how well you heal and your doctor.
So good luck buckeye girl

Some challenges that I have had.... As my band gets tighter there is some foods that I can no longer eat... Like breads, lunch meats. Now that I have 7.5 cc in my 11 cc band I can no longer warm food up in the Microwave.. Goes down great the first day but left overs warmed up never seem to go down.. When I asked if other people had this problem.. It's seems very common. I have no regrets. But I will say this road was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.... Never thought it was going to be a piece of cake... But I until my last fill.. I really had to work super hard.. And walk away on times I was still hungry! Now I get full and I have to walk away from the food because my brain still wants it but my Stomach is full! I'm loosing slower than most but I'm learning everyday..... And I never plan on looking back..

I finished my first 5k this past weekend! The race was for Challenge Obesity and it was cool to run alongside other runners who had lost 100+ lbs. Crazy to think that 1 1/2 years ago I couldn't even walk 2 blocks without being completely winded. I'm so grateful for my health and just wanted to share.

had mine removed in 03 and aside from stomach being very sore the 3rd to 5th day after, it was okay....i missed only 2 days of work and was told not to lift heavy items for a month...

1st post!
Post op 5 weeks now ( g band)
Preop 328
Now 308lb!
Feel great and just had my first fill!
I'm also a surgery resident so I put these in fairly regularly

I had an open gallbladder surgery 20 yrs ago (at age 25). It was really infected so they couldn't do it laprascopically. I woke up with an ng tube in my nose and in unbearable pain. I was constantly asking for morphine every 4 hrs. Spent 6 days in the hospital. So....my lapband was a piece of cake! I've had foot surgery, knee surgery, 3 laparoscopys for infertility - and the band was by far the easiest.
Good luck! The uncomfortable stage is over quickly and your life will be back to normal soon
Marci

I'll keep you in my prayers.
You'll feel SO much better!

I am at a different hospital! I don't think they would even entertain it. The liquid diet that I am on is the absolute same process too!

Oh no, I'm so sorry.
I will tell you this, a gallbladder can really mess you up when it goes. I had high liver enzymes, low kidney function, low potassium, and my blood pressure was only 90/50 all because my gallbladder was so bad.
Let them take it and deal with the Lap Band after. You could end up really sick if you don't.

Aww I'm so sorry about your gallbladder but better to have it out first. I had my gallbladder out several years ago and my gallbladder was a mess. I'm sure your surgeon will reschedule after he makes sure you're healed from the gallbladder. Hopefully it won't be long. I wish you well.

I love my band!!

Your never to old to get healthy Good Luck I'm working on it myself

I'm so sorry its necessary to remove your band, hopefully the bypass surgery will go well and you'll do even better than you did with the band.

Thanks all for the wonderful words of encouragement! I am ready to start this new chapter of my life. I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

I sincerely hope my 2nd thoughts pass soon but I am 50. Is that too old?

For right now, I guess, I am the old one of the bunch. I had my lap band put in 3 years ago at 68 years of age. Lost about 40+ pounds, and now I'm grieving. Just talked with the nurse, after having an endoscopy two weeks ago, and they are requesting "urgent removal" through my insurance. My doctor won't even reconsider re-banding, or trying to get it to slip back. I loved my band as I never had a problem with it, not once. Not till now and I still have no signs or symptoms. So will have the band removed by the end of next months, then 3 months of supervised weight management then in for bypass. So those of you that are younger than me, and need to get your weight off especially for health reasons, do it. My band has saved my life and basically has made me a new person.

I know you're nervous, Bluemoon, and want to just hear great things. But I am one (like 2muchfun) who wanted to know EVERYTHING and then form my own conclusions. It's my opinion that these forums are to network with real people who have had the experience so people who are considering it or who are newly banded get the truth of what their journey may be like. Otherwise, it would be just the same as a paid advertisement, just fairy dust and moonbeams....sign here.
As far as the gas pain in my shoulder, yeah, I had it for the first week. Even now if I "stuff" my band I get that same pain back. Not pleasant and I "get" the point of control all over again. After the first year if you continue to stretch your pouch to a certain size, you won't get that full feeling and you'll just be eating more. The way you have to fix it is go on a 5 day pouch shrinking diet which is back to liquids and mush to gt it back in shape. After the first few years food rarely "comes up" anymore. I still feel uncomfortable if I am eating too much.
For instance: Before the band I could easily eat two burgers as well as fries. Right after banding, I ate the patty and 1/2 a salad and did not miss the bread. That lasted a year or so. Then I was able to eat 1/2 of the burger and take the rest home. A few years later, I added some fries. Now I will eat a whole burger, feel very uncomfortable, and give my fries away at the table. Yesterday while out to lunch with my son and husband, I ate maybe 6 fries, felt full, and sliced off 1/6 of my philly cheese steak sandwich and had to wrap the rest up. I am thrilled. I didn't WANT it! Many times my husband has brought home giant steak sandwiches (thinly sliced) and he eats the whole thing and I eat a quarter. But I learned early just because I didn't finish mine it does not mean it's up for grabs. It's still mine....for another day. I label it with my name. The same goes for Chinese food. I never want to feel I have to "eat my share" because it's so good and it'll be all gone. We each eat what we want that night. Then I divide the leftovers evenly and mark our names. Mine can last for days. So even though I have relaxed on the type of food I eat, I'm now trained to eat much less than I used to.
My one problem was with myself. I insisted on being filled a little too tightly and where I got fills she did not have a Fluoroscopy machine. She just has us drink Water to be sure we can get it down. I was constantly getting food stuck. It caused pain and my esophagus swelled up. I had to have all the fill removed by her several times and allow things to heal for a month. I learned, but after maybe 6 times of this, I now have scar tissue on my esophagus. So even though I had, say, 2.4 cc and could eat carefully with that, I finally settled on 2cc for my best fill. I go back every year or so to check, and guess what? It doesn't evaporate like I've heard some say. She always withdraws it and compares it to my file, then gives me a fresh fill.
You should also remember that we are all going to react to foods differently. I can eat iceberg lettuce, but not the less crispy kind. I can eat pork, chicken, ground beef, but no more steak. I don't know why. It's just too chewy and not worth the trouble. I really don't miss it. I avoid (but not cut out entirely) potatoes, rice and Pasta because they go down too easily and would take up all my space.
I do break a rule and I'm just being totally honest here. I love Diet Coke. I never stopped drinking it. I do moderate it and only drink one to two cans a day. some say the carbonation can corrode the band. I haven't had that problem, but I expected to, except it doesn't sit in the pouch. It's my vice.
I'm posting anything and everything I can think of from all I've gone through. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anything. I'm also a nurse. I may not be the perfect banded person, but I'm human and adjusted to a banded life well without really missing stuff I can no longer eat.

So confusing! This sight has been amazing to me! I know, good AND bad about the band. All advice AND advisors have been a tremendous help. People are different but the before AND after photos say it all. I just want my band AND a chance for a better quality of life. Thanks everyone...

So confusing! This sight has been amazing to me! I know, good AND bad about the band. All advice AND advisors have been a tremendous help. People are different but the before AND after photos say it all. I just want my band AND a chance for a better quality of life. Thanks everyone...