Lori Jo

I have been off this site for a while and decided to come back to see if I am not alone in this! I know we all have different experiences, but mine seems to be unique! Has anyone had lap band surgery and when they were intubated their vocal chords were damaged? Well I hope I am alone or if there is someone out there who has experienced this, please look me up! I had surgery on 4-1-13 and when I had the surgery the anesthesiologist never came to have a talk with me, she sent her assistant, and well just asked if anyone in my family or if I had ever had problems waking up after surgery, etc... anyway, I have no voice, a week after the surgery I was in the ER with what they thought was pulmonary embolisms, well it was where my left vocal chord was paralyzed and all the docs kept telling me to wait and my voice would return. Note to you....don't let anyone tell you to wait when you think something is wrong! So I had been injected with some sort of collagen material to move the chord back to the center, that was two weeks ago and when I went to see my doc it appears to not have worked. I am so upset! We can inject it again and hope it takes or we can put in an implant and hopes that it will take....I am soooo planning on suing, I never ever thought this would happen. It has affected my weight loss, my surgery recovery and my psyche as I sound like a man.....wouldn't be so bad except I am a woman. Anyone out there that has this, let me know...I need someone to talk with!

does anyone still drink diet soda....I know they say that it can cause bloating...I will gladly put up bloatedness for a diet coke!

ok, I see I made a mistake on my post......I did follow the 24 hour liquid, the first thing I ate after that 24 hour period was cottage cheese and tuna.....

I have had my first fill, it was May 8 and they told me to do only fluids the first 24 hours to eat. I was sooooo hungry that I ate cottage cheese with tuna. I know I ate way too fast and then there was pain and then I threw up. I know this band is very resilient but I feel no restriction, like I did at that time, I know I have slowed down in eating, but I am hungry....is this normal?

Again this subject comes up. Yes you are only cheating yourself, I for one di cheat almost everyday, I was a little heavier than you but it didn't make a difference to my surgery, I went thru it with flying colors Your diet after your surgery is different, you will be able to eat mushies by week two, your band, if not filled, will only limit what you can eat. Once you get your band filled you wont be able to eat anything but what is on your list or you will vomit it up. You did a great thing, you limited your calories for that day, if you are going to cheat, do not eat ANY fat, it is to shrink your liver, if you don't have a fatty liver most docs wont make you go on a diet, I did so I avoided FAT like the plague. You can do this, we cannot change how we eat overnight or why we eat overnight, don't be so hard on yourself. If you were heavier I would tell you to not cheat. I didn't tell my doc that I cheated and they all know that we do, someone on here said that 90% do cheat, I believe that or we wouldn't need this weight loss surgery. I am an opponent of building up and not tearing down. Hang in there, you will find your way! Good luck on your surgery.

it will be at least a week, hope you feel better soon!

OK....I think that I am reading things right but I want to see if I understood my doc right. When hospitalized I was given a lot to drink and eat, I never felt full, my doc told me that the band was just placed and not inflated...so that means I can eat what I want right? I mean I can drink water without having to sip and although I am not hungry with the band not inflated I could eat like lets say.....a piece of pizza? OK...don't get all postal on me...I have lost 18 pounds in 10 days....wow....so I cant wait until a fill will make me full. Anyone else's doctors just place the band and leave it unfilled?

Man...really, I have no appetite, I have to force myself to eat....really!!

Nope.....had oatmeal, 4 oz of carnation instant Breakfast, pudding.....I didn't eat it all but it was there

I made mine with water, I would add like 6 ice cubes and fill the cup to measure 1 c. with water and then put half of a banana in it with the chocolate, yummy..they are thinner, with milk it was so thick...ewww, also our doc let us put in a tablespoon of peanut butter, I use the trop 50 o.j. and add that to vanilla, it is like an orange Julius, mmmm and then add a cup of cold coffee to the chocolate for a yummy mocha coffee shake.....you can also add fruit, etc....good luck!!

WOW!! Congrats on your weight loss!!! Amazing and inspirational!

and keeps you from losing your hair.....eeek!

you are making a great change and congrats to that!!

You all know that I was banded on 4-1-13 and that I had a slight virus when banded...well.....this is something that can happen to you too. It is very important to walk, walk, walk......since I was sick after surgery, I only walked a few times.....here and there as I was a walking coughing machine....one week to the day (5 days post-op) I was rushed to the hospital from my PCP office with pulmonary embolisms! I know that this is rare, but it does happen, and btw, if it is gonna happen it is gonna happen to me. The good news is that my health is back and I am on the mend. Watch for these signs.....extremely week, trouble breathing, heart racing when walking,

WOW! Good luck.....

T Thanks to all of you!!!!

I was banded on 4-1-13. A few days before surgery I was getting a scratchy throat and cough. I contacted my surgeon and his partner was on call and told me it was ok, it was probably just a bug. They did surgery on me and I got very sick, coughing with a stomach full of incisions is not fun normally but with the cough, fever and chills.....bad, bad idea. Remember this if it happens to you. I also want those of you out there thinking this is going to change your eating habits because you cant eat is wrong. I was pretty sick the first 5 days, day 6 (today) is better. I am having trouble swallowing pills, I have no cravings, yet don't know how much to eat since my surgeon told me that I just wouldn't be hungry. It is hard to get up each day and know that although my stomach changed, my mind hasn't. My husband is having a hard time with me not being able to eat, we loved to go out and eat and shop and eat some more, 3 course meals! He isn't fat, but I can see that this week we didn't eat out once, I know we will save money, but I do know that when I went into subway to get a catering menu the smell was haunting. I never ate because I was hungry, I ate because it smelled good or sounded good. This surgery will not fix that. I heard of people talking about eating pizza day 3, man, lucky turds....I can barely get a protein shake down. I know BOOHOOBOOHOOOOOOO!!!! I want you to know that I am not a quitter, I want you to know this surgery takes work, it is hard, it hurts and as God is my HOLY witness I will do this, the facts are hard, the rewards will be amazing, support and loving family members are the key to success!! Lean on them!! Onwards and upwards (or should I say down wards!)

I feel that lying to people really isn't right for me, I am proud to have this surgery, I call my lapband "Leonard" so I say diet, exercise and Leonard my trainer....if they ask who Leonard is then I say my lapband, if they ask, I tell them to go on line or talk to their doctor. As for work, it is no ones business, I do want to say that everyone is different, my doc told me that office job people generally return to work after a week.....omg...I am just a week post op and cannot even think about returning to work....don't think 3 days is gonna be realistic. I remember when Star Jones lost all her weight and other stars too, but I remember her, when she lost it and said she did it with diet and exercise and then it came out she had a bypass everyone called her a liar and it hurt her integrity, I am not divulging the info but if someone asks I tell them....good luck!

I was banded on 4-1-13. A few days before surgery I was getting a scratchy throat and cough. I contacted my surgeon and his partner was on call and told me it was ok, it was probably just a bug. They did surgery on me and I got very sick, coughing with a stomach full of incisions is not fun normally but with the cough, fever and chills.....bad, bad idea. Remember this if it happens to you. I also want those of you out there thinking this is going to change your eating habits because you cant eat is wrong. I was pretty sick the first 5 days, day 6 (today) is better. I am having trouble swallowing pills, I have no cravings, yet don't know how much to eat since my surgeon told me that I just wouldn't be hungry. It is hard to get up each day and know that although my stomach changed, my mind hasn't. My husband is having a hard time with me not being able to eat, we loved to go out and eat and shop and eat some more, 3 course meals! He isn't fat, but I can see that this week we didn't eat out once, I know we will save money, but I do know that when I went into subway to get a catering menu the smell was haunting. I never ate because I was hungry, I ate because it smelled good or sounded good. This surgery will not fix that. I heard of people talking about eating pizza day 3, man, lucky turds....I can barely get a protein shake down. I know BOOHOOBOOHOOOOOOO!!!! I want you to know that I am not a quitter, I want you to know this surgery takes work, it is hard, it hurts and as God is my HOLY witness I will do this, the facts are hard, the rewards will be amazing, support and loving family members are the key to success!! Lean on them!! Onwards and upwards (or should I say down wards!)

try using water in your soups.....

thanks for the suggestions, I was just having a pity party and I look forward to eating out, do you guys know if it is safe to eat spicy food? I hope so....

Me too! 5 days out and my nurse asked if I was drinking with a straw....what? I am glad that this is experienced by others, also very gassy, have been walking, not helping much

where is your port, mine is where my jeans hit and I am sure it is going to be painful too? one incision at the breast bone the other four are at my waist...I am worried!

yes I am serious, surgery went well and when I returned home I got on the scale to track my weight loss, up 11 pounds, is this really happening? Help!!

thank you, thank you and thank you!!