NoWorry

Hi Angie, Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to pack juice boxes, powdered broth and tea bags. Anything else? Someone else mentioned that there is a costco just down the street from the hotel which carries most of these items. Is that right? Sanjay

Now that you're back, anythink you wish you'd taken that wasn't on your list?

My pre-op instructions said no alcohol for 2 weeks prior to surgery. I forgot and had two drinks last night. Big problem?

As I understand it, the vast majority of initial weight loss is simply water loss. The body simply does not have the ability to burn more than a few pounds of fat a week. Eliminate salt intake, all caffeine, drink large quantities of plain water (no sodium, no sweetener) for just a day and you'll find yourself peeing like a race horse and see a massive weight loss the following morning. If you have swollen ankles and puffiness around your face, it might even warrant a diuretic pill which will further escalate shedding of excess water.

I haven't even had the surgery yet, but just my pre-op diet has caused an elevated level of unhappiness. As best as I can tell, a substantial portion of my happiness comes from eating and being deprived of it naturally reduces my level of joy and pleasure. I am preparing for a significant initial increase in unhappiness and depression following the surgery. On the advice of friends and family, I am looking for alternate expressions of happiness - I have a bunch of feel-good movies and books lined up for after surgery. I am planning on spending lots of time talking with the friends and family who usually elevate my feelings of happiness. Whatever it takes to get through a major life changing event in my life!

I am under the impression that the reason for not having alcohol is because it causes the liver to swell and part of the banding procedure involves moving the liver out of the way. I guess the question I'm asking is how much liquor causes the liver to swell sufficiently to have a negative effect on the surgery or on recovery time.

When I bought my mask, I also got a spare because I was also told that I would need a new mask in 6 months. I also bought a few extra 'pillows' to replace during the 6 months. It's been 18 months since I last replaced the pillows and the original mask is doing just fine. I haven't noticed any deterioration in either the mask or the pillows during that time. Go figure.

My CPAP machine changed my life. I had become depressed, short-tempered, unhappy, stressed and generally mean, without having the slightest clue that it was a severe lack of sleep that was causing it. Within 2 weeks of being diagnosed with sleep apnea, and sleeping with my CPAP - in spite of the discomfort and adjustment to the equipment - I noticed key changes in all area of my life. I'm not crazy about sleeping with a mask on my face, but compared to the alternative it's a simple no-brainer!

According to my pre-op instructions, I'm not allowed to have Aspirin or NSAIDs (including Ibuprofen) during the week immediately prior to surgery. I suffer from chronic back and neck pain and require some relief. Any idea what pain killers are allowed? Advil? Tylenol? Acetaminophen? Will any of these interfere with blood clotting following surgery?

Any chance you could post the complete list? Thanks.

For now, I'm using deep heat ointments and HeadOn. I'm waiting to hear back from my pharmacist about Aleve; the assistant pharmacist felt fairly confident that it would be alright.

I called my clinic and pretended I was out of the country and that my doctor had told me I needed a pressure adjustment. They talked me through doing the adjustment step by step. Ever since, I have been able to change the pressure myself. A friend of mine just asked the clinic technician 'nicely' and she told him exactly how to reprogram his machine himself.

As I understand it, there are three primary factors that contribute to Sleep Apnea: Heredity, Age and Weight. The first 2 are out of our control. Reducing weight is not. According to one study, cited by Dr. Rutledge in Nevada, showed that 83% of all patients had their Sleep Apnea resolved after a significant weight loss. My own sleep doctor (who has not performed any studies) feels that the number might be a little high, but is open to testing me as soon as my weight loss is significant.

When I got my CPAP machine, the clinic where I got it had a large number of machines as well as masks to choose from. I spent almost 2 hours there comparing machine features and trying on masks. I guess I am assuming that everyone does the same thing rather than pick a mask at random. But if anyone hasn't had an opportunity to select the mask best suited to them, I can certainly see the wisdom of going back to step one - mask selection - before looking for another solution.

It took me about 2 months to get a full night's sleep without waking up at all. I would constantly get the tubing stuck in the mattress, under my pillow or around my head so that when I tried to turn, I couldn't move my head. Each time, I had to wake up and reposition the tube. Finally, I screwed a small hook into my head board, tied a small string around the tube and hooked the string onto the hook. This kept the tubing up and away from the mattress, pillow and my head. After that, the adjustment was a lot easier. I'm having my Lap-Band surgery this coming week and I'm hoping that within 6 months I will have lost enough weight to not need the CPAP any more. It's my strongest motivating factor for getting the Lap-Band: more that resolving my diabetes, elevated cholestrol and high blood pressure. Even more, I think, than looking good!

As I understand it, the band is installed with no restriction at all. The post-op diet calls for Clear liquids for the first week, broths and Soups for the 2nd week and Protein shakes for the third week. How on earth do you stay on such a limited diet with no assistance from the band? Heck, if I could stay on a diet like that, why would I need a band at all?

Any tips, suggestions or recommendations on the best way to take meds post-op?

I have been using the CPAP machine for the last 2 years. According to my doctor, I should NOT sleep on my back since this aggravates the condition and closes the breathing passage more readily. I have been sleeping on my side and side/stomach since I got the machine.

I have Sleep Apnea and must sleep with a mask and CPAP machine on my side. I'm scheduled for surgery May 16th and -after reading these posts - I'm concerned about sleeping following the surgery. Does anyone else have Sleep Apnea and have a solution for sleeping positions following surgery?