CC155

Totally normal! I remember laying in bed unable to sleep the night before my surgery I was so terrified...of both the procedure, and the unknown of post op! I even asked my husband WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING???? I can tell you, I have no regrets! I live a life I never imagined...from the size of my clothes and being able to shop in any store I want, to how I can walk without being out of breath, I can actually PLAY with my kids! It's amazing!! You have a whole new life to look forward to, you can do this!

3 years ago at age 53 I had the lap band done. Considered morbid ly obese, at 225 lbs, tired , hated the way I looked and felt, had trouble doing everything. NOT living a happy, healthy life at all !! Existing, not living. Today ?; MUCH better !! A happier, healther, slim mind, body and soul. The recovery was easy, as was the surgery , the next 6 months was FUN because the weight was falling off and the compliments were coming in and I was getting better by the day ! So take the plunge , and 6 months from now you'll be wondering why you were so scared over nothing !! Best decision ever !! Good luck !!!

I'm scared to I will have surgery February 10 and what makes me look forward is summer is coming and I will be looking less because of the weight. I'm 56 and I think about putting me under but all I can do is pray. I hope all goes well for you.

it's very normal to have anxiety and fear. I almost jumped off the gurney but was determined to follow this through. I can honestly say it went well. No problems except I get nauseated easily from any kind of pain meds so I had to get something for nausea but after that I felt fine. went home the next day and drank and walked. minimal pain. Best of Luck you will be so happy you did this.

My surgurey is tomorrow and I am having the same type of anxiety. I am afraid of some snafu with the annethesia ... or something strange like that happening. This is my last day at work and I am super excited and scared. Lets keep in touch CC .... I will share my post op experiences with you

Hi there, I think most every one is extremely nervous and excited prior to surgery. I am 53 and had never been an overnight hospital patient before. I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by how much easier it all was than I thought it would be. I think it's because it's a wellness surgery -- not being in the hospital due to accident or illness makes a big difference. My worries had to do with whether it would work for me or would I fail like the zillion diets and programs I had tried. Would I have to give up favorite foods, etc. None of this had any merit -- just those weird thoughts that come bubbling up at times of anxiety. I overrode any nervousness with humor and positivity. To this day I would have the surgery over again In a heartbeat. It has changed my life and I am so happy to be at peace with food. I still love food, but in small amounts at appropriate intervals. To me this is a miracle.

Hi @CC155. I'm not sure if you are scared of the surgery or of the unknown. If your fear is the surgery, the statistics show that you are overwhelmingly likely to survive with no issues at all.
If your fear is of the unknown, all I can tell you is that two years ago when I had lapband surgery, I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without my best/worst friend, which was food. Best/worst because I loved to eat but it was killing me.
So what has happened in those two years? Well, I've lost 150 lbs. and have gotten my life back. I don't miss eating to excess....not any more. Especially not when I am thinner than I've been since I was a teenager. Not when I wore 26/28 slacks and 4X tops and now I wear 6 petite slacks, small petite tops, and 8 petite dresses. Not when I used to struggle to walk because my knees and hips were killing me and now I walk with almost no pain and every step I take is like a miracle to me. Not when I get attention from both sexes. Not when people notice me now instead of looking through me. Not when I fit in the world again instead of being too fat for it.
Hang in there...I understand you are nervous but I'm excited for you. You are starting the most wonderful journey of your life and I can't wait to read about all your future successes.

Hello Everyone!
I've been a member for a few months but this is my first time posting something. My surgery date is this Friday the 30th of Jan and I can't believe I have made it through all of the required appointments - 6 months - for insurance to approve. I've done much reading, research, asking questions and certainly gained a lot of knowledge however reality has hit like a tun of bricks and am so scared now.
Please forgive me if what I ask appears redundant but has anyone out there been so scared they felt like backing out? I'm almost to the point of writing "Goodbye Letters" - if ya know what I mean.
I could certainly use some pearls of wisdom from folks who were just like me or who are going through the same anxiety
Thank you all in advance!

I am very much looking forward to the surgery...my surgeon does not require a pre-op diet so I don't have to deal with that, however I've already cut out sugar for the most part, I'm going to still enjoy my bread until the day before surgery but I've never been a fan of sodas so that's not an issue. I'm just ready for next Saturday to be here so I can get banded, recover and start with my fresh start so to speak. I know what hasn't worked the past 29 years lol so I'm ready. I've already cleaned the kitchen so to speak- I've made my brother/rooommate take all of his junk and keep it in his room just so I don't have to see it. My family is super supportive as well as my two best friends that I work with so I feel like I'm off to a good start...I can't wait to be on the banded side and hopefully to be a success story in a year or so I'm so glad that everyone is so supportive and not judging me...we all have issues or we wouldn't be here so thank you!

I was extremely nervous and scared too. I cried all the way to the surgery table. But I'm only 12 days post-op with my lap band, and I can already tell it's been the best thing I could have done for myself. (I also recovered quickly.) I, too, thought I had to "eat my last_______(fill in the blank), but that really hasn't bothered me. I get full on about one cup of food and I haven't even had a fill in my band yet. I used to drink a Diet Coke a day, but I've been cold turkey since the day before my surgery, and it really hasn't been that bad. The biggest hurdle for me right now is head hunger. I start eating something I enjoy, like Soup or cottage cheese, and it tastes so good I want to keep eating, but the band stops me. Yes, it's works great! But my head is like, "Oh, geez, I was enjoying that!" I'll have to get my eyes to catch up to the new size of my stomach. I love this "secret tool" I have now. It helps me stay satisfied on little meals throughout the day. I could never do that on my own before. Have courage. You can do this!

Both my daughters and I are scheduled to be banded on 2/12/15. Unfortunately I don't have any pre-surgery experience or advice, but if you need companions to travel the road with you, we will be there shortly and happy to provide support along the way!

Hi there @@KYGirlSummer -- so glad you're here on the forum! I think that what you are experiencing is very common. WLS is such a big decision and if you didn't have some nervousness and anxiety then something would be wrong. You have thought out every aspect of this and gone through all the hoops; you are going to do very well. Getting that headset is the thing, and then you are way ahead in terms of having an exercise plan in place already. Plus that incentive of your daughter and being able to keep up with her.
@@Lawrence Baxter congratulations on being two weeks out -- sounds like you're doing really well. Way to go on resisting the scale. It's only a number. I love the test of how the pants are fitting. It amazed me how I dropped a size, another, and another, and another. I still can't believe it.

Welcome and good luck. LapBand has saved my life. My advice is pre surgery clean your house and get all caught up on laundry. You won't want to lift baskets or a vacuum cleaner for awhile. Move as much as you can every day. Stay off the scale. Really. Almost all of us have a gain post op and it is not indicative of success or failure. It's your body healing. Also write down all your questions after they discharge you because if the nurse calls to see how you're doing at home, you'll have a handy list to grab. Welcome to the forum !

I still haven't stepped onto scales and I'm two weeks and 1 day post surgery! I know I have lost inches because I am cinching up my pants and my belt is now 1 hole from done before I have to added a new one. Fortunately, I have some dress pants from an earlier weight so I can quietly move to the smaller size for maybe a month or more down the road.
I've had to be very intentional in my thinking and reconfirming that the "lap band is only a tool!" and that I have to make better decisions about food and staying hydrated. Many times what I thought was hunger pangs were only a signal that I was thirsty. The neatest thing now: I have not had an appetite since the operation. The worst thing so far: I have to remember that a full stomach trumps an empty plate. It's tough buying and preparing for one person. It just means now I have to plan better. My brain has to be another tool that I use better and in conjunction with the lap band!
You are doing great to be walking 4 miles a day.

Thanks! I go for my pre-surgery lab work tmw and I have my pre-surgery seminar that I must attend before surgery tmw as well. I haven't been told that I have to do a pre-surgery diet as of yet, but if so then I guess it will start Saturday. My biggest problem is going to be more mental than physical I believe b/c I'm in that thought process of "well I have eat my last such and such and try this before surgery" and I know I shouldn't think those things. I'm trying to change my thought process, but maybe it will be better after surgery. Thanks for the advice about keeping moving...I started walking a couple months ago- I'm up to 4 miles per day and I have a 16 month old daughter that's crazy active so I do my best to keep up with her.
Hope you're losing lots of weight

You will do fine. I, too, had a similar situation with State of Texas insurance having us jump through hoops for 12 months and then they weren't paying that much. I started in October 2013 and was 3 days from the procedure when my insurance wouldn't pay since I didn't have a hiatal hernia. I spent the next 11 months figuring a self-pay approach and had the LB procedure on Dec. 23, 2014.
For some, the hardest part is the pre-op diet. I didn't have any problems except for thinking that I had to have my LAST Popeye's chicken or my LAST What-A-Burger or my LAST Breakfast miga's! I did all three but made certain that i got some walking and stuck to the shakes.
Procedure went well and really no post-op pain because of the meds the provide for the procedure. MD prescribed Tylonal with codein for post op and I really didn't take but 1 1/2 days. Since I didn't have the hailtal hernia repair, I didn't have the post-op pain that some people describe. The solution: DON'T lie down, but stay upright, walk as much as you can and stay active. When I went home after surgery, I sat and sipped Water, then did the dishes, and rearranged a shelf on my back porch. I also walked a partial block to visit a neighbor and then home. I really didn't lie down untiil that evening.
Good luck and stay positive.

Hey! I've been on this forum for a while, but this is my first time actually posting anything (I'm not a creep- I promise!). My insurance required 6 months of doctor visits, a sleep study, psych evaluation, and a very large packet completed before it could even be submitted for approval. I started the process in April 2014 and I finally have my surgery date...January 24th . There was a long stall from October to January that my case just sat at the doctor's office b/c of my sleep study appointment...they didn't have any openings until December so I had to wait on those results, plus the holidays delayed everything.
While going through the process I felt like it was never going to happen, but now that I actually have a date scheduled and it's going to become real for me I am super emotional about my upcoming lap band surgery. I'm excited that it's finally here, scared of the unknown, anxious and ready for my future after being banded, but it's a bit overwhelming lol. I researched all my WLS options for over a year before I even started the lap band insurance process and I feel like I know what to expect, but I guess I'm just an emotional mess right now b/c it's finally here after such a long time. I hope I'm not the only one that's experienced this. I am glad that this forum exists b/c I am going to need support after the surgery- my family and friends support me 100%, but it's better to gain knowledge from someone who is actually experiencing what you are and no one in my family has had WLS before.
I just wanted to introduce myself and look forward to making friends and gaining support. Thanks!

Alex, what would any of us do without you? Your site was the primary source of information for me and still is. Kudos to you.
I will add a suggestion from my own experience. You can go to free WLS support groups from different hospitals. They usually meet monthly. I went to three different ones. I just kept my mouth shut at the ones that weren't my hospital, and listened to people talk. I share at my own. I needed more support than one meeting a month. I also attend RNY and Sleeve groups even though I am a bander, because most of what is shared applies across the board.

Good Luck!!!

Keep us posted sweetie! Good luck!

Thank you! and best wishes to you as well. @@rodflanders

Good luck to you! I'm also having Lap-Band surgey tomorrow.