tskelli

What an inspirational post! Thanks! I'm glad to see someone else banded around the same time as me and doing so well!! Thanks for sharing and motivating others!

I live in Lexington, SC (right outside Columbia). I grew up in Spartanburg, SC and have lived in a couple of other towns in this state. I lived in California for a year when I was small and in Colorado for 2 years in my 20's. I love SC, though! I'm 1 1/2 hrs from the beach and 1 1/2 hrs from the mountains! And where else can you use your heat and a/c in the same day?

All I can do is tell you my experiences. Everyone is different, and surgeons are different. You might want to give them a call and see if they can answer your questions, but here's my 2 cents: How much pain will I be in after? I was in pain the first few days. Mostly soreness, but it wasn't terrible pain. After 3 days, I didn't take any more pain meds. Does someone need to take care of me afterwards? since I live alone!!! My surgeon said that someone needed to be with me the 1st day (I spent the night in the hospital, so technically day 2) My husband stayed with me that day. (But I really think I would have been okay alone) Will I be able to move at all on day 2 after I am released from hospital... I was home alone day 2 after being released from the hospital. I was able to get around without any problems. Will I have diarreha? after surgery? I didn't. Will I loose more weight, since she decided to use the smallest band? I don't have any experience with that. Maybe someone else can help here. Best wishes to you! I look forward to hearing about your progress!

The weight is coming off pretty quickly right now. I'm sure that will taper off some after I'm able to eat solid food. Right now, I'm still on the liquid phase. I can eat mushy food next week. I'm not hungry, though. When I do get hungry, Soup or a Protein shake do the trick.

I think we all go through some fear before surgery. At least I did. I was scared, but I was determined to go through with this life-changing process. I had to weigh the options and pros and cons, and discuss my fears honestly with my surgeon. Ultimately, the decision is yours. I was banded 2 weeks ago, and I am so glad I did it!

Best of luck to you, Gordon! I look forward to hearing how well you're doing!

I would never advise anyone to cheat, but as some of you know, I was worried pre-op because I did cheat. I made it through surgery fine, and they were able to do it without opening me up. The weekend before surgery my family and I went on a weekend mini-vacation. It was fun, and I ate some things I shouldn't have. If I had to do it all over again, I would try my best to stick to it. If nothing else, just for the peace of mind.

The process of getting all those tests can be overwhelming. I have 5 daughters and wondered some of the same things. I shared my concern with my surgeon before surgery and was reassured. My particular group of surgeons has never lost a patient on the operating table. That made me feel much better. As for the testing process, I just walked through it, even though I wasn't sure. And I told myself all the while that I can always change my mind and not have the surgery, but at least all the tests will be out of the way if I do decide to have it. I made it through, decided to have surgery (after postponing it once), and so far I have no regrets. You have to make the right decision for you. Maybe focusing on the present moment, making it through the next step, and taking it one step at a time will ease the racing thoughts.

I had to have a sleep study also. I spent the night at the hospital in a special room set up for sleep studies. They hooked me up to a lot of wires and let me watch TV or read until it was time for lights out. A nurse monitored me from another room while I slept. I was ready to go by 7 a.m. They discovered I had sleep apnea as well, so I'm on a machine, too. They told me to bring my machine when I had surgery in case I needed it. I am hopeful that losing some weight will cure the sleep apnea. Time will tell.

I just got banded 2 days ago. I was scared, too. I believe I made the right decision for me. I think at some point in life I was taught to place too much value on other people (and their opinions), and tried to please others and take care of them, sometimes at my own expense. I had to realize that this was about me. I needed to do this for ME. Fortunately, everyone has been supportive. What they said behind my back is none of my business. I heard this saying and it holds true for me: "Those that matter don't judge, and those that judge don't matter."

My surgery went well on Tuesday! Just wanted to let you all know. I'm on Clear liquids for another 4 days, then I'll be able to eat mushy food. So far, I'm not hungry. I have a follow-up a week from today. Hope everyone else is doing well. Thanks again for being here! Kelli

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. It has been really hard to stick to the diet, but I'm hoping the effort I did put forth pays off. It's a small world, Skip! Do you live in this area? Have you been successful with your band so far?

Hi All, My name is Kelli and I live in Lexington, SC. I am married, with 5 beautiful teenage daughters. I've been lurking for a week or two, and I've enjoyed reading your posts. I've gotten a lot of good info. I'm scheduled for lap-band surgery tomorrow morning (2/19/08). My surgeon is Dr. Antonetti from Riverside Surgical in West Columbia, SC. I am excited and nervous. My hope is that my liver is normal and they can do the surgery without opening me up. Unfortunately, I did not stick 100% to the pre-op diet. I decided to tell my co-workers, family, and friends. Everyone has been very supportive, especially my husband and children. My current weight is 319 lbs. I'm glad you all are here. I look forward to being a part of this online community.