aslack10

September 11 is my day! Got pre op and surgery scheduled. So excited! Good luck everyone!

Not sure on the insurance aspect. I would assume that if insurance doesn't change then that wouldn't be a problem. But I am a hiring manager and the more up front and honest you are with whomever is doing your interview the more they will like you. Just tell them the situation.

@@JerseyJules, thanks for the education but LapBands do in fact have a high failure rate that is unrelated to compliance.
FYI: Being compliant with nutritional guidelines will not prevent a LapBand from slipping; eroding, breaking; adhering to one's liver; port site infections......shall I go on? None of the things I listed have anything to do with someone not eating Protein dense meals as required following WLS. They are just very common complications of having a device that's capable of migrating even when you vomit.
Also, I don't need the education about LapBands because I researched them for over two years; more people than not have complications from them. How do I know? I'm a registered nurse at a tertiary hospital that's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence and I work in PACU. Every single day that I work I have no less than one patient having a band revision surgery, or band removal due to infection, failure, or erosion. Every single day.
I'm not here to debate with you, I am here to support you and others; and if you were so sold on a LapBand (enough to educate me on it), then you'd be post-op right now.
It is ok to be unsure. You did the right thing backing out and once again..........you owe no one but yourself an explanation and the benefit of more education and research. We all owe that to ourselves. You're the one who will have to live with your choice, not any of us. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey. I sincerely mean that.

Reschedule it for 6 months out and take that time to think, get counseling, try to do it on your own, whatever you need. You will only fail yourself if you do something you are not ready for.
As for getting rid of something "God put there for a reason"? (No disrespect, just a quote.) If your appendix burst, you'd remove it. If your gall bladder went bad, you'd remove it. If your wisdom teeth came in, you'd remove them. I grew a freaking brain tumor the size of a lemon, I removed it. Well, my surgeon did.
If your heart was sick, you'd fix it. If your kidneys were failing, you'd fix it. Your stomach is failing you. Fix it.

Sept 8 here!

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has anyone tried Groupme or whats app? to start a group

Sept 11th is my day! I saw someone posted about a journal. I am keeping one for myself. Went and got a really pretty leather bound journal that I can tote with me to my dr visits, surgery, and beyond. Figured I would write what I'm feeling, stats, and also use it as a food journal. I am having to do a low carb preop diet. So keeping track of my preop diet will keep me focused and keep my eye on the prize. Good luck to all of us sept sleevers!!!!

That's so wonderful of him. My husband has been like my errand boy, lol.
Before surgery, I showed him pictures and explained what I could eat, so in case he had to run out and get me something, he would know what he is looking for.
I also made him a list of all my meds, physician info, allergies, pharmacy, pcp, etc. Seems like the dr, hospital, nurses, all ask the same questions and I wanted him to be able to answer for me if I didn't feel up

I also told him about the regret phase, so he would know what was coming, and for him to remind me why I wanted to do this.

My husband is awesome. Yours sounds awesome too!

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It's official ! Got the approval today [emoji5]

i think the hardest part and most unexpected part was the constipation! sorry if tmi lol!! i became really irregular after about 2 months and struggled with this for about 3 months, glad to say i am better now but you would think less food less problems in that area. i am now 6 months out and have lost 96 pounds so i would definitely do it again in a hearbeat!! Good luck on your journey!!!

Well as an older woman who has a year post surgery I want it noted that my doctor was kind enough to go the extra mile. Repaired my hernia and fixed adhesions. So initially more pain but didn't have long term damage. It has made a world of difference in the appearance of my tummy. Flat and no bulging when I sit up. I'm back to work nursing full time again! Lost 65lbs!![emoji1319]

Thank you for your response. As the original poster, I can confirm that what you said above is true.

I read everything I could get my hands on, including these forums, and prepared as best I could, knowing that all the reading and preparing in the world would only take me so far. My questions were intended to elicit accounts of people's real experiences that aren't written about in the books and forums.

The questions were intentionally open ended to allow for the broadest range of responses, knowing that everyone's perceptions and experiences are different and can be very subjective.

I was sleeved on the 17th and already, I can tell how my answer to these questions would have changed over the last 11 days as I'm sure it will continue to change over time. That's why I haven't answered my own question yet. I expect I will continue to have "surprises" along the way that I never anticipated, but hearing about other people's has helped me be more relaxed about knowing what could happen and how others have dealt with the unexpected.

I intended no judgment in terms of good or bad surprises. For example, I was very surprised that I never had any gas pains at all, which I consider to be a good thing!

A few other curiosities for me:

The nurses don't necessarily know what you need or what's on your plan, especially if you're at a smaller facility where they may not interact with a lot of bariatric patients. As I was really waking up the day of surgery, I was offered Water or ginger ale. Despite my grogginess, I was able to tell her we're not supposed to have carbonation.
They also kept giving me ice water in a cup with a straw not aware that we can't use straws. (They also kept replacing my tepid water with more ice until I realized it was the iciness that was nauseating me. The room temperature water actually went down much better.)

A surprise from my first week occurred when I was sipping some broth I had heated up. I had put it in a travel mug and it was staying way too hot despite my efforts to cool it off. After an hour or so, I assumed it had cooled down enough and tried to take a sip. It was still quite warm and I swallowed more then I had planned. I immediately felt warmth in my throats and then near my belly button! It was as if the liquid hadn't even touched anything on the way down. It was a very bizarre sensation.

Oh, and one more from the realm of my mind: despite having 5 incisions on my abdomen, it didn't really feel like they had actually DONE anything inside. It was almost as if the incisions were placebo decoys to make me think they'd done surgery, but just as a ruse to get me to eat like I should. I know that may sound odd, but I kept looking at the area where my stomach should be and it looked like it always has (the incisions aren't really made directly over the stomach). Don't worry, though, I've now tried putting stuff in there so I am very aware that they really did something inside there. You just can't tell by looking or how it feels just on its own.

Sorry...just one more:
Did you know they do the surgery with you hanging upside down (or at least inverted)? The anesthesiologist explained that to me when I asked whether I'd have a breathing tube. Because you're in that position and to get everything in your abdomen out of the way, they have to relax ALL of your muscles, including your lungs, which is why you need to have them breathe for you, hence the breathing tube.

Ok, I'm done for now.
Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread. It's been fascinating to me to see the breadth of people's experiences and what stood out for each of you.

I'm willing to accept the reality that people come with a wide range of pain tolerance, for one thing; another is that people apparently may experience a range of minor complications, from gas to inability to swallow easily to Constipation. Or not, which is great for those who don't have those issues.
For a lot of people, this is the first major surgery they've had. I've had six surgeries, including an open hysterectomy, and I know that some are definitely worse than others (e.g., I also had my gall bladder out, and that was quite easy).
Yes, this can be considered something each of us agreed to, but the original question opens the portal for anything someone wasn't expecting. Virtually no one in this thread (or on this site, for that matter) has said they would have chosen NOT to have the surgery.

As far as I'm concerned, anything anyone says that can help me be prepared for what *might* happen is all good information. But the only people I get a little testy with are the ones who say things like "I'm hardly losing weight at all, and I've been following the plan pretty closely, except for those three doughnuts I had . . ."

I am also losing 2-3lbs a week, but although "slow", it's relatively steady, and I'm so happy with how much better my body feels. Sure, I'm not changing sizes every week, but that's ok.. less expensive that way! Lol.
Before surgery, I would be talking along, and the least bit of strong emotion would make me tear up. I mean, I'd be talking about how beautiful that rainbow I saw was.. or something equally stupid to cry over. And it was happening ALL. THE. TIME. Several times EVERY DAY. This problem has gotten so much better! I think it's only happened once in the last month!! Makes me wonder what was causing it.. hormonal imbalance, blood sugar issues.. I dunno, but am grateful the surgery seems to have fixed it.
My skin has gotten much better! I started my period today, and I barely had any warning.. a couple clogged pores maybe. I used to know for several days in advance because my skin would go nuts (like 20 zits) and I would get ANGRY. Aunt flo kinda sneaks up on me now! Lol.
Yesterday my hubby took a selfie with us together (first one ever I think! Lol!).. I saw my face on that camera screen, and couldn't believe my eyes.. for so long, I've had a puffy, embarrassing visage, and now I look like a young, vibrant woman!! I even puffed out my cheeks in one, because the sensation was so strange! (My hubby mentioned that I was "aging backwards"!)

Hmm, it is really complicated and long.
First as far as identity and image that isn't just about body image. I spent my entire adult life as a plus sized woman. I shopped in the same stores. I had a certain style. I had a body I was familiar with, and that I did not hate. When I dropped enough weight, suddenly I had to find all new stores to shop in. I went from being an Apple shape to an hourglass. I had to change my style. I used to be able to look at clothes and know if they would work for me. I have to try every single thing on. Even now when my weigh has been fairly stable within 5 pounds for a few months I am still dropping inches and things no longer fit. I was comfortable as a plus sized person and that was part of my identity. Now I am no longer in the plus size club. I am smaller than the average woman in America who is now a size 16 or 18.
Not only has the way I think about myself in relation to the rest of the world changed, but how people treat me and react to me has changed a lot also. Women are not as friendly to me as they used to be when I was plus sized. I have always worn a lot of makeup and had big hair. When I used to be in Sephora as a fat girl with a beat face, people talked to me all the time. Normal size, beat face, cheek bones poppin even without highlighter, not as much convo. Men however treat me very differently. I always had men smile and talk to me, but now they really go out of their way to be super polite to me. Some of it has to do with how I dress now, usually dresses (typically bodycon or sheath) and heels. Looking more feminine really gains a lot of reaction from men, especially since most women rarely wear dresses and skirts and that is pretty much all I wear (they last a lot longer and are more forgiving to changing sizes).
As far as body image. I read a book that helped me a lot. Spending a lot of time on the internet plus what I do for my career, I am forced to look at what seems like perfect bodies all the time. That isn't really how people look. I use photoshop every day. I know all these images are fake, but I am still a victim of feeling like I don't measure up to those images. About 9 months ago I had a really hard time with my loose skin, but it has gotten better mentally, and physically. The longer I stay in the same size range, the better my skin gets and the better I look. Shapewear and dressing right for your body and personality can fix anything. Watching people whine on skin tight on TLC helps too. I realized they are making their problems worse by having a bad attitude about it. Most of them can't dress to save their lives and that is 90% of the problem. Also I accepted that I earned this body the hard way. Most people will never have the loose skin I have but they will also have never lost as much weight as I have. I wear shorts, sleeveless tops and work out in sports bra and leggings. I earned all these stripes. I think if I didn't like my body before then maybe it would be easier to accept my new body but I didn't hate myself before. If I could be fat and healthy I would probably still be fat. I wasn't a miserable fat person, I was a person with failing health, which was making me miserable.
http://a.co/fI9AKK1
I look great in clothes. I look great in clothes even without shapewear now. My boobs look great in a bra and they are fine if I am on my back . Like seriously the number of people that are ever going to see you naked, even if you are dating a lot is really low on a planet of 7 billion. It doesn't matter.
Therapists are useless, imo. I looked and tried out a few and all of them are just as dumb as the rest of the general pop. The ones I talked to just assumed that losing weight solves your problems, and their solutions for body image issues were trash. That book helped me think about myself more as a whole person and not a bunch of body parts and remember the real purpose of my body (even if you aren't religious, you can benefit)

Pros:
The whole thing was shockingly easy. The surgery was fast and almost painless. The recovery was easy.
2 years later I still barely have an appetite.
Lost weight without much effort.
Cons:
Everyone talks about addiction transfers and alcoholism and compulsive shopping. No one addresses identity, and body image issues post-op. Not nearly as much as they talk about alcoholism etc. I felt I was very unprepared for the emotional issues that come with massive weight loss.

Good input. Thank you for sharing!

I told everyone and I have an amazing support system as a result. When I originally posted, I asked anyone with a negative opinion to kindly keep it to themselves. My friends even threw me a huge food funeral party and have been a huge encouragement. The only way to break the stigma is to be open.

Stephanie Lowe
Sleeved 8/7/17
HW 236
SW 224

Firstly, you just offended most people on this site. Secondly, if weed isn't so necessary in your life and this surgery is important to you...why would you have risked it to begin with? Thirdly, consult your surgeon, not us non-athletic people.

Hey I'm in the Jackson area and I am getting sleeved on Sept 11th. My process has been super easy. I went to river oaks in Flowood for my orientation. I have good insurance but am having to have surgery in Monroe. Let me know if I can help with anything or if you wanna chat about it.

September 11 is my day! Got pre op and surgery scheduled. So excited! Good luck everyone!

Good luck!!!

Last day of pre-op diet. I'm packing for the hospital now.

My surgeon only requires a 2 week low carb diet. But I did have to go 3 months no smoking. And yes there is a urine test for that. Sucked but I did it and got my surgery date for sept 11.

I'm in Colorado. I had 3 days in the hospital and that was perfect.
I had surgery Thursday morning and came home Sunday late afternoon. I have had a perfect recovery so far!
Good luck!