GratefulHeart

Thank you all SO much! I do feel better about calling tomorrow to ask. I don't know if the nurse would specifically know about my hiatal hernia, but maybe so! Seems like most people have them; I just know mine was very large. But that's all I know. I appreciate everyone's responses, thanks!

I have a strange question to ask, which leads into a delicate question. How well do you know your surgeons, and how easy is it for you to call them and ask questions after surgery? I have only actually seen my surgeon once in person, and that was at my consultation on September 18. I actually haven't seen him since, even though he did the surgery on Monday, October 20. He had car trouble and was late coming to the hospital. The hospital staff had another patient and I ready for surgery since we had been waiting for probably 2.5 to 3 hours for him to get there. Before I knew it, I was being whisked into the OR for surgery. I saw the anesthesiologist from a distance, and in fact, he put in my IVs, but I never did see my surgeon. Neither of them really talked to me before the surgery, even though I knew I was having the Lap Band done as well as having my huge hiatal hernia repaired. When I woke up he was in surgery with the other patient and my husband and I left the hospital before he came out. So I never saw him, never talked to him about what happened in surgery or anything. The nurses in the OR said my pulse had gone down into the 30s, and I think (not sure) I remember them telling me that had to give me something to bring it up...but even then I'm not sure. Prior to this I had been contacting his office staff nearly every day to get a status on the surgery date. It was tentatively set for the 20th, but I didn't know it for sure until the Friday before. That's really difficult for me to handle at work, because I have meetings and other responsibilities that I have to reschedule. I'm afraid I made a pest of myself with the office staff with both emails and phone calls. I tried to be as nice as I could, I really did. So I had a couple of questions about the gas pains I'm having and sent a note to the office staff. At the end of the day I got a note telling me to call my surgeon on his cell phone since he was on his way to the hospital and could talk in the car. I did call him, and he was very gracious on the phone. But it's hard to get a feeling of knowing someone when you are only on the phone, and I didn't get a really good understanding of how much of a task it was for the hernia, how big it really was, where it was, etc. I just knew it was huge and was potentially wrapped around my esophagus. So now the delicate question. My dear husband doesn't want to hurt me by having sex without asking the doctor first. I know my PCP fairly well, so left a message with his assistant to ask. But she called me back and said that my questions were really for the surgeon, and to be really specific in the questions I ask him. (I asked about more than just sex.) Would you personally feel funny asking these kinds of questions to someone you don't really know? I have an appointment on November 13, but I don't want to wait that long to talk to him but I feel like I'm bothering them with so many questions. His surgery was great, all the symptoms I had (and some I didn't know I had) from the hernia are totally gone. I just need to know for my dear husband's sake (so he doesn't feel that he's hurting me because of the hernia) how much physical activity I can do and what kind, when, etc. I'm still in a lot of pain from the gas. In fact, I had to leave work early yesterday because I could not stand the pain any longer and sitting at my desk was too difficult. I'm being overly sensitive, aren't I?

I too believe my body is my temple, thanks for the reminder! That is the whole reason for this, isn't it? To strengthen and heal the temple. I always appreciate these reminders; it's so easy to forget!

If your family is like mine, they tend to agree with the "thought of the moment." Since your mom has brought up the subject with you, it's clear that she's thought SOME about it. She was in favor of it with a bit of knowledge. It may be, however, that all of you need to go to a seminar nearby to hear more about what the Lap Band is and does. It will not keep you from making poor food choices, for example. And yes, you will be able to eat. It's a tool, but you still have to make the hard choices and do the hard work. It might be really good for all of you to be more informed before you make any decisions. That way, if you do decide to proceed with Lap Band, you'll be sure inside yourself. Your family will understand your resolve because you have educated yourself on it. If they, too, get some education on what it is and what it really means (it's not magic), they will be better equipped to support you in your efforts. Bottom line, though, is you have to be so sure that this is the right thing for you, in yourself, that having their support - or not - won't make any difference in your success. You are still the one that has to make all the right food decisions and choices. There is a lot of information on this site - I would encourage you to read, read, read, as much as you can about it and what it's like the first few weeks and months after the surgery, so that you know in your heart what people are doing to succeed, and are prepared to do that too. Especially listen to those "old timers" who have been at it a while and know emotionally what helps them succeed. Ask lots of questions! There are lots of folks on this site who would love to help you and support you as much as possible!

For me, the longer it took to get it done, the more anxious I became. I only had to wait about a month from start to finish (consultation with psychologist & nutritionist to date of surgery), but it felt like forever. My job is such that the uncertainty was difficult to deal with because I had to schedule things around the week I'd be off. But my personality is such that I find it hard to wait. I can think of no real reason to wait if you are certain this is what you want.

I believe mine took just over an hour because the surgeon also had to repair a huge hiatal hernia. The nurses at the hospital told me the band procedure takes a little under an hour.

I was banded 6 days ago and am not sure I have found my port. I think I know where it is generally, but it's hard to find. I've only lost maybe 7 pounds since surgery so perhaps that has something to do with it too.

Thanks...I actually feel pretty good, considering that I honestly don't like vacuuming either, but it still has to be done. At any rate, my shoulder feels better, I don't really hurt anywhere, and I feel like I've had some good exercise. But I think I'll take it easy for a while. :thumbup:

I thought it was supposed to last for life. It has only been licensed in the U.S. since 2001, right? There probably won't be a lot of folks who can attest to longer life than that? Just a guess....

Oh my! I just finished vacuuming for the past hour. The first half or so was just dusting, and I have central vacuum so I'm not lugging around a vacuum cleaner, just the hose. But the second half hour was all carpets, bending, all kinds of stuff. I'm six days post-op. My incisions seem to be okay from the workout, but I'm really tired! Did I start housework too soon? I thought some activity might help ease the gas pain in my shoulder that is really almost gone now, and vacuuming without lugging a vac cleaner shouldn't be that stressful, right? Did your doctors give you any idea about how long you should wait to vacuum and do housework? My husband would have actually been glad to do it for me, I just wanted to do something active. Whew! :thumbup:

Cheap (not free) samples at $1.99 each from Vitalady.com - Protein Supplements, Vitamins & Minerals, and Safe Snacks!. Some of them are pretty good!

I was banded 6 days ago (Monday Oct 20), and I still have pain in my left shoulder. I tried walking, heating pad, the heavy-duty pain killers, and nothing really helped. So I called my doctor, and he said the heavy-duty pain killers might also be causing more gas! Go figure! So I stopped taking those and the pain is now manageable. I was in tears before, it was so bad. I did take some Tylenol before going to bed and was able to sleep the night through, which I haven't been able to do before; so it's either because it's day 6, or because I stopped taking the Vicodin (since the gas is the only thing that has ever hurt), but I feel almost human again. I'm even going to go do some laundry!

Cool...I will look for the challenges and see if I can participate. Thanks!

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate the nice comments! And I look forward to being a lot lighter too!

Try going to Obesity Help - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity Support Groups, Obesity Forums, Surgical Procedures - It's a fairly well balanced site that shows all kinds of WLS options.

I still have to drink protein shakes for at least three weeks before starting the mushies stage. So I don't have any experience yet with blended foods. I suppose every body is different, and my body might be recovering more from the hernia repair I had as well as the Lap Band. Sorry I'm not much help!

My insurance covered both, though I haven't seen any of the details yet. I was just banded on Monday this week so I haven't seen any financial statements yet.

I don't know about the specific hernia you have. I had a huge hiatal hernia that was repaired at the same time as my surgery. I'm very grateful for that, as the symptoms I was having from the hernia were getting to be very hard to live with. I feel so much better! Your kind of hernia, though, goes up through the diaphragm, as I understand it, in a different place and is more difficult to fix. Your surgeon would very likely be able to give you more information on that.

I was banded on the 20th too! I don't think things are running through quickly, though. I can only get down 2 shakes/day and maybe a cup of V8 juice...that's it. Still have lots of gas too, just now getting to be manageable.

What is a challenge? Are those the "10 pounds by Thanksgiving" lines in the signatures? How do you join one?

I just had my 56th birthday this month (Oct 4) and was banded this month (Oct 20). So I think you have lots of company! Somehow it seems to me that when it comes to weight loss, we all speak the same language and understand each other without regard to one's age. We have all felt similar things and gone through similar experiences with the band, it seems. Perhaps those who post pictures are younger. :biggrin: I don't plan on posting anything until I have an "after" picture of some kind, then maybe.... But anyway, if age makes a difference in recovery time, or other issues, I haven't really seen it yet. So just jump in and feel welcome. We're all here in the same boat. Or would that be on the same band? :wink_smile:

The surgery went great! No complications, the surgeon fixed my huge hiatal hernia (that I knew I had), and I feel so much better! The only residual is the gas pain in my left shoulder that still hurts quite a bit. Taking Vicodin puts me under for about four hours, so it has kind of wiped me out as far as getting anything done. Walking around only helps a little. But I'm sure it will dissipate - hopefully all at once! I've lost some weight after surgery and feel really good. Thanks for asking!

I was banded on Monday too! The gas pain is just awful, more than I expected. I'm taking pain pills just for that pain - the incisions don't hurt a bit. Walking helps but not as much as I had hoped. I generally have a heating pad on my left shoulder, and it helps some. With that being said, I would do this again in a heartbeat. As for the hernia, I did as much reading on that as I could before surgery because I knew I had a big one. My doctor said that most people have small hernias, but mine was the biggest he'd seen in 30 years of medical practice. Anyway, with all the reading I did, no one seemed to have a reason for hiatal hernias, just that they happen quite commonly. And I am so happy that this is now fixed - none of the weird symptoms I had before are there. That part of the experience is just wonderful. I'm also not very hungry and find it a bit difficult to get in all the Protein shakes. Takes me a while to drink a whole shake, and if I add anything to it for flavor or texture (like frozen strawberries), I can't finish it. I did that in the diet before surgery, but can't manage it now. That's a good thing, I've started losing weight again after a couple of days of slight weight gain. Anyway, happy to join you and the other folks in Bandland!

OOPS! Should have mentioned soda that's gone flat...not bubbly soda. Sorry about that!

So far the Bariatric Advantage protein is the best I've seen for nutritional value. One serving appears to give you half the nutrients you need for the day. So it follows that another serving would give you the rest. It's not as sweet tasting as some of the other brands. I found Wellements brand on Amazon.com for a very cheap price and it tastes really good. I've only purchased vanilla, and have been adding flavorings (like real frozen strawberries, bananas, etc.) to make them "special." I've also used diet soda as the base for the shake instead of milk, so you can make an "orange cream" shake using diet orange soda instead of milk, or a "root beer float" using diet root beer, etc. But if you're looking for the nutritional value, Bariatric Advantage is probably the best and the vanilla (the only one I've tried) is good. It's more expensive, but if you don't have to supplement with vitamins, you know what you're getting and it's a good product. Yummy!