ericsmom

Serena - my scars aren't any smaller because it was called minimally invasive...they are a good 6" long. Minimally invasive means they spared the quad muscles and went around them. Typically they cut through the quad muscles and that trauma to the muscles is the major thing that you are recovering from during the long, painful rehabilitation. Because they spared those muscles I am doing really good. Minimally invasive is also about pain management. I had an epidural for 2.5 days after the surgery to manage the pain to both extremeties while I attempted to get up and move. As for which surgery you should have first, I wouldn't begin to know. I'm sure your doctor will help you figure that out While I don't doubt that you did extremely well, I am really surprised that you were bending 117 degrees when you ENTERED rehab...I am at 108 degrees on both knees 3 weeks post op and they tell me that is practially unheard of...so congrats to you for doing exceptionally well! Yes, I did the recommended exercises for my quad muscles prior to surgery, but as I said in my above reply, with minimally invasive surgery they spared cutting the quad muscles and that has aided in my progressing quickly in my rehabilitation. I will see my surgeon tomorrow and then I'll find out how well he thinks I'm doing. My physical therapist and I am amazed how well I'm doing, so hopefully he will be, too!

K - Congratulations on scheduling your surgery! You're on the road to a new life and it sounds like you're ready to go after it with guns a blazin'!! It's key to have a positive attitude and a strong support system. Your friends will be key in your journey. Keep them close when you need them and ask for space when you need it, too. I hope you find a group of bandsters around your age here for more support, but the older gang is going to be helpful, too Best of luck to you!

Brandi - best of luck to you as you embark on your journey to bandland!

I kind of thought the same thing...the doctor said she was a prime candidate and that she didn't have any other problems or sleep apnea. I don't know about you, but the more co-morbidities I had going for me the more I became a prime candidate. I, too, am wishing to be in the 220's. Fortunately it's only 6 lbs away to the high 220's I couldn't believe how he, who was bigger than her, was so against her having the surger because he didn't want a "bone" for a girlfriend. Maybe she got smart and realized he would hold her back. Maybe he got smart and realized that the band could help him, too. Definitely a situation heading for sabotage.

Hi Jennifer - welcome to LBT...anything and everything you need or want to know you'll find here. By the time you have your surgery you'll be very educated. Good luck to you!

Well, I'm almost a month out from surgery and things are going very well...Having both knees totally replaced is almost unheard of where I live, so I was a bit of an odity at the hospital and rehabilitation. I am rehabing ahead of schedule right now. It's amazing how much better I feel. Yes, there is achiness from the surgical healing, but the fact that the arthritis pain from the actual joints is totally gone is indescribable. I just had my one year bandiversary and I lost 102.6 lbs and this knee replacement wouldn't have been possible without having the lap band first. Time to go ride my recumbant bike!!

My surgeon likes to keep you over one night and I was very thankful for that. I stayed in the PACU and was tended to by very caring nurses and the long night was made a little better by the morphine they offered me!! The other surgeon in the same hospital that does this surgery sends people home the same night if they "seem" okay to go home. I am glad I stayed. I was home by 10am the next day.

I am experiencing a lot of the same great changes that have already been listed above. The band has afforded me the weight loss to be able to get my knees replaced. I have surgery coming up on June 15th. I wouldn't be able to do it if I hadn't gotten the band and lost over 100 lbs. When you ask if it bothers me not being able to eat whatever I want, I say I can eat whatever I want, I just CHOOSE to eat better things and CHOOSE to have a treat once in a while. I also eat to the point of satisfaction, not to the point of being full. There is a big difference. I am healthier, for sure. Happier, I'm not sure yet...happier than I was - sure. Happier than ever? No, not by any means. But getting there. Physically things are better, but mentally I think we all, somehow or another, need to work on that side of it.

OMG, you are totally living my life right now! The only difference is I can't really exercise right now because I am having both knees replaced on June 15th, and right now I'm in a lot of pain...too much to exercise. The exercise will come later when I am in rehab. Anyway, I have been fluctuating within the same 10lbs for the past two months, too! Up and down, up and down...I still do Slim Fast shakes once to twice a day, too! I'll be eagerly watching for advice from others as well!

Congrats on you upcoming surgery! I felt the same way as you do - I found this site well before my surgery and felt very informed when I went in. In fact, I introduced my lead RN, nutritionist and doctor to LBT and now the recommend it to thier patients! They also recommend FitDay, too. They love to be able to recommend somewhere to go to ask and get answers to any question you could possibly think of. My surgery was July 5, 2006 and I can tell you this has been the best year I've had in 20 years!

Congratulations! You will be just fine :myscared: It will be over before you know it and you will be back here telling us what a piece of cake it was. I'm coming up on my 1 year bandiversary on July 5th and I've lost 105 lbs so far. Because of the band I am able to have both of my knees totally replaced this coming June 15th. The band saved my life. Keep us posted on your progress!

I am almost a year out from being banded and I still have at least 1 if not 2 slim fast shakes a day. I mix the powder with 1% milk and add chocolate Protein powder and ice and mix it in my magic bullet. I LOVE them. My doctor approved me having the Slim Fast because I couldn't stand the Carnation Instant Breakfast. I also do not care for SF in the can. I'm even having my knee surgeon prescribe the SF for me so I can have it when I'm in the hospital and the rehab center. Yes, it has sugar in it, but not enough to sabbotage your weight loss efforts. I know there are a lot of others that can suggest alternatives if you really want to stay away from the SF.

Jen, I am so sorry for your loss. One of my best friends had two mild strokes a week apart from each other and just came home from the hospital this past Wednesday. She was a heavy smoker and drinker and has had a big-time wide awakening...I am so sorry your friend didn't get the chance to live with the risidual effects instead of having the stroke take her life. LBT is full of support and advice. You did the right thing by coming here and asking for help. Take deep breaths, go for a walk, call a friend on the phone, talk to your pastor/priest...Your friend, I am sure, was a big supporter of you getting the band and she wouldn't want to be the reason you sabbotaged your progress. It's okay to binge a bit, but now that you've recognized that it is happening, try not to let it become a regular thing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your friend's family.

Congratulations! It's a great feeling, isn't it?! I, too, was a 4.0 graduate and it was a great feeling. You should be VERY proud of yourself! Keep up the good work!

Congratulations! It's a great feeling, isn't it?! I, too, was a 4.0 graduate and it was a great feeling. You should be VERY proud of yourself! Keep up the good work!

I used fitday.com religiously when I first started my journey. I loved it. I liked that it was just a running total of the day and you could enter in custom foods. I stopped using it, and I think that is a big reason I have slowed in my losing...I am vowing to start using fitday.com again. I think it will help me stay on track. At least there are choices out there for everyone's preferences and needs.

Karen - best of luck to you tomorrow...I'm sure you are as prepared as you can be for your surgery. It's great that you found LBT before you had it so that you could benefit from all of the great advice and support that goes on here. Be sure to let us know how you are doing! We're all here for you!

First of all, congrats on getting your surgery date! It won't be long until you're in bandland! I was on a 2 week liquid diet prior to my surgery, but some people are only advised to do liquids for two days prior. Just do whatever they tell you to do. Yes, anesthesia is better now and you will, I am sure, come out of it just fine. One time I was sick with what I thought was a touch of the flu and I did a lot of self-talk to make sure I didn't throw up. Yes, it puts strain on the band, but I don't think it would be enough to make it slip. I didn't feel naseous at all when I woke up, just tired from the morphine! I slept a lot that day and night in the hospital. I was home the next day by 10am. Best of luck to you...keep us posted and make sure you find the June Bandsters group - you'll get to know your fellow June Bandsters and build a special bond between all of you. Hope this helped

I sleep with a CPAP and if I lay on my back, it is off to my right. I usually fall asleep on my right side, but I have a pillow pushed into my back. I have really bad arthritis in my knees, so the nights that it is bad, I fall asleep on my back with my knees on pillows. I didn't notice any difference in how I sleep with my mask. I've never been a stomach sleeper, even at my skinniest may years ago... In the begining, I was the same way...I go to sleep on my right because my port is on my left. But as I have dropped the lbs, I can sleep on either side. I never did not sleep in my bed after surgery. I see your surgery is tomorrow, No Worry, so best of luck to you...you'll get it all figured out. Everyone is different.

Sending you good luck vibes...everything will go great. I had to do liquid for two weeks before my surgery, but dropped 14.5 lbs in those two weeks, so it was worth it. Keep us posted on how things go for you. Good luck!!

Hi Julie - looks like you're halfway to your goal!! Glad to hear you're keeping to your WI roots even though you've moved away. I'm an import - grew up in the Twin Cities and have lived in Superior for 19 years.

Connie - Sorry to hear you've had nerve damage, but glad to hear it's very rare. I saw the knee surgeon three years ago and he wouldn't do the surgery because of the weight. I am so thankful for this band because it is my saving grace in being able to have this surgery now. I hope you are able to have your other knee done sooner than later. Elisabeth--your advice is encouraging. I really don't have a good leg (knee) to rely on while I rehab one, so two are almost a necessity. You're right though...one surgery, one anesthesia, one hospitalization, and one recovery. I am touring the rehab facility on Monday. I want to be able to visualize where I'm going to be. With 10 weeks to rehab, I should be in okay shape to return to my secretarial job on August 27th. Once month from today is the big day!! I'm sure I'll be scared the days before, but for now I'm very excited. Every day the pain gets worse and they are taking away my Naproxen 10 days before surgery, so I'll be really sore, then. I'll keep you posted...thank you for your words of encouragement and support LBT is the best!

I tell anyone who asks or compliments me on my weight loss...anyone who has questions I am ready to support them should they decide to pursue the band.

Yes, it is permanent damage that doesn't get better, even with weight loss. It is degenerative, meaning it will continue to get worse, osteoarthritis. Both knees are bone on bone and the cartilidge is mush. So even thought I've lost over 100 lbs, the pain doesn't go away. I take the maximum amount of the anti-inflammatory pain medication Naproxen and I get shots of cortisone every two months to the day as that is the closest I can get them. The cortisone only provides relief for three weeks and then it's like someone in the universe flips a switch and they start to hurt agin. Then I have to bite the bullet for the rest of the time until I can have shots again. I was just curious if anyone else has had the same experience as me :eek:

Thanks!!! It's definitely slowed, but it's steadily coming off...God Bless the Band!!