nylahkay21

Congrats! I was banded a week ago today as well. I lost 20 lbs on the pre-surgery liquid diet, so it will be nice to see how much I have lost post surgery. I have my post-op check up tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed that this misery has been worth it!!

Hi All, I was banded on 6/7/10. The day went really well and the surgery was really the easiest part of this whole process. My surgery was scheduled for 9:05 am. I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am. I was taken up and weighed. I lost 20 pounds on the 10 day liquid diet my surgeon required pre-op. I changed into the gown and they gave me an IV with a bunch of fluids and a shot as well. I remember the nurse saying she gave me a blood thinner, some type of steroid, and an antibiotic. My blood pressure was taken and I was also given a pregnancy test (!?). The surgeon and the anesthesiologist both stopped by to answer any last questions I had. My fiance and my mom were paged to come and spend time with me before I went in for surgery. We spent about 20 minutes together before they wheeled me off, right on time. I was particularily anxious about the anesthesia since I have never had surgery before. I didn't want to be awake when they pulled the tube out. The anesthesiologist ensured me that I would not recall this part of the proceedure. I remember going into the OR and beeing freezing. Why do they keep those rooms so cold?? Then the nurse anesthetist gave me a shot in my IV that she claimed was supposed to help relax me. They asked me to move on to the operating table and before I even layed my head down they had the breathing mask over me with the anesthesia. The anesthesiologist asked me where I went to college and I was out before I could finish saying "University of Minnesota." I woke up briefly when the team was lifting me from the operating table to the hospital bed. Yuck. Wish I wasn't aware of anyone lifting me. Then I came to again a while later with a nurse telling me that surgery was over and that everything went well. She asked on a scale of one to ten how bad the pain was. And to be honest, the pain from the actual surgery was minimal, or unnoticable really. It was the pain from the Co2 they put in your belly to puff it up to do the surgery. My neck and back and shoulders were under terribly uncomfortable amounts of pressure. She gave me a shot of pain meds through the IV. I layed there for what felt like 15 minutes, but was probably closer to 2 hours before they wheeled me into recovery where my family could join me. I got the first look at my incisions and was very surprised to see 7 different incisions that looked like they were in fantastic condition. The doctor used a sort of glue to clothes the wounds, so no bandages necessary! The nurse then gave me about 2 ccs of ice cold water, which was the best tasting water I had ever had. My mom, dad, and fiance joined me. My blood pressure was being taken on a regular basis and I had the boots on my legs that were constantly massaging my legs to keep the circulation going. I had an outpatient surgery, so in order to go home, all I had to do was get an xray to make sure the band was placed properly. I was wheeled to the xray area and told to stand on this ledge. The technician was a newbie who was being supervised by a vet. Instead of slowly rocking me back from a standing position to a laying down position, she slammed me down so hard I hit my head on the table. That didn't hurt as much as the shift of gravity on my incisions and surgery site. I was in an extreme amount of pain during this. Then I was told to drink a nasty tasting clear liquid while they did another xray so they could see if the fluid passed through properly. I was given the green light. I headed back to the recovery area and got my prescription for liquid pain meds, was given insturctions by the nurse, and was sent on my way. I was home from the hospital by about 3:00 that day. It was tough to sleep initially since I am a stomach sleeper, and since I had back pain from my back muscles trying to compensate for my traumatized stomach muschles. I was told to follow a seven day clear liquid diet post op with no vitamins. This for me was the most gruelling part of this experience. The first two or three days were a breeze since I didn't really have an appetite, but by the 3rd or 4th days I was HUNGRY and so sick of clear liquids. I started to become dehydrated and light headed. Very scary. I moved more quickly to the full liquids per my doctor. All in all, I am a week out now, and at about 90% from the surgery. Very happy it's all over!

Just had my pre-op surgery consult today. Scheduled my surgery for June 7th. So excited! I wanted to do it sooner, but we just bought a house and close in a week, will be spending the better part of May painting the new place and moving. I also founf out my surgeon supports doing the surgery as an outpatient proceedure. Awesome! Now...the only thing I still have a question about is whether or not a will really need a catheter during the surgery. Do people get the catheters for the outpatient procedure? Any other June bandsters?

I just found out today that I will be banded on June 7th!

There are LOTS of things I can't wait to do. And wearing shorts is one of them! Enough 100 degree weather with me being in jeans...

I was anxious and angry about this test, too. I can NOT sleep on my back. Period. And when you have all the stuff hooked up to you, the only option you have is to sleep on your back. I was annoyed that I would have to get up and go to work the following day after not getting a good night's rest. I was also annoyed because I knew I didn't have sleep apnea. My fiance and my dad both have it, so I am very clear about the signs and symptoms. I was not diagnosed with sleep apnea, amazingly, and was cleared for the surgery. I didn't sleep well that night, but at least it's over. Good luck, and hang in there. This was my least favorite part of the process. Not because it was awful, but because I can be real mean if I don't get good sleep!

Does anyone have BCBS insurance that is required to prove medical necessity for the surgery by first trying a 6 month medically monitored weight loss? My insurance is requiring me to have my doctor submit paperwork documenting the work we have done over the last 6 months for me to try to lose weight in other ways. I am nervous that for some reason the insurance company will reject the work we have done even though through continued monitoring and thousands of dollars worth of tests, we have determined that all of my health issues are of course tied directly to my weight. I meet with my doctor next week to talk to her about submitting the paperwork to insurance for approval. Is there anything I should tell her to help insure cooperation on behalf of the insurance company?