WantTheBand

Uuuuuuug. The "C" word. I personally think this C word is worse than the other C word. I was lucky that my doc didnt require the use of a catheter, but I did have to get up to tinkle every 90 minutes for the entire hospital stay. That was a pain in the rear, but at least it let me avoid the pain in the...front! haha.

I woke up shaved.....just on the stomach where the incisions are.

Haha I guess it is a pretty loose guideline!! They are specifically mentioning chicken, fish, shrimp, pork eggs, etc as the main protein in these 'puree meals' and I'm following their directions. I sure wouldnt want to mess this up after coming so far. And I definately dont want to vomit. Thanks for the clarification!

We're anxiously waiting to hear how it went!! :clap2:

Thanks for the insight. My confusion stems from the fact that it seems the guidelines vary from each doctor. My paperwork specifically says to start on puree'd food on post op day 3, but most other people (and dr's websites) are saying clear fluids for a week and then puree. I havent had any problems thus far and I'm actually cheating A LITTLE on some shrimp, but I'm cutting off real small pieces and chewing like there's no tomorrow. So far I've had no problems and wow is it good! They also frown on anything tomato-based (sugars) and anything with carbs. Anyone else have similar directions from their doc?

Colleen, I'm 3 days post-band and I can tell you that I went through all the same things. The second thoughts you are having are completely normal for an elective procedure like this. Just remember that you've put lots of time and effort into planning this, and that you were in the correct state of mind when you did so. Tomorrow morning you've got to trust yourself. You made the right decision, now you just need to follow through with it!! So far I can say that it's been about as easy and/or difficult as I expected. The bloated/nausea feelings are not so great, and the soreness from the incisions is tough to deal with the first couple days, but now on day 3 I can get in and out of bed alone, sit down in a chair and get up without help, and most importantly, all bodily functions are back to normal! :confused: I have never been so excited in my life as when I woke up in the recovery room. The anasthesiaologist said things went great and that I was doing fine. My outlook on life has improved tremendously! :clap2: Jeff

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does puree'd chicken w/broth, puree'd shrimp with broth, and puree'd low carb Soup all qualify as mushies...or liquids? Basically I'm following the big pamphlet of information that the doctor gave me and puree'd Proteins is what is on the menu for the 3 weeks following surgery. I've had no problems this far (knock knock knock on wood). Thanks!

Congrats Ted!!! That 1st BM is awesome, right?!:dance: Is it normal to have swelling around the port incision? If I touch the area around it I can feel a little lump, which at first I though was the actual port but it's just below the surface of the skin so I assume it's swelling. The port should be deeper than that, right? I'm surprised how much I dont mind mushies so far. I'm sure my tune will change after a couple days, but so far so good. My wife has been eating very healthy with me over the whole course of preparing for this surgery so after she went out yesterday in 0 degree weather with -15 wind chill to buy me a food processor and some misc groceries, I ordered her some baked mostaccioli and cheese bread from our favorite Italian restaurant and had it delivered when she got home. WOW, it's amazing how good things smell when you cant have them!!!!! I did nibble (chew to oblivion) on a little piece of melted cheese from her bread and a tiny little chunk of mostaccioli. Holy cow was that good. She felt so guilty about eating this food in front of me, but I told her that it's something that I had to accept when I made the decision to have this procedure. I will have to suffer for a while, but I know it's for the greater good. Besides, my appetite is almost non-existant right now 3 days post-op. Jeff

demsvmejm, I went through alot of the same things. The number of people who told me that I didnt look like I needed WLS the 4 weeks before surgery was overwhelming. I carry my weight well, but I am uncomfortable and disgusted with myself. I did all the legwork and arranged financing and went through all the tests and then still had serious second thoughts before the surgery actually happened. I had to rely on the judgement that I used to start this whole process, not the judgement of a person afraid of surgery. What concerns me is that your hubby is not behind you on this. My wife was my lifeline through this whole thing. Without her positive support for my decision, it would have been alot more difficult. However, if she had dis-approved of it, I dont think I could have made it. You need the people around you to support your decision on something this serious. Let him know that you are doing it for the right reasons and that it's what you really want. As far as the research, spend some time looking at the real world results of the people who are posting on this forum. That's better than any other research in my opinion.... Good luck and you know that we will support your decision!!

Pam, I can honestly say that I read and re-read those messages several times the week before, the day before, and the day of surgery. The first time I went for the surgery and it got cancelled, I was relieved in a way because I felt it was my chance to re-think it all. Unfortunately on the way home I started feeling very depressed because in the time it took for me to get home, the whole surgery could have been over and I could have been moving on to the first stage of recovery. I had my chance to re-think it and I knew that I had put all that time, effort, and $money$ into this, so while sitting in the pre-op room I was not in a normal state of mind. Now that I did go through with it I am so, so happy that I did. The post-surgery pain is slight, and the discomfort is not all that great, but I feel better every day. The pain and discomfort will be worth being able to feel comfortable in my clothing and stop being so self-conscious every single day from here on out. I look at it like this- For 36 years I've eaten whatever I wanted and however much I wanted without regard for health and/or nutrition. Now it's time I make up for it. Having lost 35 lbs on the pre-op Protein shake diet was a miracle, and I felt so good. But I know for a fact that I could not have kept it off for 6 months, let alone lost more. And since I need to lose an additional 70 lbs, I knew that I still needed the band to help me. As far as the fear of not waking up after surgery, I'm willing to bet that the statistics would show the chances that you will are real, real good. I put faith in the doctor, the hospital staff, and especially the anasthesiaologist and it worked out in my favor. If there is anything I can do to help you- email, phone call, etc. please let me know. Having just gone through it, I am very willing to share my experience. Jeff

I have been wondering for some time now why the lap-band procedure is so female dominated!! It's actually nice to see a guys thread! So here's what I've been dealing with so far since being banded 2 days ago. 1) My first BM this afternoon since the morning before surgery. Never thought I would be so happy to see (or say) that. 2) Soreness is mostly related to the incision in the port area. The others really dont bother me at all. 3) Constant feeling of being bloated. How much gas-x did you guys take to releive it? 4) Lots of stomach grumbling. Not sure if it's related to gas or hunger, but I am definately not hungry. 5) Finally got some good sleep last night. Did everyone else pretty much sleep on their back the first few nights? Guy Power! :clap2: (Chicks rock too):whoo: Jeff

I hated the thought of being put to sleep, but it all happened so fast that I didnt have time to worry about once they were ready to go. Laptop=Not a bad idea if you will have someone there to take it from you when your time comes. Or you could do like I did and print out inspirational posts and read them at that time! I heard somewhere that they could give you something to calm down, but I was more than willing to just get the whole thing over with. I was sooo happy to be alive afterwards that I didnt sleep much. I only got 3 hours of sleep last night (after surgery) and was wide awake all day today until about 2pm, then I got tired. After getting home I took about a 2 hour nap and I am ready for bed anytime now.

Hi Everyone. I'm banded!:clap2: What a ride. Again, I have this fear of surgery in general so the thoughts of 'running' were going through my head as they prepped me. Prep was done at 12:15 and my surgery was scheduled for 1:30. Talk about every minute ticking by like an hour. Then at 12:35 my surgeon came to see how I was doing and to let me know that everything would be fine. I think he saw the terror in my eyes so he said that if I was ready, he was ready! 10 minutes later they inject the 'sleepy meds' into my IV, I kiss my wife, they wheel me into the next room and that was it. Nighty night. The next thing I know I was in the recovery room, extremely groggy, and being told that everything went excellent. 20 minutes later they wheel me into the hall to re-join my wife and in-laws, and then we went to my room. I had no pain meds the first night because I once had a horrible reaction to Vicodin. However the next day I gave in to something a little lighter than Vicodin due to the soreness of the incisions and also the discomfort in my abdomen. I was clear to leave the hospital at 8:30am this morning, but I stayed until 3 because I didnt feel up to the ride home. Right now I'm making my first puree'd meal so we'll see how that goes. Thanks again for all your support!

Thank you all again for your kind words of inspiration and pure honesty. Tomorrow is my big day and although I'm nervous, it feels different this time. Having seen the video of the actual procedure helped comfort me. It really is a very simple surgery, or as simple as internal surgery can be. I have printed out your words of encouragement and will take with me tomorrow. I know this is the right choice, and I know that I would have these feelings of nervousness no matter what the actual procedure was. It's normal. When I look at what Neal has accomplished (ousooner), it inspires me. Probably because our build and weight are (were) so similar. To see the steady progress he's made on his website makes me realize what can happen. I can't wait. Thanks. I'll keep you all updated. Jeff

Thanks again everyone for the helpful responses. :scared:

Thank you everyone for your responses!

I have yet to get my band, but what are the real life limits on pill sizes that can be swallowed whole? My Dr said that my Allegra should not be a problem immediately after surgery, but what about after a fill or two? Allegra 180mg is about the size of a Tylenol. Thanks

I will be printing these replies out and taking them with to the pre-op area to re-read while I wait!!!

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. Neal- did you watch the lap-band procedure video (that your website links to) before your surgery? I am dying to watch it but dont know which direction it will push me...