I live in Buffalo NY and you can count the good swimming days here on your fingers and one foot. It gets cold at night and the Water gets very cold and never really warms up enough to swim so I have a swimming/lap band question.

My surgery is June 28 and that is the beginning of swim season here and I don't want to miss too many good swim days. How long do you think it will be before I can swim and do my pool exercises?

You will want to wait to get in to the pool, tub, or hot tub until your incisions are completely healed to prevent infection it was about 3 or 4 weeks for me and I have had no complications at all.

Good luck!!

Oh I had this problem too! We had purchased a house with a swimming pool and moved in just weeks before surgery. My doc let me start swimming five days after surgery. I never experienced any difficulties.

That said, always follow the advice of your own doc.

Brad

I will be sure to ask but the water is chlorinated so I'm thinking it's probably better than a shower. It's also a good start on my exercise because I do water exercises.

Hey Barbee who's doing your band?

Congrats on your date and walking into Bandsterville.

Dr. Hoffman! The best doc in the world. I just love him. He really and truly UNDERSTANDS... something none of my other doctors have done. They would just keep telling me.... lose weight.... none ever took into consideration that it isn't quite that easy.

Yupper - yes he sure is the best ever. He's put a lot of faith in me to lose with the band. I didn't want to RNY and he supported me the whole way. Slow and steady wins the race.

How do you do the "thing" under your post that tells your progress...? I'd like to do mine too.

My first weigh in was 238 and now I'm at 231. I'm anxious and leery at the same time... a bit nervous. Dr. H is going on vacation so I have to see another doc for my first visit and that is sort of a downer too.

Go into - USER CP on the top left under the pictures in the blue band

Go into - Edit signature scroll down in the second window under "edit signature" you can type anything you want to share or once you create your tracker code apply the full number code by click and pasting it in that area. Your code will be on that tracker website as an BB code.

Oh I had this problem too! We had purchased a house with a swimming pool and moved in just weeks before surgery. My doc let me start swimming five days after surgery. I never experienced any difficulties.

That said, always follow the advice of your own doc.

Brad

Brad,

Damn! I'm a happily married woman, but you look AMAZING! Congrats on your success!

I am preband but do an hour of lap swimming daily. My doctor and Nurse Practitioner both said to wait 2 weeks before returning to swimming.

The office gave me a 4 page shopping list... does anyone know if we have to buy all of it? I'll have to mortgage the house?

No way..... I had a few things to drink, eat and oh course Protein shakes. You should have your pain meds on hand - get a script before surgery and have it filled ahead of time. I really didn't need a whole lot. If you have someone wh can run for you I wouldn't get that much since they can get it for you in case it's needed at the drug store. Don't waste your money and time.

I did have sugar free Jello, crystal light, Protein Shakes, pudding cups, pain meds..... I could hardly eat or drink anything the first 3-4 days home - only small sips every few minutes after awhile you get bored - it's slow going and I really didn't want anything. Just rest and planning the future skinny me in mind.

Oh don't forget a few bandage supplies don't need anything but gause, tape and larger bandages.

Wow...you've been a BIG help... you listed a few things I forgot.

I bought the Protein shake.... wow, expensive

I got the Vitamins but all I could get in chewable were Flintstones.

Everything ran me $50. I hope I don't need much more. With the tests and everything.... and my husband's medical expenses it's getting tight. Medicare stinks.

Don't worry all I wanted to do was relax and get healed. I just took small doses of pain meds and sipped what I could take in as directed by my doctors diet plan. I never needed gas-x or anything else. Just as long as you have someone with you to help -your going to be fine in a short time. Perhaps a few days. I took very little with me to the hospital - I wore the same large loose clothes there as the same as I went home. I used the hospital gown. Take a change of underwear, slip on shoes/slippers, something to read, hair brush, tooth brush/paste, lip balm. I didn't need make-up or any other crap. Just very simple basics since it's only over night. Oh if you have a C-Pap machine for sleep apnea make sure to bring it - My hospital required it for the over night stay even though I never used it. I was on oxygen after surgery (not sure why - no problems). Check with your surgeons office staff to be sure what is required for tis machine.

Buffalo General... they said to take it but the darned thing is so awful I usually start out with it but rip it off after 2 hours and slip in my mouth piece instead. I can't imagine trying to sleep with it after surgery.

Edited June 22, 201016 yr by Barbee