Hi Folks,

Please comment. I hope to be a regular chatter here. I think it is important for us.

I had my surgery October 26. I did not stay in the hospital overnight, but am off work until November 15. I was extremely dry from the anesthetic.

I had a lot of pain due to the cut in. Like my mother said, it is basically being "stabbed" 5 times. But once I got the pain under control I felt pretty good. I control it with hydromorphine (x1) and tylenol one (x2) with codeine. This was the only combination that worked. I had shoulder pain for about 2-3 days after. Hot/Cold helped this.

My Mother's nursing training came out so she forced me to do my coughs. Cough's are important to prevent pneumonia, whether they are dry or not. I did these while hugging a pillow really close. Also, I made sure I did my breathing exercises.

I started worrying on the Thursday. I'm worried about the following:

• How do I know the LAP-BAND® has not slipped?
  
• Would they sew it in so that slight movements would not move it?
  
• Am I filling my stomach too much and stretching it?
  
• How do I "eat" my Diabetic Boost 5 times a day AND get in my other liquids?
  
• Why am I so tired?
  
• How would I know if my port flipped?
  
• Due to other illnesses, I have a lot of drugs to take, what can I do to quicken the process of taking them? (crushing them was disgusting)
  

Anyways, that's all I have for now. Thanks all in advance for posting! I hope you all are doing great! I look forward to helping you all I can.

Bobbi

You will know if the band has slipped. I have not experienced it but those who do seem to report extreme discomfort.

Yes, the lapband is secured to the stomach during surgery to try and reduce the chances of it slipping

If you stick to your post op diet you don't need to worry about stretching your pouch. In truth, at this point before you have had any fills you don't even really have a pouch.

I'm not sure what diabetic boost is but I would check with your surgeon if they want you having those or regular Protein shakes.

You would find out if your port was flipped if your doctor tries to give you a fill but finds that they are not able to access the port.

pills need to be crushed. You could try mixing them in to apple sauce or something sweet like that.

Hope this helps you.

Thanks so much!

I have swallowed pills since surgery with no problem. You will know if your band slipped because all of a sudden you can't keep anything down- I asked my doc. about it. Good luck on your journey!

banded 19 months. Never had to crush a pill. I have cut the big Calcium ones into smaller pieces, but now use chewables.

You're tired cause you had surgery less than a week ago. Give it time, you'll feel better in another week or even sooner.

I think most of the questions you asked have been answered, but I just wanted to say that I know how you feel with all of your concerns!! 4 days after my surgery I drank some broth a little too fast and I had a feeling like the broth was sitting above my band (although I don't think it was...I was just overly nervous because everything was new) and I called my doctor because I was sure I had stretched my pouch and my band had slipped. Anyways, I didn't stretch my pouch or damage my band, of course. But I definitely know what you're going through. Everything is so nice, so it will take a little bit of adjusting to get to know your band and to relearn how your body works with the new tool. Stick around LBT! Its a great resource!

All have you have given me great information and relaxed me a bit. Thank you so much.