Hi Everyone,

My band surgery is set for April 18, 2011, at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey, with Dr. Andrei. I've gone to all of the nutrition classes, have asked lots of questions, have an ongoing relationship with a great therapist, and have followed all of my pre-op instructions. I've even been able to take off about 15 pounds since I started this journey back in November of 2010. I went for my pre-admission testing last Thursday. Everything went fine, but since then, I am feeling really jittery about the surgery. I think because it's all becoming so real now. I'm feeling very anxious about it.

A few things I'm worried about:

1) The actual surgery itself

2) The pain after the surgery

3) How long it will take me to start feeling like myself again

4) My BIGGEST fear - will I ever be able to enjoy food again? Obviously, I get great enjoyment out of eating. It's a very pleasurable, intimate, and social experience for me. I am prepared to be able to eat much less, and I have already started modifying my eating habits, but I don't want food to be my enemy. I still want to enjoy it, yet make better and healthier choices.

I'm sure in some respect my feelings are completely normal. This is my first time having surgery, and I haven't felt nervous until now. I really hope I am doing the right thing..............

Advice anyone? Thoughts? Words of wisdom? Comforting words? :-)

Thanks for reading..........

It is only natural for you to have the jitters....your are human. But just think of it as an investment in yourself. I am a newbie to all of this myself. My surgery was 2/24/11and I go in for my first adjustment on Monday 4/4/11, I am a bit nervous about it but I am ready for the next step in my journey to the new and healthier me. You should still be able to enjoy foods just not at the same quantities. I too love food and I am always having to put myself in check and look at the big picture. I want to look and feel better, I want to become a healthier person for me and my family....I want to live a long and happy life and that simply was not going to happen with me being so obese. I don't know if my words have helped you at all, I hope they have. But don't be so rough on yourself...easy does it...just put one foot in front of the other you will do just fine and you will be fine...I have all the faith in the world in you, in us. It is not easy being over weight....remember, we did not become overweight over night, it happened over time and over time we will learn new and healthier habits together Best of luck to you!!

Chelleitaz

Hi Everyone,

My band surgery is set for April 18, 2011, at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey, with Dr. Andrei. I've gone to all of the nutrition classes, have asked lots of questions, have an ongoing relationship with a great therapist, and have followed all of my pre-op instructions. I've even been able to take off about 15 pounds since I started this journey back in November of 2010. I went for my pre-admission testing last Thursday. Everything went fine, but since then, I am feeling really jittery about the surgery. I think because it's all becoming so real now. I'm feeling very anxious about it.

A few things I'm worried about:

1) The actual surgery itself

2) The pain after the surgery

3) How long it will take me to start feeling like myself again

4) My BIGGEST fear - will I ever be able to enjoy food again? Obviously, I get great enjoyment out of eating. It's a very pleasurable, intimate, and social experience for me. I am prepared to be able to eat much less, and I have already started modifying my eating habits, but I don't want food to be my enemy. I still want to enjoy it, yet make better and healthier choices.

I'm sure in some respect my feelings are completely normal. This is my first time having surgery, and I haven't felt nervous until now. I really hope I am doing the right thing..............

Advice anyone? Thoughts? Words of wisdom? Comforting words? :-)

Thanks for reading..........

It's only natural to be nervous before any kind of surgery, especially something as life changing as the lap band! I had my surgery fairly recently on March 14th and I had a lot of the same fears as you do. I knew mostly what to expect because I'm a surgical technologist and I've assisted on a couple of these procedures, and also because my surgeon and support team had done a good job of going over everything. Still, you always fear the unknown.

I woke up from surgery in the recovery room with some pain in my incision (I had the SILS procedure) and was given pain medications right away. I never had any incisional pain since. I had a lot of shoulder pain from the gas, but moving around as much as possible helps. I felt very sleepy on and off for a few days because of the anesthesia, so I slept when I felt like it and walked when I felt up to it. It took me about a week and a half to really start feeling like myself again, but that's just me. Everyone reacts to anesthesia differently.

A big fear of mine, like you, is worrying if I would ever enjoy food again. I'm only on soft foods right now but I find that I appreciate food much more after being on liquids for so long. Having to chew everything to death lets you really slow down and taste your food, something I never did before. We'll see how it goes with solids, but I have a feeling it will be a similar experience.

You may not feel like it right after the surgery, but you are doing the right thing. I'm feeling more and more like this is the best decision I ever made. You will too. Best of luck to you!

First of all, it is completely normal to feel nervous. Don't beat yourself up about it.

I really wasn't in much pain after surgery. My surgeon required that I spend the night and I had a morphine pump for pain. I hardly used it at all. I also hardly used the pain meds they sent me home with. It took me about a week to really start feeling normal after surgery.

As far as worrying about enjoying food...I actually think I enjoy food more now. I eat so much slower and can really enjoy the taste instead of just shoveling it in as fast as I could like I used to. Also, since I eat so much less food, I make it count...it needs to be healthy AND taste great. I don't eat junk like I used to so I feel so much better about myself.

It is honestly the best thing I have ever done for myself!

I am a bit of a freak, but I have to say that I was so calm about this - I just felt like I was making such a great decision for myself and my family. And you are too! Be calm. You will be okay. I know your doctor and the hospital and you are in good hands.

Here are my responses to your questions:

1) The actual surgery itself - NO BIGGIE, it was quick and easy and uneventful. And you won't remember so no worries! Be calm and be proud of yourself.

2) The pain after the surgery - I, like everyone else, had to deal with the gas pain. But MOVE, move around, swing your arms, it willl go away. It was by far the most painful part. Take your pain killers on time. I only needed them for two days. YOU CAN DO IT.

3) How long it will take me to start feeling like myself again - I felt like myself again after about a week.

4) My BIGGEST fear - will I ever be able to enjoy food again? Obviously, I get great enjoyment out of eating. It's a very pleasurable, intimate, and social experience for me. I am prepared to be able to eat much less, and I have already started modifying my eating habits, but I don't want food to be my enemy. I still want to enjoy it, yet make better and healthier choices.

This last question is something I have thought long and hard about. Food has become a non-issue in my life. I eat because I need Protein and I want to work out. The relationship with food is a positive one. Sure, there are some things I cannot eat, but I don't want to. They make me feel like crap. The band will reduce intake. You will still have to make good choices. But it does interrupt social eating in that you will be totally different than you are now - IN A GOOD WAY. The thing that gets me now is that I don't need to eat something - you know that feeling of really wanting something, eating it and then feeling guilty for eating it? That is gone from my life - and honestly, that missing guilt is so much better than anything I could have eaten. You will decide your limits and what you are able to do. You will be in the driver seat of your band experience.

Take a deep breath, be excited! GOOD LUCK!

Hi Everyone,

Wow!!! You all wrote such wonderful responses to my blog post. I am not much of a blogger, I prefer to read rather than to type out blog posts, but I was feeling so anxious about the surgery the past few days, I really needed to vent my feelings to those who would understand. I really was starting to question if I was doing the right thing by taking such a drastic step in my life.

Thank you all for taking the time to write such detailed responses. I had a very good day today - I felt very positive and upbeat about the surgery, thanks in no small part to your kind words. I'm sure I will continue to have a mix of feelings as the surgery approaches, but I rest easier knowing that my feelings are completely normal. Also, everyone reacts differently to surgery. I've heard people have a considerable amount of pain, and those who have had hardly any pain at all. I usually bounce back from things pretty quickly, but then again, I've never had surgery before. Nobody can guarantee how I will feel after surgery, all I can do is hope for the best, right?

I did something today I am proud of. I live alone, and while I have plenty of people who will be there for me if I need them the week after surgery, I was not feeling too comfortable with spending my first night home from surgery alone. I'm not really a complainer about things, and usually can tough things out on my own, but this is just different. I don't feel that I should have to be a martyr on surgery day. I asked a good friend and co-worker of mine if she would spend the night with me when I return from surgery. I will just feel better if I have some company there overnight. If I need to sleep, I will. If I just want her there to watch a movie with and talk to, she'll be there. I think I will feel overall much safer if I have someone with me. If I am up for taking small walks in the next day or so following the surgery, then I'd love to be able to do that. I love walking and fresh air, so I'm hoping to stay at least a tiny bit active in the days following the procedure.

Thank you all again for being so supportive. I hope we can continue keeping each other posted......

Hi MollyRN,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I'm curious - How do you know of Dr. Andrei and Morristown Memorial? I assume from your name that you are an RN, so I imagine you are quite familiar with the medical field. I was referred to Dr. Andrei by a friend of mine who had the band surgery with him. She swears by him. This is my first surgical experience, so I haven't dealt with too many surgeons. I like that Dr. Andrei is kind, has a sense of humor, but is also very straightforward. I don't think he sugar coats things, but I get the feeling that he genuinely cares about his patients. His staff is wonderful too - very organized, professional, and thorough.

Like I said, I've never had surgery before, so virtually everything about it is a new experience for me. I just hope it goes smoothly, safely, and the pain is manageable. Dr. Andrei already gave me my scripts for after the surgery. He wanted me to get them filled now so I am all set with them when I leave the hospital.

Thanks again for your kind words.....................I hope your lap band journey is going well for you.

Sincerely,

Dave

I am a bit of a freak, but I have to say that I was so calm about this - I just felt like I was making such a great decision for myself and my family. And you are too! Be calm. You will be okay. I know your doctor and the hospital and you are in good hands.

Here are my responses to your questions:

1) The actual surgery itself - NO BIGGIE, it was quick and easy and uneventful. And you won't remember so no worries! Be calm and be proud of yourself.

2) The pain after the surgery - I, like everyone else, had to deal with the gas pain. But MOVE, move around, swing your arms, it willl go away. It was by far the most painful part. Take your pain killers on time. I only needed them for two days. YOU CAN DO IT.

3) How long it will take me to start feeling like myself again - I felt like myself again after about a week.

4) My BIGGEST fear - will I ever be able to enjoy food again? Obviously, I get great enjoyment out of eating. It's a very pleasurable, intimate, and social experience for me. I am prepared to be able to eat much less, and I have already started modifying my eating habits, but I don't want food to be my enemy. I still want to enjoy it, yet make better and healthier choices.

This last question is something I have thought long and hard about. Food has become a non-issue in my life. I eat because I need Protein and I want to work out. The relationship with food is a positive one. Sure, there are some things I cannot eat, but I don't want to. They make me feel like crap. The band will reduce intake. You will still have to make good choices. But it does interrupt social eating in that you will be totally different than you are now - IN A GOOD WAY. The thing that gets me now is that I don't need to eat something - you know that feeling of really wanting something, eating it and then feeling guilty for eating it? That is gone from my life - and honestly, that missing guilt is so much better than anything I could have eaten. You will decide your limits and what you are able to do. You will be in the driver seat of your band experience.

Take a deep breath, be excited! GOOD LUCK!

I started having doubts about whether I was doing the right thing right before surgery but was surprisingly calm the day of my surgery. I just had mine done March 25 so I'm new to this. When I went in i had to fill out paperwork, they asked medical questions, put in the IV, did a pregnancy test, blood pressure, temp etc. Then they gave my some pepcid in my iv to get rid of stomach acid and something to get rid of secretions (not sure what med it was). Then they gave me something to make me drowsy. I was wheeled into operating room where they game me the med to put me to sleep. I've had surgery before and had never been awake when I got to the operating room. When I woke up I wasn't sure where I was. They had me walk around a little, drink some barium and did a x ray to see if the lap band was in the right position. Then I had to drink some water and keep it down. I'm lucky I don't get sick after surgery. I was sore and the gas pain was hard to deal with. I took gas x strips which I don't think helped. I walked 3-4 times the day of my surgery. This helped with the gas the most. Don't be afraid to use the pain med that you are given. Don't wait until you are in pain to take it. I was taking mine every four hours. i still have some pain but it's getting better. I'm walking a mile a day now. It takes me almost 25 minutes but I feel like it's a start. Good luck.

Bandit ,

I am hoping to be banded in april. I read your comments and this is just my personal feelings. Believe me I understand your love and intimate relationship with food, I have that too, but it is that feeling that have us needing to get the band. I want to have love and an intamacy with tying my shoes without getting winded, running more than 1 block without feeling like Im dying, accepting invites to places instead of not going simply because I am ashamed of how I look!!..Food can go straight to h e double hockey sticks !.. I hope I finally figure out that food is a means to survival....maybe If I tell my self that over and over I will believe it! .Coming from a family that has "Soulfood Sundays" it will be hard. I wish you luck on this journey....hang in there.. and Good Luck!

Upon waking on surgery day the first thing I said to my husband was "let's go before I change my mind". I don't remember anything after they started wheeling me off to the OR, so I suspect they gave me something in my IV. When I woke up, I was really groggy, but so uncomfortable on that stretcher that I forced myself to wake up enough to go home to my comfy bed. Once home, it was drink 2 oz., set alarm clock, sleep, drink 2 oz., set alarm clock, sleep, take pain meds, etc. for 2 days. The third day I moved out to the recliner in the living room and stopped taking the pain pills because I didn't need them. That's when I felt the gas pains. I cried all day, asking myself "what have I done". We were told that the move you move, the less gas you have (true) and by the end of a week I was pain free, but still not energetic. Every incision except the port (largest) was completely healed at the end of that week. The port incision was healed by the end of the second week, although felt tender for the first month. After that it was pretty smooth sailing and I haven't looked back.

Asking a friend to stay with you is a good move. My adult son was laid off when I had my surgery, so he came over and played nursemaid and made dinner for my husband. It was a big help, especially the first few days. You'll need help getting up out of a chair or into or out of bed because if you use your gut muscles to do it, it hurts and you run the risk of tearing your stitches. At about the 5th day he took me to the grocery store just to get me to walk around and get me out of the house which really helped even though it did exhaust me. Sometimes he watched tv with me, or we talked, or I slept and he watched tv or used my computer, but I'm so glad he was here to help. It's especially dear to me now, because 6 weeks later he got another job halfway across the country and moved away.

Denise

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