'kay peeps.... I asked for some help with this in my blog a few weeks back but got no responses... (that's OK...I only cried for awhile..) but..... I'm speaking at my surgeon's seminar for people interested in WLS in a few weeks and I'm wanting to know from everyone...What would you have wanted to know when you first went to your seminar from someone who has already had surgery and been through the whole process? What are things that either 1.maybe noone told you 2. didn't think to mention 3. are good/bad? And the other question... What did you want to hear most about at the seminar? i.e., pre-op process?, sugery day?, recovery?, process of losing weight?, what I do personally?, emotional/mental aspects of surgery and weight loss? I've spoken at one other and some of the people's questions helped me to revamp but I'd really like to hear from others....what do/did you want to hear from the "surgery person" at your seminar? Thanks for the input!

I had most of the information through my surgeons at UPMC in Pittsburgh. The most frustrating thing is that with one fill nothing has changed. I am still hungry and unable to lose more weight since pre/post op diet. I have made life style changes (work out for 1 hr. a day) and still can't lose anymore. My next fill is 3 weeks away & I hope it works.

I would have liked to have known more about the recovery period in the first few weeks after surgery. I wasn't expecting the shoulder pain and the random gurgling, plus not feeling hungry for a few days afterward was a little unsettling. I also didn't expect the emotional recovery to be as difficult as it was. I always like to hear "tips and tricks" from people who have been through the process and what helped them when they were having problems (i.e. stand up and walk for 10 minutes when you have gas pain, etc).

That phrenic nerve pain is common and can sometimes be severe enough that band removal is the only option.

That the band *does* fail. It does not always stop the hunger.

That it's just not enough to 'cut back' and that even with traditional dieting, the weight loss is going to come off slowly.

I would like to see them stress far more than they do that the band was never intended for life. Statistics show that 60% of banded have some type of complication that requires the band to be removed or replaced within the first 5 years. Even then, they don't expect the band to last beyond 10 years.

I would like to see them stress far more than they do that they will still have to *choose* to eat the right foods and put the fork down. To stress that the band will not stop them from eating out of boredom or due to emotions.

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Hello,

Questions that I wanted to ask but didnt want to sound stupid. #1 Why lap band instead of your other options?..... #2 if you could go back and do something different then a lap band would you?....#3 What do your scars look like?.......#4 How does your port feel and can you see it?.......#5 Does getting fills hurt?.........

Good Luck on your seminar!!

'kay peeps.... I asked for some help with this in my blog a few weeks back but got no responses... (that's OK...I only cried for awhile..) but..... I'm speaking at my surgeon's seminar for people interested in WLS in a few weeks and I'm wanting to know from everyone...What would you have wanted to know when you first went to your seminar from someone who has already had surgery and been through the whole process? What are things that either 1.maybe noone told you 2. didn't think to mention 3. are good/bad? And the other question... What did you want to hear most about at the seminar? i.e., pre-op process?, sugery day?, recovery?, process of losing weight?, what I do personally?, emotional/mental aspects of surgery and weight loss? I've spoken at one other and some of the people's questions helped me to revamp but I'd really like to hear from others....what do/did you want to hear from the "surgery person" at your seminar? Thanks for the input!

I would ask how aggressive your surgeon is with fills. Mine was very aggressive and I loved it. My first fill didn't really do anything and I ended up gaining weight after having lost 17 pounds on the pre-liquid diet. So - ask if you can receive agrressive fills! Loved my band being tight - was never hungry and I've lost 105 pounds since 11/16/09 - only 5 more to goal!

Howdy.... I'll let the surgeon answer that one... I'm just going to be answering questions from people who are coming to the surgery to get info on the diff types of WLS. I do think he does cover his fill philosophy though which is important

Hi,

While I know that response to pain is individualized, I wasn't prepared for just how much the port site hurt. I would have liked info in advance about using a heating pad etc.

My doc does an awesome job of preparing you for surgery and your diet etc.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions everybody!! Some good ideas for sure... If you think of anything else, be sure to post it here. The seminar isn't for a few weeks so I'm open to more thoughts.

That there is a very good chance that you will never be warm again! Ok, so you'll be warm, just not as warm as everyone else

That there is a very good chance that you will never be warm again! Ok, so you'll be warm, just not as warm as everyone else

LOL, that is for sure!... I have a space heater under my desk as I type this and everyone else thinks I am crazy! But then again it is nice to no longer be embarassed and dripping wet with sweat for the entire summer.

Since the purpose of the Lap Band is to keep you from feeling hungry and knowing that my weight problem was not that I was always hungry but that I just always ate whether I was hungry or not. I was not sure how or even if the lap band would work for me. I would definitely touch on grazing, head hunger, emotional eating etc. what the band does to help with that and what is required from you to deal with it.

I sort of resented the fact that at my seminar they made the surgery sound too much like a breeze. The surgeon and some of the patients spoke and they talked about how people come home and feel great and go right back to work. I am by no means a big baby when it comes to pain and I agree that compared to other surgeries, this one was one of the easiest but there was discomfort for a while, nothing I couldn't handle but because they made it sound so easy I was not prepared for it. I did have hernia repair too so I don't know how much discomfort was added by that. Like I said I am not a big baby and the discomfort definitely was worth the results but I just would have preferred that they be more realistic on what to expect so that I could have been better prepared.

Jodi...I felt the exact same way when I first went to my initial seminar!! The way the person who spoke there made it sound, I was going in for a teeth cleaning and I would be running around jumping up and down 2 hours after the surgery. That is actually one thing I touched on the last time I spoke at the seminar b/c I didn't feel like I had the entire picture that there IS some pain, discomfort, and down time involved with recovery and while everyone is different in their recovery, the fact is that your body was cut into, there is internal swelling and there was general anestisa (sp ?) used. So, I will definately talk about the realities of recovery and surgery. Thanks for your input!

Dawn..that's so funny! I am cold ALL the time now!! Often, I have to put on a big oversized sweater in my house if I'm just sitting around b/c I can't ever seem to get warm enough! (I'll take that side effect of being thin, though....)