Hello All! My surgery is on December 17th....Im nervous and as I read these threads, Im very overwhelmed by how varied peoples experiences are! In addition to people telling me I could die, Im just not sure what to expect..:/

Don't let your nerves get the best of you. The operation is fast and so is recovery.

And tell those other guys, FYI being overweight kills too.

You will be fine.

For openers -- the people who are telling you that you could die are crazy. Don't listen to them.

Second, if you really want to worry about risks -- then make a list of all of your current medical conditions. If you don't face some of the potential risks invovled with the band now --- what is going to happen to you in 10 yrs? With the band you do have a decent chance of developing some type of discomfort and minor complicaiton soon or later that you will most likely be able to deal with. There is also always a small possbility it will be more compicated and that you may eventally have to have it out or revised. But thre's one thing for sure beyond any question ----- that is -- if you don't do something radical to lose the weight you have - you're defintely headed for extremely serious trouble. I got the band almost 5 yrs ago. I took care of it. I lost and kept off 80lbs. I have tired very hard not to play games with it and I usually manged to stay honest and real. People who don't do that are going to have trouble. Sometimes even people who are very good have trouble. All I can tell you is -- it's just unbelieveble to actually get your life back. I not only lost 80lbs and regained my health-- I feel like I turned the clock back 80 yrs! I'm 61 and people think I'm 40. I feel like 35. Look --- I"m not going to tell you that there are guarantee to the band ---- but there are definely guarantees to being morbidly obese.

You will be fine. I was out of surgery in under an hour. The band is one of the safest procedures you can have.

I'll be honest, it did hurt more than I thought it would... but then again, I have a low pain threshold. Take your pain meds on schedule -- they are a wonderful thing.

Drink plenty of liquids and follow your doctors orders. Don't try to progress past the liquid diet too quickly or bend the rules. You will be able to lose weight, and enjoy food (in small quantities) again, but those first 4-6 weeks are for healing.

You may have some frustrating moments those first few weeks but it is so worth it to be healthy. Once you are healed up, you'll be able to start incorporating exercise into your life and eating healthy meals. Its a learning process but you'll find your groove.

To the few people who I told about the surgery, I told them that if I didn't have it, I would die......maybe not today or tomorrow, but certainly sooner than my friends. It's the truth and nobody could argue it.

You can die from surgery. You wont die from the lap band. Basically that means anytime you go under ansthesia you run the risk of dying. However I believe the chances of it happening to a healthy person are pretty darn slim. If you havent already you may have a full cardio work up to make sure your heart can withstand surgery. Beleive me if the Dr doesnt think you are a good candidate he will not do it.

That said... the lapband is a simple surgery. You dr more than likely could do it in his sleep. You should have nothing to worry about.