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Bandsters in Nursing/Health Care Fields



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Hello I am An RN and I work in peri operative services' date=' specifically same day surgery. I had my lapband where I work so was actually a patient in my own dept so there was no hiding it! I had my surgery on a Wednesday and went back a week and a half later per my MD instructions. I didn't have any problems and the soreness was gone by then. Most of the advice I see in here is good such as "you need to call your surgeon or speak to the bariatric nurse". I don't really see anyone giving out inappropriate advice, which is good . Good luck and let us know how your doing! As far as telling everyone, you could actually be an inspiration for others as a fellow nurse in my dept was for me. :0)[/quote']

Will you be there this Wednesday ? I'm the 0730 case !!!

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Will you be there this Wednesday ? I'm the 0730 case !!!

Where are you having your surgery at?

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JSMC. I work nights on ICU.

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JSMC. I work nights on ICU.

Yes I will be there! I'm the team leader of SDS. I'll see you then!

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Yay!!! Can't wait to meet you.

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Yes I will be there! I'm the team leader of SDS. I'll see you then!

Also, I'm not aware they do caths! There was a case where an agency nurse thought the surgeon wanted one so she did it but you won't have a Cath. I know what you mean about people being gossipy but since I work in SDS, there was no hiding it. I will check on you in recovery also. The bariatric nurses are great too.

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Yay!!! Can't wait to meet you.

Me too! Get you some Popsicles and gas x strips for when you get home. :0)

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Lori don't they usually do at least an in and out cath during the surgery? since it is under general anesthesia? the PA at my bariatric office mentioned it. I do hope I'm wrong about having to have a cath!!

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I specifically asked about a cath. They said the surgery was so short, I would not need one. They did make me pee before I went home.

As far as eating at work...I always make sure I have a few staples in my bag like yogurt, cheese sticks, Jerky (krave brand is awesome), and Protein shakes. Before I got used to how the new "hungry" feels, I used to forget to eat until I was shaking and dizzy. But I do better now. I bring leftovers from home or smoked salmon, and I heat my food up THEN clock out so I can get a full 30 min to chew and eat slowly. If I can't manage to find 30 min to eat, out come the Protein Bars and shakes!

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Lori don't they usually do at least an in and out cath during the surgery? since it is under general anesthesia? the PA at my bariatric office mentioned it. I do hope I'm wrong about having to have a cath!!

No we usually don't do caths for the lapbands

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I did not have a cath.

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On that note' date=' how soon after lap band were you able to go back to work at a hospital taking care of patients? Our new schedule has been posted and I'm looking to pick up shifts in July, but I'm not sure when I will feel well enough to work and move heavy ICU patients around. I'm having surgery June 26th and my doctor has said I can start exercising 2 weeks after surgery[/quote']

I'm an RN case manager and had surgery on a Friday and was back in my office on the following Tuesday. The walking, along with lots of Water was key for me. At post op day 7.... I am so much more aware of my abdominal, and accessory muscles. I bought an abdominal girdle to remind me not to lift and use good body mechanics. I also started Medifast because I just didn't want to deal with planning. So thankful to give and receive support from this forum. Good luck all!

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Lori don't they usually do at least an in and out cath during the surgery? since it is under general anesthesia? the PA at my bariatric office mentioned it. I do hope I'm wrong about having to have a cath!!

No we usually don't do caths for lapbands

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I'm an RN case manager and had surgery on a Friday and was back in my office on the following Tuesday. The walking' date=' along with lots of Water was key for me. At post op day 7.... I am so much more aware of my abdominal, and accessory muscles. I bought an abdominal girdle to remind me not to lift and use good body mechanics. I also started Medifast because I just didn't want to deal with planning. So thankful to give and receive support from this forum. Good luck all![/quote']

I also use Medifast. I'm pleased with it.

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Wanted to let the other healthcare providers know I was banded on Wednesday at my hospital! I actually didn't know any of the nurses (that I can remember) but I do remember waking up and demanding to know my bp/hr haha. They told me what my vitals were and I said 'oh, ok, good job team, keep up the good work'. lol. I'm sure they thought I was nuts. I also was asking for an incentive spirometer at one point and asking them to make sure I had SCDs on so I didn't get blood clots, like they didn't know that already. I don't remember any of that though. Has anyone else been banded recently? have any good stories of when you were drugged and trying to direct your medical care??

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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