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Am I the only one actually worried about the surgery part of the band? My husband is an md and says it's no big deal but I worry about it. Concerned about general anesthesia and such.

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Spartan,

I understand your anxiety, it's natural and to be expected. Risks should never be weighed lightly, however, the typical outcomes should be a sense of comfort.

As a nurse I consider 3 factors for the prognosis of a surgery:

1) The type of surgery. Is it an open surgery, is it laproscopic? Is it a short surgery or will it last for 3, 6, or 8+ hrs? How invasive is the surgery (ie incising organs, accessing vessles etc or are we superficial to organs/tissues)?

2) What is the health of the patient? Have they had negative surgical experiences/outcomes in the past?

3) What is the experience of the surgeon and the facility performing the surgery?

This surgery is performed laproscopically typically drastically reducing healing time and risk for infection. It is typically performed under 1 hr and is noninvasive in regards to accessing vital organs and vessels that could pose risk of infection, internal bleeding etc. Since the procedure is so short, the adverse effects of anesthesia are seldom seen and can easily be reversed with other medications.

If you are having your procedure done by a bariatric surgeon, take assurance that he/she is well versed in the procedure and the routine of the surgery. His/Her support staff is also well experienced and will know how to assist any diversions that may occur. It's a well oiled machine designed for the very best outcomes.

Yes, there are some risks and we dwell on that statistic but these risks are as prevelant as walking across a street or driving at night. A healthier view is to compare the potential risks of surgery with the very real risks of being obese. Which is more likely?

Deep breaths, you'll be fine :)

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Yeah, what she said. You'll do great. I think my surgeon said it took 15 minutes for mine.

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My doctor reminded me the other day that the operating room is probably the safest place in the hospital. There will be a whole team of people monitoring you very closely and ready to respond quickly to anything. Of course there are risks for rare complications, but there are risks with every move we make. Every time we drive a car or take a med or try something new. Your surgeon wouldn't have agreed to do your surgery if he or she didn't believe that the risks were low. I'm an RN and I'm feeling anxious too but not afraid. I think some anxiety is just part if the process of major change, and the unknown. My surgery is on Thursday. Good luck and keep us posted!!

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I'm a nurse as well and I was slightly nervous about being put to sleep but it all went perfectly fine. I had about 8 hrs of bad gas pains. I took my liquid lortab and went to sleep as soon as I got home. When I woke that night - those gas pains were already 90% better. My stomach is tender but I also had a hernia repair. Its been hard as far as the food goes because I have been hungry - like my third day post surgery. broth and Jello fill me up shortly but then I feel hungry again. I'm sure you will all do great! Good luck!

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Am I the only one actually worried about the surgery part of the band? My husband is an md and says it's no big deal but I worry about it. Concerned about general anesthesia and such.

SpartanPrincess have you had any surgeries before if so think of how you handled them. I am sure you will do great. The posts from the nurses are giving me reassurance. I am to have my banding in January. Please keep me posted on how you are doing. Best wishes to you.

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    • LeighaTR

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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.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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