I'm going for my pre-op tomorrow. I am so scared b/c my pre-op means that I'm actually doing this!!!! I start my liquid diet Friday and my surgery is next Friday the 26th. I am SO afraid. I am freaking out here. I KNOW it's the right thing. I've been researching this and thinking about it for over a year now. I guess I'm scared of the post-op gas and pain. I'm scared that something could go wrong (I've been torturing myself by reading the complications board. )I'm also really excited about this and know it's a start to my new life :second: Anyway, I just had to post and get my feelings out.

I Feel All Of Your Anxieties And Excitement. My Surgery Is Scheduled On The 27th.

No worries; you'll both do GREAT!!! You'll see!

I guess I'm scared of the post-op gas and pain.

If it makes you feel any better (and even if it doesn't) I had no post-op gas. I burped a few times in recovery, but no abdominal gas pain, no shoulder pain, nothing.

As for the post-op pain itself, yeah - I was sore for a few days, getting up & down from the chair hurt the most, but it's still doable and wasn't anywhere near enough pain to keep me in the chair.

At first I was hobbling around like an old lady because of the weight of my stomach pulling down on my port incision. Then I realized that if I supported my stomach under the apron with my hand, walking was about 90% easier and about 95% more painless (so there's a tip to help you out, if you have a big jelly belly like me).

My surgery was on a Wednesday, and that Friday I was walking around at the store to get some exercise and to get the heck outta the house for a while. That Saturday we drove about an hour out of town to visit my parents, and the jarring from bumps in the road did hurt, but was manageable with a pillow for support.

I was up and about like nobodies business two days after having a c-section and within a day or two of gallbladder surgery. I'm hoping recovery won't be any worse than those. I think I'm most nervious about the pain and squeezing in the stomach when I drink--and the gas. The gas was a nightmare post-csection. I had none post-gallbladder removal.

Can they remove the gas from the abdominal cavity so there isn't so much pain???

Good luck catchup!!! Looks like we'll be recovering together :second:

Can they remove the gas from the abdominal cavity so there isn't so much pain???

They do remove the gas, or we'd all come out looking pregnant. :second: Sometimes they're more dilligent than others. I'd say that maybe my surgeon just does an extra good job, but I know the lady who had the surgery slot on the same morning, immediately before me, and the one who had immediately after me, and they both had gas problems, specifically the shoulder pain.

My sister had her surgery on May 3 and ended up going back a few days later to have an NG tube put down to suction some of the gas out...it was making her really nauseous. She definitely doesn't recommend that route!! Hopefully you will not have a huge problem with it...I was uncomfortable but just waited it out...

Emily

sisterfunkhaus,

I had very little gas pain and was out and siteseeing in Mexico 48 hours post-op. I was sore but not suffering. I took only one of the pain meds given to me by my doctor and then liquid tylenol for a few days. That was it. I really didn't even have much pain with standing, sitting, or walking. The worst it's been for me was sitting in front of my computer (on LBT!) for too long wearing jeans - the waistband put too much pressure on the port wound site and it began to hurt but that really only lasted for a couple of weeks and only hurt after sitting here for a couple of hours. So what did I do? Unbuttoned my jeans and kept reading and posting on LBT! lol

If you can handle a c-section I suspect you'll be able to handle this.

I have had several surgeries, including a c-section. This was the easiest by far!!! I was up and walking within hours of the surgery. I had no pain, just tenderness. I didn't have any gas pains (I had awful gas pains with my csect as well, so bad that it was more painful than labor!) For my other major surgeries, I was moving so slowly for 5-7 days.

I think that walking around really helped. Get up and walk as soon as you can. Make sure you have Gas-X (chewables) on hand, just in case... I think they may have put some pain meds in the IV, though I was never drowsy. After leaving the hospital, I never needed any meds, not even Tylenol.

For me, the surgery was SO EASY. I think it is the norm for most people. Don't get too scared with the possiblity of any complications. The risks for complications are very small.

Let us know how you do!!! Good luck on the pre-op diet!!!

I'm still researching - not banded - yet, but I did have gallbladder surgery 2 yrs ago, a c-section with my triplets 8 yrs ago and a laporoscopy 10 yrs ago. The gas pain in shoulder was kinda bad for a few days w/lap, incision was painful w/c-sec, but there was little or no pain w/lap gallbladder. Surgeon said that they have more effective ways to remove the CO2 from the body cavity now. Maybe some surgeons are better at that than others.

I have had since then, benign PVC's (premature ventricular contractions of the heart). I have cut out caffeine and take beta blockers and they are hardly noticeable anymore. I do have them more around my period and when I have caffeine or alcohol. Has anyone else gotten this after a surgery? It also seems to be worse if I have reflux or overeat. Cardiologists insist that there's no GI connection, but I have read otherwise from other sufferers. Just curious...

Melissa

I have benign PVCs that came on after my beloved c-section. I took bb's for a while, then my BP got so low that we discontinued them. I seem to be fine. I think that they are generally pretty harmless.

Tomorrow is the big day!!! I'm down 10 lbs. I hope that's enough. I have the fear that I'll wake up without the band or something.

I appreciate all of the help and support I've gotten here. LBT REALLY helped me see all sides of the band and get an acurate picture of what I can really expect as opposed to the everything is going to be perfect ideal that you get from ads and websites that just tell about the procedure. It's nice to go into this with all sides of the story.