I am 1 day post op...I had my lap band friday 08/04/06. I was awake for the whole procedure. I couldn't talk, I felt like I was drowning on my own saliva. My left arm was strapped down with the IV. My right arm was strapped down too. I tried to grab the srubs of the doctor on my right side but was an inch too far away. My eyes were open. The anesthesiologist never bothered to look to see if I was awake. I heard and felt everything. I am having nightmares. This was a very traumatic experience. :omg:

Holy smokes, princess that's terrible!! What a trauma for you. Were you banded in the US? If so maybe you can take some legal action.

Do you have a good support system around you? Family and friends?

Oh, honey, I am soooo sorry! That is the worst thing imaginable! Who did your surgery?

Yikes, Princess, you need to take some action on this. Are you here in the U.S. - was the surgery done here? Please, please, please get an advocate to help you with this. An attorney or patients rights advocate or at least a good friend!

I am not a heath care provider - I did work for Veterinarians for several years and I do know that there are drugs that produce this effect. You can't respond, but you are aware of everything going on. So, I believe you when you say you had this experience.

Please stay in touch with us.

Terry

Thats the oddest thing I've ever heard.. where were you banded?

I am so sorry for you. I was scared of that happening to me. I have only heard these stories on TV. I cant imagine what you are going through. Maybe you should talk to some one who can help you work through this. Keep us posted. Good luck to you.

In the U.S. we now have ways of preventing this. Also, there is usually a divider up on the OR table that separates the surgical site from the upper part of your body. Did you have general anesthesia? Where did you have it done?

I am so sorry that you experienced this. I work on a surgical floor and have never had any patients come back to the floor with this nightmare. I awakened during a colonoscopy...not the same as you so please dont think i am belittling your trauma. Where did you have this done? Please tell me that they had the sheet up so that you were unable to watch what was being done to you. I would seriously be taking this to the patient advocacy at the hospital and bring up charges against the anestesiologist. They are the one in control of making sure you stay asleep during surgery. Drs. are unable to see your face due to the drape that is placed at your chest to block your face. Please find someone to talk this over with. That way it can help put you at ease and to deal with the trauma of it all. I have awakened and still been intubated and don"t like the way it makes you feel. Its as if you are gagging and can't breath so I can only imagine how you felt during your surgery! Was the surgery done in the US or out of the country? Please tell me as I am looking into possibly having to go out of the country to have mine done. Best of luck!

I am praying for your peace.... I do not get excited about suing anytime you have humans involved there will be mistakes...and this was a BIG one...but I would DEFINITELY bring attention to this to the proper authorities....also you need to talk this through and pray this through!!!! I cannot imagine the trauma you experienced!!!!

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -73lbs :scared:

Hmmmm......

The anesthesiologist's main job is to keep an eye on you. Where on earth did you have your surgery done is my question too? There is something very wrong with this picture. If you "saw and felt everything" then you are saying the team, nor the anesthesiologist saw you were awake? I'm waiting to hear a lot more on this one. I'm thinking if this happened in a US hospital there is probably going to be a major malpractice suite. Tell me that you aren't joking about this....it's really quite unbelievable. How could you possibly have endured this and be posting one day later?????? Answers needed on this end for sure and I add another hummmmmmmmm.

Why did you let the name of the surgeon who banded you out? That seems strange to me. I hope you come forth and post some more info, because if you told them you were awake during the whole thing, my thoughts are you would still be in the hospital after an ordeal like that. So....who banded you and where? We most definitely need to stay away from that place.

Good God Woman!!

If this is a real story, you should find yourself a good counselor, not just a lawyer. Hugs gsp princess and to everyone reading this because this is the kind of story that breeds fear in the whole community.

Brenda

If this real. I'm speechless. It sounds so horrible I can't even think of words to put to it. :speechles

I am 1 day post op...I had my lap band friday 08/04/06. I was awake for the whole procedure.

How terrible! I know this has happened, rarely, but a few unlucky people have been victimized.

What on earth was the anethesologist doing that he didn't look at your face and eyes? His negligence turned a simply surgury into a nightmare.

You definitely have grounds for a malpractise suit and deserve every penny you get. And he needs to lose his license.

Mary

I'm interested at the apparent skepticism that many of us are expressing. Is it that we think this couldn't happen? Or the lack of detail in the original post? Or that we think, if this happened, the person wouldn't be posting one day later? I find myself (on the eve of my own surgery!) wondering, too.

If I had this happen to me I don't think I would be in any shape to be posting the next day for one thing. For another this is this poster's very first post on this forum. I would be screaming out the name of the surgeon and the hospital to start with. The post was scary and very evasive and I sceptical to say the least. It is going to leave many people frightened, and I wonder if that wasn't the intent of the post.

I for one have never experienced this while working in a hospital for 38 years, and I for one have to speak up and say I don't believe this post or this poster. OK...There I said it. There is absolutely no info given on who the dr. or the hospital was and that is enough for me to believe the incident did NOT occur.

If the poster wants to come back and name names go for it, but otherwise for all of you going through lap banding in the near future my experience was wonderful, both with anesthesiology and with the surgeon. I can't say enough about the wonderful treatment I received, and I don't recall a thing from the time I got to the OR to till I woke up in recovery not feeling at all nauseated, but just sore. I got some Demerol for pain and back off to sleep.

I think this is a scare tactic and a cruel one at that.