Hi i am new to this site as well as the lap band. I had mine placed

last Monday Dec, 19th. I was so excited, ofcourse nervous. I suffer

from anxiety related to driving. Therefore I chose a surgeon who was

new to the lap band, but only 15 min from home. ~~ TERRIBLE

MISTAKE~~. He has done the gastric bypass for quite some time so I

felt he was confident. I was suppose to go home that night. NOT I

woke up in the worst pain, I had a PCA pump, a drain in my side and

the treaded catheter. The surgery took 3 to 3 1/2 hours and some

where in that time they nicked my liver. I had to stay overnight for

2 nights while they monitored my H&H to make sure I wasn't losing

blood. I don't know how many shots I got to prevent blood clots. It

was so scary. Not what I expected. I had to keep the drain in for

another 2 days after i was released. Luckily it's been a week today

and I feel good. A little tender where the port and the drain where,

Last night I was able to sleep on my side all night!! "hurray" . I

JUST WANT TO STRESS TO EVERYONE CONSIDERING THIS BE SURE YOUR

SURGEON IS QUALIFIED! Thanks to all who read this. good luck on

your surgery and may god be with you. I know he was with me! Sue ---

Hi The New Me

Sorry to hear of your experience...I am sure lots of prebanders will appreciate this advice so thanks for sharing! I was one of the lucky ones who had an extremely experience surgeon and havent had any problems. But I hope your recovery is back on track now so that you can start this journey with confidence that despite all you have done the best thing for yourself and your future. keep us posted!

becky

Thanks for the advice......... the surgeon I chose has done over 500 bands and his program coordinator was his #1.......

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Wow... that is a bit of bad luck. That is good advice and I think it is definitely worth posting.

I am glad to hear you are doing better! I was concerned when I had my band done because it was not in a hospital. That was rather strange for me but the people were awesoem and the facility was great.

Hope you continue to have a speedy recovery!

Sue, sorry to hear you went through all of that. I hope you recover well. I have a great qualified surgeon. He has done hundreds of lapbands and I just love him. Good luck.

Thanks for the great advice. I totally agree with you, having a surgeon that has done at least 100 lap bands was one of the things I looked for when I chose my surgeon. The stuff I have read state that the complications are usually found in surgeons who has done less than 50 lap bands.

I'm glad you are feeling better, I wish you the best.

wow!! ok, I thought my experience was bad, but no, you are the winner for the month of December!!

Thanks to all of you who have read and responded. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF US, MAY IT FIND US ALL A LITTLE LIGHTER!!!!

re: "not in a hospital".....WHAT????

My surgery was not in a hospital. It was in a surgical center. It's pretty common!

My surgeon was terrific! He was a cardiac surgeon before he started doing lap band, so I figured my heart was in capable hands during the surgery, he has done over 3,000 lap band surgery, so I felt very confident. He has a great personality too. If you in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, let me know and I will give you his name and number. Great doctor. I hope you are well on your road to thiness, you deserve it. Stay cool

Carole

Awww, what a nightmare! Glad to hear you are doing better now.

Everyone should really take their time and find a good doctor. Don't just go to the first one you find. Remember not only is this doctor operating on you, he will be taking care of you long afterwards. Please do your homework!

Everyone should really take their time and find a good doctor. Don't just go to the first one you find. Remember not only is this doctor operating on you, he will be taking care of you long afterwards. Please do your homework!

What a horrid experience. Hopefully all will turn out all right post operatively for you.

Iluvharleys brings up a good point, though. When choosing, remember that often times these doctors are providing the aftercare. Aftercare in lap band surgery is essential to long term success. Even those who choose to go to Mexico from the US must keep in mind that they will have to have a doctor to go to for fills, questions and potential complications.

Be confidant in the doctor you choose and remember: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Know the procedure, know the aftercare, know your body, know the lifestyle required of you.

I was concerned when I had my band done because it was not in a hospital. That was rather strange for me but the people were awesoem and the facility was great.

the new me - so sorry to hear that you went through so much.

jme - i didnt have my surgery in a hospital either - i had it in a surgery center and had no problems.

sue,

that sounds AWFUL. hope you are doing well now---are you feeling ok?

happy new year! (and happy new you!)

girlin

nyc

Hi all, First I'd like to THANK ALL of you who responded. Went for my 2 week check up today. Down 8 lbs. Hurray!! All went well. Dr. said we have 2 wait 6 weeks for the first fill. I will be looking forward to that, Personally I am hungry!! How is everyone else doing with the wait in between the surgery and the 1st fill. My Dr said its because my stomach is healing and the swelling is going down making the band looser. Hope all are doing great. This is a wonderful site. I am greatful it's here for us all to read. Sue