Hi everyone...I am new here and have read many stories about their long journey to the band...I have the opposite and am wondering if I should worry that I won't know enough come surgery?

I had my free consultation on January 23rd, which turned into having my physical same day and scheduling my surgery February 14th....I have read the Lap band book front to back and have been reading online forums, but am worrying that I should know more...any advice is truly appreciated.

You'll be fine as long as you follow your Dr.'s directions, from visit to visit....

Sometimes learning and reading too much only adds to the confusion...I know I read everything I could get my hands on prior, and to be honest...most of it was very basic, and common sense...I learned more from experience in the first few weeks, months, by "Being there..doing that"

Hi everyone...I am new here and have read many stories about their long journey to the band...I have the opposite and am wondering if I should worry that I won't know enough come surgery?

I had my free consultation on January 23rd, which turned into having my physical same day and scheduling my surgery February 14th....I have read the Lap band book front to back and have been reading online forums, but am worrying that I should know more...any advice is truly appreciated.

I believe that knowledge is power. The more you know pre op, the more informed your decision to have a band placed can be.

It reads to me that you have to yet gotten enough information about the band, how it works, lifestyle changes necessary to be successful, and possible post op complications to feel comfortable with your decision yet.

I do encourage you to ask questions, learn more, and not move forward until you can make a totally informed decision. This is your body. You owe that to yourself.

Best wishes...

Wow! And I thought my 3 months from first seminar to surgery was short! I say count yourself lucky, and just read up on it as much as you can

What I have found helpful in getting ready for surgery is reading other people's stories. You'll start to notice all the similarities and differences and it will give you a good general idea of what you can expect. This is a great forum to read stories and seek out information on a certain topic. Here are some blogs by some really inspiring women who tell their stories in detail:

LapBand Gal: http://lapbandgalsjourney.blogspot.com/

Amy: http://cheeseandsunkist.blogspot.com/

ChicagoRose: http://mybandemonium.blogspot.com/

BandedWendy (video blog): http://www.youtube.com/user/bandedwendy

Feel free to check out my blog as well. I'm still pre-op but I think it's still worth checking out the link is below in my signature

You'll be fine as long as you follow your Dr.'s directions, from visit to visit....

Sometimes learning and reading too much only adds to the confusion...I know I read everything I could get my hands on prior, and to be honest...most of it was very basic, and common sense...I learned more from experience in the first few weeks, months, by "Being there..doing that"

That is exactly what I have been doing! :-) Staying up all night reading everything I can get my hands on, which is making me paranoid...how do I chew? What if some food goes down before I am done making it "mush?" How many times will I mess up and the food come up before it stretches the new small stomach? How will I really know when I am at my sweet spot and what if it doesn't happen?....it seems like I am looking for answers about things that I won't know until after I have the band....thanks so much for the advice!

I believe that knowledge is power. The more you know pre op, the more informed your decision to have a band placed can be.

It reads to me that you have to yet gotten enough information about the band, how it works, lifestyle changes necessary to be successful, and possible post op complications to feel comfortable with your decision yet.

I do encourage you to ask questions, learn more, and not move forward until you can make a totally informed decision. This is your body. You owe that to yourself.

Best wishes...

Thanks so much for the advice and I completely agree with you about knowledge. I have been reading many things, but the more I read the more paranoid I get.

The questions that I have seem like I won't have answers until after I get the band...see previous post...thanks again for your advice!

Wow! And I thought my 3 months from first seminar to surgery was short! I say count yourself lucky, and just read up on it as much as you can

What I have found helpful in getting ready for surgery is reading other people's stories. You'll start to notice all the similarities and differences and it will give you a good general idea of what you can expect. This is a great forum to read stories and seek out information on a certain topic. Here are some blogs by some really inspiring women who tell their stories in detail:

LapBand Gal: http://lapbandgalsjourney.blogspot.com/

Amy: http://cheeseandsunkist.blogspot.com/

ChicagoRose: http://mybandemonium.blogspot.com/

BandedWendy (video blog): http://www.youtube.com/user/bandedwendy

Feel free to check out my blog as well. I'm still pre-op but I think it's still worth checking out the link is below in my signature

Thanks so much for these and I will definitely check out your blog! Not only is this going fast, I have only told one person, so I have little support...that is what brought me on this forum..I truly appreciate your help!

Get your diet that you will need from your surgeon and follow his program. If he doesn't give you that then find another surgeon. Follow up care is more important then having the surgery.

In case you haven't viewed these videos, they're a wonderful intro to what is to come. But, remember, all doctors have different protocols so don't be surprised if your doctors advice differs from Dr. O'Brien's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4jYJipQ7vc part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbdhf44ZweI&feature=relmfu Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3TCKUn3YI Part 4

In case you haven't viewed these videos, they're a wonderful intro to what is to come. But, remember, all doctors have different protocols so don't be surprised if your doctors advice differs from Dr. O'Brien's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4jYJipQ7vc part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbdhf44ZweI&feature=relmfu Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3TCKUn3YI Part 4

Thank you! The book said I should have a DVD, but I didn't get one...so happy for these videos!

Get your diet that you will need from your surgeon and follow his program. If he doesn't give you that then find another surgeon. Follow up care is more important then having the surgery.

Thank you! Is it normal to not meet your surgeon until surgery?

I personally believe you are off to a good start. That is impressive that you have a book to read prior to your surgery. I had researched via the internet of course and went to a couple of seminars but that was about it. I learned everything else from my doctor's visits after surgery and then I was given my lapband book and kit to help me along the way. Good luck and congratulations on your new start.

I personally believe you are off to a good start. That is impressive that you have a book to read prior to your surgery. I had researched via the internet of course and went to a couple of seminars but that was about it. I learned everything else from my doctor's visits after surgery and then I was given my lapband book and kit to help me along the way. Good luck and congratulations on your new start.

Thanks so much! They gave me the "Lap Band Solution." I have read it cover to cover!

I would say you're very informed and you've done your homework. I think one of the most important things to consider prior to having this surgery, is to make sure you're prepared to make a lifetime commitment to following the rules of gastric banding. Just from being on this forum, I've noticed some people that run into complications because they never followed the rules their surgeon gave them, so they would have band success. Some revert back to drinking soda, and things like that. Also be aware of any medications that aren't suitable for banded patients. I have a condition, that I had to discontinue a certain type of medication and switch to another to protect my band. Best wishes

Thank you for the advice. I had a friend that had the band a few years back and lost a lot of weight, but now is bigger then when she started. I couldn't understand why until I started researching this for my journey. She was always throwing up and I realize now it was because her bites were too big and she wasn't taking the time to wait for the bite to clear the band. She was also "eating around the band," as my nurse told me people do when they drink when they eat to get the food to clear the band...I know I have to be committed and ready for big changes in my habits - I just hope I don't mess up or something goes wrong.

Thank you for the advice. I had a friend that had the band a few years back and lost a lot of weight, but now is bigger then when she started. I couldn't understand why until I started researching this for my journey. She was always throwing up and I realize now it was because her bites were too big and she wasn't taking the time to wait for the bite to clear the band. She was also "eating around the band," as my nurse told me people do when they drink when they eat to get the food to clear the band...I know I have to be committed and ready for big changes in my habits - I just hope I don't mess up or something goes wrong.

Believe it or not, just as B-52 mentioned above... we do research and in a sense have a lot of "book knowledge" about the band and how it will affect our future lives. But as you heal, and get fills, you get a little more restriction each time, so it's a learning experience that you learn along the journey. With each fill I got, and the restriction increased, it became a whole new learning experience, and you quickly learn to respect your band. It just really depends how determined you are to be compliant and determined to reach success. You MUST respect THE BAND, your SUCCESS is dependent upon it, if you can grasp that and apply it to your daily life, you will do fine.