Hi,

I am a little nervous about the surgery. I've done plenty of research but still have the shakes. Can anyone tell me about their experience?

BeautifulME,

Congrats on making the decision to get banded. I am divorced and live alone. A friend drove me to the hospital at 5am and I was prepped and sent up to the holding area. Met the anesthesiologist and saw my surgeon again along with his surgical nurse. They started hte meds in my drip and the next thing I knew,,I was in my room. It was about 5pm when I got my senses about me again. I have a low threshold to pain so I wont lie and say it wasnt painful. I punched that PCA button constantly,,lol. Got up and went to the bathroom a few times.Spent the night, got up the next morning, still hurting a bit. Friend came and got me about noon and took me by the pharmacy then home. Be sure to read the list of things to have prior to surgery. I sat in my recliner when I got home and slept alot. Took my pain and nausea pills often. I was able to walk around ok,,the act of sitting and rising was painful at the incision site, but on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, my pain at this time was a 5. Had no problems drinking or swallowing pills. All in all,,my surgery was alot less painful than I had expected.

Remember that we each have different experiences. Be sure to do exactly what your surgeon instructs you to do and I'm sure you'll recover just fine! Keep on posting. You are NOT alone!

banded 1/29/07

Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS

I am scheduled for 8-8. I am nervous yet anxious to get this done. I seem to be in an eating frenzy.

2bthinang~

Congrats! I know its a hard decision to make and one you've put alot of thought into. Honestly,,I had a sort of feeding frenzy right before my surgery as well. I hope you have a good support system within your significant others. The more I involve myself in actitivites that don't revolve around food,,the better I do. I've read posts here,,I can't recall the thread right now,,but they wer listing all teh things they CAN do now, rather than moaning about the things they can't do. For example:

I can do my own pedicures

I can park farther away from the mall doors and not be exhausted by the time I reach them

I can be a good example for my daughter who has her own weight problem

I gained the confidence to walk from the locker room to the pool at the gym

I gained the confidence to start looking for a job

I can manage my finances better now that I don't spend bizarre amounts of money on binge/expensive eating

None of us are perfect in our journey. Keep on posting and reading. So many sucessful people share their stories. You are not alone.

banded 1/29/07

Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS

2cc/4cc band

I don't think you'd be human if you weren't nervous before having surgery, any surgery, but I promise you that it is the best decision I have ever made. I went to Mexico to have it done and I was scared to death, but my sister went with me and I had done my research and was very prepared. The staff also made it so much easier for me as well since it was so well orchestrated. I didn't have to think about a thing except getting to where I needed to be, and they even arranged all of that as well. Waiting to be taken back for the surgery took longer than the surgery itself. Once it's over and you've spent your night in the hospital, just make sure to do exactly what they tell you and you'll be fine. I also made sure that I had everything I needed at home when I got there so I wouldn't have to worry about it, plenty of water and Isopure and clear soups, etc. Also try to get liquid medicine, if possible, and if not, get a pill crusher or splitter to help with that. I wish you the best of luck and I'll be thinking about you. Stay on the forum, too, since it is such a great source of info...

I got banded 7/19/07 and it was easier than I thought. I didn't even need any pain medication. The staff at the hospital were fantastic. My only problem now is the increase in anxiety, because I don't have my food. I'm on liquids. I have no regrets, but the week before the operation I had doubts. I think it is normal.