Happy Band-day to youuu, Happy Band-day to youuuu, Happy Band-day dear Hollyyyy, Happy Band-day to youuu!!

Congrats girl! I wish the best for you and wish it were my Band-day toooo. You have been such an inspiration to all of us and I know that will continue. Keep us informed and I for one will be there for you each step of the way. I'm glad I'm a Tenacious Ten...I've got such great company!

Congratulations Holly! You have now become ONE of US! (he he he he) I hope you have a speedy recovery.:eek:

Holly...can't wait to hear how you are doing. I also can't wait to join you in Bandland this Friday. :eek: Congrats!!!!

I have been thinking about you all day. I know you did great. Look forward to hearing all about it. I have my surgery tomorrow.... I can't wait to compare stories. Hugs!

Congrats and welcome to this side of the fence! Come on over everyone, so far so good!

Thank you everyone, :fish2: it's so great to get online and read these good wishes, I needed them today very badly! So..... banding went absolutely fine. The staff is so nice and explain everything. In the operating suite I remember the anesthesiologist saying "I put a little something in your IV so don't be surprised if you start to see double and..........." and that was IT! Next thing I'm waking up in the recovery room and that was a MUCH better experience than I've had in the past! I think we go "under" for such a short time with this surgery that we're not too "out of it" when we wake up in recovery. I didn't feel disoriented at all, thank goodness. The hospital stay was uneventful, I stayed 24 hours. I was up and around walking a lot. I had oxygen on for 24 hours though, and an IV the whole time. I did OK on liquid Roxicet - a narcotic. It helped immensely when my back was killing me, and it was hard to get positioned for sleep. You need like 5 pillows in your bed, and be sure to have the nurse help position you! Getting up to the bathroom is a major ordeal when you're hooked to all the tubing (IV, oxygen, pulse oximeter, the inflating leg things, etc.) haha, but I did okay.

Today however I feel pretty awful. My neck and throat is really sore like someone tried to strangle me (from the tube in my throat no doubt) and I gained weight (yeah I'm retarded, what did I do when I got home - went right to the scale!) so I'm pretty swollen I guess. I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach by a horse and then run over by a car! When I get up from laying down, and move around I feel better. Take your pain meds, have lots of pillows and a nice place to lie down (my daughter fixed up the sofa with clean sheets, etc which was so sweet and welcoming) and have your phone and some water near you. (Yes the phone rings off the hook!) It's really hard to cough, but I force myself! I should feel fine by the end of the week. I can't believe I "really did it" - and that we're all together in this thing - not alone at all. I'm so grateful for all of your support, and for those "get well" wishes waiting for me when I got online. That was just like getting virtual hugs and flowers, you have no idea. How I wish we could all be there to take care of one another when we get home from the hospital, but in our way - we do.