Reading these really helped me before my surgery, so I thought I'd share my experience.

I had my surgery Monday, 4/28. I had surgery as a child but none since and so for all practical purposes this might as well have been my first surgery. I was very worried about the IV b/c I am impossible to get a vein on, complications, mistakes, etc. I have to say this was so easy I can't believe it.

When my surgery was scheduled, my doc gave me a rx for a 48 hour antinausea drug to take the morning of surgery and and the liquid Lortab (brand name for hydrocodone). The morning of surgery, I went to the hospital at 5:45 a.m., got into a private room, met my nurse, who took my BP. I told the nurse first thing I am a hard stick and nervous about it, asked for a valium or similar. She could not give me anything like that, but said she could numb my IV site before trying to stick me. I got the gown and socks on, got situated in the bed. She came back, decided she liked the vein in my inner wrist, numbed me, and then got the IV in on the first stick. Then my husband came in my room and we talked for about 1/2 hour, then they came and took me to preop.

It was several beds in one large room off the ORs, lined up w/ pull curtains between. I met the OR nurse, the anesthesiologist, his nurse, etc. Everybody kept asking my name, DOB, etc. - which comforted me, because one of my irrational fears was that I would wakeup w/ no lapband and no ovaries or something. They gave me something to relax me. It didn't make me loopy and I barely noticed it, but I had gotten a little emotional and once I had the stuff in the IV I wasn't anymore.

Then, they came and took me into the OR. I remember bright lights and scooching over onto the OR table. They put the lock-in things for your arms onto my table, then pulled my arms out and strapped them down. Then they put oxygen over my mouth and nose and told me to breathe.

I woke up in the postop being yelled at to breathe - dang apnea. Then I woke up again yelling at someone I was going to throw up. I think that was b/c I had it drilled into me throwing up w/ the lap band was bad, bad, bad and might make it slip, so I wanted to be sure I wasn't going to get sick. They put something in my IV and I was out again. I woke up being wheeled back into my private room.

There, they gave me more fluids in the IV. I slept a while, and ate ice chips, then they told me if I could go to the bathroom, I could leave. So I did.

Once home, I only took pain meds for that day and the next. I took some before bed on the 29th to ensure good sleep. I didn't really have any pain, ever. Not any real gas issues either. Just muscle type soreness, mostly at my port site. It hurt to get up, but once standing I was fine. It hurt to roll over in the bed. I didn't want to eat anything for the first couple of days. I felt like myself again on Wed., went to the store (not alone) on Thurs. and was back to normal by Sat - went to an outdoor festival, had company, etc.

I went back to work Monday, 5/5. I feel great. I hope this helps ease someone's mind.

So maybe we are twins, separated at birth (except that I'm 21 years older). Your story is my story too!

I was terrified. The first thing I asked in the recovery room was if I was still alive...

Through it all, I took one pain pill (the next day) only because it ached at the port when I tried to roll over. I had no gas pains to speak of. I got home from the hospital (same day), took a nap, and by 7:30 that evening I was up and feeling good.

And to think all the energy I spent stressing out about this.

--Bridget