Dear members,

This question is specially for Bandesters...

I've a question regarding with Lap Band surgery, How many days i have to stay in the hospital, and how much down from work is necessary?

It's very individual and a question you'd need to ask your surgeon. Hospital stays can be from a few hours to a few days depending on your surgeon and how your surgery goes and how you recover; post op recovery can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on what you do, and how fast you "bounce back".

My surgery was on a Friday and I was back at work on Monday;however, in retrospect, I wish I had taken off a couple of days instead. Overall, its not a bad surgery at all.

I was in the hosp for 8 hours. I had surgery on a Monday and went back to work the next Monday.

I agree, it is very individual and dependent upon complications. I scheduled two weeks off from work, but wish I had scheduled three weeks.

I had a problem with my spleen bleeding during the surgery and pain management was out of control. I have issues tolerating pain meds, so I ended up staying 2.5 days in the hospital. I am still sore, but I am driving around town, running errands, and doing light chores.

I go back to work on 11/24/08 and my surgery was 11/11/08.

I was just banded on Wednesday. I stayed in the hospital overnight. Today (Saturday/Day 4) is the first day where I really felt like I could go back to work. I drove to the store today, but was tired. I will be going back to work on Monday. But then again, I have a desk job where I do not have to move at all.

Like the others said, it is a very individual thing. In terms of how long you are in the hospital, many doctors do the surgery on an outpatient basis. Then, there are those like my doctor who prefer to keep you overnight. Unless you have some type of complication, I have never heard of anyone staying more than one night though.

In terms of recovery time, again, it depends on the individual. How you have handled previous surgeries can be an indicator. For me, it was a full week before I felt well enough to return to somewhat normal activity.

I was at the surgery center for four hours from arrival to discharge, so no overnight in the hospital at all. I have not returnd to work yet but plan to by Wednesday. I am two days postop now.

Like several people have said, every one is different. I was off work for 4 weeks. I didn't start to feel completely normal until week 3. I have a fairly physical job, so going back to work the next week would have been impossible for me. I was really tired the first few weeks. Good luck to you.

Thanks to all of you, :laugh: