I am due for the surgery in March. If any of you veterans out there had a bit of advice that they felt would have helped them before their big day, please, please let me know. I am already strung tight as a tennis racket. I appreciate all of your comments in advance...

JERRY :cursing:

gdaniel@roanoke.edu

Welcome to LBT, Jerry. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. It's natural to be a little nervous of the surgery and the changes you're going to make in your life, and I would have to say the best thing I did to help relieve the stress was to learn as much as could about what to expect before, during and after surgery. The hospital that where I had my surgery has a wonderful support group, and I started attending meetings as soon as I decided to get a band. Of course, I read LBT every chance I got..and I still do. I learn something helpful from the other members every day.

So one piece of advice I would give you is to realize the band isn't going to change you over night. For one thing, it may take several adjustments to get to where you have good restriction. I got my band in September, and it wasn't until the first of January where I would say I had very good restriction, but I did have restriction along the way. It wasn't all or nothing for me. Some people get good restriction right from the get-go and others, like me, are a little slower. But, the good news is I got there.

I agree completely about going to the support group. I was banded 3/25/08, and I have been going to group support since July of 2007. I joined LBT in November 2007, and visited obesity help.com as well. They have lots of information, and a magazine you can subscribe to if you like. There are many books available. Two that I have are The Lapband Solution and The Lapband Companion, both available on Amazon.com. Going to the group is helpful because you will hear issues discussed that you may not have thought of, and you will meet other pre-ops and post-ops at all stages. I found that very helpful.

If you can, start bumping up your exercise routine. Exercise is key to band success. I was going to Curves but that wasn't enough. I started walking, nothing fancy, in a park near home. I carry peanuts for the squirrels, so how fast I get around depends on how many squirrels I run into. The nature trail is 2 miles around; I try to do it twice as a minimum, and sometimes I do more. Now when it is dark after work, I do Curves, or sometimes Water aerobics, and walk on weekends and holidays. When daylight savings arrives, I will probably hit the park almost daily. I did that before surgery and noticed a difference in how my clothes fit even before surgery.

Eating post op will be trial and error. Some foods that agreed with you before may not after. You will find what works for you. Good luck on your journey.

Patch, I can't tell you how helpful that post was. I am going to be looking up those books, ASAP! I too am pre-op with a surgery date in March and can't get anough info. from the success stories out there! Thank you!