Had the surgery May 18th. Everything went fine. Not as bad as the hernia surgery I had 4 weeks ago. The doc had to work a little harder on me because of the abundance of fat around the belly. Got back to my room able to drink without any problems. I didn't stay overnight... didn't need to. Am looking forward to the upcoming months. I understand I have to train my brain to work with my body. The next couple of days are supposed to be the worst because of possible swelling. After that I will start on full liquids and then on to solid food. The doc is working very closely with me. I am to let him know immediately if I have difficulty getting fluids down so he can remove some of the Water from the band. There is soreness of course and I have what

feels like a mean air bubble trapped sensation ,like when you

need to burp and can't . Is this normal right after the surgery ? And the clear liquid is kinda tough for a man eating

the amount of food that I was consuming ....which was

UUUH ...the reason I got the band :purplebananna: . A friend of mine is

coming by today and he was banded four years ago. he lost

225 lbs ! He is a very big man 6'5" and weighed 540 lbs. He

has had a few problems and is coming by for moral support.

I was 322 lbs before the two week diet and was 312lbs at

surgery time yesterday. My goal is 190 lbs. I am 6' 1.

Mike

Congrats! You will get through it. Get creamy Soups as they will help fill you up better.

Just do lots of walking. That will help get the gas out.

Nasty gas! Gas-X will help that kind of gas. Comes in dissolvable strips in mint or cinnamon. For trapped gas (left over from the gas they put in your belly to give them room to work), moving around is fantastic. I just read a few days ago where someone's doc suggested sitting in a rocking chair and rocking. Makes sense and you might try it if you need it. A heating pad also helps with the trapped gas (seems like it gets into your shoulder(s)). Just put it over any area that hurts.

You are officially on the road, my friend! GOOD LUCK

I was 322 lbs before the two week diet and was 312lbs at

surgery time yesterday. My goal is 190 lbs. I am 6' 1.

Mike

Mike,

I saw your measurements and thought they sounded familiar. I am 322 and started the pre-op diet yesterday for my 6/2 surgery. My goal is 190 as well. I am however 6' 2....oh well. Were you real solid on the pre-op diet? It would be nice to drop 10+ before surgery. I have been a bit hungry, but I am dealing with it. I figure I have been full for the last 30 years, so this is a walk in the park.

Lets keep in touch. Good luck to you!

Alan

Mike,

I saw your measurements and thought they sounded familiar. I am 322 and started the pre-op diet yesterday for my 6/2 surgery. My goal is 190 as well. I am however 6' 2....oh well. Were you real solid on the pre-op diet? It would be nice to drop 10+ before surgery. I have been a bit hungry, but I am dealing with it. I figure I have been full for the last 30 years, so this is a walk in the park.

Lets keep in touch. Good luck to you!

Alan

Hi Alan , I went on the Atkins diet for two weeks and very

strict I might say. I lost 12 lbs before the surgery. I started

on a Monday and by Wedesday I was off diet Coke. That is

the longest I have went without a diet Coke since they came out. But I am actually not craving them now and I will

try my best to leave them alone.Today I am sore and gassy

too. Also I am weak from the Clear Liquids.Tomorrow I am on

Ensure and blended soups and should feel better hopefully.

I know the feeling of being full for so many years and the

relationship with my best friend food ! lol (who is killing us too). I hope the band will be an effective tool , and so I can

try to get out of this hole I have dug myself into. I had a heart cath in November and had 70% blockage . I was at 301 then. I lost over 25 lbs. and then gained it all back and then some. Twice in my life I lost over 50 lbs. and never could keep it off. To me ,The band was my only real hope of

being able to achieve a permanent and realistic weight loss.

I am a newbie as we all were .....I am very nervous and worried about the problems of the band. I got on youtube and watched some horror stories and about decided not to

go ahead with the procedure ,That is until I found this discussion forum and have seen that it can work. I am very lucky to live in a small town and have my docotor just ten

minutes away too. He is young and I was his 18 th procedure ! He is a good general surgeon, who recently

started doing the lapbands and all went well . You know the

ole saying ...."Just make up your mind and do it !" That is

what I did. Everytime I think about missing chessburgers and

cold beer by the giant mugs and all the ice cream I wanted,

I think about the horrible way I feel EVERYDAY at this weight.I want to FEEL good and I am not worried about what I look like anymores ! lol.....I just wanna see my grandkids grow up and make sure wifey is happy too :laugh:

Alan if I could get down to 225 and stay there I would

be pretty happy I think.

Thanks to all for the advice too

Mike in Texas