this is one heck of an experience...especially since i was a virgin to completely everything that has to do with surgery....having an IV, being put to sleep, being cut enough to where tools are able to insert my body, and all the medication i was prescribed...this is even my first time taking hydrocodone too...! Well this port pain is no joke.....and the gas...is there and it is bothering me but not as bad as the port, but with both of those mixed together i have been kinda loosing my mind b/c the gas is still in my abdominal area....my throat feels dry as cotton, and b/c im too chicken to make myself cough out the gew stuck in my throat from the barium swallow and the snot created from sitting under the cold air, which that always has promoted mucus and cold like symptoms for me as long as i can remember. My headache is annoying too...does anyone know if i can take aspirin??? my incisions seem to be ok, they are stll all taped and bandaged up..the only spots with with the most blood that i can tell was gushing out was the port site, and the incisions are pretty close together....

Now i dont know if this is b/c my mouth is so dry but im craving for something to moisten my mouth so i tend to be hungry...not like i wanna a big burger and fries...but like i would be satisfied with something soupy with flavor....is it bad for me to be hungry the first day out?? The only thing i ate was a little thing of sugar free black cherry flavored Jello....now im kinda craving a protien shake...but dumb me forgot to bring milk over here to my mom's so ill have to send her for that asap because im hungry/mostly parched!!!

A far as my experience at the surgery center...they weren't lying when they say this is an outpatient procedure b/c i got there around 6:30 this morning and i was out of the surgery center and on the road at like 9:30ish the staff were in such rush...i didnt even get to talk to my surgeon after the procedure b/c he was already on body # 2...for the day..I have no idea what size band i have but i do know its the LAP BAND AP...

Oh the one thing i did get was the pictures of the band inside of me...and geez louise my stomach is surrounded in fat..the band looks like its just wrapped around fat...i was kinda worried wondering to myself if the DOC actually placed it in the correct place b/c there is nothing but yellow fat and then the band around it..do yall know if thats normal?? I saw a pic of my liver and it looks all healthy...(from what i saw) i didnt see any fat around it or anything...

I have come to the conclusion that since i put myself through all this just to loose weight, i better stick to this plan b/c this change is serious....I would be a fool to completely disobey the rules and try to fight the band instead of having it work for me....

I appreciate your time in reading my post....please feel free to let me know ur opinions and tips of what i have been experiencing to give me other outlooks on things...

Thanks again!

Yeah I'm not sure why my surgeon didn't come in to see me. Maybe it's because it took so long for me to wake up. He did talk to my mother and brother and let them know what was going on. But I guess I can ask him any questions I have this Thursday at my follow-up.

I wasn't having a hard time walking the first day and a half but then all of the sudden yesterday I bent down to pick up my laptop and when I got back up it felt like I had ripped something open. I checked all 5 incisions and they looked fine so I figure I probably irritated something inside. But now when I try to walk/get up/lay down do ANYTHING basically it feels like I'm ripping my body apart. Maybe the heating pad will help...

I mean I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and I hate to seem like a burden to my mom so I've been trying to just push through the pain and walk around but this morning I finally broke down and started crying from it. Also the pain medicine doesn't seem to really be doing anything for me.. I doubt I'm the only one who has had that problem though. Medicine has never really made me feel better. I'll have my mom pick up some thermacare Patches or something today.. hopefully it makes things feel less tight.

I still don't regret anything I just can't wait for this pain to go away.. anyone have suggestions for the chest pains from the big liver and hernia combo..? I'm open to anything.

well dear it seems like me and you are going through the same thing...except i didnt have any hernia's or fatty liver.....my doc actually took a pic of my liver to show me how shockingly healthy and small it was...but yes im experiencing the horrible gas pains and the port/incision pain.....i have to prepare myself mentally to get up and take the pain of my abdomen muscles working in order for me to get up off the couch, out the bed..etc.and i almost had to sneeze this morning..but i kept it from coming out..b/c i didnt even want to feel that pain....!!! im going through my regret phase of getting the band b/c of all this pain im goin through..which i will admit it has gotten better since day and and 2 but i just want my energy back...i have never been without it...!! i guess this is a lesson learned that when i do get my energy back i need to be as active as possible b/c energy is a valuable thing....im learning that with this experience...

I am actually hungry i know some people say they dont have an appetite for atleast a week, but hell i was hungry on day one...but as i said earlier i was extremely parched and i hadn't eaten anything since 1pm the day before the surgery....i've basically been eating Jello, sugar free popsicles, beef broth, and protien shakes...im glad im not going back in t wrk until th 29th...b/c i dont know how some people were able to go back after 3 days or so...but i will continue to keep u posted on my recovery...thanks again everyone for your words of encouragement...

Hello and congrats on the surgery!!!

I had surgery June 12 and feel so incredibly much better than I did a week ago. I really did not need pain medication after the 13th but still had a little discomfort. JUST WALK!!! Nothing better we can do than that. I was ready to lose my mind by the 18th and went to see my doctor (really wanted him to take the band out because I was happier in my old life) but he allowed me to start soft solids and I LOVE MY BAND!!! I ate 1/2 of a boiled red potatoe (without skin) and 15 canned green beans, and was STUFFED!!! I cannot eat near what I used to eat and love this band. Good luck and stay positive!! It will get much easier.