Hi all - Being banding Aug 3 ( ! ) - and I would like to ask everyone who has been banded...

"What do you wish you would have known about the surgery/first week (or beyond) of recovery that no one told you..."

My clinic's nurse told me yesterday that after the surgery the air that is used to pump you up leaves your body after surgery...migrating up...so that is why people's shoulders hurt the few days after recovery. Now that is a useful piece of info!

Any bits of wise wisdom out there for sharing?

I have no idea how to do the ticker yet...but I've lost 12.7 pounds in 12 days pre-op diet...on my own, no medi-fast ((yuck)). Excited and nervous!

~Renee' D.

I was just posted this past Monday so I don't have much experience yet. But I think the advice my post-op nurse gave me saved me alot of discomfort and pain from the gas that I've read so much about on here.

When he was getting ready to discharge me after surgery he said, "I know that you are going to want to go home and sleep for a couple hours. Don't do it! Lay down for 30 minutes and then get back up and walk around in your house. Keep doing that every hour. Otherwise the gas will build in pressure and you will be in alot of pain."

So I did exactly that. Sometimes it was only a couple trips around the kitchen table but I did it. I think he was right. I still had gas pains but nothing some folks on here are experiencing. I hope that helps.

I was just posted this past Monday so I don't have much experience yet. But I think the advice my post-op nurse gave me saved me alot of discomfort and pain from the gas that I've read so much about on here.

When he was getting ready to discharge me after surgery he said, "I know that you are going to want to go home and sleep for a couple hours. Don't do it! Lay down for 30 minutes and then get back up and walk around in your house. Keep doing that every hour. Otherwise the gas will build in pressure and you will be in alot of pain."

So I did exactly that. Sometimes it was only a couple trips around the kitchen table but I did it. I think he was right. I still had gas pains but nothing some folks on here are experiencing. I hope that helps.

Great advice - I will try this too!

Thanks for posting everyone! Being banding tomorrow 8/3/09 - first one in line for surgery at 7:30 am. Here I go !!!!

~Renee' D.

I wish that I would have known more about Bandster Hell. I wouldn't have been so stressed about the surgery and corresponding changes if I'd known that, without a fill, I could still eat like I'd always eaten. Not that I want to do that -- it was just a relief to know that I could if I really wanted to.

I took the gasX strips the moment I got home after surgery! I didnt want to bother w/ gas pain. I had a little pain for 2 days, got to walking and it was gone in no time! I was up and around by day 3 post op...but every surgery is different. After my lapchole, I was in dire pain for 5 weeks! After all the lap choles I've done, that is very unusual. The moral of this story is, every surgery is different, so take what does or does not happen in the first 4 weeks with a grain of salt...and take a gasX strip when you get home

I didn't have any shoulder pain and had a fairly easy recovery, but there is one thing I wish I had reinforced to myself.

As many of us do, once I had the band and saw results with the preop diet and the week right after surgery, I was panicking when the scale stopped moving and actually went up and down the same 3 pounds for the next 4-5 weeks. While I was well informed and had read on the boards MANY times not to expect weight loss during this period, I guess I fell into the trap of "I have the band, where's the weight loss???" That is no one's fault but my own. If I had to do it all over again, I would post little notes all over the house saying "This is a time for healing, not losing, stay off the scale!!!"

Two things I wish they had told me:

1:) That the Lap band doesn't work for every one.

2:) That my Surgeon was more qualified to Park Cars than perform surgery.

HH

Like Kakki, I too had that emotional meltdown. I cried for days... What did I do?? I'm going to miss all my favorite foods!! Once I was able to "eat" again, and get off that liquid diet, I was so much happier. So yeah, I kinda wish I was told that that meltdown is normal. I felt like such a failure that first couple of weeks. But now I'm doing so much better. And I absolutely love watching the weight go down on the scale!

My 3 favorite things for the first week after surgery.

Benefiber [still my best friend]

Cold pack on port site a couple times a day

Gas-X strips

Like many have stated I was very lucky and had no problems recovering, but since I prefer to avoid pain meds I found the 3 above items allowed me to not use it.

Well I was banded yesterday and so far am doing okay.

I had some burping yesterday, but I did get up and just walk and putter around the house, and every time I got up I would burb. It was a little painful, but really not to bad. I like walking around, it feels good.

Today i'm burbing after drinking, but no pain at all. Just a lot of soreness/pain in the tummy/port area. I will try the cold packs. And the benefiber - as "that" has not moved yet.

I've been sleeping on my right side with a pillow under my tummy (i'm sooooo not a recliner sleeper, I wish I could). Keeping up my pain meds now, but I dont know if they really cut much of the pain.

My tummy growled this morning - boy was that painful! I've been drinking propel and had some broth and no more growling. Even though it's growling I dont feel like eating. I try to drink some Protein drink to when I take the pain meds so I dont get sick. So far no problem with that.

Thanks for all the posts everyone - great advice!

The things i wished i would have known...

1. The band doesn't work the same for everyone. I have lost about 17 lbs since pre-op diet and my friend has lost 70 lbs in the same amount of time.

2. I was prepared to lose slowly, I was NOT prepared to not lose for weeks on end... it's difficult, but i am still committed.

3. after 3 fills, it is still possible to be hungry after an hour of 30 grams of Protein...

good luck on your journey.

The gas actually caused me less pain than when I had another abdominal surgery years ago. I was banded in Mexico and I had a private nurse with me and before she got me up to walk the first time she gave me the best back massage. At the time it didn't register with me that it was to alleviate the back and shoulder pain but it sure helped! I have a very high tolerance for pain and so there was very little pain involved with the actual incisions. What surprised me was the amount of bruising I had. Some people have a lot some don't. It kind of freaked me out but it's gone now.

I don't have trouble with hunger like some people do but, when I do get hungry, it comes on very quickly so I always keep a protein bar close by.

Also, my bathroom habits have changed. I have a bowel movement every day now sometimes two and some foods, especially green leafy ones really make me go. I don't know why this changed but, I'm not complaining. I figure keep it moving and it's OK.

I found that I have to retrain my brain. I still put too much food on my plate and then I can't finish. I've gotten very good at bringing home boxes from restaurants.

Also, don't be upset if the weight doesn't fall off. The body needs at least 6 weeks to heal at which time it holds on to every calorie it can. And, if your calorie count goes too low your body will think it is in starvation mode and slow your metabolism.

I was banded on 07-07-09, and I wish someone had told me it was normal to have an "emotional meltdown" after surgery. On days three and four after surgery, I cried for two solid days, and wondered what in the world had I done to myself and my life!!!!!!! I too, am a total food addict, and the thought hit me hard that I would never be able to eat a lot of any of my favorite foods again!!!! I know that is the whole point of getting banded, but for me it was devastating. I think the one thing that contributed to my emotional state at that time was the fact that I could consume ONLY liquids for two solid weeks! I lost 20 pounds in three weeks after surgery, but it those first two weeks were very hard to me. Now, I am so glad I did have the surgery and my outlook is positive. Just be prepared in case that happens to you. Be aware ahead of time that if you do feel that way, it will pass and you will get better!!!!!!!!!!

Kakki

You are sooo on point! I wish to God someone would have told me that i would be crying for no reason for days! i even begged my mom to take me to the hospital to have it removed LOL! Im glad i decided not to do that LOL