I am scheduled to have the lap band on September 29 and am scared to death. I am afraid of going under,complications but most of all if I can ever really eat again. I was reading all the doom and gloom stories which have not helped me. Is life normal after lap band? I have thought about backing out and have visions of jumping off the surgery table but I know if I do not do this I am going to die. Can anyone give me some reassurance and give me answers to my questions. I would greatly appreciate any feedback Thank you so much

Scared to death

I felt exactly how you do! I had surgery on August 17th and I feel great! So far so good. You will be okay...the anticipation is the hardest part. You are stressing so badly but the the day will be here and then BAM.....it's done!

I was banded on 8/21. my surgery and hospital stay (30 hrs) was absolutely uneventful. I had never had surgery before so i was a little nervous not knowing exactly what to expect but it was all a breeze. I stayed home from work that following week and try to do very little but relax and walk. I had no real issues with any pain. I will say once i was on to mushy food and then real foods i felt 100% normal again! I think the two weeks of liquid diet pre op and the week post op were the worst of the entire process!!

good luck. and stay positive!

rach

I am scheduled to have the lap band on September 29 and am scared to death. I am afraid of going under,complications but most of all if I can ever really eat again. I was reading all the doom and gloom stories which have not helped me. Is life normal after lap band? I have thought about backing out and have visions of jumping off the surgery table but I know if I do not do this I am going to die. Can anyone give me some reassurance and give me answers to my questions. I would greatly appreciate any feedback Thank you so much

Hi Suz...

This is something you really need to think about. Sure, your life will change... but for the better. Is it going to be easy... no but then nothing worth fighting for ever really is, is it? You'll need to search your heart and decide if you are ready to make the change you so desperatly need and want.

I was banded on June 16th and was wishy washy for months too. I finally decided that I couldn't or didn't want to be fifty and fat but rather fifty and faboulous. The only way I was going to achieve my dreams was to get the help I so desperatly needed. That help came in the form of a LapBand. I am 3 cc's filled and have lost 31 lbs since my surgery. Prior to surgery I put myself on a 1000 calorie a day diet to prove to myself that this was something I could do. I was able to lose 41 lbs on my own before having the surgery. So now i'm down a total of 72 lbs.! I'm so very happy and greatful I made the decision to have the band put on.

If you don't think you can be dedicated to watching what you eat once you have the band placed on you you may not be any better off than you are now. You need to remember that the band is there to help you... a tool if you will. It's not a miracle but if you use it the way its meant to be used it does feel like a miracle!

Yes... you can eat. Just more slowly, not as much (because you wont want to or feel you can) and you may not tolerate everything like you do now. I consider myself fortunate because I can eat anything. Steak, hamburger, pizza (small piece) and I digest it without problems. You may be able to as well. Not all is doom and gloom. Talk to your family, friends and those you may know who have had the band. Seek out a support group - your doctors office may be able to recommend one for you.

I wish you all the very best in what ever you decide. Try to remember it's all up to you and how you use your new 'tool'!:thumbup:

~Lynn

hello dear.

don't be scared. life will be different at least for a little while. when you're then going back to normal one is used to a different speed and different portions. and although i've only started, i still belive it is worth it.

Thank you so much the suppport will help me make ot to the surgery. I hope after it is done and I am well on my way I can be support to someone else that feels like I do now before there surgery

scared to death

Thank you everyone for your kind words. The support will help me make it to the surgery. I hope once the surgery is done and I am well on my way I will be a support to someone else who feels scared before their surgery

I know what you mean Suzi....of course, I am more terrified of the band slipping, or not having enough help during the first week after surgery (I have an 8, 4, and 2 year old at home...), my husband not being supportive with the diet part, and of course, paying for the surgery. The last part being the most stressful. (I have a $3000 deductible and a $6000 out of pocket...which means I am basically paying in full, which is why my insurance didnt deny me....lol). I fear the eating part too, but I know that with time, I will be able to enjoy MOST of the foods I loved. Try to focus more on the positive and not so much the negative. Think about how great you will look and feel once the weight begins to melt away....and think about how happy that will make you in the long run and how much healthier too. BEST OF LUCK!!!:thumbup:

I live in Temecula maybe we could support each other

re scared to death

Hi There,

I agree with everything that StarsZie said.

You need to make this decision for yourself, but you will not be weird and unable to eat anything when the band is working properly. I am seven days out from surgery and feeling good. I will be very happy to get off the liquids, but I am taking each day one at a time.

The hospital was a breeze....I only hated not having liquids and having to swab out my mouth instead of drink right after surgery. You will do great!

Continue your research, but remember that "if you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you always got". I knew this would be the change I needed and the tool to help me be the person I want to be. I had a few friends at work say to me that I was doing this so I could get all hot and sexy. No way! My husband already thinks I am hot and sexy, so that is not my reason. I know that I want to be with him a long time, and I want to see my grandchildren grow up. We can do this. You go, girl!:thumbup:

I'll say this; at 1 year out I can eat anything. I am in control, not the band. It helps me; it's my tool. I use it as I wish (or not). I can eat white bread, I can eat dry chicken, I can eat rice, Pasta, popcorn, Peanut Butter, pizza. I just usually don't eat those things. AND when I do go wild, wild is very different from the old days! I can eat only a much smaller amount. Does that bother me? Not really. Usually we don't say "WOW I wish I was still hungry so I could eat three more hamburgers!" LOL

SOMETIMES stopping when it is really good is hard, but then I remember I can have it again, another day.

food is not as important to me as it once was, but that's healthy too.

I was scared. I thought "Can I LIVE a life without ever eating a burrito?" LOL Well I can eat burritos (or rather about 3/4 of one) just fine. So as my granny used to say "Don't borrow trouble". You may have problem foods, but you may not. You may have bad gas pain post op, but you may not. You may have a slip, but if you follow your post op diet and the band rules scrupulously, odds are small. (They DO happen, and the cause isn't ALWAYS user error, but we have more control over that than most take credit for)

So 1 year out, I'm loving it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I was banded on May 29th.

Life is good. I can eat most anything, am satisfied on small amounts. I don't feel deprived AT ALL.

I'm 44 and have lost weight through many programs - everytime, I've felt deprived and hungry. It's SOOOOOOO nice not to feel hungry. I'm so grateful for that - I keep telling my husband "This must be how normal people feel."

Another thing... food tastes better to me. I work to make my calories "count" and I just appreciate what I eat so much more now.

I realize I'm only 3 months out, so still in the honeymoon phase. But thus far, I'm one of those Cloud-9 Bandsters. I couldn't be happier.

(PS: when I was contemplating it, this was one of my fears... I would feel deprived, unsatisfied, miss things, etc. I was willing to face that, if necessary, for my health but I'm so glad I don't have to!! I'm more fulfilled from an eating standpoint than I have ever been in my life.)

Hello Suzi,

I just had surgery on July22,2009 and honey it's the best damn thing I have ever done!! And I have done it all. The surgery itself was a piece of cake and the care after was outstanding. I had no problem sticking to the puree diet the first few weeks. YOU REALLY ARE NOT HUNGRY!! You get full easy and then you get to improve what you eat as you go. I got a great book that was "a lot" of help to me and still is. It is called Weight Loss Surgery with Adjustable Gastric Band By: Robert W. Sewell, MD and Linda Rohrbough.

I ate a lot of baby food fruits and also the INJURY protein shakes. Very good. What I did was started getting all the stuff I would need for home weeks before. The Injury company I got everything I needed on line. Please don't be scared and stopped your self from a healthier you. It is what I decided to do and I'm very glad I did. I so far have lost 21lbs. It wasn't hard at all. If you need to ask any other questions feel free. I hope I can help. I would encourage you to go to all the support groups you can as well. I am now at my six weeks and I am able to eat pretty normal just in smaller amounts. My main two big things were mashed potatoes and peanut butter. I am glad to say I have been enjoying both. What I do for home is buy like Bob Evans mashed and just measure them out. One good tip is the 2nd foods Gerber container is great for that use. You can reuse them and they are only 3oz big so it makes things easier. But believe me if you eat more then say 7oz at this point you feel to full and wish you had ate less. Hope this helps.