I was banded on May 20, 2009 with the Realize-C Band. I researched through message boards when decided upon banding, but waited until after to join.

I don't have to tell you how I got here, do I? Surely, you know. Low Calorie, Low fat, low carb, Weight Watchers...if it is out there, I have probably done it. The last thing I did was Medifast. I lost 70 pounds and found it all back and then some. (Drat)

I was in Vegas with a friend in Febuary. With all the freakin' mirrors there, there was no way to deny what I had done...AGAIN. I got back home, had a good cry and decided it was time to do something permanent. I didn't want to go with the By-pass. I probably read too many on-line blogs where people had bad experiences. But, the band sounded like the right thing for me.

I researched my area here in Bradenton, Florida. I decided on Sarasota Memorial's program. On with the program I went:

1. Seminar

2. Eat Healthy for Life Program

3. Psych evaluation

4. Nutritionist consultation

5. Meet with Primary care Doc for letter of necessity

6. Surgeon Consult

7. Barium Swallow (bleah), Chest x-ray

8. Blood work up

9. Pre-admission testing (EKG, more blood, pre-surgery discussion)

10. Dietician consultation

Wednesday, my surgery was scheduled for 1 pm. That meant no food or drink after midnight. O-M-G!! Sooo hungry. Had to be a the hospital at 11. Talk about hurry up and wait. I had to get through 3 receptionists before going to the pre-pre-op waiting room. I had to give a urine sample for a pregnancy test! From there a nice man took me to the pre-op room. He gave me plastic bags for my clothes and the lovely hospital gown. So, I got changed and up on the bed. Waited for a few minutes and got my phone so I had something to do. My pre-op nurse came in and took my vitals and got the IV started. Got the heparin shot in the belly. (Lots of fun) Surgery was running an hour late. My anesthesiologist came in and had a follower. A very nice young man who went to the same school as my daughter. And yes, he did know her. Oh, and the anesthesiologist's son goes to the same school. Perrrrrfect.

Then time went by for a while. My nurse came back and chatted for a while. This was nice as I was quite bored with the waiting. She left and I got the brilliant belated notion to turn on the TV. It took some manuvering to reach the remote with the IV in, but I prevailed! I found the end of "Sleeping with the Enemy." The anesthesiologist's techs came in and readied me for going to the OR. They were hilarious. They totally wanted to watch the end of the movie, too. We saw Julia shoot her abusive husband and then they gave me that pre-surgery shot. Things get blurry from there. I remember the bed going out of the room. I remember the brightness of the OR. I remember having the gas mask put over my face and nothing.

Next thing is telling someone that I hurt and I was nauseous. I have no idea why or who. The person was saying calming things. My eyes flew open and I begged, "Please don't let me throw up!" Suddenly, I was in my hospital room. There may have been more that occurred with me interacting, but I have no memory of it.

My throat was raw. My incisions really hurt. As I came the rest of the way out, my nurse came in. She was a doll. Wanted to make me as comfortable as possible. She got my computer and Sudoku book out for me. She brought me a cup of ice water. Small sips!!

Finally, I realized that I needed to go to the bathroom. I called my nurse for some help. She was surprised that I hadn't gone already. I was surprised that if they wanted me to go they hadn't mentioned it. So, the put a urine catcher bowl on the toliet so they can measure your out put. Sitting down wasn't so bad as it was the upper abs that hurt, not the lower. With the IV going, There was a pretty full bowl. And not so surprisingly, I had a light period show as well. I was expecting that. I had an appendectomy when I was 15 and the same thing happened. They told me then that it isn't uncommon for that to happen when you have stomach surgery.

I had the surgery as an in-patient. So, I was there for the rest of the night. I had to ask for the pain meds when I needed them. I wasn't shy about that! We found quickly that I needed the anti-nausea meds in place when I got my morphine.

I was determined to stay awake that night to see who won American Idol, Kris or Adam. So I turned the TV on which was on a cool arm that swung to the bed. I was aware that the program was on and of the performances, but couldn't process more than that. I did hang on to see that Kris won. My kids texted me right away. I was out pretty much after that.

That night was rough, because of the discomfort from the surgery and the need to get up to pee frequently. The night nurse came in when I needed her. I could get out of bed on my own. I was still taking small sips. She said I could suck on hard candy. My mouth was still so dry. I found later that there were lemon glycerin swabs in my "kit", but no one thought to offer me one. DH had left me a roll of his peppermints. They weren't great, but better than nothing. I broke them into small pieces and had a bit now and then.

That morning, I got up and took a walk. Again, found it odd that no one had insisted that I do so. After that, I graduated from water to beef broth. It REALLY hit the spot. The day repeated itself. Meds, broth, Sleep. It was getting close to 5 and the doctor hadn't made it in yet. The nurses had warned me with out my asking that they did not know when the doc would be in. He came about 5:30. With that I got paperwork and wheelchaired out by 7. It seemed like a long day.

My kids were thrilled I was home. DH left to get my prescriptions. He came back with pills. Lortab and Anti-nausea. I thought I was supposed to get elixirs, but what are you going to do at that point? Guh. Before bed, I used my pill crusher to crush the Lortab. I mixed it with a bit of yogurt. Bleah. The anti-nausea were small so I just downed that with water. Lortab wasn't as effective as the Morphine. It knocked me loopy and then out. It was not as good on the pain. I took it for 2 more days and then switched to liquid ibuprofen. Sue me.

That night was rough. My neck and chest hurt, my throat still hurt and of course, my incisions hurt. It was hard to move in the bed at all. I wasn't expecting the neck pain. I assume it was gas, but no one had mentioned it going to the neck. Plus! I was in caffeine detox! That was really stupid of me not to give it up before. The headaches on day three were killer!!

I was lucky to have Memorial Weekend to convalesce. DH and the kids waited on me. When taking the Lortab, I pretty much slept. I have Tivo in the bedroom and watched some shows in between naps.

It is now Monday at 3:15 pm, I am feeling at about 75-80%. The incision where my port is still hurts when I move. I went to the grocery with DH and was TIRED when I got back. I feel over all pretty good. The neck, throat, and chest pain is gone. My port incision isn't hurting too much. And I am about at the end of the novel this first blog is! LOL

My doctor has me on full liquids from day 2 to day 45. I have enjoyed pudding, yogurt, protein shakes, cream of tomato soup, jello, frozen, fruit juice bars, pureed cottage cheese, mashed potatoes and cream of wheat. Watching TV is awful. They had a hotdog segment on The View today that had me about ready to eat my pillow. I am one of the lucky -- who is hungry.

I am looking forward to reading up on the other blogs and messages. :devil: I will try to not always have such diarrhea of the mouth, er, keyboard!!

Thanks for the info. Made for good reading. I will not be banded until 7.20.09 I am in for a long wait. I am just reading all I can to be ready. I do not want to give up my morning Java. What a bummber... I am worried about that. hum Keep posting I hope to hear you are feeling better soon. Best wishes

imaluckydog

I am being banded tomorrow. I am scared to death. After reading your blog I am even more scared!!!! I am worried about the pain and feeling so crappy after...........Do you think it's worth it? Are you glad you did it?

thank u for this it is so realistic..im being banded in 8 days im terrified of being hungry but even more so the pain i had a c section 8 months ago and it was horrible!!!! also i dont know how i am going to SURVIVE without my caffine!!!!! but its all for the best !!! i wish u the best of luck!!!

I am happy you got your surgery. I have been trying to find financing for 2 yrs, with no luck!! Any ideas ? Whats up with the no caffine? Is that for ever? Can't wai to hear back from you.=-)

I also had my surgery on 5/20/2009 and unfortunatly at this time i still feel really poorly. I have struggled with weakness and head and neck pain, i hope this all passes soon so i can start my new life

I was not sure that I would be able to survive without my morning fix of Diet Pepsit but let me tell you once you get past the first few weeks it is a breeze. It has been 3 months now and I know that my kidneys are much happier because of it. My pee is a bright happy yellow :-) instead of the yuck that it used to be.

I was in a bunch of pain afterwards but the hospital seemed to keep things under control. I was banded a week ago and so far I am down about 10lbs. I want to eat but know that it is best to keep up with the plan. I still get that "fullness" with Jello but I miss REAL food. I think after my 3 weeks of liquids I will not want to look at Jello for quite some time LOL..

Good luck,

Nicole

Oh also I had a massage today which helped tons with the muscle cramps and soreness. They can do a pregnancy massage where you lay on your side. If you can I would give it a try for your neck/back pain. I had a GREAT nap today after my massage :-).

For everyone worrying about the surgery post op.... This time passes quickly and you are back to normal quicker than you realize. The first week to 10 days is the worst. My surgery was 3 months ago and the only lasting effect is gas. No one told me that after effect... I used to room with someone for business when we traveled and now I insist on my own room. Morning is the worst. I LOVE my band and would most definately go through the discomfort post surgery all over again. I still have a lot to lose but am down 47 pounds so far. I haven't had soda since January and do not miss it (I was a Coca-Cola addict :devil:. We drink lots and lots of sugar free lemonade (from Walmart) and Splenda is my few best friend. I can eat any food, including steak and bread, which others said are a problem. The difference is I just don't eat much of it because I am FULL. You will learn that over-eating is uncomfortable and so you don't do it. You will know your band is right when you are full from one meal to another and don't crave in between. I was surprised that I had basically no restriction after swelling was gone from surgery until my first fill. I learned that is on purpose so don't judge your 2nd week hunger feelings on how it will be long term.

p.s. Good luck everyone!

Jackie

Imaluckydog - I was a diet Mountain Dew Drinker. I suppose if you are a coffee drinker, it could be different. I just don't want to mess with carbonation at this point. They say it can mess with the pouch. I would ask your doc about coffee. :devil:

ChargerFan - Don't be scared! I am sure you will do fine. Just remember that what pain you have will pass. Here it is Tuesday and I am doing pretty darn well. Good luck today!

Bsandz08 - I have had two c-sections and one appendectomy. This is much easier! Mainly because there is no baby involved! LOL Seriously, the difference between the upper ab pain and lower ab pain is night and day. Best wishes for your surgery!

Lizza - Are you trying for financing or insurance? I don't think caffeine is forever, but I wonder if I will want to get back on that wagon after kicking it, you know?

korndorfflvn - I sure hope you are finding yourself feeling better today. I am sure that it is going to be soon. :glare:

Nicole - I so get you on the Jello! I would love to eat, too. But, like you, I am behaving. I want to give this thing the best shot I can. And I am sooo going to schedule a massage! Brilliant! :wub:

Jackie - Wow! You are doing great! I seriously wonder how much swelling I have given my hunger. It doesn't take as much to fill up, but when I get hungry next, it is full on. I can't wait until I am 3 months past and seeing such awesome results, too!