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I started biotin a little bit before surgery. A week before surgery I had to go off all vitamins & minerals. I started the biotin as soon as I thought I could swallow the pill at home. If you drink any pop (diet or regular) or coffee quit now! Quit before you have to go on the pre-op diet. I can only tell you things that made things easier on me. I brought one of those soft cuddly comfy throw blankets from Target (mine was brown, one side was soft and comfy and the other side was fluffy). I had it freshly washed and it smelled like home (Downy). It was my comfort in the hospital, I cuddled with it in the chair and it made me happy. I went into the surgery smiling and humming. Made my nurses hum, even hummed my favorite little theme song to my doctor and anesthesiologists and nurses. It made everyone smile and lighten up and I was told I was one of the most positive people going into surgery and I woke up positive. I found a decaff tea that was refreshing to bring to the hospital plus I bought my own artificial sweetener (truvia). I tried several decaff teas (after quitting coffee). Bigelow Peppermint Tea fit the bill with truvia. It literally calmed my tummy and felt better than water at first and even though it went from warm to cold, it tasted good cold. Hospitals normally serve hot tea with generic artificial sweetener in a coffee cup. It's not appetizing it smells like coffee though it's hot water. I probably have mentioned this 100 times since surgery in posts. This was my saving grace. Bring Cottonelle or Charmaigne Box of wet wipes. After surgery your privates feel nasty (after getting the catheter out). It's a little harder to urinate on your own. Wiping yourself is a little hard because your tummy is swollen, but getting some of the orange stuff off you makes you feel cleaner. I also kept a brush on my table, because it was such a comfort to brush my hair because it became a birds nest. When you go for your walk around the ward, bring along one of those mouth stick wipes because if you talk while you walk, your mouth will dry up on you so fast, especially if you are given the anti-nausea patch and anti-nausea shots. You will be most likely be receiving shots in your belly every so often for blood clots. I wasn't prepared for this, nor was I prepared for a drain. Ask the doctor if you are getting one. The ted hose they use and compression thing I was afraid of but it actually didn't hurt and was comforting, I was nervous about those. If the ted hose starts rolling down and hurting, makes sure you get someone to fix it. I made sure I kept my mouth sticks, water and peppermint tea and spirometer and I brought my own Kleenex (Vicks) type to the hospital. Those I made sure were close to me. When I would wake up during the night I would make sure I used the spirometer. I am prone to pneumonia and I used it OFTEN. I would take my big brown blanket and ball it up with a pillow and then cough. I still use it and it's 19 days out. My hardest part of surgery (I was in the hospital 5 days) was the leak test. I had an allergic reaction to the Gastrique used and it was really hard on me. My face, neck and chest turned a bright red and I got dizzy and sick. Most people just feel sick from their first drink being something like that. Things I did not use. I didn't use my kindle, didn't change clothes once (all the iv's getting any real pj's on there is no way.) I did have a pair crocs that I used to walk in, which was more stable to me than wearing their socks. When I came home getting in and out of bed was not easy for me, and I spent a lot of time sleeping in the lazy boy. I walked as much as I could and I started spacing it out 20 minutes walking through the kitchen, living room and dining room 3 times a day. I had the drain for 9 days and the last few days it started bugging me. Getting it out, was not comfortable but there was HUGE relief getting it out. I could finally actually breathe again. Realize that no two people heal alike. There are people that sound as though they have surgery and go home and are out walking miles in the first week. You may have had previous abdominal surgeries and have more scar tissue, you may have never had one and aren't used to it and take it harder. Everyone recovers differently and don't compare your experience to others because it's unneeded frustration. Try to remain positive, even when the going gets tough. I had only questioned my decision when I had the reaction to the gastrique, and then when my drain got infected (I have lupus), they were fleeting. I have tried to stay positive otherwise and it's done me well. I have a brain tumor, and I suffer from Lupus, I had diabetes and sleep apnea, and I suffer from raynauds and severe migraines and I have a lot of things that could contribute to me not staying positive. I had complications during my surgery which were pretty severe and still I would do it all over again. I will be 49 in August, which is how old my Great Grandmother Died due to obesity, and I am built just like her. Good Luck to you and stay positive, keep a fun song in your head that day, be it a theme song - like Brick House, or whatever current music you like. Mine was the Theme from Sanford & Son and old TV show that I loved as a little girl. The music is happy & funky and to remember the look on my surgeons face or remember the nurses trying to hum it or my husband and son humming it as I was being wheeled out still makes me giggle

i like to take some veggies, mixed together with a little bit of tomato sauce, and pour over my chicken breast and bake, or i boil my chicken brest, yes boil and then shred it up and make pulled chicken, mmm

Yes I would like to watch. I have watched tons of surgery videos and every one is unique in their own ways. I like preparing myself for surgery.

love the humorous walk through of your surgery, and post op Thanks for posting, gives me a glimpse of what to expect! 17 days till my surgery!

Lapband La La.. First of all, in your video you said you werent sure if yoiu belonged in the lapbandtalk community any more. Well I am here to tell you that you are still a part of this family. We are here to support each other through the good times and the bad. Be positive! I believe that the band is what you needed to get you started on the journey to living a healthy lifestyle. You successfully lost your weight and got to your goal and have been maintaining it. I believe that you have now learned how to live and what to eat and can continue to do this with or without the band. The band was just a tool to get it all started but now you have the knowledge to continue the success that you have enjoyed. Dont let the removal of the band psych you out. If you tell yourself that the weight will come back and resign yourself to that, that is what will happen. You can do this. Stay positive and just keep on going as if you still have it. It really wasnt the band that made you successful. It was your attitude and mindset. i know several people that got the band and didnt lose the weight. I also have friends that got it and did great and are living healthy lifestyles now. The difference was the attitude and the determination of those individuals. I know it was a blow to you, but I truly believe you can do this. Pull yourself up by the boot straps and get your mind right to take this on. If you need someone to talk to, we are here for you. I know how it is when you are talking to friends and family about the band. People just dont understand! But really I think that when people make the comments they are making to you, they are really trying to make you feel better about having it removed, but they just dont get it and dont know what to say. The next video you post on here, I want to see you smiling and happy because you have figured out that you can do this!! You have a strong healthy body now, so now just get that mind strong to match and you will be fine!! PS. Not only are you still welcome on this forum, but you are helping others. Your story has made me really think about my own situation. I have been being a little bad for the past couple of months and not following all the Band rules. Reading this makes me really think about what damage I could be causing myself and it truly inspires me to get my own mind back on track. If you were following the rules and this happened, I certainly could be at risk by not following the plan. Thank you so much for sharing with us all!! Hugs!! Hugs!! Hugs!!