hopeful07

I was banded Friday 2/23, I have had the hiccups many times today (they hurt) is this normal? Also I have pain at my collarbone area of all places, it is the worst when I wake up..it hurts when I breathe in the most. Anybody else have something similar? I've been using the breathing spiriometry bottle several times a day, it helps a little. My doc only required a 48 hr liquid diet followed by 4 weeks of mushies. I've had no problems eating 2/3 of a serving of cream of wheat..it seems like a lot to me I expected to be full after a few bites. I haven't felt full yet I just stop eating when I don't feel the hunger anymore. Need to update my ticker but too tired right now!

Hello Banded Family :help: Has anybody experienced or heard of developing double vision after the lap-band surgery? I noticed about 2-3 months after surgery that I was having double vision and it was getting worse so I went to the eye doc who said there was nothing wrong with my eyes and i should double up on my Vitamins since I had been banded. I was taking the liquid multi from GNC so I started taking it 2 times daily, that made the vision worse so I stopped taking them. Which seemed to help for a while but it has started back up again lately but not as severe as before. Then today something really strange happened with my legs, I was climbing the stairs at work only going from 2nd to 3rd floor which I do several times a day usually with no problem. I felt my legs get really weak and by the time I got near the top of the stairs my leg gave out and I collapsed into a squatting position and I could not lift myself back up for a minute and had to pull myself up using the handrail. The nurse said to get potassium and more fluids into me and go for bloodwork with my GP. I know I cannot get to the doctor for at least another week or two and am just wondering if any of this sounds familiar to someone who could give me advise. Perhaps I need extra Protein or am lacking a specific Vitamin..those are my guesses but I hate wondering. I know I am getting plenty of food b/c I have yet to achieve good restriction and still eat more than most banded can/should but it's drastically less than I had been consuming pre-surgery. I would greatly appreciate any feedback if you've heard of these symptoms related to banding before. Thanks, hopeful07 (my ticker is not up to date I was banded 2/23/07, I've had 3 fills- now at 2.5cc and ready for more, and have lost 40 lbs so far)

I was coming out of the anestesia in post-op and started gagging on the tube in my throat. It felt like I was choking and not breathing at all and I could not move my body b/c of all the drugs. I remember hearing the nurse saying to someone that I was gagging, then someone else came over and I heard them tell me to breathe thru the tube as I went back under. When I woke back up the tube was out- thank goodness. Perhaps I did not read enough posts pre-op but I was not expecting to wake up with a tube down my throat- I could have told them ahead of time that I have a very sensitive gag reflex (can't even hold a hangar in my teeth while hanging up a shirt without gagging). Does everybody wake up with the tube in or did I wake up too early? I was so out of it that I did not think to ask the post-op staff what happened before they brought me back to my room.

The TT will definatley wait until I've been at goal for a while. The nurse at Dr.S's office suggested that since my breasts were so large that starting the reduction procedures soon after banding would be a good idea since insurance approval depends mainly on the volume of breast tissue not how 'saggy' they are. Right now I pop out of my 44DD bra and they hang down my torso. After breastfeeding 3 kids I have had little hope that they will ever look good on their own again. After your response I wonder if it is possible, did yours come back from being extremely large or were you an average size before loosing the weight?

I wonder if they gave me the reversal drug -or- if I am just one of those people who take a while to come off of the anestesia (I was in post-op for 2 hours when it was supposed to be only 1hr). When I went up to my room the nurse wanted me to pull myself on to the other bed. I was completley numb from the waist down & could not move my legs or butt off of the streacher. It felt like when I had my epidural with my 3rd son and it took a long time for the sensation to come back. The nurses were surprised also and came back to check on me every 30 minutes until I could move my legs again. I wouldn't want this to scare anybody off either- I know the decision to be banded has probably saved my life or at least extended it greatly. It really did not scare me too much (except the feeling that I wasn't breathing until I saw the nurse and he talked to me); I just think that if we are more aware that not everything will always go smoothly and knowing more about the little things that can go wrong will make it less scary if they do occur. Good Luck to the not-yet banded - Keep on Going Strong to my fellow bandsters & thanks for all the great comments :biggrin1:

Do you have to be 18 months for the BR or only the TT? I was just banded this week and planned on looking into BR later this year in hopes of getting the insurance to pay. The TT will need to wait until I'm closer to goal so 1-2 yrs. I'm also in Houston, does Dr Long have a website to view? My mom recommended going with a male doctor. She had her reduction done by a female and is unhappy with the way they look. Her opinion is that a man will have a greater 'appreciation' for the female breast and make it look better.

Luckily I was able to open my eyes enough to see that my nurse was right by my bedside, I think I would have panicked if I had not seen him there. I knew they were taking care of me so other than the initial fear when I felt like I couldn't breathe it went by rather quickley. Thanks for all the feedback!:) Glad to know I just woke up a bit too soon and that your not supposed to wake up with it in; I'm planning on a breast reduction later this year and really would not want to feel that again.:omg: carriedba :gluck:- other than those few minutes in post-op my surgery went just fine. Dr.Spivak was great and so was the staff at Park Plaza Hospital. One of his former paitents came to see me afterwards and gave me her phone number to call with any questions, I'm going to give her a ring in a few days to thank her. It was nice to have someone who's been thru the process come and talk to you right afterwards. Try not to be nervous, there will be quite a bit of waiting throughout the day. We arrived at 7:12am, they checked me in by 8:30am then put me in a room where I met the floor nurse. I was brought down to pre-op at 9:30, talked to the nurses, anestesiologists, & Dr Spivak. They brought me to surgery at 11:am, was in post-op by 12pm (Dr.Spivak will talk to whomever brings you to the hospital after surgery but they won't be allowed in post-op) and there for 2 hours. Next they brought me back to my room where my hubby was waiting. They gave me some pain meds first thing b/c I wanted them. Then brought in a tray of liquid foods and Water. You need to pee, walk, and not be nausious before you can go home. I was on my way home at 5pm, picked up my perscription for the liquid pain killers and went to bed for the night. Hopefully this helps- knowing the routiene. Good luck on your big day tomorrow, just relax as best you can and ask as many questions while you are at the hospital as you want. I'm so glad I've done this for myself, it's only been 3 days and I've lost a few pounds already.:clap2:

It's still seems so strange to me that it helps to know that others have had the same experiences, even for the most basic things. But it does help, so thank you;)

From what I can tell everybody is a bit different. I was banded on 2/23, the incisions are a bit sore but really not all that bad. I took today off of work but feel like I could go in no problem. The gas pain is uncomfortable to slightly painful, not to the point where I feel like crying. I've been taking Gas-X which help, they come in dissolvable strips so you don't have to worry about the chewable knid not going down. I do not feel the band at all right now, I'll be curious as to how it will feel after my first fill. I only told my husband, parents, sister and one co-worker. I don't feel like having people talking about how fast-or slow the weight loss happens. Good luck on your operation.:clap2::clap2:

Got my approval yesterday :clap2: , I called today and scheduled my procedure for 2/23. I'm ready to do this tomorrow, but I want to fully understand all the $$ issues. With 3 kids I'm reluctant to commit to anything until I have a firm grasp of the financials. I'm doing it either way I just don't want to switch docs, since mine is out of network (70/30 compared to 90/10). I'm not really nervous about the procedure-I've tried for the past 15 years and all I do is put on another 10 lbs annually; I'm just worried :phanvan that I will be one of those who it doesn't work for. I'm only telling my hubby,parents & sis. Everybody else can just guess until I know if it works or not. Reading the sucesses of everybody is encouraging, hopefully in a year i'll have a ticker marked at the half way mark:biggrin1: . Can anybody tell me how to add one of those? I've never used one of these forums, but a former paient of my doc suggested it; she said that the support is amazing and will really get you through the tough times and makes the good ones even better. Hope so. That's my new keyword for 2007 hope/hopeful:). Good luck on your journey to all who read this, I know that I'm excited to get started on mine. Cheers and goodnight (or good morning since it is way past my bedtime I've been kinda wired today with my good news:notagree )

:biggrin1: Thanks all for the warm welcome, ya'll are great!!!! This forum has already helped a bunch, I am even more convinced that I have made the right decision.

Thanks hisnhers :huggie: , I've been doing better since I read your suggestions. Not 100% following the doc's diet yet, but up to about 85% (still have 5 weeks before surgery).

good luck clickersister, I'm going in 6 weeks for mine maybe we'll be on the same day.

I'm scheduled to go in 6 weeks. My Dr. has a list of foods (basically low to no carbs, fruits, vegies & protien:faint: ). I should have started in December when I went in for my consult but did only for a few days, (then x-mas & new years stress eating started). I started back today (I did sneak 5 or 6 cheese puffs) and plan to do my best to stick to it, there are a few more foods I would like to have for the last time, but there are so many I love that I think if I keep that mentality I will be eating until the day of surgery. Any pointers on not giving in to the cravings?

Thanks callieanna for the ticker info. Good luck with your surgery. I'm getting a bit more anxious about mine, just having lots of random thoughts pop into my head about post op issues. I'm going o spend some time reading through the posts to see what others have experienced. faybie, I was glad to hear from one of Dr.Spivak's paitents. I have about 30lbs. more than your starting weight and hope I do as well with getting the weight off as you have. Did everybody know you had the procedure? I just don't feel comfortable telling the people at work (i've only been there a few months), but we have a lot of business trips and lunches that it will soon become obvious that I am not eating a lot. I am debating telling my boss, but he's a guy and I think the conversation might make him a bit uncomfortable (me also). Any advise? Congrats on your sucess & keep up the great progress.

Hi LizP, I 'm new here also & learning. Congrats on your progress, I scheduled myself for 2/23/07. Hope I do as well as you are. Cheers

Dr. Spivak in Houston, TX is offering self pay for around $12,900 right now- I think it is a New Years price bandmd.com