ShineOn

I made it! Hi everybody I made it through my surgery yesterday morning. As most of you know I was terrified of the actual surgey part. In fact once I got my drugs & they were rolling me into surgery I was asking everyone to make sure I lived through the surgery b/c I have a baby daughter at home. LOL! Then when I was waking up out of anastesia I heard one of the nurses say she was the one afraid of dying. Ha! Anyway, I went in at 7am and was home by 1pm. Like Terri's post above surgery day was much tougher than I thought. Even after all my research here are the things that came as a surprize to me. I thought I would share with all of you that haven't gone in yet: #1 - When I woke up I was in a lot of pain (stomach area). I also had difficulty taking deep breaths for about an hour which was kind of a scarry feeling. #2 - The medice they give you for pain and nasea makes you very sleepy. #3 - Drinking that bottle of water was the pits and resulted in a lot of vomiting for me. In fact, I never finished the bottle but thank goodness they let me go anyway. #4 - Have those sugar free popscicles ready b/c they really help with the throat pain. Here is the GREAT news. Less that 24 hours later I am feeling great! The only pain now is a tolerable pressure in my mid-section and my throat hurts a little. Besides that I am feeling really good. I am even making it up and down the stairs of my house with ease. Yesterday I was thinking what have I done? But today I am soooo glad I went through with it. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, thoughts and support. I will be praying for all the April bansters this month. :clap2:

Tomorrow is the big day and I do have a case of the last minute jitters. My only fear is dying in surgery. If I do I hope Baye sues the heck out of the Dr & posts to the world the dandgers of the surgery. However, the reality is this is an ultra safe surgery and they have reassured me many times over I have nothing to worry about. I will just be so relieved when I wake up after surgery and I am alive! :clap2: God just get me through surgery and I will happily do the rest of the work. I must admit I have had thoughts on not doing this but all related to my fear of the surgery. However, I've paid and completed my pre-op stuff makes me feel obligated. Plus the peer support on this site helps me feel reassured. Of course I guess dead people don't post after surgery do they? Ha! Ok I am getting crazy now. I am going to spend the rest of the evening getting into the right frame of mind. I know I am doing the right thing. This will be the tool I need to get me back a healthy energetic life I so desire. I can get back to being the king of wife and mom I want to be for my family. I know the hardest part will be dropping my little girl off at daycare in the morning. If I can make it through that I think I will be ok. Ok, I will post again after surgery. Then the real work can begin and actually that is the part I am most looking forward to. C

Tomorrow is the big day and I do have a case of the last minute jitters. My only fear is dying in surgery. If I do I hope Baye sues the heck out of the Dr & posts to the world the dandgers of the surgery. However, the reality is this is an ultra safe surgery and they have reassured me many times over I have nothing to worry about. I will just be so relieved when I wake up after surgery and I am alive! :clap2: God just get me through surgery and I will happily do the rest of the work. I must admit I have had thoughts on not doing this but all related to my fear of the surgery. However, I've paid and completed my pre-op stuff makes me feel obligated. Plus the peer support on this site helps me feel reassured. Of course I guess dead people don't post after surgery do they? Ha! Ok I am getting crazy now. I am going to spend the rest of the evening getting into the right frame of mind. I know I am doing the right thing. This will be the tool I need to get me back a healthy energetic life I so desire. I can get back to being the king of wife and mom I want to be for my family. I know the hardest part will be dropping my little girl off at daycare in the morning. If I can make it through that I think I will be ok. Ok, I will post again after surgery. Then the real work can begin and actually that is the part I am most looking forward to. C

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It really helps to know you are thinking about those of us in surgery tomorrow. Terri - Good luck to you. Spivak will warm up with me then I will send him over to you. I will post as soon as I am able. Good luck to everyone tomorrow! Keep the prayers and positive vibes coming!!

Please send me your prayers and good vibes!! Tomorrow is my big day and I am soooo nervous. God just get me through surgery day and I promise I will do the rest! Just don't let me die. Ok, my outburst of fear is done now. Thinking happy thoughts. I can't believe I will be banded by this time tomorrow. SOOOOOOOOO freaked out right now. AAAAHHHH!!!!:omg:

Maizemommy - Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your experience I am getting anxious about my surgery but your post really helps put me at ease. If I can just get through dropping my daughter at daycare and make it to the Drs office w/o the nerves kicking in I may be ok. I'll be ultra relieved just to have that part over. Happy healing!

Surgery day is almost here and my nerves are in check. I have stopped obsessing about dying during surgery and I am concentrating on the journey to come. I stopped eating sugar for about a week and it is amazing how much that helps clear up my moodiness. I also just feel better when I don't have too much sugar in my system. Well, my dad was in town this weekend and so I indulged in a last meal. We took him for hibachi and then followed up with frozen custard. It was sooo yummy. However, I must say that I am looking forward to being full with a small amount of food. My core issue is that I am a binge eater and the band is going to be a tool in avoiding that bad behaviour. I have been so successful in the past with excersise that I know if my eating is in check I have unlimited potential to get exactly where I want to be. So, since I am 3 days from surgery I thought this would be the time to put my goal in writing. Here are my goals: 1. Get to 167 pounds (6lbs less than my lowest) by next April 2. Be a healthy, happy, energetic mom & wife 3. Have a healthy 2nd pregnancy 4. Get a TT or LBL once I am back to goal (167) after baby #2 Ok, so that is it! I lost 120 w/o a band so I know with the band I can make it happen! I am really excited to start moving my old clothes to the front of the closet. Well, I am off to get some rest. Goodnight.

Surgery day is almost here and my nerves are in check. I have stopped obsessing about dying during surgery and I am concentrating on the journey to come. I stopped eating sugar for about a week and it is amazing how much that helps clear up my moodiness. I also just feel better when I don't have too much sugar in my system. Well, my dad was in town this weekend and so I indulged in a last meal. We took him for hibachi and then followed up with frozen custard. It was sooo yummy. However, I must say that I am looking forward to being full with a small amount of food. My core issue is that I am a binge eater and the band is going to be a tool in avoiding that bad behaviour. I have been so successful in the past with excersise that I know if my eating is in check I have unlimited potential to get exactly where I want to be. So, since I am 3 days from surgery I thought this would be the time to put my goal in writing. Here are my goals: 1. Get to 167 pounds (6lbs less than my lowest) by next April 2. Be a healthy, happy, energetic mom & wife 3. Have a healthy 2nd pregnancy 4. Get a TT or LBL once I am back to goal (167) after baby #2 Ok, so that is it! I lost 120 w/o a band so I know with the band I can make it happen! I am really excited to start moving my old clothes to the front of the closet. Well, I am off to get some rest. Goodnight.

Are there any Spivak patients that have been attending the Tuesday meetings? If you have I'd love to hear more about them. Are they helpful? What is the crowd like? Are they worth the time?

BandedMe - They actually have GasX strips that disolve on your tongue, kind of like the listerine strips. I found mine at Target. Good luck to you!

Wow I can't believe April is finally here. I am going to be banded on Wednesday. I am very excited, despite coping with my surgey nerves. Your prayers and thoughts are more than welcome. I have a one year old daughter so I am hoping for a speedy recovery. Well, besides some last minute nerves I am feeling great. I am all caught up on the housework, have all my post-surgery stuff ready, and the freezer is full of quick meals for DH. :girl_hug: I am going to make one last stop at blockbuster to stock up on some movies. Anyone else have activity ideas during our down time / healing time?

They said I am scheduled at the Surgery center, I think that is the same as the park plaza. I have heard great things about the staff. Hopefully I have the same experience.

Cyndi, Not sure where you are located but in Houston we have one of the nations top surgeons (Spivak) for lap banding and he charges $12,900 for everything. The nurse told me most patients fly home the next day. I am a self pay too & handing over that 13K of hard earned money was tough but I am confident it will be worth it. Good luck with your jorney.

Congratulations! It's so reassuring to see Spivak patients post so early after surgery. I am going in next Wednesday (gulp) and your post helps put me at ease. Happy healing to you!

There is a great poll on the poll page that will answer your question from a large audience. There is also another thread and the most common regret is just that they didn't do it sooner. Good luck with your journey.

Congratulations!

*** Reminder: BEFORE & AFTER PICS *** Just a friendly reminder to all the April bansters to take your before pictures. Then we can all post our pics on the before and after thread once we are smaller and foxy. Plus we can motivate others in the process. I don't know about you but that is the thread I go to for motivation. Go Team Go! :whoo:

5 days until I see Spivak for surgery. So exciting!!!

Tracy - Can you change my surgery date to 4/4/06 please?

Anytime!! I am a crafter too, mostly scrapbooking. You are doing great. Another thing I like to do is cut out pictures from the glam magazines and paste them on posterboard. I keep it in my bathroom to remind me every morning of what I am working towards. Hang in there. Enjoy the fabrics. I love that too!

Hang in there Jennifer! Have you thought about doing something relaxing maybe going to the movies, or maybe a quick trip to the spa for a massage? I am actually pretty calm but I can't believe next week at this time I will be banded! I just can't wait to get on to the next phase. :mad:

Thanks for all the positive posts on the pre-op diet. Much appreciated! :girl_hug:

Terri - I am at the 10 day mark too, which is soooo freaky. I am getting really excited & actually looking forward to just getting past the surgery portion. 10 days is going to go so fast! Yippee! :girl_hug:

Well, I had to move my date up two days b/c the doc is not working on good Friday. I am kind of excited to be going early but just as anxious. I really need to settle down with my eating its completely out of control. I had a 12 inch sub for lunch and 3 bags of M&Ms, that is just way overboard. The worst part is I am full when I am eating, I am totally just eating out of nerves its nuts. It's so scary to see my ticker say 16 days until surgery. I am continuing to struggle with the pre-op diet and have actually gained like 6 pounds since my consultation. Well, my best friend is visiting this week and then my dad is here the week after so I will have lots of distractions between now and the big day. I suppose that is a very good thing. I am really working hard to focus on my life after the big day. I think it will be a lot easier to get working once the surgery is over and the fear is gone. I will just be so relieved when I wake up and its all over, and I am alive! Then the second I see baby girl I will remember what it is all for. Then the work begins & I will be unstoppable until I reach my goal. 167 or bust!! :clap2:

Well, I had to move my date up two days b/c the doc is not working on good Friday. I am kind of excited to be going early but just as anxious. I really need to settle down with my eating its completely out of control. I had a 12 inch sub for lunch and 3 bags of M&Ms, that is just way overboard. The worst part is I am full when I am eating, I am totally just eating out of nerves its nuts. It's so scary to see my ticker say 16 days until surgery. I am continuing to struggle with the pre-op diet and have actually gained like 6 pounds since my consultation. Well, my best friend is visiting this week and then my dad is here the week after so I will have lots of distractions between now and the big day. I suppose that is a very good thing. I am really working hard to focus on my life after the big day. I think it will be a lot easier to get working once the surgery is over and the fear is gone. I will just be so relieved when I wake up and its all over, and I am alive! Then the second I see baby girl I will remember what it is all for. Then the work begins & I will be unstoppable until I reach my goal. 167 or bust!! :clap2: