Cheryl Ann

I also had my surgery on April 7 by Dr. Ren. I can't say enough good things about her, as well as her staff. The nurses in her office are wonderful, and her surgical and insurance coordinator, Nilsa Rodriguez O'Rourke, is a lovely person -- not to mention a dedicated one. She knows exactly when and how to submit the proper documentation, and stays on top of it. Everyone associated with my hospital stay -- from check-in, to pre-surgical weigh-in and blood pressure monitoring, to the OR staff, anesthesiologists, the post-op nursing care and, of course, Dr. Ren -- was pleasant, attentive and more than competent. Today I had my esophagram and first post-op visit. In three weeks, I'll have my first fill. Since they only had an afternoon appointment available, and I have young children in school and need to drive home to Long Island in time to meet their buses, the person making the appointment made sure to make a notation about that. Up until that appointment, I was able to get appointments in the mornings, but they're solidly booked that week. Still, they really are very accommodating.

I just ordered a couple (my surgery was on 4/7), with the following info: Adjustable Gastric Band w/ Abdominal Port No NG w/o Scope No NSAIDs Allergies: Cipro, ACE Inhibitors Some people like to add their name and an emergency number; I left those out. I ordered a dog tag from an eBay vendor, and a charm bracelet (in sterling silver), from americanmedical-id.com A bunch of people on this forum have them, and I'm glad I'll have one soon, too. You can never be too safe.

I had a rib steak, which I prefer medium-rare. My husband, bless his heart, didn't watch it carefully and made it well done -- which kind of ruined it for me. Still, it's not as if I haven't eaten a zillion steaks before, so at least I have the memory of some cooked the right way! The Yukon Gold baked potato that I had with it was divine, though.

Day 8 today, and feeling pretty good (I am certain I would feel a lot better if I could let loose with the world's biggest fart, but no go). I have my first post-op check-up and esophogram today at NYU. Only one steristrip has fallen off so far; I would imagine Dr. Ren will probably remove the others to take a look at the incisions. P.S. -- I must be getting a bit hungry; last night I dreamed of eggrolls (although Freud would have something else to say about that!) :huh2:

How I wish I could burp! Actually, even more than that, a nice, long (pardon me) fart would be that much better. Yup, I admit it. I'd take a fart over a burp any day, these days.

This place is a Godsend! I've been wondering what the heck is up with that distended (more than usual) stomach of mine! Tomorrow marks one week that I had the surgery, and my stomach is still starting out under my boobs, and sits firmly in my lap (although it was sitting in my lap before, albeit not quite as firmly). I can't wait until this passes.

Here is the link: slave for sale - eBay (item 280216615452 end time Apr-16-08 09:12:14 PDT) Sad if it's for real, maybe sadder if it isn't.

I was banded on April 7th, and am contending with the same thing. My stomach is more distended than it ever was normally, and HARD! Is yours also hard? I tried to see if I could suck it in, but no go. I would imagine there's quite a bit of swelling from the bruising aspect of the surgery itself, not to mention the gas. To fully empty my bladder, I find I have to lean far forward on the toilet and push it out, although that part seems to have gotten a bit better. Is that what you mean by hard to pee? I was wondering about that myself. Glad you brought it up!

If I can do it, anyone can! Believe me, I had the exact same fears...and here I am one week post-op, and still on liquids -- doing just fine. Believe me, you can do it. I know you'll do great!

For three weeks now, beginning two weeks pre-surgery, and now coming close to one week post-surgery, I have bouts of diarrhea every few days. There is little normal movement in between (which may be because of the diarrhea). It's rather, er, explosive, to want for a better term, and (forgive me) mustardy-yellow and very, very watery. Let's put it this way: I dare not let loose with what I suspect may be gas, because the result may well be an unfortunate surprise. I drink about 3 Slim-Fast Optimas per day. These were among the recommended Protein shakes on the list given me by the nutritionist in my surgeon's practice, namely because they are easy to find. I am wondering if these can be the reason behind my bouts of diarrhea. Now for an illustration you might prefer to skip, if you happen to favor Slim-Fast's Cappuccino-flavored shakes: I had a bout of this explosive diarrhea today, and the room filled with the distinctive smell of coffee bean. So I'm wondering if it is, in fact, the Slim-Fast, or if it's something else (gallbladder? liver?), and that the scent of that particular variety just happens to be that strong as to "scent" the whole mess. (I haven't detected any vanilla or chocolate scents wafting about the bathroom during my previous bouts, so I don't know what to make of it). Is this diarrhea normal (aside from smelling curiously delightful?)

Welcome! I'm the one who found your listing on eBay and posted it here. It broke my heart. I'm so glad you've decided to join us. There are many people here who have all sorts of experiences to share regarding financing and insurance...maybe you'll find the solution you're looking for here.

I hope he does.

Gh0st, what a great idea you had, and kudos to you for following through. I was so blown away just finding the listing, that I was mentally paralyzed from reading it. The way I found it was that I was looking on eBay for medical alert bracelets/dogtags, ones that specifically come already engraved with "lap band" on them. And then I found his ad. I had to laugh (and it hurt, because I'm six days out of surgery) when I read the part about "may your wobbly bits..."! But my heart breaks at the same time for this poor man.

I have found that I am comfortable sleeping on my side (more the left than the right), which I began doing the day I came home, which was one day after surgery. Is this safe? Also, I have a cold and cough, which gives me coughing fits as well as need to blow my nose repeatedly. Can coughing dislodge the port? How about blowing my nose? I hold my stomach when I do both, but am still a bit unsure.

Glad to know it's okay to do. I realize how fortunate I am to feel that comfortable to be able to do so. Last night, the gas finally got to me, though!

Viviananna, Dr. Ren did do a hiatal hernia repair (that I know). The other questions, I will be sure to ask her. Thanks so much. Isn't this all unreal?

The surgery was Monday, with the original time of admission at 11 a.m. (with surgery scheduled to take place by 12:30 or so). However, there were some delays, and I didn't get into the O.R. until 3:30 or so, which was fine. Dr. Ren came to see me twice before surgery, in between operations, to let me know how things were moving along and to see how I (and others) were doing. She truly is a treasure. My husband stayed with me until a bit after 1 p.m., until he needed to leave to be home for the kids when they came home from school. There was a lovely family in another pre-surgery room right next to mine, and I spent some time with them, and they with me. The daughter and father were both having gastric bypass (roux en y) laparascopically. The mom is also considering it, but since someone needed to be able to take care of them both, post-surgery, hers will take place at a later date, should she decide. It was comforting having them there while I waited. I walked to the operating room, which without my glasses reminded me of something akin to "behind the scenes at Disney," what with all the strange looking (to me) equipment. I got on the operating table, stretched out my arms on extensions that were on either side of the table (bringing to mind a cross, which was a bit weird), and after a few pleasant introductions and questions, the sedation began. I remember saying, "Now THAT feels nice..." and the next thing I knew, I was being woken up in the recovery room. I did have some gas pain (and am having a bit right now, in fact), quite a bit of nausea (I was given four different medications for that), and incision pain. I didn't sleep much, since I had to urinate literally every hour during the night. Since I was in a step-down unit, there was a nurse in the room all the time, and each time I had to go to the bathroom, she needed to unhook a number of monitoring devices, as well as oxygen -- and then hook them up again after I was done. The nurses were WONDERFUL. Dr. Ren also came to visit. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Once I came home, I slept like crazy. Today, after a shower (which makes you feel like a new person!), I wrote out some bills and took a walk to the mailbox, and then around the block. I'm going to take another walk shortly. I'm also remembering to do my breathing exercises. Not only does that help with preventing pneumonia (which is why they're encouraged), but being able to fill my lungs fully is harder than I thought post-surgery, and actually feels good (if a wee bit painful). Yesterday, I did experience some strong feelings of remorse -- like, "What the hell was I thinking?" -- but even today feel a bit more rational about having had the surgery. I am terribly fearful of what it will be like to eat, and am convinced that everyone who says it's fine is trying to convince themselves as well as share the company of misery (as in "misery loves company"), but at the same time am pretty sure (pretty sure, mind you, lol) that these feelings, too, will pass. I also have fears of the tubing floating around and becoming tangled up in my intestines, which -- if I remember correctly -- was never listed as one of the possible complications. But then again, I'm an amazing worst-case scenario builder!

Yes. Mine showed myocardial ischemia, so I had a stress test, which ruled it out. However, I'm pretty sure that if the stress test verified the results of the EKG, I still could have had the surgery. It was just something that needed confirmation either way.

Luckily, I'm not a stomach sleeper, and as as comfortable on my back as I am on my sides. However, I tend to snore like a freight train when I'm on my back!

Self pay at NYU is, if I remember correctly, around $24,000. However, I may have heard wrong. Luckily, insurance covered it 100%.

About dust-as-food: I don't know if any of you are familiar with the BBC show, Little Britain (I'm a fanatic), but on the show is a character named Marjorie Dawes, who is the leader of a "Fat Fighters" group (not unlike Weight Watchers). She's not exactly a toothpick herself, and berates members about their weight, humiliating them in front of one another every chance she gets. Anyway, in more than one episode she goes over a list of foods that are low in calories. "Feeling peckish?" she asks. "Try a bit of dust. Zero calories!" ----- About sleeping: I have been sleeping on my sides as well (more comfortably on my left than right). Am I not supposed to? I'm more worried about the coughing fits I have. Will they do any damage to the port? :wink2:

Yes, Dr. Ren is wonderful. She has such a way about her. I found out about her (and the lap band) through my new dentist (she and her husband took over my old dentist's practive when he retired). I remember being so nervous about having a new dentist -- but just look at the great things that have happened since! (Not to mention having a really great dentist!)

I, too, was banded on Monday. My port incision is definitely much more tender than the other four. I am able to drink quite a bit at a time, although I do take small sips. Today, I suddenly have the urge for a grilled cheese sandwich (something I don't ordinarily eat, by the way), For some reason, it popped up in my head and is happy staying there. I refuse to watch television, because I know I'll lick the screen! A question for you: When you swallow something thickish (like a Protein shake or V8 juice), do you sometimes feel it in the center of your chest?

Yes, TheGh0st -- I'm a big Doctor Who fan, as are my husband and children. I've been watching Torchwood since it came on in the UK (I get all my Torchwood and Doctor Who episodes directly from the UK, within a day or so of broadcast). John Barrowman is the most spectacularly gorgeous man alive (or dead)! Jo Skinnie, I'm feeling great today (fourth day after banding). I just took a walk, did some laundry, and am now enjoying a glass of V8 juice. I have a question: I notice that with V8 and some other thicker liquids, I can actually feel it going down my esophagus, and sometimes have a "full" sensation in the center of my chest. Is this normal for this stage? Any input would be much appreciated.

I have to be at NYU at 11 a.m. I'm surprisingly calm, and can't help but wonder if the jitters will set in once I get there. I saw the kids off to school, and have another hour until I leave for the city (even though it should take 30-35 minutes to drive there, the reality is a whole lot more than that, of course!) My husband is bringing me there, and will stay until he needs to head back to be there when the kids get home. His cousin is on stand-by, and my friends and neighbors are aware and will check in on me when he goes back to work on Wednesday. I can't believe that soon I'll be posting in the post-op section of this forum!