NYCKris

I was banded by Dr. Fielding on April 24th, 2008. I am 2 weeks out tomorrow and I get to start eating mushy foods! My insurance required the 6 months of PCP visits with him documenting my attempts at weight loss. In that time, I was able to schedule all of my appointments and it gave me time to be REALLY SURE this was right for me. The 2 weeks of pre-op liquids were not fun, and the 2 weeks since haven't been so great, but I have found that you can add Water or milk to almost anything to make soup! I have only the highest praise for the team at NYU. In another forum I detailed my experience if you want to see what all happened the day of surgery! I definitely recommend the program at NYU to anyone who is considering this. Everyone was awesome. :cursing:

I was banded on April 24th at NYU Medical Center w/Dr. Fielding. I have nothing but great things to say about the experience there, and if you need top-notch care, I would definitely recommend them (no, I don't work there!). My scheduled time was 9:30, and my husband and I arrived around 9. They did the admitting paperwork pretty quickly, then directed me to a room to change. My husband got to come with me, which was comforting. I got a gown, some no-slide socks and a hair net! Let me tell you, there is nothing like having your husband cat-call while you are dressed in this garb! So sexy. Anyway, I was weighed (down 12 pounds on that nasty liquid diet!!!), then I went to the restroom. Next, the anesthesiologist came in. I don't remember his name, but he was FUNNY - and very calming. He explained exactly what he was going to do: put in the IV's, give me a shot of heparin, intubate me. He basically explained everything that was going to happen from his end and answered questions from both me and my husband. Next, Dr. Fielding came in and said I would be next, in about twenty minutes, asked if I was ready, then left. It was at that moment when I realized that people actually DIE during surgeries, and I told my husband how much I loved him and that if anything went wrong, I wanted him to be happy. Then, they came and got me and took me away. They told my husband that it would be about an hour and they would let him know. Instead of waiting in the waiting room, he was going to go to the Game Stop a few blocks away, but promised he'd be back in an hour... When they took me into the operating room, it looked just like a movie set. They had me get on the table and lie down. The anesthesiologist was there and they went right to work putting in one IV in each hand. They were great, telling me along the way, "A little pinch here...a little stick here..." They put the inflatable leg cuffs on, and someone asked me what my favorite cocktail was. I told them I had just purchased a Margarita Machine, and someone said, "One Margarita, coming right up!" I was aware that I was getting ready to fall asleep. Next thing I knew - it couldn't have been 2 minutes later - someone was gently shaking me, saying, "You're all done, blah, blah, blah..." I couldn't understand the rest of the sentence, but I knew she was joking because I just got there. NOPE, they were done! It literally felt as if I drifted off for a minute and it was over. Sort of like when you are watching the news when you are very tired and you see the beginning of the broadcast and the next thing you know, you are watching the end! Anyway, they asked if I could help scoot over to a gurney, and my mind was telling my body to move, but my body was not moving. It was a weird, weird feeling. They wheeled me to the recovery room, which was basically a bay of people in hospital beds lining the walls. But it was quiet and peaceful. I was hooked up to the heart and breathing monitors, and the inflatable leg cuffs were still working away. My husband came in a few minutes later, and I was telling him that I could think and talk, but I couldn't move and he made some lewd comment. I tried to laugh, and that's when I noticed my throat was sore, and my belly was sore, and my left shoulder hurt. Hubby said he went to the game store and before he got back, they had come to get him. The whole procedure took less than 45 minutes. I slowly got my senses and strength back - it took a couple of hours. Then they transferred me up to a room (NYU requires an overnight stay). I was really tired, so I slept for who knows how long until I needed to go to the restroom again. The nurse and my husband helped me up and that's when I realized how sore I was. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I have heard others say it felt like they did 200 sit-ups. I noticed a hand-sized black and purple bruise on my upper left arm and my nurse told me that was the heparin inject site. She said heparin isn't supposed to be injected intramuscularly, or it leaves giant bruises. I got mine. After that, I was encouraged to walk around the hallways as long as I felt okay. I still had an IV, so I had the wheeled IV pole with me, shuffling along. My nurse said she thought there were 8 of us who had the banding done that day, and we would pass each other in the halls, smiling and chatting. Later, I was given this breathing machine and was told to use it 10 times per hour when I was awake. Hubby left, and I spent a lot of the night sleeping and looking out the window towards the East River wondering what my new life would be like, watching the tourist boats float by. As I was brushing my hair, I found the grayest hair you've ever seen, and was glad that I did something about my weight while still relatively young (42). I was discharged the next morning, and have only had sharp pains in my left shoulder, and some discomfort at the port site - I feel like I have to put pressure on it sometimes when I bend over. But nothing major. I have only taken a few of the pain pills. Overall I feel great. I have noticed that I am drinking more than I thought I would be able to, but I also notice that I get a "full" feeling sooner that I used to. That's my experience. So far.:frown: