RestlessMonkey

I take about 20 pills a day (most of them vitamins/supplements) and I have absolutely no problem, nor have I ever since the day after surgery when I took the ones that didn't require they be taken with food. Not all are as lucky but go over your meds (take them in if they are especially large) with your surgeon and he can guide you. (take them to the seminar if necessary! A good doc will go over them with you) My potassium pills are HUGE. They go down fine.And I'm at my sweet spot.

Modern anesthesia is a miraculous thing. I never once felt groggy. We are all different...but I'll share some things that helped me. Initially they put you "out' and it's like you're On and then Off. There's no slow descent (like sleep) You're awake and alert and then you are in recovery. You don't have a sense of time passing. So immediately in recovery before I do anything I find a clock and see what time it is. That helps orient me. THEN...you'll probably have a mask on. That is to help clear the anesthesia/gas from your lungs. Take long slow breaths. Breathe deeply (you may be a little sore or stiff but DO it!) and exhale completely. This will help you immensely! I felt a little like going back "to sleep" and personally fought it. I looked around...at the nurse, at the recovery room, whatever I could see. Within about 5 seconds the "go back under" feeling passed. I could hear someone saying "Oh my GOD is she already awake? That's incredible" and the "she" was me. The one nice thing about my surgery was I had sciatica and have never had it since. Those muscle relaxants really worked. Do talk to the anesthesiologist! That's a great idea. But realize they are real pros, they have great new modern drugs that knock you out quick, but they have a short half life and you can "wake back up" quick, too. I fortunately wasn't nauseated, and my pain was manageable. I stopped the nurse before she could give me any morphine because I told her I'd rather be alert and in a little pain than go back out again. You do what works for you...pain is very individual. But the surgery itself is in many ways the easiest part of this whole experience. Your fears are normal, but you'll probably find the whole thing a non-event.

Yes. Full feels different. Right now you are post op and probably still swollen from surgery so what happens now isn't what's going to be. However, that "stuffed from Thanksgiving meal" full feeling...you won't feel, nor want that with the band. You'll just kind of go from hungry to not hungry. It's subtle but you'll learn the signal. for now though just follow the post op diet your doc gave you and wait it out.

Constipation post op is usually caused by the opioid pain meds. You aren't taking that many so you don't have the problem! Diarrhea IS common if you don't take the pain meds. I had it; it wasn't milk, it was just aftereffects of the surgery. It passed (oh ha ha) ok went away within about a week. I agree, the sore throat is most likely from being intubated. And no I never once second-guessed my band, but I was 53 and think I tried every diet known to man at least twice. I even tried hypnotism and therapy (not concurrently). The band was it for me; I never looked back.

Hate to tell you this but you are always in the woods where death is concerned! (as a friend told me, the death rate is holding steady at 100%) LOL The surgery itself is the biggest danger for this type of surgery. So you're probably gonna make it.

These are things you should ask your surgeon. However you need to realize that it is the nature of a "support" board to have a preponderance of people who need support...for problems. People who are satisfied don't often post on boards like these. (yeah I'm a weirdo) What are the odds that you'll have problems from obesity? Look at it that way. The band has only been approved for surgery in the USA since 2003. Your surgeon should have access to the current numbers and should be able to provide you with sources, however, for success v failure rates etc. I don't have the sources you want. My "evidence" is inferred and anecdotal, plus what my surgeon told me. My bottom line thinking was this (and while ins did cover mine, I didn't know that until after I'd made the decision to be banded; in other words I'd planned to be self pay) I know that being fat is very unhealthy. I know that I do not want any procedure (they also carry their cons) that cuts up my stomach and/or reroutes my intestines. While those procedures are very successful for some (and not so successful for others) they were not for me. I know that the band can usually be removed if necessary and the stomach/digestive tract (as well as your weight) return to preband status. USUALLY. That did it for me. Slips...erosion...etc...people must take some culpability for this. Not everyone who has a slip "earns it" but many do. Eating ahead of the post op diet is a major cause. Ignoring issues like heart burn causes problems. Being TOO TIGHT too long causes problems. This tells me that as a bandster I have an obligation to monitor myself and maintain my health. I have to follow the rules. If I can't do that, don't get the band. So you need to look at the big picture...WHY did those people have slips etc? If 1/2 of them caused it by neglect, poor education (unintentional neglect) or blantant disregard for following protocol...could you do better? would you? would that improve your outlook? You will need to work through this. Good luck.

I am at my sweet spot and NEVER feel the food going through the band. In other words, maybe your stomach is uncommonly sensitive? I don't think feeling the food pass means too much in relation to how tight you are. PBs are almost always (not always, just almost always) caused by an operator malfunction...we eat too fast, don't chew well enough, take too large a bite. Therefore if you are diligent and pay attention as you eat, then theoretically you should be able to have good restriction and never PB. I don't like vomiting and never have but I'm not "deathly" afraid of it. I think that reluctance to even chance such a thing would be as much a hindrace to successful banding as the flip...PBing as a way of life. Have you discussed this with your surgeon? S/he should be able to help you sort it out.

I think the "STAY AWAY" caveat works during the early days when you are healing and working on your sweet spot. AND...it may be true for many even AFTER the sweet spot. For some of us though, that scale keeps us real. I do weigh daily; it's like, um, taking my pulse or blood pressue. I need the info. HOWEVER I don't fret if it goes up and I've been working the band....quick gains like that are Water. I look at what I was last week...so each day I compare to a week ago. It's more important to not obsess. This is a lifestyle...and for life

Honestly I stay hydrated per my doc's instructions (start the day with 16 ounces of water from the refrigerator) and I can eat normally from the start. I asked my surgeon and he said a general rule of thumb with the band is dehydrated=tight. Makes sense since as the day progresses most people consume liquids and the band loosens. You may try that if your situation becomes problematic!

If you are given an opioid pain reliever (like lortab, vicodin, hydrocodone) you run a big risk of constipation...even the liquid stuff backs up. Yes by day 3 you should've gone SOMETHING. Even if it was liquid. Since I didn't take but 2 doses (on day 2) of my opioid drug (darvocet) I had the other problem, mild diarrhea. But rather that than the other extreme! So yes you should be going and if you haven't by Monday at the latest call your surgeon or take the recommended stool softener!

WHOA! I think perhaps she misspoke; what happens is the diaphragm is irritated and in turn irritates the phrenic nerve which agitates your left shoulder. It's not "migrating gas". The gas pumped in during surgery can play a part in the irritation of the diaphragm but it's not just the gas that causes the pain. (and fyi post op really good surgeons remove most of that gas!) Not that it matters, I guess...because either way it hurts! But that's misinformation! I was pretty well ready for post op so there was nothing I discovered that I wish I'd known in advance. I was HUNGRY from the start, but that's nothing new! Good luck!

Sorry, no can do! The band doesn't work for everyone, and I don't know you; you may be making a horrible decision! But if I knew what specifically you were afraid of (pain? being hungry? slips? what?) that could maybe be addressed! If you're just scared of surgery I can address that, too! But in the end, you make the call. It's a decision we all have to make for ourselves...weigh the odds, etc. It surely was the right one for me and many of us here.

I on the other hand had a 3-week preop diet! But that's uncommon. Your surgeon will look at your blood work etc and make the call if you need a longer one; generally I'd say trust him/her!

delray that would depend on your insurance company.

You have a great attitude! Good luck! I never lost over 45 pounds on a diet in my life (although I've lost 45 pounds many times on different diets!) so I'd never have made it...I haven't even lost 20% yet with the BAND! (that for me would be 81 pounds) Unless the doc meant 20% of your extra, not 20% of your starting weight (which would still be impossibly high for me) So I'm impressed that you are going for it...good luck! You're already over 1/4 of the way there!

Hey TPG You're supposed to post a "life is good" scenario of your own. Surely something good happened...didn't you see the surgeon? Or maybe catch another glimpse of that Vincent D'onofrio lookalike? Something?

I think that by the end of week 2 (I got mushies on week 3 I think, or 4...I've managed to thankfully forget LOL) I was SO HUNGRY I could've mashed a fork through a brick, ok? So that "ruler" wouldn't have worked for this chubby chick!

LOL sorry my roots are showing. My mom always called "ground beef" "hamburger". I never even realized it until you asked me! Ground beef was entirely too high brow for us! Of course we call all soft drinks "cokes" too so what do you expect?

flowerchild...I'm so glad to hear how happy you've been today. I know you've had doubts and challenges and I'm glad you are seeing the fog clear! And LindaD...I am just floored. I can't believe you LOST WEIGHT after a business trip (they are NOT fun, just go on 1 and you'll know LOL) and then the 4-day with your husband and you LOST. And you're over half way to goal. I just LOVE the band! I know it isn't the right answer for everyone (nothing in life is that easy) but when it works, it's just priceless.

I agree with Unforgettable. You need to consider the source about all this information (not just the person who told you not to get the band)...ask your surgeon, READ about it, RESEARCH and decide what surgery is right for you and best fits the life you want to lead. I have lost 75 (almost) and honestly can't imagine why, now that I'm in this and see how well it works if I work it, I can't lose as much as I want to. I've got the time, I've got the will, now I have the tool. The lap band isn't for everyone. Neither is bypass, neither is the sleeve. Only you, actually, can answer your thread question but yes, you CAN lose TONS of weight with the lap band. Or you can fail to lose. It's largely up to you. Lap band leaves a LOT of control in the hands of the "bandster".

This is a time for healing. I think it would have been HORRID for me during that phase if my husband ate around me. God bless him while I was on liquids all he had around me was liquids. When I ate mushies HE ate mushies. If I'd had to cook or even just SMELL his food I'd have gone postal and I'd be in prison now. So I feel for you. But hang in there. Follow your post op diet as given by your surgeon. Think of it as a post op prescription you have to do. I can tell you that at 11 months out I could eat a subway (or at least as much as I wanted of one) IF I liked them. I have had chick fil A, I've had pizza, I've had fried chicken. It is a process, it isn't a speed race and you have to get your head set that it will take as long as it takes. So many of us are in such a rush to get to the next thing...that doesn't fly with the band. So ignore your family AND their darn pizza. Hang in there. Don't think of what you're having now as food if that helps, think of it as medicine to make you heal. and do what your doc says so that like me you'll heal well and be able to eat pretty much anything, on down the road, as you want it.

I always say to listen to your surgeon over ANYTHING you read here. I also believe in questioning pretty much everything. That can be a little schizo, i admit. BUT..just thinking this thru since my surgeon (whom is also smart, experienced, learned, knowledgable, and compassionate, as are many other surgeons I read about on here) said the issue is gas (and pain..but NOT stretching out your pouch) I had, before that, without much thought bought into the "stretch your pouch thing". Now I wonder, how can a very stretchy pouch made out of LIVING tissue with openings at BOTH ends stretch because you drink a soda or other carbonated beverage? Especially if it is true, as I've read, that the pouch CAN stretch out OVER TIME if you CONSISTENTLY overeat. So Say I grab a diet coke and chug 1/2. It's going to go down (into the rest of my stomach) or come back up out my mouth (hey, PB a diet coke!) but the odds of it stretching out my living tissue POUCH are pretty, well, astronomical. I guess if I chugged mountain dews for a while and kept them down I could do some damage. I suppose if I consistently drank (too quickly) anything carbonated I might, over time, hurt my pouch. But if we are prudent and don't chug, and don't abuse it, I don't really honestly see how it could stretch it. I don't know that I'm right, but I'm not so sure I'm wrong, either. Even the gas shouldn't stretch it out unless you let it become a way of life. Shoot if gas stretched it out we'd most of us be doomed just from the gas we make post op as our stomachs heal and get used to the new configuration. So I think that "stretch your pouch with carbonation" is an, um, "urban bandster legend". I don't think it will unless you REALLY throw back the soft drinks or beer. You'll have to keep ahead of how quickly they can drain (or come back up)...and keep that pace up for a while.

Wow Jennifer....I was pretty inspired by that. Sad for your mom but you made it into something positive. You raised your sisters (that's amazing to me) and then turned your sorrow into a positive for you. I'm just speechless! Thanks for sharing that! Mine wasn't as uplifting, and not as pragmatic as cindyj33's (lol) but... I'd wanted the band essentially since 2003 when it started being done in USA (fda approved) but my ins wouldn't pay for it. Last July my PCP gave me a frank talk about my health and I decided I was worth the cost of a Kia or small car and we'd self-pay if necessary, then BAMMO Tricare decided to "pay", retroactive to Jan 1. It was an odd synchronicity. Anyway, once my PCP said that and helped me flip the switch, I had my first surgery 8/11 (5-6 weeks later?)

Wow you're totally just changing your life aren't you? New city, new school, new you! No wonder you're freaking out. You'd be a freak if you didn't! Have you discussed with your surgeon how alone you'll be post op? I am sure you'll be find alone at home (just make sure you're unpacked enough to have things close at hand) but I'm not sure about leaving the hospital...they may be reluctant to let you go without someone NOT drugged/anesthetized to care for you! Except for that small "what if" I am sure you'll do great, and congrats on the career choice!

Mim that is so great to hear!! I love your "two-cookie" binge you wild woman! And I agree the "sweet spot" is life changing. I liken it to when I was a kid and wanted to know what "being in love" felt like and "grownups" would always say "You'll know" with that look all grownups have...and one day BAMMO I knew what they meant. Restriction/sweet spot was like that for me...a true epiphany.