Leila

The low carb high Protein diet, usually calorie restricted, is to get you to lose fat from your liver. If your liver is too large at the time of surgery the dr. may not be able to perform the surgery. I have read on the forums of a couple of people that couldn't have it done, because the dr. found their liver was too large. Depending on how large the liver is, they may be able to do the surgery, but you may end up with larger incisions. I have also read that if the liver is on the larger side it is harder for them to stitch the band all of the way around, and so they may be able to place the band for you, but not stitch it in as well as on someone whose liver was smaller. The more fat you can lose off your liver before your surgery, the better for you. The more likely you are to have a succesful result and less complications. A calorie restricted diet that doesn't restrict carbs will not take much fat off the liver, it needs to be a low carb diet. Best of luck to you! XO Leila

With perfect restriction, liquids will still go through the band, so soups, ice cream - which liquifies as soon as it melts, which happens as soon as it's in your warm tummy, will all go right through to your lower/regular stomach. Liquids won't stay in the pouch. You will always have to moderate yourself on those foods, the band won't effect them. Once you are healed enough to tolerate solids, make sure you are getting your food from solid foods, and not having liquids with your meals, and not drinking liquids for an hour after you eat. Drinking can wash food through allowing you to eat more. Once you are able to tolerate solids, you should be avoiding liquid calories. If you're not sure chat with your Dr. about their recommended eating guidelines... XO Leila

I am really looking forward to strength training again. I am still too soon post surgery, and also will be travelling in an RV for the next couple of months, which makes it hard to get to a gym. However years ago I did weights at the gym, and the gym I went to would do body composition tests for you weekly if you wanted, they could tell you how much lean muscle mass you put on in the week. I loved weight training, and trained really hard. I was told it's very rare to put on more than 2 lbs of muscle in a week. I had put on 3lbs of muscle in the first week! and I was down 2lbs in weight. That meant I had lost 5lbs of fat. If you can get body composition tests done, then you can tell how much of the weight in your body comes from fat, and you can track your loss of fat pounds, and Celebrate that, and celebrate your muscle weight increases, because the more muscle tissue you have, the more you rev up your metabolism and your caloric needs, you become a more effective furnace for burning fat! Keep up the good work everyone! XO Leila

my post surgery sleep situation was identical to Marimaru/Sarah's - 2 nights in the hotel post surgery. I navigated the same way using my arms and legs to do work instead of my abs. My hubby was with me, and did give me a pull up or some support everyonce in a while, but I would have been fine on my own. I'm a side sleeper too, and slept on my sides first night out, I rolled carefully and slowly from side to side too, had pain settling on my port side, but it would ease up after a few moments. We combined lap band surgery with a cross continent trip, and I was back in our RV on the third night out, no problems. XO Leila

Poodles, remember even with a fill and perfect restriction, liquids, like soup, will always go right through to the lower stomach. So you will always be able to eat large quantites of them post fills. We'll always have to self moderate when it comes to liquids, Soups, milk shakes, ice cream and chocolate... all liquid in the stomach slip right past the band! It's amazing the differences in what we can tolerate, I'm supposed to be doing mushies too, but have added eggs, as they go right down easy for me! I've read a few people can't do eggs, and people can. It will neat to see once on solids and with proper restriction what we all can and can't eat. nervous about it. XO Leila

I think you must be referring to helicopbacter pylori - h pylori. Here's a link for you to check out. Best of luck, I hope you get some relief soon hun! XO Leila

salty carbs, savory carbs, and high fat ones! chips, cheese puffs, nachos, dip, rice with butter, potatoes with butter, pasta, cheese and crackers, and protein that's fatty too, bacon, sausages, steak without the fat trimmed. Biggest problem would be portion control too. I ate loads of healthy food as well, lots of seafood, fresh fish, fruits, veggies, salads, the problem was I'd be taking in a good 3000-4000 cals a day at times, and very little physical activity. I always got all my fruits and veggies and fibre.. but I always got a load of extra carbs, salt, and fat to boot, and too much of everything. Occasional sweet attacks as well, maybe a chocolate bar every other day, or an ice cream, but the biggest culprit, the savory or salty carb and fat combo foods - and shear volume!

I started gaining weight in my late teens early twenties, just a little bit at a time. As an early mid teen I did some modelling, and wanted to become a model. At 5'9" I was just 135lbs. The modelling agency I wanted to sign with wanted me to drop 10lbs and 3 inches off my 37" hips. I decided I didn't want to model, since I felt Ideally I actually needed to gain 5-10 pounds at that time, and definitely didn't think I could lose and still be healthy. I was a loner, I was shy, I was unpopular. Kids, particularly other girls used to tease me a lot, they used to call me a lot of names, stuck up, slut, whore, - I didn't know what I had done 'wrong' - my family constantly reassured me saying they were just jealous, they told me I was beautiful and smart. I got good grades, and modelling offers didn't I? and a lot of attention from boys and men, which when I ignored the cat calls and 'attention' - I got those remarks again - stuck up, bitch... the reaction from guys who don't have their attentions returned. Hell, I was a kid, I was shy. I wanted to be liked. I was smart... I decided to try being less smart, less pretty. I started gaining weight, the less smart I seemed, and the more weight I gained, the more I seemed to be accepted. In college the girls were less catty, I didn't seem to stand out so much, I started to feel a little more normal somehow. I still wasn't obese, I was plump, I still felt pretty. I don't think any of it was a super conscious decision, at least with the weight gain, I did 'dumb myself down' intentionally on occasion. I was torn in two directions all the time, I wanted to be smart and pretty, and I didn't. I was torn between wanting to please people, and wanting to strive for perfection, I was pretty mucked up. I got into a relationship with a not so nice guy, he didn't treat me very well, my self esteem took a turn for the worse, and I gained a little more weight, I had crept up to about 175, It's funny, because I felt fat then, now I would be unbelievably thrilled to be 175!. I broke up with him, plateaued for a while, got together with an unbelievably wonderful man, who I've been together with now for 13 years. After a couple of years in that relationship my first episode of depression hit me, I gained during that, and found myself around 200 or so pounds. My weight stabilized when I came out of that depression, and then fluctuated up and down around 30-40 pounds at a time. I got involved in martial arts, kickboxing, worked my way up to a high blue belt, just two belts away from a black belt, I was teaching lower belt levels and working at that dojo, and training with my hubby all the time, I was down to a lean muscular 190lbs for a lot of that time. I had a number of crises happen in my life then, some deaths of very close loved ones, a lot of loss. I spiraled into depression again, this one extrememly severe. I was suicidal, made several attempts over the course of a year and a half, and spend weeks, sometimes months at a time hospitalized. I went on disability from work, and we entered into bankruptcy because of it, it kept the cycle of depression kicking for a while, it took a long time for them to find a chemical cocktail of anti-depressants that worked for me. Having spend months at a time doing nothing but laying in a hospital bed curled up in a little ball, basically bedrest, no activity, completely unable to do anything at my worst times, my metabolic rate and my cardio and my physical health deteriorated rapidly along with my mental/emotional health. All the medications I take are ones linked to weight gain, they lower your metabolism, they cause you to feel hungry all the time, crave carbs, overheat easily making excersize difficult, they make you tired and lethargic, still 100 times better than me without medication though. I've tried many many meds and med combinations, the one I'm on now is the best. I'm still unable to work, I still am depressed, but I feel functional, I get some enjoyment out of life, I'm able to do somethings, it seems it's about as good as it gets for now. Most people on the type of meds I take, according to my psychiatrist, gain 50-150lbs... I topped out at 295. I went from teaching kickboxing, to not being able to walk a block without struggling. My blood pressure skyrocketed, I'm on meds for that, and my cholesterol creeping higher all the time. I felt so physically ill from carrying this weight, pains in my joints, my knees and back, tired all the time, and feeling like I'm dying bit by bit. I consulted with my family doctor, my psychiatrist, and the lap-band surgeon, and got the opinion of a second psychiatrist as well, the consensus, the lap band is a good choice for me. It may take me a little more work to contend with given my medications and things, but it has given me something that is the most valuable gift to any depressive person... hope. I'm just two weeks past surgery now, and I feel healthier and more energized than I have in years. Thank you everyone for sharing such personal stories about yourselves, it's helpful to read. XO Leila

I love hummus, ummmm, hard to compare the taste to something else, not sure how to describe it. like mild soft beans with a bit of a nutty flavor, tangy and garlicky from the lemon and garlic.

Hey Diane! congratulations! Dr. Cobourn did my surgery on the 14th, it gets better. I'm feeling better than I've felt in years now. Swift recovery to you and your pup!

I'm on mushies, but I've been eating some soft solids too, chewing them to uber mush in my mouth. Today - Breakfast was Protein shake and supplements, snack was low fat cottage cheese, lunch was small dill and lemon tuna salad with low fat mayo and some melon and vegetable cocktail. dinner was homemade humus - just blended canned chick peas with garlic, ginger, and lime and super soft poached trout with 0 cal butter spray, lime, and sodium free potassium salt. some berries and low cal cool whip for dessert. and LOADS of bottled Water flavoured with lime and stevia (herbal sweetner) all day long. later will have a Dannon silouhette fat free and sugar free yogurt drink, and before bed chai tea made with low fat coconut milk. I aim for 900-1200 calories a day, and 70-100 grams of protein, and stay under 30 grams of fat. I use fit day to track it. I try to pick foods low in fat, low on the glycemic index. I'm eating homemade humus and other blended bean mixes with garlic and lime and ginger a fair bit. Microwaved mashed yams with butter flavor spray. low fat dairy - the yogurt drinks, cottage cheese, and fat free processes swiss cheese slices. Lots of berries, rasperries, blackberries and blueberries mostly. Also melons. Occasionally advocado. fish - tuna, salmon, trout, artificial crab all of these I've been eating mashed well into a soft salad with low fat mayo and lime. Egg sensations brand egg whites the cheese and chive flavor, with a little butter spray cooked in the microwave egg poacher, or I let them cool and add low fat mayo to make mock egg salad... one of my favorites. I usually mash my fruit with a couple of table spoons of cool whip light, and if the berries need it, a little stevia to sweeten it up more. Also motts no sugar added apple and peach sauce blends. pureed vegetable Soups the kind you buy pre-made in the cartons. - blended green vegetable, pea soup, carrot soup, butternut squash soup, are some of my faves. Getting veggies drinking vegetable cocktail too. I aim for 4 servings of veggies a day, and 3 of fruit. It's been great so far. XO Leila

You'll lose more on 1200 calories a day than you will on 300 calories a day, easy. If your caloric intake drops too low then your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to the fat. you need to take in a minimum number of calories to be burning, as well, you need to be getting adequate protein. I would try eating more, I would aim for a minimum of 900 calories, and a minimum of 70 grams of protein, and upwards to 1400 calories and 90 grams of protein.

I'm pretty sure the gas is from the fact that with laproscopic surgery they pump you totally full with air so that they can see what they're doing in there. It doesn't matter what you eat, they give you the 'gas' when you're under, expanding your abdominal cavity with it. It then makes its way out of the body the way nature intended...

You may not be eating enough. If you are eating under 1200 calories a day, and not getting adequate Protein, you should aim for around 80+ grams a day, your body may be going into starvation mode where it hangs on to everything it can. Log what you eat, I use fitday Also make sure you are drinking plenty of Water, check out this article. If you've been really severely calorie restricting for a while your metabolism could be slowed down. If thats the case you may want to up your calories for a few days, maybe even a week, to at least 1800, and make sure you're getting enough protein, take calcium supplements - also shown to be an important factor in weight loss. You may also want to look into weight training, as building lean muscle will boost your metabolism too. Best of luck, and hang in there, it -will- come off. XO Leila

I haven't had any problems with my menses which hit yesterday, actually, no cramps this time, and I usually have them. I have read here in the forums though that people do experience changes, because losing weight causes hormonal changes since we store hormones in our fat cells and they get released as we lose. I hear you about the scale not budging when you expect it to. I decided to only weigh myself on wednesdays, since my surgery was on a wed. - and yesterday at my two week post op day, my menses started, I -always- gain 3-6lbs water weight, always, the first few days around it, so sure enough, when I got on the scale it was identical to last week. It can be a bit of a bummer - I've been tracking everything that goes into my mouth on fitday.com and when you've been eating 1200 cals a day for a week, and making sure you eat low fat and high protein, and you know you've lost, it shouldn't matter what the stupid scale says, but somehow it still does. I'm over it today though, I just keep telling myself I'll see an even bigger difference next wednesday because I'll have lost more, and all the water weight will be gone! Congratulations to all the newly banded, good luck and well wishes to those in the last couple of days of June, soon all the june bandits will be banded!!! The month is almost out! Don't forget to drink plenty of water! If you don't know the deal on why drinking oodles of water is really important for weight loss... here is a great page that explains it - Drink that water! XO Leila

food is a drug, large amounts of carbs/sugars have a chemical effect, they can numb you, they can give you a high, make you feel better, comfort you, it's not just psychological, it effects your brain chemistry. Stuff that sometimes works for me, exercise - it will give you a similar, slightly different endorphin push. I find music comforting too, and excerise to music, even if it's something like housecleaning can help. Sometimes I feel like I need that feeling of something inside of me, and hot tea can help, make me feel full, and warm inside, taking a hot bath can help me too. I try to find other 'non-food' ways to comfort myself, a bubble bath can do that. Also having a healthy alternative to splurge on, like berries or melon. Maybe with a little low-cal cool whip, which I sometimes use frozen as an ice cream alternative. Sometimes I write and try to figure out what it is about that I want to medicate myself with food for. I think not buying foods I can't be responsible with and not having them in the house is key for me. If I do cave and buy, when I'm able to, throwing them out! It's better for them to be in the garbage than on my hips! I am not a garbage can repository for fat food! I keep trying to tell myself. It only takes a moment of courage, a few seconds of strength, to toss junk in the trash. If you don't have it, you can't eat. If I do eat it... forgive myself, start over. It's a new day. It's like an alcoholic or addict falling off the wagon. Don't make it an excuse to keep doing it, just start over. One day at a time is a great philosophy, one bite at a time, one breath at a time, one moment a time. You can make a new choice half way through. I know one woman who cured herself of an ice cream addiction, she is someone who is really sensitive stomach wise around 'gross things' every night before going to bed she would think about eating ice cream, ice cream filled with maggots and bugs, rotten ice cream, etc, etc, she worked really hard at making ice cream unappealing. It worked for her. Other people reward themselves every step of the way, pay yourself every day some small amount that you don't eat ice cream, maybe the cost of the ice cream itself, save for something you really want, give yourself bonuses for longer term goals, a dollar or two for each ice cream free day, a 5 dollar bonus for each week? or maybe a 10 for each month? or... what can you afford? how much is it worth it for you? I think you're doing great, this stuff isn't easy. We got heavy for reasons... lap band is a great tool for helping us to lose, but it usually doesn't take all our reasons away. XO Leila

I have very severe depression with some anxiety, severe enough that before they got me on the cocktail I'm taking now of medications that work for me, I was actively trying to suicide for over a year, and spent weeks, sometimes months at a time hospitalized. It took time before they found medication that was effective for me, I take high doses of Effexor, remeron and seroquel. I can never safely go off of them. My depression is very biological, I don't have normal brain chemistry on my own, and if I don't take medication, I go downhill, and fast. I was on the heavier side pre-depression and medication, but not obese. Most people on the medications I'm on, gain anywhere from 60-150lbs, it's standard, according to my psychiatrist. They are all 3 of them medications associated with weight gain, they slow my metabolism, they make me feel hungry all the time, and make me crave carbohydrates. They also cause me to overheat, and make me tired, making excerising anywhere than a swimming pool pretty much impossible. I gained 100lbs from the time I started taking them 4 years ago. Lap-band was a tricky decision for me, how would it work when so much of my weight gain was tied into my medications?, and the fact that I currently still have active depression, I don't get full relief with my meds, I'm unable to work, and I often find myself house bound and unable to get out, or exercise? Would/could lap band make a difference. Talking with my psychiatrist, my family Dr. and the surgeon, the answer seemed to be yes, it could make all the difference. If I don't take my medication my depression will kill me. If I don't lose weight, my body will. There was no other tool that may work for me. I'm two weeks post op. I have very rarely felt hunger, my caloric intake and my Protein, carb and fat intake I chart every day on fitday.com, I've averaged 1200 calories a day, and 75 grams of protein, low fat. I started my journey post-op 295, pre-op diet got me down to 280 day of surgery, and now I'm 274.5 (though my period started today, the day I normally weigh myself, and I -always- retain 3-7lbs. So I know it's even less than that). I believe it will work for me. I believe I can stay on my medications and can lose the weight. I don't believe the lap-band does it all, but it's a tool. I believe your mental and emotional health is -very- important. I also know from experience that anxiety left untreated can and often will deplete your brain chemsitry and can cause depression, and depression left untreated can worsen and worsen, and that the longer it goes untreated the more it takes to 'fix', if you have mild anxiety and or depression you need lower doses of medication typically to fix it, it will then often stabilize, your brain chemsitry will normalize, and you may be able to go off medication and maintain your own normal balance. The more severe your anxiety/depression is, and/or the longer it goes untreated, the more medication it takes to balance out to normal again, and the longer typically you need to use it, and sometimes, like with me, it becomes unlikely you can ever live without medication. My personal belief, is letting a mood disorder be untreated is like being a diabetic and not taking insulin when you need it, you are possibly causing yourself more damage, and you are diminishing your health and your quality of life. I know not everyone agrees, but that is how I see it, these are biochemical illnesses, and medicine helps restore normalicy. Yes there are side effects, but they are not insurmountable, maybe we will have to work a little harder than some other lap banders, life doesn't dole out fair portions on our plates. I would give your medications a try, I would at least see what happens, see if you can treat yourself with them and restore your mental/emotional health while still working on your healthy weight loss. Maybe it will slow it down, or even plateau for you, but maybe it won't, and maybe it will just be a temporary fix. Don't risk things getting worse with your mood, it's just not worth it. We're all different, we all have different health needs, consult with doctors you trust and decide what is safest and best for you, and the best of luck with it. XO Leila

Congratulations to the newly banded, and I'm excited for all of you about to be banded soon! Keep positive and healthy! I'm exactly two weeks out today and feeling better than I've felt in a few years. I have loads more energy and feel more alive. I've been battling with severe depression for a few years now, and lapband has given me hope to regain some of my lost life back. I have heard that losing weight changes you hormonally, and so that is probably what is effecting peoples fertility. We store a lot of hormones in our fat, and as we lose fat it releases those hormones into our systems. I have read that some people have changes in their menstruation, in their PMS symptoms, in their menopausal symptoms, in their skin, etc, all because of hormone changes. Some people have increased problems, some decreased. I have always had very dry skin all my life, and dry hair, and have notice just this last month more oil production on my face and scalp. So it does seem to be effecting me a little already. My incisions are all healed too, and I started swimming yesterday, a day earlier than the two weeks recommended, because we've been travelling across Canada in an RV to do this lap band surgery, and I normally live on the West Coast and I really wanted to swim in the Atlantic instead of the Pacific! I was amazed at how much warmer the Ocean is here on the East Coast. I'm on Prince Edward Island (home of Anne of Green Gables character) and it's beautiful. We're going to travel some more, and go down through the States on our way back to the west coast, take a couple of months break in my home town of Vancouver in the fall, and then go south to California and then Florida for the winter. Take care everyone! XO Leila

My Dr. recommrnfd 3 small meals a day with nutrient dense protein and fiber, focusing on natural low fat low sugar foods. Plus 2 snacks a day high in protein vitamins and minerals. Meal sizes should be less than one cup of food. Stop as soon as full. Solid foods -only- and never drinking with meals to make sure that food passes through the pouch slower so you feel full and satisfied longer with less hunger. Plus chewable multi-vitamin and chewable calcium. - I'm still on post surgery liquids though, I start mushies tommorow! yay!

meat tenderizer is usually made out of papaya enzymes - so really they're pretty much the same thing. Some lap-band surgeons feel they shouldn't be used, so you might want to check with your Dr.

you may not be getting enough calories and protein, many people if they drop bellow 900 calories, and some need as many as at least 1200, if they go under that their body goes into 'starvation mode' and you won't lose weight, your metabolism will super slow down in order to hold on to everything. If you are getting at the least 60 grams of protein, 80 probably better, and taking a chewable multivitamin and chewable calcium and eating between 1200-1600 calories a day, your weight should be dropping off - I use fitday.com to track myself. If you're taking in adquate protein/calories and micro-nutrients and -still- not dropping anything after a couple of weeks, you may have a thyroid/pituitary problem... so keep an eye on it! I've been on liquids for 2 weeks, and can't wait my week 3 starts tommorow and I can start pureed foods!!!

Every doc is definitely different, and I agree, it's best to follow your own Dr.'s recommendations, especially if they will be doing your follow up care. Just for people curious for comparisons sake, my pre-op diet was Optifast -900 plan, it's medical prescription high Protein low carb Meal Replacement powder that you mix with Water, 3 times a day, as well as much salad and non-starchy vegetables as we wanted as long as our dressing was fat-free low carb. - That was for 2 weeks pre surgery, day before surgery no Fluid or food after midnight. After surgery on the day of surgery water only a minimum of 30ml every hour sipped. 1st day post-op - clear fluids, low sugar fruit juice, coffee, tea, clear broth or Soup with no veggies meat and not creamy, low fat yogurt drink, skim milk, low-cal Jello. Remainder of the next two weeks, back on the opti-fast liquid meals (no salads now obviously!) and any other low fat, low cal, low carb fluids we want. Week 3 post op is the pureed foods. food diced then put in blender with enough liquid added to cover the blades (fat free broth for savory foods), everything needs to be blended until smooth like applesauce, strain out any lumps, seeds or pieces. With a recommendation of getting meat and alternatives - 4 servings, low fat milk and dairy - 4 servings, veggies and fruits - 4 servings, low sugar carbs - 3 servings daily, shooting for at least 70 grams of protein daily (I use non-thickening protien powder to supplement as needed) as well as chewable multi-vitamin and chewable Calcium (Dr. recommends daily Multivitamin and daily calcium supplement from now on post band). Week 4 is soft foods only, things like mashed potatoes, soft eggs, soft flaked fish. Week 5 is starting solids - Recommends introducing solids only one food at a time, and has groups of solids recommended to try first, second and last. first try - cottage cheese, soft cooked eggs, thinly sliced soft cheese, tender moist fish, canned and well cooked fruits and veggies. Next group try casseroles with no hard veggies or crunchy toppings, homeade Soups or well cooked stews, ground meats, minced chicken/turkey, crackers. Last group try toasted whole wheat breads, tender meats sliced thinly and other foods. With a note that raw veggies and raw fruit, sliced meats should be tried only after tolerating a wide variety of foods. Then there is a list of foods that people often find hard to tolerate. It's actually way more detailed than that, with recommendations of foods to lean towards and foods to avoid - for health reasons and ease of which they work with the lap band. Also each stage has sample menu plans, as well as the lists of recommended foods to use and recommended foods to avoid, also guidelines for amounts and how often to eat, recommending 3 small meals and small Snacks in between. What to do if you get constipated, if you get ill, if you have pain, etc, etc. Pages and pages of info. As well as those handouts (given in pre-surgery package) they also provide the "Patients Guide to living with the LAP-BAND System - Which is Inameds guidebook. It has it's pre and post surgery recommended diets, which are very close to the Dr.'s some minor differences. In the booklet the Inamed corp day one and two post op are the same as my Dr. recommends. Then for the first one-four weeks they recommend liquids and very soft foods: clear broth or soup with no veggies or meat and not creamy, low-fat yogurt, skim milk, jello, fruit juice and soft pureed fruit - they say follow your surgeon's/dietitians advice. Then they say four-six weeks they say you can start with thicker soups and transition to solid foods. They don't really go into detail, leaving the specifics up to your surgeon. The Inamed booklet doesn't go into any more detail then that. Fills, my surgeon typically does the first fill at 6 weeks, depending on how you've been doing with the solids through week 5. Also fills for the first year are included in the cost of surgery, as well as all visits, follow ups, phone calls, etc. He is totally available - they page him directly if you want to talk to him, or you can always talk to their dietitian or one of the nurses. Fills after the first year are 100$ a fill. He's trained fill nurses all over Canada, (he's also trained a number of other surgeons), and even though he's on the East Coast, and I'm on the West, he has a nurse in my hometown that will be available to do my fills (once I'm done travelling North America on my lap band extended vacation!). I'd love to hear all about every one elses guidelines and recommendations too, it's fascinating to see the similarities and differences behind what people are doing. XO Leila

Just got banded a couple of days ago, so I know I'm a -long- way away from trying it out for myself, was under the impression that sticky rice is going to be a big no, but have seen a couple of people post that they eat sushi. Would love to hear if you are a sushi lover if you can or cannot eat it now, and if you can, are there things you find easier than others, or do you use certain strategies to make it work better for you? or? XO Leila

Because of the effects of the anesthesia my Dr. insists you cannot be left alone for 24 hours post op. People can become very dizzy and disoriented and perhaps fall and hit their head, or are not thinking clearly etc. You shouldn't make any important decisions for the first 24 hours too, as it can effect some peoples thought processes. Even if you feel awake, clear and alert, anesthesia will effect your bodies reflexes and coordination for at least 24 hours, so driving ability is impaired, even though you may feel perfectly normal. Some people will have all the anesthetic out of their system in as little as 12 hours, but other people it takes a few days for them to feel back to normal again.

I had surgery done with Dr. Cobourn on the 14th, and had a fantastic experience with them. Was very happy every step of the way.