Kerrie w/a K

Hi there, I was banded on 10/8 as well, and today was my first day back at work. I was pretty out of it - I still feel foggy from the anesthesia, I think! My pain is pretty much gone, other than the shoulder pain from the gas. That crept up on me today and by 2:00 I was pretty uncomfortable. Glad to be home now!

I was banded on Thursday as well, but have had zero hunger since then. My surgeon's post op diet is a little more liberal - I wasn't restricted to clear fluids so I think that helps. SF Carnation Instant breakfast is on the OK list, as are protein shakes. Try to get some protein in somehow and that should help with the hunger.

I was banded October 8th by Dr. Alana Chock at NWWLS, in Everett, Washington. My experience was very similar to Timmers, who posted just recently. They have a great staff, and since all they do is Lapbands, they've got the system down pat. I checked in at 6:00 a.m. for a 7:00 surgery. Filled out an abbreviated medical history form, and then went to change into a gown, slippers and a nice large terrycloth robe that FIT. I went back to the preop area, where my husband was waiting for me, and the surgical nurse told me what the plan of action would be. She gave me a heparin shot in my thigh, which burned a little, but wasn't bad. She also put a scopalamine patch on behind my ear to prevent nausea. The anesthesiologist came by and we had a little chat, he examined my airway and then started my IV. He did a wonderful job; I didn't feel the IV at all, and I have a teeny tiny bruise; usually I have a purple spot the size of a quarter after an IV! Dr. Chock came over and told me that I did a great job with my pre-surgery weight loss, and gave me some 'homework' - to walk 40 minutes a day. I can do 4 10 minute stretches at first, but need to work up to 40 minutes in a row. :thumbup: So then - surgery! A nurse came to get me; I gave DH a hug and kiss and off I went. Walked down the hall to the OR; it was COLD and the anesthesiologist was waiting for me, along with 2 other nurses. I hopped up on the table, they put a pillow under my legs, put the pressure booties on my legs...and I started getting really nervous. The anesthesiologist said "I think I'm going to give you a little bit of sleep meds, because you seem a little nervous, ok?" and the next thing I remember is someone calling my name, and when I opened my eyes I was in recovery! It was a struggle to keep my eyes open, and I had double vision but felt ok. It was uncomfortable to take deep breaths, but my O2 sats kept dropping and the nurse kept popping in to say "Breathe! Keep breathing!". Eventually they put a nasal cannula on me, with oxygen, and that did the trick. It also helped wake me up! I was able to sip ice water - had 4 glasses or so during recovery. They got me up and walking after about 20 minutes - walked down to a post op area with a recliner, where I hung out for a while. I was feeling ok, but needed some morphine for shoulder pain. After a while I felt good enough to leave, so I got dressed and they cleared me to go. I am really lucky that I only live 10 minutes from the center - I was home by 11:15 a.m.! I spent most of the day dozing, and keeping up on my pain meds so it wasn't too bad. I was pretty uncomfortable yesterday; the worst part was that I had very blurry vision which was concerning me. I called the clinic and the nurse asked me if I still had the scopalamine patch one - I did - apparently one of the side effects is blurry vision! So off it came, and my vision improved greatly. :tt2: It worked well, though - no nausea! All in all, it was a wonderful experience. The staff at NWWLS is sooooo supportive - the majority of them have bands, so they know first hand what you're going through. I love them!:tt1:

Hi! I had my surgery yesterday, too. It went well, even with a 'bonus' hiatal hernia repair that I wasn't aware I needed. :thumbup: More pain today than yesterday, but no hunger, lots of rumbling in my intestines - hope they start working soon. No regrets, but am looking forward to getting off of liquids!