Zaviticus

Hey...grats on getting the band!!! I just had my band on 11/10/11, so I can share some newbie patient perspectives with you It's perfectly natural to have your appetite returning around now. My surgeon said it would take some time, as the stomach is nice and swollen from the surgery. As far as the liquids go, keep doing what you're doing. I had a heck of a time getting down much liquid at first, but as your stomach's swelling goes down, it'll get easier. I find that if I sit straight up in a chair, I can swallow liquids much easier than if I'm reclined in a chair. As far as band slippage, I think there's surefire symptoms of it...but I will defer to the more experienced bandsters here. You will be 100% fine I assure you that you're in a good spot. If you do have concerns, call your surgeon. I ended up calling mine on day 3 , as I was having all kinds of issues getting liquid down. He explained that my stomach was still swollen, and that it would get easier with time. Thankfully, it did. I'm down 17 pounds, and I'm looking forward to my new life.

QFT

I had my surgery on 11/10/11, and I'm proud to say I've lost 12 pounds so far!!! I do have some questions / concerns that I was hoping you could help answer please. I'm experiencing difficulty in swallowing even the littlest amounts of Water. It seems to "catch" right around where I believe my band is. My surgeon mentioned that it's probably stomach swelling, and that it should go away after a few days. My question for you is that if this is a normal thing to feel it "catch" and cause discomfort? Does that go away with time? Is it the gas from the surgery still lingering perhaps? If so, I've been using a heating pad, but how long does the gas pain typically linger for? Also, I'm following the post-op instructions to the letter, but I want to make sure I don't get dehydrated. Any tips that you could pass along would be greatly appreciated

Awesome - thank you so much for the reassurance that I'm going to be okay I did have another question. I'm not really having any hunger. I'm drinking a little bit of Fluid and eating a bit of beef broth, but otherwise, no real appetite. Is this normal during the first days after the surgery? As long as that doesn't trigger any red flags, I'm perfectly okay with that.

Well, after years of circling around the surgery, I'm finally having my surgery tomorrow (11/10). I am excited, but very anxious at the same time. I feel that I have a good support group, a good surgeon, and a great wife to help me through my weight loss journey. I have my EKG this afternoon, and then surgery tomorrow morning. I'll see you guys and gals on the other side of the surgery

Okay…a little bit of background before I ask my questions I've been circling around the lapband surgery for a few years now. I've always been hesitant until the amputation of my left big toe in January 2010. I was scheduled to be banded a few weeks ago. I went through the pre-op process, has my surgery date picked out, and life was good. Or so I thought. I had some blood work done, and two things stood out. One, my thyroid TSH was out of sorts. Two, my A1C was terrible. I was told the surgery was scrubbed until I got some issues taken care of. Essentially, the thyroid was by far the biggest issue (at least that was the impression I was under), as the surgeon didn't want to take risks. I was completely mortified...I was so close to the surgery, yet now I have a setback to deal with. I was crushed, to say the least. I told my parents that I decided to postpone the surgery a month (giving the excuse that work was busy) so I could try and get things together. I didn't want to tell me mom and dad that I was a medical failure. I have an appointment with my Primary Doc tomorrow afternoon to discuss the plan of action. The thyroid issue was my fault, as I was neglecting to take my thyroid meds each day for about 2 weeks (shame on me). I've been taking my thyroid meds faithfully for weeks now, so my next TSH reading should be normal. My diabetes is another thing in of itself. I've been a career "mess up" when it comes to taking care of it. I got a grip and am taking my insulin faithfully (as of the past week), so it's a start. So my question is this. Since my Primary Doc is the gatekeeper (my lapband surgeon said my PD will be the one to give me the green light in regards to the thyroid / diabetes issue), is there any advice that I can use tomorrow? Essentially, I'm 100% contrite about being a failure in the past, and I really do want to be banded so I can get my life together. I'm 100% committed to the lifestyle changes, and will do whatever it takes to achieve weight loss success. I know there's a lot of rambling in my post , but if anyone has had experience in dealing with their doctor and convincing them that you're not a screw up, please let me know.

Thank you for the words of support, and for the encouragement to get off my butt and get myself better I did want to clarify a couple of things. I've taken my insulin for periods of time...just nothing that was a solid, concrete consistency. I am no saint,. but I'm also not completely oblivious to the merits of taking my meds I appreciate the constructive feedback - I can say that with 100% thanfullness. I hope that in the near future, I'll be able to say "Hey...my bandiing date is now..." and Celebrate with you once I start shedding some more weight.

I'm pleased to announce my final doctor documented diet / weigh in will be this Thursday. After that, let the games begin

First off - a very cool (and valid) thread. :thumbup: I'm going to get banded later this year, but wanted to share my story as well. I'm 33, and have been chubby most of my life. I was actually skinny until about age 11. That is when my thyroid decided it was done with this life and crapped out. I also discovered things like Taco Bell late at night when I was in my college years, and various other things that weren't so productive to my health. I'm currently 393 pounds, and I don't blame anyone but myself. I just wish I was smarter about nutrition so many years ago, but I feel incredibly blessed that I have the chance for "redemption" as it were later this year :thumbup:

Hello :smile: I'm hovering around 400 pounds myself. I actually was 430, but ended up in the hospital, as I had to have my left big toe removed due to a MRSA infection. I did lose 30 pounds since March, and my lap band surgery is tentatively scheduled for July. I for one am very much looking forward to getting into speedo shape *LOL*. Okay, maybe not, but in all seriousness, even us super sized folks can do it. I know you will be just fine :thumbup:

Hello :thumbup: I'm Ryan, and I reside in the Seattle, WA area. I'm on the journey towards getting the LAP-BAND® later this year. I need to jump through a couple of hoops with the insurance folks, but it'll be worth it. I look forward to being an active part of this community. I've studied the lapvband procedure off and on for the past couple of years, and I feel this is the right way to go. I've been hospitalized four times due to diabetic complications (the most recent involving my big left toe being amputated). Needless to say, at age 33, this is a massive wake up call that I'm all to happy to embrace for the rest of my life.