Surgery tomorrow and I'm anxious

[momran 0]

I am having Lap Band surgery tomorrow and I'm really anxious about it. I'm really nervous about what happens after the surgery. What will I eat? How much pain will I have? I suppose the fear is all very normal. Anyone else have these feelings just prior to their surgery?

[Laura Lane 0]

your doctor will give you all the necessary instructions. keep calm and everything will be just fine.

goodluck and please keep us posted.

[kkarryall 0]

This is very normal , everyone is scared. For me the pain was very little...with 4 days I was feeling back to myself. Only took the pain meds twice. As far as eating, I think I was on liquids for 2 or 3 weeks, then mushies for 2 more weeks, and finally solids. I am sure you will do great!!!! Good luck

[queenpitb 0]

I just had it done 6days ago.. i was nervous and anxious too.. its normal.. you will be in and out i was home in 5hrs. i took the pain meds for first 2-3 days.. and im still somewhat sore now.. but if you just lay there its gonna be sore.. when i first get up its sore and just when i lay down at night. its sore. but not overpowering.. You will be fine. trust me.. can stick to Clear Liquids. broths, ice chips in water.. diluted clear juices, white grape, apple, and its for the first 3 days.. along with suger free popsicles, and sugar free drinks, like crystal light, Walmart brand..and jellos as long as suger free

[lamar44 0]

You came to the right place for support. I am only 12 days post-op and I've been on this forum every day.

Your experience will be unique. I was nervous until 2 days prior to the surgery and then I had a sense of calmness and a let's get this part over with. My surgery was on a Thursday and I planned to go back to work (I teach) on Monday. This did not work for me. I ended up having a lot of pain - 90% of which was from the gas. My advice is to make sure you are getting plenty of liquids (Water, whatever) immediately and consistently after your surgery. The other thing you will find on this forum is people will tell you to walk....to relieve the gas pain. They are right! Move, move, move. I had extreme nausea so I didn't move much and the gas hung around for 5 days. The other thing is, if you are in some pain, take your pain meds on time for the first few days. As far as eating, I did not feel like eating or drinking much for the first week.....thus I became dehydrated and felt worse.

Most importantly, listen to your body. Rest, hydrate and move as much as you can! Good luck and keep coming back to the forum. The support here is unbelievable!!!

[jc65kg 0]

wow. am glad to know am not alone. mine is on friday and am having last minute jitters.

[jr64044 0]

I am 6 mos out and I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. The feeling of knowing my life was going to change and not sure for better or worse. You can rest assured it will be the best decision you've ever made for yourself. You will have your ups and downs, but in 3, 6, 9 mos being able to go back and look at pictures of yourself and not hardly recognizing yourself is the best pay out in the world. You will do great :smile2: everyones expereince is different, but I had a pretty non invasive amount of pain..pretty much just what I expected-but it usually calms down pretty quickly with pain meds and following the instructions given by your Dr at discharge. I painted my bathroom 5 days later! So take care of yourself, listen to your body, rest, stay hydrated and most of all get excited for the life changing journey you have just begun. Best of luck to you all-you will be just fine :thumbup:

[jetsy62 0]

For me, the surgery was the easy part. Please try to calm down. It really is no big deal in of itself. You will be amazed at how well you do. There are always those exceptions but for the most part I believe most will tell you it was not as bad as they had feared. With that being said, listen to what you are told. Walk, take Gas X strips to the hospital, if you need a laxative ask for it because pain meds can cause Constipation. If I had to do it all over again, the surgery is not what I would change What would I change? I listened and lost weight right up to the point that I was healed. Then I started to roll the dice so to speak and try foods that I should not, drink with meals, stopped exercising, etc. The weigtht loss had stopped. Last week I went back on the pre-op diet for 4 days and have been good since with my eating. Low and behold, I am losing weight again. Amazing how this little band works just fine when you listen and abide by the rules! Good luck and let us know how you do.

[heidi05 6]

I am having LAP-BAND® surgery tomorrow and I'm really anxious about it. I'm really nervous about what happens after the surgery. What will I eat? How much pain will I have? I suppose the fear is all very normal. Anyone else have these feelings just prior to their surgery?

hi i am 10 weeks out on friday, i was so nervous i cried onthe way to theatre, when i cam round i had so much gas pain i thought what have i done, but day three was so different i thought i had dreamt it all,i was given disolvable pain killers which i was told to take every 4 hours which i did they helped so much, i have fibromyalgia so if ofund moving around so difficult as i wheelchair user, but i have lost 45lbs now and with that came more movement to the stage i dont use my hweelchiar now. my pain has dropped to nearly nothing now, im even walking round the shopping centre now slowly but im walking. fluids are the most important straight after surgery at least 2-3 litres a day to stay hydrated, Constipation is not funny when you have had the band done. but so as your doc tells you and you will be just fine.

good luck and keep us posted of how your doing, this site has a whealth of information from others in your same situation and everyone very happy to share with you, dont be scared of asking anything you will be amazed at the response you will get back.

welcome to your new journey!!:thumbup:

[BetsyB 9]

You're anxiety is totally normal! You're about to undergo a big change--and there are so many unknowns for you. It's normal to be nervous under these circumstances.

The one thing that popped out at me about your post was that you're worrying about what you will eat. Just to be sure: your doctor DID give you really thorough instructions about what to expect for the next several weeks, correct? I am reading it as though you're just sort of last-minute worried about what you'll be able to tolerate.

But if these questions have not been answered for you by your doctor or nutritionist, be sure to get general guidelines for the first few weeks before leaving the hospital--and consider asking for a referral to a nutritionist experienced with bariatric patients to discuss your ongoing weight loss needs.

GOOD LUCK--you will do great. My best advice is to take pain medication if you need it. It will help you get up and moving, which is the best way to feel better.

[erinrutledge 0]

anxiety is completely normal. i was slightly nervous when i got to the hospital monday morning, while they were doing my iv and everything. i talked to my mom and the nurses and i was okay but once they wheeled me into the or i cried, just a little, cause i was freaking out. fear of the unknown. but i passed out as soon as that anesthia hit me, then woke up in the recovery room. monday night i had a lot of pain because i was terrified to take the viccodin (im not really one to take meds a lot) so tha was a rough night but tuesday morning i took my pain meds and i've been just staying on top of the pain and honestly, its been great. i can eat a little here and there, just to keep my energized and not feeling sick. i get up and walk around a lot, which helps so much with any pain and gas. and the little breathing tube thing they gave me (where you have the keep the indicator or ball between the two arrows while you're breathing in) has helped a lot too.

drink plenty of fluids. i had bad dry mouth too and i found that sugar free lemon discs helped a lot! you don't chew em up, don't eat them. just suck on them for a little bit because lemon makes you naturally salavate. just an fyi if you do have any dry mouth

GOOD LUCK! & as others have said before, this really is a great place. i've been on everyday since my surgery, reading the good the bad and the ugly. it helps to be informed on all of it

[JoJo1 0]

I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I didn't have any anxiety at all. Even on the way to the OR, I was excited. Had surgery on Saturday and went to work as a hairstylist on my feet full time on Tuesday... I love my band. You will too.....

[LapNYC 3]

I just had surgery on Monday and indeed the dread was worse than the surgery itself. The doctor should be nervous--he has to do the hard work--you just have to sleep! Two days out I'm still unhappy with the gas pains but it's just not dreadworthy. I too am worried about eating but I'm trying to take one step at a time. You should too! They could do this procedure with a blindfold on at this point. It's absolutely routine. And better than with "regular" surgery, they're expert at doing this one on fat people! So you'll be just fine. Deep breaths!

[erinrutledge 0]

I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I didn't have any anxiety at all. Even on the way to the OR, I was excited. Had surgery on Saturday and went to work as a hairstylist on my feet full time on Tuesday... I love my band. You will too.....

I'm glad to hear that it was easy for you to go back to work so soon, I am also a hairstylist / makeup artist, and i go back to work on tuesday so i'm def. glad to hear it!