Bandsters are scaring me!

[Pinkygirl 34]

Omg Im hoping to have the surgery in Dec or Jan! Because I need to do the 3 month "diet". Im going for my 2nd appt this month and then last appt in November. Hopefully it wont take long to get approved and Dec BooM! But I keep hearing more negative than positive lately on this site. What is going on? I hate pain, im a big baby and now am thinking do I really want to do this? Am I going to miss food and alcohol? Im afraid of being in paid and not being able to eat ANYTHING

[Manda87 3]

When you type "lap band" into google, this forum is probably on the top 5 websites listed. That is the reason why you hear more negative things than positive. People go here because they are scared, worried, paranoid, whatever. So they post it here. Most of the time it's nothing. Other times it's serious.

Trust me, you will eat. I still eat. I wish I didn't eat. But you have to eat! If you don't eat you won't lose weight. So don't worry about not eating. I also drink alcohol, but I'm not a drunk so I only drink it once in a while. I also have soda once in a while (I shouldn't though - actually no one should drink soda. It's bad for you!)

I was in a lot of pain. It was the worse pain I've ever felt. I've never had children, so I don't know if that's saying much. The pain does go away. It's just frustrating. I would have the surgery all over again if I had to. There is no way I could lose 67 all by myself.

[Herraven 0]

Fay, I wish I really knew what I was in for. My dr didn't tell me how hard it was going to be, especially the pain. But if you read through here some people experience hardly any pain. I'm think I'm a pretty tough cookie having to suffer through back pain for yrs and refusing to get surgery. I got banded 9/30 and it was hard. It's hard for me to get liquids down of any kind. I have a lump in my throat, sharp pain in my side when I breath and my left shoulder and neck are KILLING me. I cry when my husband isn't around because I don't want him to worry about me. But, this morning I cooked Breakfast for my honey <3 it felt good. It took all my energy but I was proud of myself. I still constantly sip on Water and have water glasses everywhere... I feel like that little girl in the movie Signs that has glasses of water everywhere. But, I've learned that sugar free popsicles and me crunching on ice helps my lump in my throat. I went earlier today and got a chair massage for my tension. I will say I'm hungry all the time though. I keep saying to myself just one more week and I can have a little more. If there is one thing I can say is STAY on your pain meds. After a few days I stopped and I felt really bad. But I'm back on them and I feel better. You might have little to no pain at all like some others. Everybody is so different.... But I wouldn't let the negative vibes here change your mind You can do it :tongue2:

[spoiltmom 44]

I really had no pain except for the gas pain. I never even opened my Lortab. I still eat and I still enjoy my food but I get full on much less of it and I feel in control now where before I felt like food was controlling me.

I'm so happy I got the band!

[JanB23 23]

Fay, yes you may have some pain from the surgery and at times discomfort but.... it goes away! And for me, who is only 5 weeks post op and i have lost 1/3 of my excess body fat (according to the dietician), my back pain has also gone away along with my struggle to bend down to put my shoes on and off and to walk up the stairs without getting puffed and many more positive things. Getting into clothes that were too tight a few weeks ago, not so paranoid about if i am too heavy to sit in that chair, the list goes on and on. So any pain or discomfort is just about forgotten because the positive out weighs the negative.

There is alot of negative here because that is what we need support with so we can then focus on the good things and some times you need to have the good things pointed out to you.

Good luck with you journey.

[kissalvoe 3]

Omg Im hoping to have the surgery in Dec or Jan! Because I need to do the 3 month "diet". Im going for my 2nd appt this month and then last appt in November. Hopefully it wont take long to get approved and Dec BooM! But I keep hearing more negative than positive lately on this site. What is going on? I hate pain, im a big baby and now am thinking do I really want to do this? Am I going to miss food and alcohol? Im afraid of being in paid and not being able to eat ANYTHING :thumbdown:

Fay, please don't let the negative get you down. There's always going to be negatives and positives, no matter what. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I'm a huge baby when it comes to pain.. And after reading a lot of negative things that scared me on here, I stayed away. I actually thought I didn't want to go through all of this because of what I was reading. But I wasn't about to back down. I see so many positive success stories, and yes, it's real work.. but it's worth it.

So while I'm not where a lot of bandsters are, I'm on the journey right there with you. My surgery was yesterday morning. I was in pain when walking, and my shoulders, neck, and back hurt like crazy (as if they were knotted up from work stress real bad). I was able to take my pain meds right on time every 4 hours and sleep on my back last night and it really helped. I woke up feeling SO much better today. My meds are still ongoing like clockwork, but it's better walking and my throat isn't as scratchy and hurt. The gas isn't bothering my neck, back, and shoulders as much. It's just general discomfort at this point. No real pain. I thought it'd be much worse.

The great thing is: I've already lost quite a bit of weight in my pre-op diet alone. I started at 315 and was down to 299 the morning of surgery. It's exciting and I can't wait to continue with this to get to a healthy weight where I can feel so good! So keep it up. If it's not for you, then don't do it. But keep researching and reading and weigh the pros and cons. It's not right for all of us, but if you're willing to deal with the negatives to reach the positives then.. your choice will be the right one.

[Angera 2]

I had no pain afterward. Had more pain from sleeping wrong those days after surgery! Only needed two nights of pain meds just to make sleeping comfortable.

All I can say is everyone is different. Many of us have been there and done it and are alive and well to tell the story.

Good luck!

[stagegirl 1]

Fay,

The band is not the easy way out....I have had to work at it.....but it is work I would do all over agin. I love being 71 lbs lighter and I love my band.:thumbdown:

Stagegirl