Banded January 24..mixed feelings

[jakrnsewing 1]

Hello all I was banded on January 24 so this for me is post-op day 3. What can I say except I have had mixed feelings about this procedure since the first time I thought about doing this which was in October. I cancelled my surgery 2 times. I have this weird feeling about my band. I could barely get down enough fluids day 1 & 2 along with dealing with all the "gas" discomfort pains and pain to my left side where the port is positioned. I am told this will get better with every passing day and I hope that is true. At this point if I could reverse time I would not do it again. I am so scared of what the future holds. I just dont feel normal???? Please advise. Thanks Jackie

[amber2604 4]

I was the EXACT SAME WAY!! I thought that I was going to be the only person in this whole Lap Band world that had the thing done and then the next day thought it was a nightmare/bad dream and wanted the thing taken out! I was so mad at myself for "messing up" my body and making myself so miserable. I just wanted to take it all back. Day 3 and 4 was the hardest for me. I wanted to eat real food and feel normal yet I was so bloated and felt even fatter than before and it hurt everytime I got up or down.

But here I am, 5 weeks and 2 days post op and feeling great! I'm able to finally eat real food and go about my daily life. My port doesn't hurt and I have almost no scarring. Trust me, I didn't believe ANYONE when they said it would get better. I just didn't believe them and I hated this band more than anything and I hated myself and my "stupid" decision. But, I'm glad I did it because I'm losing weight and feeling better than before. I go in for my first fill on Thursday and I'm hoping that I get more restriction because I feel like I could eat a horse. I know you don't feel like you can eat or drink but the more you drink the better you will feel. I couldn't stand those nasty Protein shakes so I bought sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast and just doubled up on those. They taste just like chocolate milk! At first, the thought of food grossed me out but I promise you, it will get better. Just hang in there and don't let the uncomfort and pain get you down!

[Trinity 0]

I have had feelings of regret before, but not during or after the surgery. sorry to hear that you are having regrets.

My regret feelings came quite a while after the surgery, while i was in "bandsters hell". I was so frusterated because 5 months out of the surgery i hadn't felt a thing and couldn't even tell that i had the surgery. (in my recent posts on a thread i started you can see my story). I felt like it just simply took way to long to get to the restriction point.

But now that i have restriction i can say that i am so happy to have had the surgery. It is an amazing feeling to eat a small portion of food and feel completely satisfied physically. (emotionally i still want more food, but i can tell myself no). Its the coolest thing eating half of a small chicken breast and being full for 5+ hours. And then there is the benefit of seeing the lbs come off.

As i write this, i am eating leftovers from a pulled chicken sandwich... This is the third meal i am making of this pulled chicken sandwich. (dinner the night i ordered it, and then two lunches.) That is the best feeling in the world. knowing that a month ago i would of eaten the sandwich plus fries in the one sitting, and now i can spread the sandwich without fries over 3 meals. IT IS AWESOME!

So like most else will say, just stick with it. The rewards will justify the feelings of regret and hardships.

Hello all I was banded on January 24 so this for me is post-op day 3. What can I say except I have had mixed feelings about this procedure since the first time I thought about doing this which was in October. I cancelled my surgery 2 times. I have this weird feeling about my band. I could barely get down enough fluids day 1 & 2 along with dealing with all the "gas" discomfort pains and pain to my left side where the port is positioned. I am told this will get better with every passing day and I hope that is true. At this point if I could reverse time I would not do it again. I am so scared of what the future holds. I just dont feel normal???? Please advise. Thanks Jackie

[hippiegoddess 0]

I was banded on January 20th. The first few days are weird. Luckily I didn't have any problems getting the Fluid down, but the gas pains were TERRIBLE! The best thing you can do is walk. It helps to move that gas bubble through your digestive system. It gets better. Every day. And I've found the pain is worse in the morning than later in the day, simply because I have to get up from a laying to a sitting/standing position and it feels like my port is pulling on my liver. Don't regret this. It's going to change your life. It's only been three days. You still have anesthesia in your system and your regret may be that talking to you. Take your pain medicine as ordered and keep going. You're worth it!!!

[bunnyluv37 1]

I WAS BANDED ON THE 17TH OF THIS MONTH I MUST SAY THAT EACH DAY THE PAIN DOES GET BETTER I AM JUST A LITTLE BORED BEING HOME FROM WORK, BUT TRUST ME TAKE THIS TIME TO HEAL AND FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF THE SURGEON AND YOU WILL BE OK!!

[TurboDriver 2]

Hello all I was banded on January 24 so this for me is post-op day 3. What can I say except I have had mixed feelings about this procedure since the first time I thought about doing this which was in October. I cancelled my surgery 2 times. I have this weird feeling about my band. I could barely get down enough fluids day 1 & 2 along with dealing with all the "gas" discomfort pains and pain to my left side where the port is positioned. I am told this will get better with every passing day and I hope that is true. At this point if I could reverse time I would not do it again. I am so scared of what the future holds. I just dont feel normal???? Please advise. Thanks Jackie

I'm sorry you feel discouraged. I was banded on 1/18 so I am a few days ahead of you. We all heal differently, but I really started to feel better about 3 days ago. I'm guessing that you will as well. I had a lot of worried after being banded, most of them were about not being able to ever each "good" food again. I also have to now chew some meds I'm on, and they tastes horrible, so part of me isn't happy about that. All of that being said, I'm so excited to already be loosing weight. Try to focus on the positives, just think this summer is going to be so great loosing between 20-40 pounds (going on 1-2 lb/week). That is going to be great isn't it

[djb 1]

I have had feelings of regret before, but not during or after the surgery. sorry to hear that you are having regrets.

My regret feelings came quite a while after the surgery, while i was in "bandsters hell". I was so frusterated because 5 months out of the surgery i hadn't felt a thing and couldn't even tell that i had the surgery. (in my recent posts on a thread i started you can see my story). I felt like it just simply took way to long to get to the restriction point.

But now that i have restriction i can say that i am so happy to have had the surgery. It is an amazing feeling to eat a small portion of food and feel completely satisfied physically. (emotionally i still want more food, but i can tell myself no). Its the coolest thing eating half of a small chicken breast and being full for 5+ hours. And then there is the benefit of seeing the lbs come off.

As i write this, i am eating leftovers from a pulled chicken sandwich... This is the third meal i am making of this pulled chicken sandwich. (dinner the night i ordered it, and then two lunches.) That is the best feeling in the world. knowing that a month ago i would of eaten the sandwich plus fries in the one sitting, and now i can spread the sandwich without fries over 3 meals. IT IS AWESOME!

So like most else will say, just stick with it. The rewards will justify the feelings of regret and hardships.

[djb 1]

I have had feelings of regret before, but not during or after the surgery. sorry to hear that you are having regrets.

My regret feelings came quite a while after the surgery, while i was in "bandsters hell". I was so frusterated because 5 months out of the surgery i hadn't felt a thing and couldn't even tell that i had the surgery. (in my recent posts on a thread i started you can see my story). I felt like it just simply took way to long to get to the restriction point.

But now that i have restriction i can say that i am so happy to have had the surgery. It is an amazing feeling to eat a small portion of food and feel completely satisfied physically. (emotionally i still want more food, but i can tell myself no). Its the coolest thing eating half of a small chicken breast and being full for 5+ hours. And then there is the benefit of seeing the lbs come off.

As i write this, i am eating leftovers from a pulled chicken sandwich... This is the third meal i am making of this pulled chicken sandwich. (dinner the night i ordered it, and then two lunches.) That is the best feeling in the world. knowing that a month ago i would of eaten the sandwich plus fries in the one sitting, and now i can spread the sandwich without fries over 3 meals. IT IS AWESOME!

So like most else will say, just stick with it. The rewards will justify the feelings of regret and hardships.

[djb 1]

thank you so much for your reply here. I was banded 12.16.10 after fighting with insurance for 2 years !! I had my first fill 1.16.11 and since then although clearly not at the right place I am feeling the band do something, I have lost 23 pounds since the week before surgery but am starting to feel a difference in my clothes...obviously they were too tight before. I am constantly second guessing myself as to whether or not I should have done this..but most of those feelings are based on what other people think, I have told many people that i was banded and now find myself afraid to see them because I think they expect to see a tremendous difference when in reality I am still wearing the same clothes but I can breathe....after one month on this journey the one thing I know for sure is I need to see a therapist I am going to succeed in spite of myself

[HeatherinCA 10]

It all get normal after a few weeks once you start eating again it takes a while to learn the ropes, but now, I'm 7 weeks out and I feel normal. I eat normal food, yet I'm losing weight. I just don't eat as much. I'm full for hours which is great, I don't feel deprived or anything.

I was scared going in too, I had mine cancelled a few times, I kinda had a BLAH attitude about losing weight, but I went ahead because I knew it was what I needed to do. But now i'm glad i did it

[dcowens 2]

I'm really really glad that this was posted. This is how I"m feeling right now. I'm excited for when I can actually swallow normally. For some reason lately whenever I swallow anything at all I have this terrible burning pressure in my stomach and I don't know if that's just gas or what. I was told it was. I just need it to go away. lol. I had my surgery yesterday and all day today has been horrible. I woke up SO sore and it definitely hurts when I get up and down. It hurts to stand or to walk. My port site is the only thing hurting anymore. It's terrible pulling pain. I wish I could eat some Soup though. I tried some Tomato Soup today and with every spoonful I had that terrible horrible bloating burning discomfort in my stomach. I hope to God that it will be better tomorrow. I'm going to take this all with a grain of salt and try to believe that the days to come will be better and less painful. I DO not regret getting my band but today and yesterday I have felt as though I may not have made the smartest decision. I'm hoping I did.

[Sperry 1]

I've had gas and it passed from walking. I have never had an stuck episode ....all is well gets better as time goes on I'm glad I had this done..............

[jakrnsewing 1]

Thanks for all the replys it does help to know others have the same concerns and struggles. Today is day 4 post-op and the pain is getting better and the gas pains are almost totally gone, however I am worried about my system kicking into gear if you know what I mean. I can get liquids down by very slowly and I have been able to get some apple sauce down but I do feel some discomfort. My question is that normal? I have been told the bands contain no saline in the beginning and that it is just post surgical swelling that causes the restriction is this true? Also how do you add the cute scales with your post I want to get mine started. Thanks again Jackie

[~*~Rachel~*~ 2]

I had my surgery on 1-25 so I am day three post op. Lets face facts this hurts! The worst part of it is the getting up and down and it feels like my neck is hurting from the gas pain I guess. I have a pressure under my sternum that I am guessing is the band swelling. I do not regret getting my band just hoping to feel better soon. I am focusing on just taking in liquids lots of Water. But I am feeling dehydrated So I am really going to try and limit my salt today. I have been able to sip on some Soup just for the calories. Protein is not an option at this point. I am getting a little by drinking a little milk and I am going to try and make a shake today but I just have not been able to do it. I bought some yogurt and strawberry and unflavored Protein Powder I am going to try and make a shake with and strain it. I also got some select harvest Soups that blend up nicely and make about four meals to a can. I am staying on top of my pain meds and got a little nauseated last night after having them. All I can say is lets hang in there and the days hopefully will go by soon and we will feel better. I don't think anyone at this point is able to get everything in like they need to so I am not going to stress over it. I am just trying to maintain enough fluids at this point.

[slm2007 7]

I'm glad this was posted. I've seen and read all the "flowery" posts about how wonderful this is and I've really really wanted to see someone tell me the nasty truth. I've been going through the pre-surgery approval process and do not have it scheduled yet. I've been tossing back and forth the band or bypass and don't think I can put my body through by-pass.....the idea of them redoing my duct work freaks me out. I'm afraid of the surgery and that it won't work. I didn't realize this was going to be that painful. I figured I could get it done on Wednesday and be back to work by Friday? Is that unrealistic? I have an almost three year old, so should i hold off on this if it is that painful, because I have to take care of him....yeah, husband is there, but my son is definately "mommy do." I'm glad to hear what it is really like. I'm afraid that if I get this done that I won't lose weight and I'll get frustrated. I'm afraid that I'll regret my decision. I'm NOT looking to do fast weight loss like the bypass....because I don't want to look old. I know that is really snotty of me, but my aunt had bypass and she came to my sisters wedding and I didn't even know who she was because she aged so much from it. It was almost scary. I often said to myself "do I want to be fat and youthful looking or do I want to be skinny and old looking." This is why I think the band is my best option because it does it slow enough that you can see results (I hope) and yet your body won't go into weight-loss-shock. I like hearing the Truth about this surgery but it makes me even more on the ropes about it. My family tells me to do it the "healthy" way and they just don't get it...I've tried for 20 years of up and down diets. I can lose weight but I can't keep it off and when it comes back it is twice as much. At this point, I'll never stay motivated enough without help to lose the 80+ pounds I need...not want...but need to lose. I want to be Healthy and be around to raise my son. I'm not looking to be skinny. I have a goal size and I just don't want to shop in the chubby chic section anymore. I want to buy normal clothes even if they are a 12 or 14! I'm an more than willing to hear more truthful post op stories because I want to go into this with my eyes wide open.......you always hear the success stories, which are great motivation, but you never here...the adventures to success. So, it is painful huh! Yikes.