Still deciding - almost sure...

[nancynancy 0]

Well, I think I've decided that lap banding is for me. I just turned 40 and have been getting steadily larger for the past 20 years. I'm the largest now that I have every been - BMI over 50 - have sleep aphnea, diabetes (I take insulin 6 times a day), asthma and all the aches and pains that go along with being over 300lbs. I have a 20 month old daughter and have come to the realization that Iwill not be around for much of her life if I don't do something soon.

I've read tons about pre/post surgery and have read lots of journals, which continue to awe. I'm so amazed that people take the time and energy to share there experiences - good and bad - and offer encouragment to virtual strangers. This is the true power of the this electronic age!!!

:help: I have a few questions that I was hoping to get some answers to. Like I said, I have a toddler so she still needs to be picked up quite frequently. How long after surgery will it be before I can pick her up?

How long would I expect to be out of work. I was thinking 2 weeks???

I'm very lucky to have great insurance that will cover all by a few hundred of the total cost. I know that to start the ball rolling I need to see my PCP to get a referral to a bariactiric surgeon. What I don't know is about how long should it take from the point I meet the surgeon to actually have the surgeory?

Obviously I have to a lot to loose - well over 150lbs. I carry the majority of my weight in the belly, which is really saggy (gross, huh). Is there anything that can be done to help shrink the skin post-op while I'm loosing the weight or is plastic surgery the only option? (I know this is premature but it's been on my mind so I figured I'd ask)?

Sorry this is so long but once I started typing I just had to get it all out. Thanks. :nervous

[enterprise01 0]

I haven't been banded yet, but I have had many, many surgeries, a couple of them being laparoscopic. I think how quickly you bounce back after surgery has a lot to do with what condition you're in before the surgery. When I was thinner (and younger), surgery was easier on me. I had a tubal when I was 25, drove to my mom's house 4 hours away the next day, had to drive right back the same day because the idiot ex-boyfriend let my cat of the house, and then spent the next 4 days walking around the neighborhood for several hours at a time posting flyers and looking for the cat. (The cat came home on day 5, and I dumped the idiot boyfriend not long after that.)

Now that I'm much more overweight and get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs, I'm fully expecting a good 3 days of complete down time. Although I don't have kids, I do have to wrangle with a very fat cat (yes, the same one that escaped for a 5 day vacation 14 years ago) every day to give him medications and sub-q fluids. I'm fully expecting that to be unpleasant for me for the first week post-op. (He's about 16 pounds.)

I'm no doctor, but my best guess from my own experiences is that you'll have difficulty lifting and holding your daughter for at least a week or two after surgery. But difficult doesn't mean impossible.

As for the loose skin, you'll just have to wait and see how your body adjusts to the weight loss. I have some friends who look great after losing weight and others that have a lot of excess skin. The doctors recommend waiting 1 year after losing the weight to see if your skin will tighten up. After that, if you still have loose skin, plastic surgery is the only viable option I've heard of. I don't know about you, but if the plastic surgery isn't affordable, then I'd still rather be thin with loose skin than be fat with tight skin.

[enterprise01 0]

Oops. I also meant to tell you that I'm only taking 3 days off work (Wed, Thurs, Fri) and that I met my surgeon yesterday and already have the surgery scheduled for next week. So, exactly one week between consultation and surgery.

[beachgirl 2]

I was fine after 3 days too work and do all the other stuff I had too do. I think a week would be plenty but if you can take two that's all the much better. I don't know about time frame as I have BC/BS and they wouldn't pay so I self paid and it was only 3 weeks from the time I started until surgery. They told me I couldn't life my then 10 month old granddaughter for 2 weeks so I would assume you just can't pick her up, but you could do what I did and have someone put her in your lap. Good luck and congrats on your band, you will love it.

[ReneBean 3]

I took a week off work - but I felt as though I could have returned to my desk job after day 4.

I didn't try to lift anything as heavy as a toddler for a long time - but I didn't have to so it wasn't an issue for me. My DH did all the lifting for about 3 weeks.

I feel you on the aches and pains. It really seriously sucked to weight 358. It's a lot better to be under 300 and I can't imagine how fabulous it will be to get under 200. Give it another year or so, and I guess I'll find out.

I don't know if it will work - but it seems to be so far... I am fighting gravity and loose skin with a comfortable girdle and a sports bra. I wear a girdle 24/7 and I sleep in the sports bra. I expect that no matter how careful I am, I will have to have PS - but it may take me a while to save up for that - so I am doing all that I can. I figure it can't hurt....

Drink Water - and fight gravity with good support garments.

Good Luck!!!

[Wheetsin 714]

How long after surgery will it be before I can pick her up? I was told 6 weeks before any heavy lifting, or anything like abdominal workouts.

How long would I expect to be out of work. I was thinking 2 weeks??? I had surgery on a Wednesday, went shopping that Friday, car trip out of town Saturday, and worked Monday. I could have gone into the office Monday but one of my incisions was right where the waist on all my pants went, so I worked from home Mon & Tue, and made arrangments for dress code exception for Wed - Fri (I wore tracksuits with fabric/loose waistbands - so much better!)

I'm very lucky to have great insurance that will cover all by a few hundred of the total cost. I know that to start the ball rolling I need to see my PCP to get a referral to a bariactiric surgeon. What I don't know is about how long should it take from the point I meet the surgeon to actually have the surgeory? It was a month for me, because that's how long he was booked out. How long between your consultation and surgery will probably depend most heavily on how busy your surgeon is, and how long it is before he can fit you in. And also how log your pre-op work takes to get done, because - believe me - they're not necessarily concerned with being quick. :huggie:

Obviously I have to a lot to loose - well over 150lbs. I carry the majority of my weight in the belly, which is really saggy (gross, huh). Is there anything that can be done to help shrink the skin post-op while I'm loosing the weight Everyone has different opinions on this. IMO, there's really not much you can do. The condition of your skin is going to depend on a few factors: how long it has been stretched out, how much it has been stretched out, your genetic propensity for elasticity... as well as environmental factors/condition of skin, and things like whether or not you smoke. Lotions, creams, etc. can't replace the elasticity, but they can "plump". Temporarily. Kind of the opposite to losing bosdy size through wraps. A lot of people claim exercise helps, but IMO what's happening is that the exercise is building muscle mass, the muscle is adding bulk to the body, and this bulk is "filling out" the skin a little, giving the appearance that the skin is more taut. As I see it, unless you're 17, were just a little overweight, or were only overweight for a few months, your skin is going to have some degree of... deformity.

[juliegeraci 7]

Nancy, congrats on making a life changing decision. I can't believe I am down 39 lbs since June. I haven't even tried to lose weight. With the band it just happens. I wouldn't want it any other way. I hope your journey is successful. Keep the faith. The band is a great tool. Good luck.