Questions

[pammers 0]

:help: Hi my name is Pam ,

I am 39 Y.O. 5'2 and 220 lbs I take cozarr and coreg and hctz for my blood pressure I have tried every diet in the world not to mention all the things you shouldent do laxitives det pills etc...and all have had the same results loose some gain more back .I go to the docters on the 10th to see about the lap band surgery .I was wondering if any one here had any questions that they wished they would have asked before hand .also wht do they do for pain management after surgery and how long after surgery do you take pain meds (I hate pain )lol

[TerriDoodle 6]

Hi Pam,

I was just banded yesterday, 24 hours ago to be exact. (And here I am at my laptop!) They gave me morphine directly after surgery and sent me home with hydrocodone with acetomenophin (I think that's same as vicodin). It is definitely enough to take care of the discomfort.

As for the questions....I spent so much time on this board beforehand that I didn't need to ask questions! I was very well informed by the bandsters here. The things that seem to vary widely between doctors are:

1) pre-op and post-op diets

2) Pre-op testing

3) and whether fills are done under fluroscopy or not

4) how much is charged for fills

5) oh, and ask whether he stitches the band in place

Best of luck to you as you make this decision. I know it's not an easy one to make. Everyone here is incredibly supportive and there's tons of info, so make yourself comfortable and stay awhile!

[pammers 0]

:nervous Thank you terry !

Did you go home the same day or the next day after your surgery?

what are fills?

are you in a lot of pain?

and finally Congradulations on your surgery and good luck

[TerriDoodle 6]

Yes, I had surgery at noon and was home by 9:00p. They had given me phenergan for nausea and that drug really knocks you out. I had trouble staying awake for more than 5 minutes! Otherwise I probably would have gone home earlier.

Fills: When they place the band it does not have any restriction in it. You have to go in periodically to have them "fill" the band with saline a little at a time, and this is what provides the restriction. You'll see lots of posts about fills. Sometimes the fill is too much, you may have difficulty eating and then you have to go for a slight "unfill". Eventually you get your "sweet spot" and shouldn't have to go in nearly as often as in the 1st couple of years.

Am I in a lot of pain? No. Right now I'd rate it a 3...going up as high as 5 or 6 if I have to cough. The closest thing I can describe it as is like when you've done 200 sit ups! But I am walking around fine, getting in and out of bed fine, in and out of a chair fine. My husband even went to work awhile ago because there's nothing he needs to do for me! I loaded the dishwasher and made some Jello, too!

[pammers 0]

Terry ,Wow that is so amazing that you are up and doing stuff .That makes me alot less scared .

do you feel hungry ? do you get full after a few btes of Jello or other lquids?

I am worried that I will get upset at my familys eating habits after surgery . Or that they will not lke how our meals will change.

[txbecca 0]

I'm glad to here your up and around Terry.. Don't over do it, take care of yourself.

As for me I was banded last friday. Yes there was some pain but all of it manageable with drugs, which I only needed the first 36 hours after. I was back to work half days on monday. My bandages have comes off, I'm still stiff when it comes to bending and stuff, and at about 90% now. I think these boards are great for reading to get knowledge. Everyone comes through differently that is for sure, and pain is relative to the person, but it all depends on how you approach it. I approached it with the mindset of: Prepare for the worse, then be pleased with what you have. and I just said.. gotta suck it up and get through it. To be honest, childbirth hurt more, so did a root canal.

Good luck on getting banded.. ask questions and read through all the threads you will learn a lot.

[juliegeraci 7]

I took extra strength liquid tylenol and was fine. I only had to take it for a few days. Good luck. Julie

[TerriDoodle 6]

No, I'm not hungry...39 hours post op and all I've had other than Jello, popsicles and Water is one 8 oz Protein drink. I have to do better today!! No, I haven't noticed a feeling of fullness yet. The 8 oz Protein Drink was taken in 3 different 'sessions'. Water just tasted better.

Last night my husband brought home BBQ and loaded baked potatoes for himself and my daughter. Didn't bother me one bit. DH is looking forward to losing a little weight along with me. My daughter eats like a bird anyway. Hopefully your whole family will adapt and eat more nutritiously because of your changes.

[kebsa 1]

Hi pammers

you have had some great advse here! I had very little post op pain. I stayed in hsopital overnight but only because it was planned that way. i live alone and have medcal issues/disabilites so it was felt safer to stay one night. I could have managed but was glad to be in hospital rather than being alone. I work partime in a call centre/office based setting and missed not time from work I think from memory I had 2 days at home them back to my usual 8 hour shifts.

Ihate pain and deal with chronic pain anyway, so I went in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I had access to morphine via PCA ( patient controlled pump) but did not really need it other than at night. then I had access to meds oxycodone and lquid tylenol for home. I used the tylenol manly but have them available and use what you need. we are all different and the pan vares quiet a bit.

I did not feel hungry at tall at fsrt. you have some swelling that makes you feel ( or often makes you feel) full most of the time at the start. then thngs can get tough for a hles when you are still only on fluids and the sweeling has gone. they want your stomach to rest and heal, for the band to settle nto ts postion and the more you make the stomach work the more it churns. Eating too much too soon also ncreases the risk of vomiting. Real vomiting ( as oppsosed to pb) too much in the early days can be associated with the band slipping. so the eraly days are all about healing not weight loss and that can be tough for some. the early post op diet varies an awfl lot. my surgeon used to do 10 days of clear fluids like broth and Jello with a single half strength Protein shake per day, then 10 day free fluids, still stuff that can be passed through a straw. 7 to 10 days of purrees to mushess so you are increasing your textures gradually then the last week to 10 days going from mushy to real food. others go a lot quicker to flul fluids etc. it can be a frustratng time and may be worse if you have a family to deal with but hopefully they will be helpful. this is where I frst starting working out the difference between real hunger and head hunger ( still workingon that one!)> I tried to think of this stage as purley a prescribed diet rather than normal eating, I had been told to eat like this for a period of time for medcal reasons- to help me heal and reduce the risk of complications. Complications may still occur but are less likely and will be easier to deal wth if they do- that I know from experience. THs approach worked for me in the same way that I have no problem in takng prescribed meds as the Doctor orders- we discuss things if there are doubts but I basically follow his prescription. food in the healing phase was the same thing

good luck, glad you others are feeling well post op

[pammers 0]

I appreciate all the info ,this is such a great informative site ,I am not so nervous now and I am so realy to get this done and take control of my life back. I will be so gratefull for the support from here .