Lap Band Surgery Day Stories

[Kristi 0]

My surgery was on Friday November 14. I had to arrive at 6:30 am to the hospital. Went straight back to a small room, changed into the gown, peed in the cup, IV started. Then had to answer all of the questions from the nurse. The staff was great (Innova Hospital, San Antonio, TX). They left me alone for awhile, because I was the 2nd pt to be banded. Finally saw the Dr. about 10:30 or so. The OR nurse came and gave me a dose of something in my IV to "relax" me, was wheeled to the OR, remember them telling me to scootch over onto the table, someone pulled my arm out to the side and someone else was connecting the air pumps on my legs. Next thing I remember was someone telling me to open my eyes, I was in recovery.

Ended up taking 1 1/2 hours because I had a gigantic hiatal hernia, didn't know was there. Needed five stiches to fix. The Dr. told me to almost didn't band me because it was so large. Anyways, he did band me but at a different angle than normal. He said it made the pouch smaller than most. So off to the x-ray room to drink some horrible stuff, almost dropped the cup, but managed to drink enough to make someone happy and shut up! Someone kept saying you need to take a drink! I wasn't even able to open my eyes yet... :thumbup:

Then off to the bathroom to get dressed and out the door I went. We left the hospital about 2:00 pm. Had a three hour drive home to pick up the children. We stopped about every hour so I could walk around. Felt okay, first night, just intense shoulder/neck pain from the gas. It is actually worse now, but my abdomen doesn't hurt other than the port site. Well there's more but will have to be in another post.

Thanks for listening, hope it helps...

:thumbup:

[katcruiser 0]

I had surgery 11/14/08.

I will say that the surgery went very well. I was first up at 8am, in recovery 40 minutes later and in my room by 10am. I was up and walking around at 11am. The pain was well managed with the pain pump, hitting the button about once every 40 minutes or so. I walked every hour and I think that kept the gas pains away.

The only issue I had was a sore throat from the breathing tube. Hot tea helped with that and it was gone by the next day.

[swiley 0]

I wll be having my surgery in Ga. How many surgeries will the doctor be performing that day? I was reading the surgery stories and it seems like it is a assembly line going on at the hospital.

[bjperkins54 0]

I wll be having my surgery in Ga. How many surgeries will the doctor be performing that day? I was reading the surgery stories and it seems like it is a assembly line going on at the hospital.

My surgeon only had 2 scheduled surgeries on the day I had mine.....and 1 the day before....but he ended up with 3 because he had an emergency surgery he had to do -- which pushed back the 2 scheduled surgeries.

Most surgeons have set days they do scheduled surgeries....so they normally can have several in a day.

[TQUAD64 9]

Hi Swiley: My doctor performs three lap band surgies every Tuesday. When I had my surgery last week she was slated for three, but one cancelled.

[cdthomas 1]

I had surgery yesterday (11/17/08). I arrived at the hospital around 7:40 and was taken back around 8:00 to the holding area. I actually went into surgery around 10:00 I think and I woke up in recovery just before noon. They said I had been in recovery about 30 minutes when I woke up. They gave me 2 shots of morphine while in recovery and had be back into a room before 1:00. I was up walking immediately after getting back to the room. I didnt get to go home as soon as I hoped because my bladder wouldn't wake up. I left the hospital around 4:30.

Today I am in moderate pain. I have been alternating liquid lortab with liquid tylenol taking one or the other about every 6 hours. I walked about 1/3 of a mile a little bit ago and think that was too far too quick.

[imwiththebandfl 0]

Surgery Jacksonville, FL 11/18/08

I was a nervous wreck the night before, so I barely slept. THe drive to the surgical center was a blur. I got there at 6:30 am. The staff at Journey Lite was so wonderful, they put me at ease right away. I went back to the pre-op area, had to put on some really tight leg hose and a huge gown. After that I laid back, got a shot of heparin and an IV put in place. These nurses were GOOD... neither one hurt at all.

Surgery started a little later than scheduled...but I didn't have any big plans for later anyway ha ha. So they wheeled me in the OR and I was crying. But my best friend, the anesthesiologist shot a little something in my IV, and that's all I remember.

I woke up with a shooting pain in my left shoulder (from the gas)

Turns out I had a hyatial (sp?) hernia, which Dr. Baptista repaired.

I was given instructions for going home, and even got a PHOTO of my band, and the hernia repair!

I'm taking liquid pain meds about every 6-8 hours. The gas pain is bearable. The incision pain in bearable. All in all, not so bad.

THe hardest part for me is getting up out of bed, that's when I feel the port incision.

Just so glad it's over and can't wait for my first fill.

GOod luck to you all!

[christi.jones08 0]

Ok, so here it is. I honestly haven't posted this because I have been procrasinating for so long due to the potential length. I figured though that daily my situation could happen to someone else and if my words of experience might help some one it would be worth it!

I arrived for my surgery at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) at 7am with my husband in tow. We did all of the pre-op check in and went into the waiting room. I had found out that my friend through all of the pre-op stuff was actually going to be my surgery buddy that day. She was the surgery before mine. Our surgeon is Dr. Stan Zagorski at TAMC. He is a great surgeon, I was his 5th Lapband surgery at TAMC, however, he did a 1 year fellowship of lapband surgeries as well as he has been doing gastric bypass for many years at TAMC.

After quite a few hours due to surgical delays, I was told to change into my gown and ugly socks to go back to the pre-op room. From there it was busy, busy, busy! I got my IV, got to visit with all the proper people, chit chat with my husband and put on my fancy (ha, ha) hair cover. Then it was my time, they gave me this little shot size cup of what they called "liquid zantac" and boy does the smell not match the taste on that. She told me I could wait until they gave me my happy medicine to take it in hopes I wouldn't rememeber it...ummm WRONG! I remember swallowing that and nothing else.

Surgery Over

I remember waking up and saying "gonna throw up" and "i am in pain" and that is about it. The next time I woke up I was in my room and my friend was right across from me. I slept off and on for the next couple of hours. My family came up to visit and my friend and I chit chatted through the afternoon. I was able to immediatly start drinking fluids, however, that is where the "newness of the surgery at TAMC started to kick in". They started trying to switch me off of the morphine and onto other pain meds to get me off of the IV. Well smart people were insisting that I take Roxycet pills!!! They were nice and cut them up for me...I did this and asked for more morphine until the morning.

The next morning they wheeled my friend and I down for our Barium tests, she went first. When she came out she was the color of death! She didn't have the chance to talk to me prior to me being wheeled back but I knew something was wrong. Once in the room the gentleman explained how I would be drinking these two things and swallowing this "pop-rock" type stuff that expanded my stomach! My immediate answer was NO! I don't think so! So they gave me my test, all the while telling me to swallow faster, etc. I did what I could do and that was it!

I get back to my room and my friend is all packed up and ready to go. She told me the look was from the fact they made her take the "pop-rock" stuff and it was extremely painful. She was going home. I gave her a hug and sent her on her way.

I still had a couple of hours before I could leave. I rested and got dressed. I was ready to get out. Dr. Z came up to visit to tell me he was sending me home with liquid pain meds..the nurse pointed out that is not what the orders said. He said well she can't take pills. I told him about the night before and he was extremely mad. I immediately called Becky and told her about the pills vs. liquids so she could get hers switched.

I left and went home to recoperate. It was a little harder than I thought, I was sore and spent too much time in bed. The 3rd night was the worse. I started to dry heave and didn't know why. It was scary but I made it through it.

The story only gets better...or worse depends on how you look at it!

8 days after surgery and WHAT???

Ok so fast forward to 8 days post op. I finally felt like I could do something so I went to my kids soccer games. I got home and I was physically and mentally exhausted. I laid down in the bed and my daughter brought me my nightly cup of Soup and noticed that I had strange orangish spots all over my shirt. I initally thought that I had spilt something on me and I sat up to find out what it was...

It turns out after a few moments of stress that the incision over my port was leaking a clear liquid with a slight pink tinge. I immediately called the "oncall surgeon" who insisted that I go to the ER immediately.

Six hours and many tears later I finally am in a room begging the residents to call my surgeon or the bariatric coordinator before the cut me open. They want to slice open the incision to test the Fluid. I am terrified and they didn't want to call. I ended up giving in to their "idea" in fear of thier worst case scenarios. Now I have a 6 cm lenth wise by 2 cm width and 6 cm depth incision above my port. They pack it and tell me to come back the next day for another packing.

This is EXTREMELY painful!!

I go in the next day and then to the wound clinic on Monday where I am packed and measured and told my port is now exposed but it is NOT infected. I had what was a seroma of liquid. (a seroma is a pocket of clear liquid that forms when there is a open tissue your body tries to fill it up). They are going to continue to monitor it and watch for infection, at this point they need to let it heal from the inside out. There is no telling how long that will take.

Oh my god! I am terrified...it is 11 days post op!

9 weeks after my ER visit

So posting here has been depressing! I have spent the past 9 weeks getting poked, proded, measured. The first few weeks I went to Tripler Army Medical Center every day for dressing changes. After that I started changing my dressing my self. It did not feel good but it kept them from poking more often.

Fast forward, I am now 9 weeks out. I am struggling with the last little bit of a hole to close. There is still drainage. The hole was much smaller but there was fatty tissue that was bubbling out and the hole wouldn't close. I have been extremely patient through all of this and I hit a wall. I finally requested to see Dr. Z and see what he thought because I felt that I was going in circles.

He came up with a plan that started this past Tuesday. I went into see him, his resident silver nitrated it three times and sent me home to come back to the Wound clinic on Friday for them to repeat and back to see him on Tuesday. Hopefully on Tuesday we can discuss getting my first fill.

I can only hope!

Other than the surgery part statistics...

So I lost 30lbs in the first 3 weeks. I gained 4 lbs back and then at about 6 wks post op went back down to the 30lbs. Since then I have gained 6 lbs back. I have NO restriction at all and I am hungry all the time. I am really trying to monitor it on my own but I hope that I can get my first fill on Tuesday or shortly after. I still have the hole in my stomach and some draining but hopefully it is on the healing side of things.

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

Here's my surgery day story...length alert - this is a long one!

I was scheduled to be banded at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) on Monday, Nov 17th by Dr. Andrew Bell. He is part of a three-doctor team of Bariatric Surgeons there. I called the Friday before and was told to report at 9 am, with nothing by mouth after midnight except for a stomach-acid pill (can't remember the name) at 6 am.

Of course, I was up waaay early! Normally my DD and I walk our DDog at 5:30 am, so I did that as normal. The nerves were beginning to rise a little, so the activity helped. My DH was working midnights, so I took DD to school and got home in time to give DH a kiss and a hug. We live an hour away, so I drove myself to YNHH and parked in valet parking (a bargain at only $9 per day versus the parking structure at nearly $20 per day). :eek:

Arrived at 8:45 and checked in at Pre-Admission. They sent me to the 6th floor at 9:10 am, and I was prepped for surgery. This consisted of changing my clothes, a conversation with the anesthesiologist on duty and a welcome visit from my surgeon and his team. He works with a medical resident and an intern - it was nice to see familiar friendly faces. :laugh:

I was taken to the surgery area by a cutie-pie orderly with shoulder-length dreadlocks :w00t:(be still my heart!) who joked with me about trying to get tickets to the Obama swearing-in ceremony. Definately helped to ease the tension...

Arrived outside the surgical suite and was greeted by the two OR nurses who checked all my info and took my DH's cell phone number (for the 4th time - everyone asked for it). Everyone was just wonderful and eased my nerves...not that I was TOOO nervous, just slightly nervous.

They started an IV and I was out cold - don't remember anything else until I woke up in recovery and was having a coughing fit. Evidently my body didn't like the anesthesia and I must have coughed for 3 minutes straight. Thank God for morphine - I didn't feel much during this, but I did protect my new incisions by holding a pillow to my abdomen while coughing.

It took a while for them to get a bed ready for me - I was in recovery by 12 noon, and the surgery started at 10 am. I wasn't in a hospital room until nearly 5 pm - of course, I didn't really care, because I was sleeping most of the time. Very little pain from the incisions - more like I had done too many situps in the gym. I was hooked up with a morphine pump, but didn't use it much. I'd been told I could hit it every 30 minutes, but only used it when I was woken up for a finger prick (I'm diabetic) or some such. About every hour or hour and a half or so...

Once I got to my room, I slept well - seemed that more time passed than the nurses told me. I'd ask what time it was, thinking it was the next day, and it was only 10 pm or something like that. Got up and walked around the floors about 4 am because I couldn't sleep. The nurses were amazed - they didn't think I'd be up that soon. :cursing:

Had one roommate - a cancer survivor who had been in and out of the hospital for about 3 weeks in the last 3 months. She was SO ready to go home, but had a bad reaction to something they gave her, so she had to stay overnight...there but for the grace of God... :thumbup:

The next day, I was up and about - walking the floors, talking to the other patients and nurses, and watching TV (when it worked). Talked to my best friend from work who came to visit me twice, and drank lots of Water. No food, of course - but surprisingly, I wasn't really hungry. That's a new feeling! :w00t:

Went for the "Swallow test" around 10 am. The first liquid they had me swallow was dark brown and very bad tasting - horrible stuff! :cursing: The second liquid was white, like milk of magnesia, and tasted like a vanilla milkshake. Not bad at all - and it was over in less than 30 minutes. They showed me the "picture" and all was well with my band.

Went back to my room and slept more - not using the morphine pump at all, now. Just a little discomfort from the incisions, but nothing a Tylenol wouldn't take care of.

Talked to the surgical team again - this time, they came in to check my incisions and brought several interns with them...oh boy! The idea of exposing my too-puffy belly to strangers wasn't my favorite thing, but I understand that they have to learn by observing SOMEONE, so okay - bring in the parade of interns!

DH took the train to New Haven (we live an hour away) and took a taxi to the hospital. By the time he arrived (around 1 pm) I had recieved my discharge instructions and was dressed and ready to go. I am full-busted, so I had my trusty underwire bra - no problems with the incision sites. My surgeon was wonderful in placing them where I could wear my normal undergarments :wub:

It's 4 days post-op and I've already been called twice by hospital personnel making sure I had scheduled a follow up appointment and getting a review of my experience. Great follow-through!

I am recovering well, eating what's on my plan (liquids only) and doing well. Haven't weighed myself today, but am down a few pounds from when I left for surgery.

No referred shoulder pain at all, very minor discomfort from my incisions (except when I have to cough or sneeze :eek:) and I'm doing well.

Hope this story eases someone else's nerves...I don't regret a minute of it, and am looking forward to more great things in the future!

[sm319 0]

I had my lap-band surgery on Wed. (Nov 19). Good friend dropped me off at Hartford Hospital at 7:15am and check-in was great - except that I put my glasses in my overnight bag for safety and didn't get them back until I finally got my things around 6pm! Anti-nausea patch worked great. Surgery went well - hiatal hernia repaired, too. Dr. Tishler said my pre-op diet did a great job shrinking my liver. Woke up in recovery around 11:30 - took about 1-1/2 hours. Felt pretty good except my oxygen levels kept dropping whenever I fell asleep in recovery. Had to stay there about 3 hours until a bed was ready. Wonderful staff all around. Only problem was that I couldn't pee! Around 6pm my very very nice nurse Sarah did a bedside bladder ultrasound. I let her bring in a couple of student nurses to watch. Sure enough - bladder full and no urge to go! So she inserted a catheter and took it out as soon as the bladder was empty. Boy was I apprehensive about that - but very little discomfort! Fortunately the plumbing started working again before midnight so no more catheter needed! I had no additional pain meds after surgery - little pain in the shoulder but not enough to get doped up about. Incision pain is there - but only hurts when I get up or down so I can handle that. Brought my cpap with me, so that drowned out the sounds of my snoring roommate, although I also used my sound-deadening headphones - I highly recommend them! Next morning went to radiology around 9am and drank nasty liquid - radiologist said everything looked perfect and Dr. Tishler's winning streak was intact. It's Friday now and I'm taking it easy - but moving. On Water, green tea, and broth. Have to say that I'm hungry, though. That better go away when I start with food!:drool:

[winthropgrad08 0]

So my story begins about 5 months ago when I decided to get the realize band. It was an uphill battle from day one. I struggled with finding the right surgeon, to finding every type of specialist under the moon, and working around my job in order to get my goal achieved. Two days after surgery I sit here and thank good that I had enough strength and will power to follow through with everything. So here's my surgery day story.........

My surgery wasn't set until 3pm at Dekalb Medical Center in just outside Atlanta GA. I was scheduled to be at the hospital by 1pm in order to get prepped for my surgery. A week prior to my surgery date I had to go to the hospital and do pre-op paperwork, blood work, and meet with the anestisolgist (i know i spelled that wrong, excuse the morphine). So back to my surgery day i arrived at 12:45pm just to make sure i was there on time. I played the waiting game in the lobby for about 45 minutes. I was taken to a private waiting room where i was told to strip down and put on a robe. The humiliation began... my butt was hanging out of the rob so i jumped on the bed and covered myself with the covers.

my father was there with me up until i was wheeled back into the operating room. So with that being said I think he was more nervous then me and actually got on my nerves in a serious way. He felt the need to blab to any and everyone who came into my room to prep me for my surgery. I wanted to kill him but i knew he was just nervous and that i needed to let him work it out.

so after laying on the bed for about 20 minutes the first nurse came in and told me she needed to hook my IV up. I asked her if she was good with needles because i had horrible veins and i was afraid of needles. She began to tell me that she was the best in the hospital and that i had nothing to worry about. Not to my surprise she stuck me twice with a needle and still couldn't find a vein. The hospital has a policy that after two tries a new nurse needs to try. So the second nurse came in and I warned her about my discomfort with needles. They decided the best place to put the IV was in my wrist since that was the only place they could see a vein. Lets just say it hurt.

My surgeon was really backed up in his surgeries for the day so I actually didn't go back to the OR until 4:30p. When i was taken back i had to wait another 30 minutes. my nerves were so worked up at point i was ready to run out of the hopsital.

finally i was wheeled into the room and the surgery started. next thing i remember i was being wheeled in the post op room where a nurse monitored me for an hour. The hospital was so backed up that i actually had to wait another hour just to get a room. by the time they got a room i was aware of my surroundings and wanted to see my family. they put me in a private room which was nice and my family came in to see me.

the nursing staff was ok but the tech were horrible. if it weren't for my family i don't know what i would have done. there was one tech that was great but she was gone after a few hours. the hospital was too unorganized for me and i know i won't go back there for any more surgeries. the only reason i went there was because my surgeon does all his operations there. he was a great guy but i wasn't impressed with the hospital nor the staff there. i found that many of the staff members had attitudes or they were very forgetful.

anyway, i'm home now and the surgery is over. it wasn't the best experience i've ever had but then again its surgery and theres nothing ever great about being operated on, except the final result. :smile2:

[MellyB 0]

My story is almost unbelievable.

I got to the hospital at 7:45am, as scheduled for a 9:45am surgery. They were running behind so my husband and I sat in the waiting room and watched TV.

They called me, and put me in a room. Removed my dignity with a tiny little gown that showed the world why I was having this surgery in the first place. We watched more TV, wondered when someone would come in. Finally at about 9:15 the doctor came in and told me he was ready, he had just done one so he was warmed up, and good to go. Said I did great on the pre-op diet and expected me to do very well. The anesthesiologist came in and I met him. I wasn't nervous or anything.

Then the pit crew came in. They tried to start my IV, like 5 times. Gave me the antacid pill, I was shocked and happily because I was DYING of thirst and the Water with the pill was divine. The doctor peeked in, and I could tell he was ready to go, and the nurses were falling all over themselves so I think he was mad.

Took me to the OR. I gave my "don't make fun of my I'll know" speech to the OR team. The doctor told me he was going to give me something to relax me and BOOM. I woke up in another room. I felt so freaking good, I didn't think they did anything. I heard people all around me moaning and groaning and I saw someone. I asked her if they did it, she said "yes, you did great, you're doing great". I asked her again, "are you sure they did it?" and she asked me what my pain level was and I said "I don't know, 2?" We laughed and I sat up and watched everything going on around me. I guess I dozed off here and there, but I never felt any pain. I moved a little and it was then that I felt something, but it wasn't bad.

They took forever to get me out of recovery, but when they did, my husband met me there. I told the nurse I wanted to get up, and I got up and walked around. I had to go potty so I went, it took a while for it to start, I guess my body was still asleep. I asked if I could get dressed. She asked if I wanted pain meds before I left. I told her I better since it was about an hour home and I didn't want to risk it. She gave me a pill. I asked her if I could really take it and she said "yeah, it's fine". I took it and when I woke up I was home. It was strooooooooong.

The nurses kept telling me that there was another lapband patient there that was having a hard time. I'm not sure why this was such a good experience for me, but I'm thankful. I have had zero doubts. Zero complications (up to now) and I'm just so grateful that this was an option for me.

The only negative I have about anything, are the meds. The meds they gave me were horrible. The side effects were worse than anything I have ever experienced. I didn't take them after the first day. I wasn't in enough pain to justify it.

I'm good. I'm hungry, but 500 calories a day will do that to you.

[658 0]

I started the process for the Lap Band in March of this year, was finally apprived by my insurance company in late October and scheduled for surgery on 11/24/08 at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville Tn. by Dr. Richards.

The day finally came and I arrived at hospital for registration at 0530 scheduled for surgery at 0730 and they were right on schedule. Had a real nice nurse in holding room. Vital signs taken IV started put in the open back gown. The nurse anesthetist came in and did the preoperative checklist I left the room around 0730. I was given the preop meds as I was pushed down the hallway and don't remember the operating room at all. The next thing I remember I was waking up in the recovery room. It was around 1030. I had some really weird dreams about really small people I don't know the meaning of that but I had the dream every time I went to sleep in the Recovery room. The nurse gave Water to drink which I did because I knew I had to drink and not get sick before I could go home. I was pushed back to the holding area where my wife came to the room. I was still fuzzy but I remember her telling me I had to stay till the next day because my blood pressure had dropped in the OR and I knew I didin't want to stay. I was wide awake by 1130. My vital signs had stayed in the normal range since I had gotten out of surgery so I told the nurse that I wanted to go home that afternoon. I had drank around 3 or 4 cups of water. I could not urinate and did feel like I had to. The doctor told me when I urinated I could go home. The nurse told me I had anesthesia bladder and it would be different than a normal trip to the bathroom and that I needed to just keep trying like normal which is what I did. It felt different as I urinated as I could not tell I needed to. It was the day after when I felt normal.

Anyway I was released to go home at 2:45PM. Went by the pharmacy and picked up Lortab liquid and Zofran reditabs. I have used the Lortab but not the Zofran. I had a fullness in my lower chest upper abdomen which was in the area where the lap band would be attached to my stomach and was I sore all over my abdomen which I can only describe as I had done 1000 sit-ups. After the Lortab Liquid I slept good but had to get up several times to urinate. The next morning I felt much better. I went to the pharmacy to get a pill crusher for my BP meds and Calcium vits. My pain has been diminishing all day and tonight I feel much better. I did eat a soft cooked egg today with cheese mixed in but I am not really hungry. Tonight i was drinking a EAS Edge Protein Drink and felt the fullness for the first time I did not get nauseated but had to wait around 30 minutes before I could finish the drink. This made me feel better that I did get full because that was the reason I had the surgery in the first place. I think I am in the middle of the people who have surgery in that I had no terrible pain but I did have discomfort. I have 71 pounds to go.

[jms462001 9]

I had mine Monday. They said it went smoothly. I arrived at the hospital at 12:30 and was called to pre-op around 1:30. I changed and the nurse started an IV in my hand, but it was not good enough to draw blood and she wasn't that good so I requested the nurse who had started the IV for my scope test and she got it right away. I was scheduled for surgery at 2:30. I was the only surgery my 2 Dr. team had that day and they were there. However, all the other Dr's were backed up with their surgeries so a surgery room did not become available until close to 4:30. I was very thirsty and anxious. My Drs decided to go shopping for Christmas baskets at costco while they waited. When the room came open, The nurses were a bit upset that the Drs had not done their paperwork!! Anyway, everything went fast after that and before I knew it I was in recovery. I was very cranky and moaning in pain and demanding pain meds. The mean nurse said I just needed to walk and pain meds would make it worse. Thankfully I got morphine as soon as I got to my room. After that, pain was minimal. Mostly when I tried to raise myself to stand or twisting, and that is how it is at home. I had trouble urinating that evening, but it started in the night and it seems like I can't stop now because they gave me so many fluids in the IV. I have had broth, crystal light, and Water. My stomach aches after I eat (drink) probably from the gas. I get some shoulder pain now and then. I am taking liquid vicodin and pill form. I take vicodin for my back regularly so the Dr has me taking extra due to my tolerance. The liquid tastes terrible. He is letting me take all of my meds (3) whole because they fit through the top of a water bottle, and I have had no problem taking them. None were available in liquid or chewable. Overall, the discomfort is way less than I was expecting and I understand each day is better, so I am pleased because I am a big baby when it comes to pain! I am not really hungry yet. I am supposed to stay on Clear Liquids for one week.

[BillyTheBear 0]

I was banded this past Monday 11/24/08. Overall the experience was OK.

I stayed up the previous day as I had to leave at 5am to get the Holzer Weight-Loss Clinic which was an hour and a half away and they had me scheduled at 6:30am. That was my first mistake, as it would do more bad than good later.

Anywho, I got there at about 6:20am and they started right away, as I was the first surgery scheduled..so within 10 minutes I was back in my room and putting on a gown and little footsies.

Within 10 minutes after that I had a nurse doing bloodwork, and then within 5 minutes had an IV in my hand.

The staff was a pretty prompt one, I couldn't have asked for a more professional mannered staff, and they had some good humor too which took the edge off of things.

8 o'clock rolled around and I spoke with the doctor and everyone was ready to rock, so they wheeled me out to the bathroom, asked if I had to go (Lets be honest, I probably could have went, but there were 4 people wheeling me and the back of my gown wasn't tied, LOL). Which in the end didn't matter cause once I got to the OR, they had me get up and get in a different table anyway, DOH!!! Haha.

Next step was the air bags being hooked up on my legs and all vitals being hooked up, then I got a shot of some vodka (lol) in my IV and remember talking to the anestesiologist about the bloody mary she just gave me, and that's all she wrote.

The surgeon told my wife it couldn't have went any better! And I woke up a couple hours later in my room, but since I had stayed up the day before I COULD NOT and WOULD NOT stay up, my body woulnd't let me. I said hello to my wife and then passed back out. Overall i wasn't in much initial pain.

They let me sleep it off for about an hour then brought in an xray machine to take an xray to make sure the band was in place. They take the x-ray and have me sit up to put the film behind my back OUCH. . first pain. . . that's not very pleasant. After that I laid back down and passed back out. Within the hour the x-ray tech came back and said they didn't get a good shot so they wheeled me down to the elevator and took me to x-ray to try again.

They had me standing and doing all kinds of stuff, trying to get a good shot. . after 4 tries they got one. The x-ray tech was like "i'm so embarassed, I've been doing this for years." I remember spouting, "You're embarassed? My ass is hanging out, lol."

Anywho, after that I was wheeled back to my room and given Water and walked around for the nurse. And then was released. I probably was only awake for a total of 30 minutes afterwards til getting in my car with my wife for the ride home. . that's how tired I was and how often I was drifting off.

Overall the surgery went great, this past couple days has been very challenging, with managing the pain and all. Thanksgiving was hard today too. But overall...No regrets, and I look forward to my new life starting soon!!