Lap Band Surgery Day Stories

[swishbc 0]

Oh WOW! That sounds like it went as smooth as it possibly could have. I'm SO SO happy for you! I hope you just keep feeling better and better every day and I can't wait to watch your progress now that you're banded. We'll all be joining you VERY soon!

I wasn't able to come see you yesterday but I didn't get out of my appt til about 12:15 so it sounds like I would've missed you by then anyway. Hopefully we can meet up soon! Congratulations!

[AudsMom 2]

Riley, I AM SO RELIEVED, that you wrote, i am so glad it went well!!! Congrats girle!!!

[momcof3 1]

Congratulations on being banded Riley! Let us know how you are doing this week.

[reggie71 0]

Riley congratulations!! We were all worried when we didn't hear from you. I'm glad it went well. You are so funny, i'm sure Dr.Baggs had a ball with you. take care

[carmenmarie53 0]

Carmen From Milwaukee WI 55 years.

wt 251 02/25/2009 height 5'4 1/2 " BMI 42

All in all my surgery went fairly smooth the staff members were exceptional. I found out that morning pre - surgery that I would have to have my gall bladder removed. I had on board a cardiac team as I have a pacemaker and continually have arrhythmia problems. This will require an ablation procedure. However not today. post surgery went well, I was very groggy and in some pain. The end result of the surgery is besides the lap band I had a hyatal hernia repaired and gall bladder removal. The anesthesia part of the surgery indicated there were concerns about my heart so extra care was taken to make sure I was doing well. I stayed for three days which is longer than usual. Getting up and moving around was hard. I did manage though. I do not have an appetite so I force my self to eat the little bit that is offered. my blood sugar was high so I needed to take insulin. All in a days work. your body is trying to readjust to the trauma that it was put through. All in all the team from Dr. Chua's staff was exceptional and very caring. I am happy to say it is over with now the healing begins. I have stared a journal. and will be happy to share it with every one when I have finally reached my goal. "Quality health"

Carmenmarie53

Edited February 28, 2009 by carmenmarie53
spelling

[Sommerbrez 2]

Ok..I got banded on feb 26th-09..I arrived at the hospital at 10:45, since I was told to be there at 11am..I got there was called back, got into my lovely gown(lol).Layed there a few min then the nurse came in asked me if I was on any meds, etc..Then she said she was gonna give me a heprin shot(which stops blood clots from formin)..Got that, then she started my IV, to my suprise, she numbed me first and then stuck me with the needle for my IV, I didnt feel a thing..I was happy I didnt either..Then she admistered some meds thru my IV and then some yummy verset, Boy that stuff is amazin..I tell ya,it settled my nerves down for sure..Well at that time. My hubby came in and sat with me til my Dr came by and talked with me about my surgery, I told him I was ready as I'll ever be..Well at that time the anathesia doc came in and said its time..I kissed my hubby and they pushed me down the hall to the operating room. Once I was in there I saw 2 or 3 ppl waiting on me..They asked me to scoot over to the OR bed..So once i was on that..Oh yea that thing was very very umcomfortable..I laid there and the anathesisa doc said ok your gonna sleep and have good dreams. I said yea, about bein skinny..haha..Well Next thing I remember I was in the recovery room( my surgery was at 1pm) It was like 3 when i saw the clock..I layed there and the nurses were really nice.

They brought me some Water and gave me some more meds..Help with my pain they asked me on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the worst how was my pain, I said a 7..So I got some more meds and I started to feel better..I lay there and next thing I know, I was home by 6pm..I slept most of the time..And now its day 4 and I am muh better..I have been drinkin my Protein Shakes and alot of liquids..Got up and have been walkin around alot..That helps in the long run..gets you to feelin better faster..I take some pain meds every so often if my back hurts due to sleep on it so muh and i love sleepin on my side and tummy, but i cant cause the surgery..But I am gonna try it tonite..Well I am glad I could share my story and i was nervous and worried for nothing, but that is expected when any type of surgery is happenin to you...So now am on my way to a healthy and wonderful me...If you have any questions let me know..I can help, but i am still new to the lapband...Oh and this website is sooooo helpful and a great way to learn and hear about the lapband..Thanks to all the ppl who have supported me and will along the way...HUGSSSSS

Sommer was banded feb26th-09

WOOOHOOOO

[Sarah F 0]

Hi everyone - I was banded on the 20th (yippee!). All in all it was very smooth. Got to the hospital at 8:30, and was called back within about 15 minutes... Got all my pre-op drugs started, and the doctor said that they had the band in place within 10 minutes of the surgery starting... I had done a good job on the liver shrinking diet, so he was able to finish up quickly.

I had a few minor issues... I didn't have a great recovery - was pretty nauseous, then once I got upstairs my morphine drip broke - which no one noticed for 3 hours... and then later, I threw up because of the pain. Not fun. Then, my IV infiltrated my arm, so they had to switch that out and give me compresses for the swelling to go down. But after that, I was fine. Went home the next morning at 11, and have been since moved to mushy foods. Down 20 pounds from the start, but now that is slowing as I'm onto mush foods.

Good luck everyone! :-)

[patrickgd 0]

Well...I finally got my band put in yesterday and heres the story. My arrival time at the hospital was 8:45. I filled out all the papers and was called to the admissions booth. The lady who was processing me said "your insurance is not gonna pay for this" to which I replied :eek:"they better, or I ain't getting it" but I knew that it was just some sort of error on her part because I had already received acceptance papers from them. So after a bit she called me again and said they were going to pay for it after all.

So then I was given my room and started to wait (10:00am). I was informed that my surgeon had 4 surgeries scheduled and that I was #4 :ohmy:After an hour or so of nothing I decided to turn on the TV. I found a movie to watch "9 to 5" starring Dollie Parton which is a pretty darn funny flick. So finally at about 3ish I was called back for the pre-surgery prep.

I met the Anesthiaologist and spoke briefly with my Surgeon Dr. George Woodman. He commented on the pre surgery weight loss progress I had made, asked if I had any questions (which I did'nt) and then reminded me that what I put into this as far as exercise goes is what I will get out of it on weight loss.

I was then rolled into the surgery room, put on the table and positioned. A gas mask was then placed on my face which smelled a bit like Nitris Oxide , same stuff you get at the dentist. They hooked up a IV tube and placed massaging garments on my legs. The tech. told me that I would now fall asleep and I did. I then woke up a little while later feeling pretty weird. A nurse that looked allot like Jennifer Lopez :crying: was asking me how bad the pain was on a scale of 1-10. I said 6 or 7 and was given a dose of some powerful stuff Dalada I believe is what it was. Then a few of the guys in the recovery room started talking to me about college hoops (which really helped) and then I was wheeled to my holding room.

I laid there for about an hour or so I'd guess and then got up (with the help of my nurse Laura) and started making some rounds up and down the halls. They told me I did much better than most and said most folks like to lay in bed and sleep for hours. I was just ready to get the recovery process underway. So finally after about another hour or so I was discharged.

The ride home was tough. The interstate was blocked off due to a major traffic accident where a Gas Tanker had crashed and leaked Gas everywhere. Needless to say the alternate route was long and I could'nt emphasize enough the importance of taking off and stopping very slow. Bumps in the road made my fat belly shake which caused pain

My next immediate thing I had to deal with was my dry mouth. I got a 20 oz. Btl of Water and nursed on it all night long. Trying to follow the 3-4oz. per hour rule. Also, when I take a deep breath what seems to be my the top portion of my left lung hurts. I was also instructed to take 2 huge draws of air from this breathing excersize apparatus to avoid getting Pneumonia they said.

Today I woke up at 5:00am and it felt like and Elephant stepped on me :ohmy: but I think I am doing good. I had 3 oz. of Campbells chicken broth for Breakfast and then an Orange SF popsicle. Aside from my nose being very dried out and stopped up everything seems ok. I am experiencing big hunger feeling which seems to come and go.

I am very thankful for this opportunity and grateful to my mother who has taken great care of me thru this ordeal. I look forward to recovery and know that this is going to be a blessing. :thumbup:

[shangefan 193]

I was banded on February 25 and I don'k think it could have possibly gone better.

The basics are the same, so I will fast track through them. I got to the hospital at 6 a.m. All of my registration and payment had been done in advance, so the nurses simply directed me to my room and had me get into my gown. The doctor had a couple of other surgeries ahead of me, so it was about 9:30 when I went back. I remember saying goodbye to my family and rolling out. Then next thing I remember is being back in my room after the surgery.

Mine honestly went so well that I joked that I don't think they actually did anything. While in the hospital, the nurse asked the level of pain on a scale of one to 10 and I never felt it was over three and never wanted pain meds. In fact, I have taken a total of one dose of medicine, and that was just before I went to bed the first night. I took it then only because I was afraid of waking up in pain.

I also had no gas and very little soreness. I left the hospital at about 3:30 p.m. and the ride home was fine. I chatted with my mother and sister on the way home. When we got home, we sat and chatted until the normal bed time.

The next day, we puttered around the house for a bit, then went to the mall. My doctor's directions were that I could drive as soon as I was no longer taking pain meds and since I was not taking them, I drove and had absolutely no problems. My family members had planned to spend a few days with me, but since I was doing so well, they left the day after the surgery.

I have had no problems since then. I have lost a total of 25 pounds -- 15 in the two weeks leading up to the surgery and 10 pounds since the surgery. I am feeling great and had to go shopping today for new jeans to replace the ones that are falling off. I am thrilled.

[haroldrussi 0]

I was banded on March 4th. It was not as bad as I thought it would be execpt that I could not pee more than 100cc so they had to put in a foley, now that hurt a bunch about 1" in and my prostrate was tight. I have not had much gas pain to speak of and could not fart till Friday mid morning but was burping all afternoon Wed. I am sore don't get me wrong in fact they were giving my morphin every two hours. The liquid hydrocodone did very little to relieve the pain but the IV morphin worked wonders. I was up walking the halls two hours after they got me to my room. I must have walked 100 laps between Wed afternoon and Thursday. I was not released till 1500 on Thursday and I don't think they would have let me go then but they needed the bed. They were not happy that the liquid hydrocodone was not working very well. They told me to alternate advil geltabs between the liquid hydrocodone doses. But here it is Saturday and I have only had two doses of liquid hydrocodone and one of advil. I have also finially had my first BM since Tuesday as well so everything is working again. The Dr had a little trouble in that a artery was in an odd location so he had to take extra time placing the Realize band. The band ended up being tight because of that from the test completed Thursday morning. I have been on long walks each day (1 mile or more) which helps a lot with everything. Thye told me I can't walk my two dogs for two weeks (90lb labs) but I have been walking along while my wife walks the dogs. Good luck to everyone I hope everyone is having as good a time with this as I have had so far. The only real problem is keeping the liquid down to only 4oz an hour like they want me to but I am trying.

[tojomama 0]

I had my surgery on 2/16/09. Surgery was scheduled for 8am so we arrived at the hospital around 6:30am. Once there, we went into the pre-op prep area. I was weighed in and told to change into the gown, footies and tight blood clot sock things that went all the way up my thighs. The nurse came in to put in the IV and told us that the Dr had an emergency at another hospital and we would be delayed. I was extremely nervous and emotional that morning. Eventually I was given something through the IV to calm down. It took about 4 seconds before it "kicked" in and I got very calm and very tired. I fell asleep there on the pre-op gurney. Eventually, around 10:30am it was time to go into surgery. I said goodbye to my husband and sister and they wheeled me down to the OR. It was cold and bright in there. The nurses were super nice. Very comforting to me. They put me on the OR table and started to strap down my arms and what not. A mask was put on my face and I was told to take 4 deep breaths. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. My mouth was pretty dry. I was thrilled not to have a cath in. The time in recovery is vague. The nurse was kind. I held her hand. She told me where I was and what was happening. I remember looking around and seeing other patients in recovery. Eventually, I was given my room and they wheeled me up. I remember getting into the room and saw my husband and sister just outside of the door. The staff asked them to wait while they got me into bed. I was groggy and pretty comfortable with the drugs. Unfortunately, they would not let me eat any ice chips or drink Water until after I had my upper GI. They were unable to get me in that night and said I would not have my GI unitl the next morning. I was so dry and wanted to drink water like crazy, but all I could do was suck on a sponge, which really sucked! (no pun intended) I took walks with the staff and the next day had my GI, which showed everything was clear. Once that was determined I saw the surgeon who said my liver was pretty darn big which made the surgery a challenge. I still have some swelling and pain around the port cite some three weeks out. I am down 29 pounds since 2/1/09. That's my story.

[lynmcg 9]

My surgery was March 12th at Falulkner Hospital, Boston.

The first thing I'll say is how great the Faulkner Hospital was. I had never been there before except for my preop visit, but everyone there was so nice and understanding and my surgeon Dr. Ashley Vernon is the best.

Since living on the Cape we had to get up around 4:30 a.m. for the 1 1/2 hour drive. We had to be there a 6:00 and made it on time. From the time we arrived everything went like clockwork. Admitting to the preop area for a weigh in and changing of clothes and medication updates. It all seemed to go so fast. Before I knew it I was on my stretcher meeting all the doctors and nurses involved with my surgery. First the nurse starts the IV line which went fine because she numbed it up first. How great is that? They then put on the anti nausea patch and explained that I should not touch it with my hands. I really don't remember everything in detail because it was a very busy fast paced place, the next thing I knew I was on my way down the corridor and into the surgery room. They must have given me something to relax me because I only remember it being cold and bright and having to scoot over to the table. I think they kept telling me to scoot my head higher on the table but I can't swear to that? Well, that's all I remember until I woke up hours later in recovery.

I think people were talking to me in recovery but I can't remember for the life of me. I'm also guessing on time here because I wasn't aware of to much. I do, however, remember touching my stomach and thought to myself WOW I feel like I'm 7 months pregnant. My stomach was huge from all the gas they pump into you for surgery.

Now I was off to my room because my doctor likes her patients to stay overnite. I must say I was glad I was there but I also longed for my own bed. My husband was with me for awhile but it had been a long day for him and I was out-of-it anyway. So I told him go home and get a good nights sleep.< /p>

The night was kind of rough, I hated sleeping on my back and the incisions were bothering me. Sometime during the night I started to feel very nauseous so they came in and tried a few different drugs to help. I ended up on morphine but only clicked the button when I absolutely needed it. The nurses were so kind and patient, I did feel bad though because I needed to get up to use the bathroom every 2 hours or so and they will not let you walk there by yourself. Ice chips quickly became my friend because the anesthesia makes you mouth extremely dry!!!! The next morning I was scheduled for my x-ray to see how the band looked, this is where I finally met my LAP band friend Alyson. We both had the same doctor and she had her surgery right after mine. We talked for awhile while waiting for our turn in the x-ray room. The x-ray went fine except for the stuff you need to drink, AWFUL is all I have to say about that. The technition was extremely polite and told me that my band was a bit different than usual because most patient's band are on a slight angle on the stomach and mine was completely horizontal. What that means I'm not sure. I guess I'll ask the doctor in a few weeks. So, back up to my room and now they bring in the tray with your stage 2 liquids, shake, tea and Jello. If you can tolerate the stage 2 you are able to go home. I couldn't wait to go home, I did end up sleeping the entire 2 hours home but it felt good.

So that was my story. I do thank the person who put this thread on here because reading all of these stories helped to put my mind at ease the day of my surgery. Good luck to everyone.

[carissarenae1986 0]

Hello all! I was banded on March 9th at 7:30 am at The Medical Center in Port Arthur, Texas. I arrived at the The hospital bright and early at 5:15 am.

As soon as I arrived since obviously I was their first patient of the day i didn't have to wait at all. I was put in a bed, given a shot in my tummy, I think they said it was to thin my blood, heprin maybe?? The shot stung a little and left a bruise. They also made me put on these really tight compression hoses to help with blood clots in my legs. After that I was taken into the pre-op area where I was given an IV and some medicine they said would help me relax. The next part is a little hazy, I guess the medicine they had given me really worked. I remember them saying that I was going to surgery and being put on a really small table. I'm pretty sure this was the surgery table because I saw all the cameras and gadgets above me. After that all I remember is waking up to about 3 nurses telling me that I needed to wake up and take deep breaths in and out. It really hurt to breath and it made me cough alot which hurt also. I guess I had bitten my lip during surgery because my lip was swolen. I was also surprised to find while I was asleep I had a catheter put in and also another..bigger.. IV. Which I am very grateful they did this while I was asleep

I think I was in recovery for about an hour and then I was wheeled to my room where my mom and husband were waiting for me. My room was nice and comfy, I had 2 nurses who were checking on me often and took great care of me. I was so thirsty, but my doctor didn't want me to have anything for the first little while so I remember the mint mouth swabs were my best friends.

Finally it was time to get up and walk, this was painful and I kept feeling like I was going to fall because my legs were so weak. I did manage to make several trips around my room before I got back in bed. The next big step was the respiratory crew coming around. They gave me a device that I had to suck air through to the point that I would cough. This hurt really bad, but they said that I needed to cough to clear my lungs from anesthesia. I was discharged from the hospital at exactly 10:00pm and was home snug in bed by 10:30. It has been an adventure so far and I can't wait for whats to come. I've already lost 14 pounds.yay!

[ikerry 0]

Hi,

I was banded yesterday, March 16th, 2009. My gf dropped me off at the Baylor Medical Hospital on the way to work. I walked inside and couldn't find anyone around. I finally found the operator and she directed me to outpatient services. I went there and found no one. I went back to the operator and she asked me why I was there and she told me I was at the wrong hospital. OUCH!! So I looked at my watch and I only had 15 minutes to make it. I called the correct hospital and told them of my dilemma. I called a taxi. It came 15 minutes later and gave me a ride the rest of the way. What a rough start to say the least. It was all downhill from there. I checked in at 5:45 a.m. (15 minutes late) and in 5 minutes I was back being prepped. The nurse couldn't have been nicer. They all got a laugh when I told them I went to the wrong place. Once prepped with IV and all, I was all set to go. I watched a little tv.

I was the first one up that morning and didn't have to wait long at all. Dr. Benavides came in and said let's go. We did.

When I woke up I felt fine, gosh the drugs were great. I got up and started walking almost right away. They took me over to xray where I drank some barium stuff. I remember that I was still thirsty, very thirsty. I wasn't allowed Water until I saw the doctor. He came by and asked me how I was. I was excellent (drugs), lol. The surgery was at 7:00 and it took 36 minutes for the entire procedure. At 8:00 I was in xray, and by 9:00 I was ready to leave. Unfortunately, my ride home, (my mother), was lost. She too went to the wrong hospital. The nurses gave her instructions on how to get to the hospital where I was at. An hour and half later she made it. So funny. What could I say? I too went to the wrong hospital. There are just too many Baylor Hospitals in Grapevine, Texas. Well I finally got out about 11:00 a.m., and was home by noon. I felt great and there has been no gas or nausea whatsoever. Dr. Benavides is terrific.

Regards,

ikerry

[fixin2notbfat 0]

I was banded the 17th, like wise, no nausea, no shoulder gas pain, surgery at 8 am left hospital at 10:30 am, I'm calling it drive through surgery! lol Keep your expectations high and you will get what you expect (it is a biblical principle)! Anyway my question is I feel like I have got to burp but can't, is this when I should take some GasX? Thank you to all at Fort Worth Lap Band, Physicians Surgical Center & Dr. Adam Smith! What a wonderful gift God has bestowed upon you all! Nancy