Lap Band Surgery Day Stories

[whasupjohn 0]

My surgery could not have been more opposite of yours. Mine was done on an outpatient basis, checked in at 8:00 AM, was in a bed by 9:00AM, no issues with the IV. The doctor came in and said hello, then the anesthesiologist came by and verified any allergies or medicines I reacted to. I was wheeled into the OR, the drugs were administered in the IV, no burning sensation (although I was warned) and I was asked to take in deep breaths of oxygen. The clock was at 10:00 when I was wheeled in, the surgery took 47 minutes, and I was waking up in recovery about 12:15.

I'm about 32 hours post op and feel great, drinking and passing liquid as I should, the five incisions feel fine, just a little blood from one of them -- I stretched too much to put my stockings on. I even took a shower today, no issues.

[jen1014 0]

My Band surgery - 10/14/10

I arrived at the hospital at 6 am for an 8 am surgery time. I was the second surgery of the day for my surgeon. I was weighed and was down 10 pounds due to liquid only diet for two weeks, . I got an iv (I'm a hard stick and rn put up high in my forearm), shot of heparin and a million questions (who are you? what are you having done? who is doing it?, etc.) Anesthesiologist came in and asked a ton of ?s too, and decided to do an EKG because I had previously had a heart arrythmia. EKG was perfect so off I went to surgery. I got antibiotics in my iv before I went back as well.

The last think I remember was the anes. nurse asking if I was feeling the drugs, I said no and I was out. The next thing, I knew, I woke up in recovery and it was 12:15 p.m. My surgery took two hours because I had to have a hernia repaired, then my band was installed. I was very sore, got immediate pain meds and zonked back out. Woke up about an hour later and they moved me to a different recovery area, where I had to sit, then stand then walk to a recliner. Felt a little woozy and sore, but not too bad. I sat in recliner, sipping Water for about 30 minutes. They said if I wanted more pain meds, I could have them, so they gave me another shot in my iv. They said if I went to the bathroom, I could leave, so I got up, walked to bathroom and peed in the little hat on the toilet. 15 minutes later, I was rolled out of the hospital.

I have previously had 3 C-Sections, so I think it really helped me deal with the kind of pain I have been experiencing. I have stayed "ahead" of the pain and taken my meds every 6 hours so it has been tolerable. I have also chewed the Gas-X tablets, which has helped and walked frequently. Also, sitting/sleeping in a recliner is totally a God-send. I read that on here, I think, and it has really helped. I am on total liquids for a week because of the hernia repair/band, then mushies for a week then go back to doctor on 10/28. Good experience so far!

Edited October 17, 2010 by jen1014

[Yetta2u 3]

I pray I have the same results.. Keep us posted

[Bella Luna 1]

I have previously had 3 C-Sections, so I think it really helped me deal with the kind of pain I have been experiencing.

I have also had 3 C-sections and I was curious how the LAP-BAND® surgery compared to a C-section? How about the recovery. I'm nervous about recovery because I was told I couldn't lift anything for 6 weeks, but I have a 14 month old that I'll have to pick-up, at least to put her in her crib and car seat. I'd love your thoughts!

[jen1014 0]

Hi Bella,

The LAP-BAND® surgery compared to my C-Sections in that, the pain wasn't anything I hadn't already experienced, more or less. The soreness, the achiness, the gas pains, etc. were remarkably similar in my experience. I also was confined to the bed for the first 24 hours after my first two C-Sections due to complications with pre-eclampsia, so by the time I could get up, I was in so much pain (stiffness, gas pain, etc.). Whereas, I could get up right away after the third C-Section, so I knew, moving quicker equals quicker recovery from stomach-area surgery. I was encouraged to get up after the Band surgery, and I did just that a few hours afterwards, got wheeled to car, rode home, and walked around my house until I got too tired. So move as soon as your doctor allows!!

As far as your 14-month old, I would start making it a game to see if she could get into and out of her car seat by herself "like a big girl". You may have to help getting her out of her crib. I was told not to lift more than 10 pounds, so someone could help you get her out (an older child) or maybe her dad could do it? Just do your best, I always pick up my youngest out of bed and the bath, but since surgery, I've been telling her she can do it herself and it helps mommy so much. :smile:

Best of luck with your surgery and recovery!

[Genxchick 0]

I am 5 days post op and I have to say that I can not believe this surgery was performed on an out-patient basis. I had my appendix out last month and the pain and discomfort doesn't even compare to what I have been through these past few days.

My surgery was at 1:30 in the afternoon. 2 seperate nurses tried unsuccessfuully to insert my IV lines. My husband who is a firefighter tells me that it's harder to find veins when patients don't have Fluid in them so I wasn't terribly alarmed.

The Dr. came in...flipped through the chart and then the nurse walked me to the OR. The anesthesiologist immediately gave me a sedative and the last thing I remember is asking him if he already gave me some medication. He answered yes and I woke up in recovery shaking violently and with such extreme pain in my chest and neck that I thought I was having a heart attack. The nurse put a heated blanket over me and told me that the pain was caused from the air that was forced in to the body cavity during the surgery. She told me the only way to get it out was to burp or pass gas. I continued shaking for at least 10 minutes. The nurse gave me diluidad for pain but nothing was helping. I felt as though they were in a hurry to get me out since bed space in the recovery area was limited. Within probably an hour on the dot she was putting my clothes on me and assisting me in to a wheel chair! I was wheeled out the back door to my car and spent an excutiating hour and 1/2 in rush hour traffic trying to get home. I had difficulty breathing because the air in my cavity was pressing against me lungs. Both my husband and I considered just going to an ER to help me breathe. It was by far the worse pain I have ever been in and I felt woefully unprepared for it. The next 3 days were among the worst of my life. I could not even get Water or pain meds in to my system. At my 4th day post op the Dr. took some air out of the band and I was able to drink about 3 oz of water today. Not nearly enough to keep me hydrated. I've had many moments of regret and it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.

I was banded today and word-for-word experiencing all of the same things you did/are. I feel like I was hit by a truck. It takes a lot out of me to take even a shallow breath because the pain is so intense... and the liquid lortab is not helping at ALL. I literally feel your pain!!

[Alycopp 0]

My surgery went pretty well as did my husbands. On the day of surgery I had to be there at 6am for a 730 surgery. It was much of the same as some of the above. Checked in, got an IV (some trouble there no big deal), got asked who i was, where I lived, what I was having done, any alergies, etc by three different people atleast. My mom and husband came to see me off and the dr talked to us for a bit. I was then wheeled down to the or at about 730. Once there they got me on the table and straped me in before tilting it to make sure I was comfortable cause they do the surgery at I think a 45 degree angle something like that and my dr is very concerned about patient comfort even though you will be out cold. Then they tilted me back down and said goodnight. I said goodnight and the next thing i knew I was in recovery. Recovery was rough because the anestesia made me sick. I told them I was nauseus and they gave me meds right away, but as soon as i got them I started throwing up. About 20 mins later I was still not feeling well and they gave me another shot and again I started throwing up. The worst part was that I was still pretty out of it and feeling very overwhlemed and confused. They went and got my mom and husband to try and make me feel better which was nice because your family usually cant see you in stage 1 recovery. They got me well enough to go to stage 2 where you sit in the recliner, but still feeling real sick. They gave me the option of a stronger shot that would make me sleep for 4-5 hours and i took it. They let me nap for a bit and asked if i just wanted to go home as besides feeling icky I was fine. My mom took me home while the hubby picked up my meds. I got home around 130 and slept until 730. I woke up feeling fine. We actually went to my mother-in-laws house because she was watching my son and keeping him over night and I wanted to see him. I felt great at this point just a tiny bit sore. The next fews days I had some gas pains and soreness, but the pain meds made it feel better. Like some of the other ladies on here I have had a c-section and this was a walk in the park in comparison. I am 3 weeks out now and no compaints. My husband is 2 weeks out and his surgery was fine and he feels fine. I go for my first fill friday and am more nervous about that than I was surgery I think. Sorry for the long story I guess I had a lot to say. Good luck to everyone.:smile:

[toyrenee 0]

Hi All had my surger 10/19/10. Everything went well I ended up staying over night and released yesterday. I had to be at the hospital at 7:45AM and was taking to the operating room at 9:25AM woke up in recovery about 12 noon. I walked around alot to move the gas. Today I'm still bloated with some discomfort around the port area with gas. I do have some pain in my left chest area. The pain meds do seem to be working. I will continue to push through.

[MinnesotaMama 0]

I have also had 3 C-sections and I was curious how the LAP-BAND®® surgery compared to a C-section? How about the recovery. I'm nervous about recovery because I was told I couldn't lift anything for 6 weeks, but I have a 14 month old that I'll have to pick-up, at least to put her in her crib and car seat. I'd love your thoughts!

Hi Bella Luna,

I had surgery on 10/1/10. I've also had 2 C/sections and have a 14 month old. The surgery went fine, besides some gas pain for a couple days. The C/sections were much harder to recover from in comparison. The hardest part has definitely been not picking up my baby. My husband has been really helpful and has been doing the drop offs and pick ups from day care because I really don't see my 14 month old crawling up into the car seat himself (without it taking half an hour). I told myself that I would be really good about not picking him up for 2 weeks and then see how it goes from there. If you are able to have your family or friends help you in this regard, I really suggest it. I can manage to change his diaper on the floor and feed him while he stands next to my chair (lol), but when he's tired and crying and just lays there on the floor, I feel like a terrible mother not picking him up. That said, I'm 3 weeks post-op and have picked him up about 3 or 4 times. I'm very careful about it and I try not to carry him for long. This past weekend, I think I pushed myself too hard and was sore for a few days after, but I think this was due to cleaning the house rather than picking the kid up.

This month is hard, but it's relatively short in the whole scheme of things. If nothing else, my little guy is learning some independence!

[WrenBird 11]

After I came out of surgery I said some pretty crazy stuff while coming off of anaesthesia. It always happens...It's so embarassing. I can't stop talking. I kept talking about wanting to be thin and saying I hope the surgeon didn't screw up. I also talked about the last time I was on the stuff for my wisdom teeth removal. - I'd asked the nurse if she looked at my boobs during surgery and then told her they were private. Then I asked her if she farted.

>.< I felt the need to tell this to the nurses while I was having my lap band done.

There was also a poor girl next to me trying to sleep. I yelled at her 'HEY! what did you get done?'' and she said, 'colonoscopy'...Gah...I feel like a total jerk now that I look back, but at the same time it's kind of funny lol. Some things are hazy too. My surgeon said that I'd asked at one stage if I was dead...I don't remember that, but it sounds like something stupid I'd say.

The same thing happens when I drink alcohol - which is exactly why I don't touch the stuff. I act like a total dork.

[anewlife10 0]

I had my surgery on 10/21. I went in at 7 am, my surgery was scheduled for 10 am, everything was going so smoothly that they took me into the OR by 8:30 and I woke up in recovery at about 9:40. I vomited 3 times, each time after taking a walk, I think it was just because I was groggy and dizzy. I should say that I was technically vomiting but nothing came up because I had nothing in my stomach. I was home by 3:30. I was so sore Thurs, Fri and Sat, but felt really good on Sunday and actually went to work today. I havent been hungry at all, but I am having a really hard time with trying to reach the 65g of Protein everyday. I think I have only ended up with about 40. That has been the rough part for me. Plus I am really tired because I havent had any carbs at all since last Tuesday. I have seen alot of people on here who said they were on a liquid only diet a week or two before their surgery. My doc didnt say anything about that to me, as a matter of fact he said to just make sure that I eat well balanced meals. I started the liquid diet on Weds to prepare for my surgery on Thurs. I have already lost 11 lbs since Thursday...and I have no more pain. So far I am very happy that I made the choice to do it :huh2:

[bonomofo 0]

My surgery was on Wed Oct 27th.. surgery time at 10 am but I had to be at the Franklin Regional Medical Center at 7:45am to get set up. The ride to the hospital is about 50 mins and I have to admit I started to tear up because of nerves but I had a great experience at this hospital and a great staff. First they drew blood for lab work then led me to a pre op area where I was told to get naked an put on the gown, socks and hairnet. My nurse then covered me with warm blankets and reassured me that she has had many surgeries there (brain surgery at that) and that everything will be fine. My surgeon Dr. Bovard stopped by and asked how I was, then the anesthesiologist came by to ask me a million questions. He had me do a breathing treatment to open the lungs up, then the nurse gave me an iv in my hand. First she numbed it which burned a little, then the iv, she got it in one go and didn't hurt. Then I had the shot to prevent blood clots in my tummy.. it was uncomfortable but not bad. They can tell I was very nervous so the nurse gave me some anxiety meds and nausea meds in my iv. They brought in my mom that was able to sit with me for about 5 mins and then wheeled me to the operating room.

Once in the operating room they had me scootch to the table then proceeded to cover me up with warm blankets. The Dr put an oxygen mask on my face and I started to look around at the tvs around me and started to get nervous again. The nurse and dr asked me what I was going to dream about and I said "buying new clothes!" lol Next thing I know they are waking me up in the post op room and the nurse was having me rate my nausea and pain on a scale from 1 to 10. I said 10 so they gave me some morphine. I'm not sure how long I was in recovery but then the nurse helped me to the bathroom and told me to pee and to take my time and put on my clothes. I was put into a wheelchair and they gave my mother all the post op instructions, the dr stopped by and said my liver looked good. Next thing I know I'm in the recliner at home!

Today is my 2nd day post op and I'm in quite a bit of pain.. it hurts in my port area to stand up and sit down, lots of gas pain, and my back hurts. I've been taking hydrocodone every 4 hours and sipping on Protein shakes, broth and crystal light.

Thanks everyone for your support and I hope my story can help those that are soon to be banded!

[Steeners 0]

I just had my surgery yesterday, October 30th, in Seoul, South Korea. Things are done a bit differently here, but in a good way (I think).

My surgery was scheduled for 9am so I arrived at the clinic at 8:45. They took me to my room (which had nice flowers, cabinets, table and chairs, and pink bedspreads) to change into my hospital pajamas (which were also pink and quite comfy). From there they led me into the OR where I got on the table and they started prepping me for surgery. Dr. Kwon took my hand and said "Okay, now we're starting anesthesia," and I was out.

Next think I know, I'm waking up in the recovery room and my husband is in there with me. After 30 minutes - an hour maybe, they made me get up and walk to my room. They don't really have the same views on privacy in Korea as in the US, so I had to walk through the waiting room and I'm pretty sure I just waved as I walked by (I'm sure I looked awful).

The nurses gave me lots of pain medication, and bought lunch and dinner for my husband. Dr. Kwon also called a former patient of his to come act as my translator because he couldn't stay all day. She was really great--she actually had her band removed because she'd had some problems, but she's getting re-banded in a few months.

We left the clinic around 5:30pm... every time I tried to leave, they gave me another shot of something that would make me feel nauseous and I'd have to lie down for an hour. We made it home around 9pm (after a 40 minute taxi ride and 2-hour train ride) and now I'm just dealing with soreness and gas pains.

I have a cool little pain med pump called an Accufuser--I can take it out whenever I want, or wait for the medicine to run out which is about 2 days. I also have a compression band that I should wear around my midsection; it's mostly to keep the port from flipping during healing but it's also nice because I've had a cough and coughing is much easier with this thing. I've also got additional pain pills and antibiotics to take for 3 days.

I'll be on Clear liquids through today, and tomorrow I can start mushy foods. I go back to work on Wednesday, and on Saturday I can get my first fill.

Now I'm just trying to burp and fart (although farting doesn't really seem to be happening!) as much as I can to get rid of this pain. Hooray for bodily functions! :wink2:

[Sambug1 0]

Good Afrernoon. As of today I got to join the post op side.I had a great surgical experience and I swear DR.Robrscheib has the beest staff in the USA.Been home since about noon today.Havent taken any pain meds.Not really pain just soreness.Have sipped Water and ate popsicle.If everything continues to go this well I have no complaints.

[xardoz 1]

I was banded on Sept. 30th and I wish I could say it was as easy as so many here seem to have had it. Lots of muscular pain in my abdomen, but not unbearable. The hospital was short staffed that day, I'm told, and it took six hours before I could get someone to help me set up my CPAP after surgery. The worst part was the catheter. They had removed it while I was still under anesthesia, but it literally took a full week before I could pee normally.

That being said, the band seems to be working as advertised.