Lap Band Surgery Day Stories

[goingfoit 125]

I was banded on 9/11. Was at the hospital at 8:45 for a10:45 am surgery.I had my iv placed and a shot in my stomach to thin my blood. I was brought back to or around 11:45 and the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery in a lot of pain feeling like I couldn't breathe and throwing up. Once that subsided I was brought back to my room had an upper gI and dressed and walked around. I was released around 5. Once home I was very tired and in pain took some meds and slept the test of the day.I had alot of pain in my back neck and shoulder. I'm 5 days post op and still have pain from surgery and gas. I am still waiting to have a bm. I'm sure it will be a game changer if I could poop.

[Myndkandi 7]

Banded 9-17-12, had to be there at 6, surgery at 715. Anesthesiologist had to do my IV and then put happy drugs in. Woke up 2 hrs later, ready to go home! But these nurses made me wait til almost 4! Only got to drink 30 ml every 30 min. Not in pain ad long as I have pain pills in my system. Weird little indention wherd port is. Glad to be one of the herd of bandits! Oh and they didn't drug test or pprego test.

[Myndkandi 7]

Day 2 felt like poo. Make sure u don't forget ur phenegran or pain pills. Day 3 felt like day one, so that's an improvement! Yesterday I felt like I could feel something inside of me, but I think its all in my head.

[Wgbem 138]

Today is day 2 post op. feeling tired and a but nauseated at times. Just trying to understand that I really did this. My life will forever be changed. I hope this washed out feeling will go away soon.

[Wgbem 138]

Today is day 2 post op. feeling tired and a but nauseated at times. Just trying to understand that I really did this. My life will forever be changed. I hope this washed out feeling will go away soon.

[corgimom 17]

I had my surgery Monday 9/24/12. I got to the hospital at 5:45AM and they took me straight back, into a gown and started the IV. My hand was numbed for the IV and I must say I really appreciated that!! They allowed my husband to come back with me and then my parents once I had the IV. I got the shot of Lovenox in my stomach. I had several nurses, anesthesiologist, the surgeon, another surgeon all came in and everyone asked me why I was there. I was wheeled into the OR about 6:30 or so and moved onto the table. They put the mask on me and I was out like a light. I woke up in recovery and felt fine-just really really thirsty. The problems started when I tried to sit up. I had a pretty bad reaction to the anesthesia and was sick for the next 12 hours. I basically dry-heaved unless I was knocked out. The staff tried a lot of different things but nothing really helped until the meds got out of my system. It was supposed to be outpatient, but I ended up staying the night in the hosptial. By about 9 that night I started feeling better and could walk without issues. I went home the next day around 10 and have been doing pretty well ever since. My biggest advice is that if you feel like you might get sick from the anesethesia ask for something before they sedate you. I feel pretty good 3 days post op and have been walking, drinking my Protein and doing little things around the house.

[cathy45 9]

I finally get to post my surgery experience

I went to my pre-op check in and got my blood drawn and then was taking to a motel for the night and I got picked up at 7:30 am the next on Oct 4th, they asked for a urine sample and then I signed some papers and they sent me to room to get ready and put the ugly green gown and socks to go with and they had trouble getting a IV line cause i was so dehydrated and my veins were small but the nurse finally and I met the atheis and the doc and they both explained what they would do and he would do and my daughter and a friend finally there to be with me, I was not really nervous just a bit scared but I prayed to god to help me thro this which he did I dont remember much of going to the OR but I do remember waking up and them telling me to take deep breathes and they did give me lala dream meds and then I woke up with the two nurses around me, One told me that I made it and went well I thought I had a hernia and the dov said I didnt have one so thats good, and the others was checking vitals and my blood pressure was down so she put oxygen on me, I used it off and on while in hospital,

the surgery took 45 mins and I was in recovery for an hour, and my daughter and friend was still there and spent some time with me till they had to go, I did not feel much gas but have biltched up alot, and stomach does do rumbling as well, and i go bathroom which surprised the nurses I asked to do it early after surgery.lol, and then to walk . so they was surprised i doing so good, so they had me stay another night since I have asthma and sleep apnea, and then I got a ride back home next day on Friday, Still in pain but I know it is expected, And they didnt do the barium swallow with me since I was drinking liquids just fine and Jello but did take a pic of it to show me later I got send home with samples of Vitamins and Protein Drinks so will be able to try them tomorrow doc orders said Clear Liquids for two days, full liquids from day three to seven so they released me at 8am and I got a ride home, Hope this helped anyone oh and I got two shots in the belly for blood clots before I went in to surgery and before I was realsed today

[donnynguyen 2]

Just wanted to share my Lap Band Surgery day. I checked in at the hospital at 5:30 am this morning. I was escorted to the pre-op room where they asked me to fully undress and put a gown on. The nurses asked me numerous questions and made me feel real comfortable. The nurse asked me if I wanted to take something prior to going in the operation room, I guess to calm any nerves if I had any. I politely declined because I was cool as a cucumber. The anesthesiologist came by and asked a few medical background questions. Shortly thereafter the surgeon's nurse came by to go over the post op diet and pain medications they will be giving me. I did meet the surgeon just before being rolled back to the operation room.

So when I get into to the surgery room I got a little anxiety. Seeing all these robotic tools, medical lights, and "doctor stuff", made me feel a little nervous. They rolled me next to the surgery bed. They asked me scoot over onto to the table. They have arm and leg extensions where I was asked to spread on onto. I remember them strapping me down across my waist with my gown on. I am assuming they strapped my arms and legs down. I don't recall because the anestesia kicked in immediately.

I woke up in the post op room and felt sore. The nurse asked me if I needed to urinate. I did but declined because I'd figure I'd hold it until I got home. The nurse was insistent to urinate prior to leaving the hospital. The nurse wheeled me over to the restroom. I felt very weak. My shoulders and stomach was hurting. It was hard to stand up. The post op nurses came by and asking me alot of questions but I keep falling in and out of sleep. They wheeled me out to the front of the hospital where my ride was waiting.

When I got home I did not want to move. LoL. I was content just sleeping there. I was scared I was going to fall. Getting up and down was painful. So my mother got a office chair with wheels on it and rolled me to my room. I highly recommend a chair with wheels for when you get home. I didn't want to hold on to my 5 foot 4 asian mom for support. I slowly climbed into the bed and fell asleep. I woke up at 7pm this evening having to urinate. I was in alot of pain and felt like throwing up. Make sure you make yourself cough to get the stuff out. Initially before surgery I told my friends I wasn't going to use the pain meds they provide. I quickly changed my mind and took some liquid loratab. I also took some nausea medicine and used a gas x strip.

I am currently sitting on my recliner and typing this post. The pain has subdued dramatically and no longer feel like throwing up. I still haven't lifted my shirt to check out the scars yet. As a matter of fact I still have hospital socks on along with some leg warmers the hospital provided to help with blood clots. Well I hope this helps people that are about to take on this endeavor. Feel free to ask me any questions.

BTW, in my head food sounds good. But I am not physically hungry right now. I am in no mood to get back on liquids again. Just make sure you keep sipping Water.

[angelize 50]

i was banded on friday oct 5 at nyu....i had to be there at 11:30am. They called me right away and i went to sign all the paperwork,then they called me into the pre op room,where i had to pee in a cup,to make sure i wasnt pregnant,get a chest xray and get weighed.the scale used was kg,and it said i was 130kg...haha,i havent seen that number on a scale in yrs...lol

anyway,after that it was back to my pre op room,where the nurse met me and asked a bunch of questions to be sure i was ready for this.also,as hard as i tried,i couldnt get my wedding ring off(hasnt been able to come off in about 5 yrs)...so sadly,they had to cut it. which took forever!! they finally get it off,now its about 1pm. the surgeon comes in to see me,to explain the whole procedure and to answer any last minute questions that i may have.

he leaves,and another nurse comes in to take my blood pressure and to do a sugar test.Now all along,for years,doctors have been telling me that im borderline diabetic.Last week,after being on liquid diet for about a week,i had bloodwork done,and the nurse who reviewed my results that day said that my sugar was too low(92),and thats why they had to do it again.So,she pricks my finger and its 90...she says thats still too low...too low for what? i have been fasting for 2 weeks!! made no sense to me. After surgery,they tested it again,and it was 122...how weird is that? mustve been the iv.

now its about 130pm.

ok,so after that,yet another nurse comes into my room,and says its time to go to the operating room.so i walk there with her.We go in the room,and it is freezing!!! and i am NEVER cold!!! There are about 8 people in the room,including the surgeon. they tell me to lie down on the table,some gets a heated blanket and puts it on me....felt like heaven!!! then 2 people lift my legs and put on those massaging sleeves that prevent blood clots,felt nice and relaxing.while thats happening,someone else has me take my arms out of my gown and puts some kind of pillow wedge under my shoulder blades.Then they start the iv in my hand,while someone else starts asking me about my tattoos to distract me.The iv is in,and i feel liquid running down my hand,i lift my hand up and its full of blood! nurse says oh dont worry,i'll clean that!

While she's cleaning the blood,they add something to the iv,and tell me its gonna feel cold...i didnt feel it.

then they put the oxygen mask on me and tell me to breathe normally.....and thats the last i remember....

next thing,someone is calling my name...i slowlyt come awake and my throat is soooo dry that i can barely talk...the nurse gives me ice chips...omg they tasted like heaven!! i couldnt get enough. i ask her the time and she says 3:30pm....i stayed in recovery for about an hour before my husband came in,and i mustve drank 3 cups of ice chips and 3 glasses of Water before i started feeling better!! then she asked me to rate my pain on a scale from 1-10...10 being the worst...i said a 6,and they gave me pain meds in the iv. i ask her to take off my socks because i am very hot...she did,and then took my blood pressure...its too high,dont remember the number,, and she said they cant put me in a room,until its back to normal...she kept checking it every so often,and it was slowly going down...i never had a problem with high blood pressure before,but she said the anestisea can do that.....then hubby came in,he said that my surgery was over at 3:00pm,in nyu,they have a board with every patient and what stage they are at...but they wouldnt let him up until 430 for some reason,they told him i was in recovery but not ready yet...i think it was because of my blood pressure being too high... he stayed for a bit,then they had him leave because they said my room was ready...now its around 5:15-5:30.

my hubby leaves and the surgeon comes in...i mustve still been a little loopy,because all i remember him saying is that the surgery went well...i think he might've said that he repaired a slight hernia,but i cant be sure!! i will find that out when i see him on mon oct15,for my follow up visit.....surgeons should never talk to you after surgery,unless someone else is in the room with you...i was sooo out of it...lol

so,after he leaves,2 nurses come to wheel me up to my room....which, to my surprise was not only a private room,but had a beautiful view of manhatten and the water!!

my husband meets me in the room and the nurse follows and i ask for more water!! after i drink it,she asks me if i want chicken broth or vegetable...i chose veggie because by then i was sooo tired of chicken broth!!

it tasted great!!! then she had me get up and go pee,which i did. now it's 7pm,and i am dying to get out of there and go home to rest!! so she tells me,ok take your hubby and walk around the hospital a luttle bit and in the meantime, i will get your discharge papers ready...sounded good to me,but i wanted to put my clothes on first,so i had to wait for them to bring up my bag,which,imo,shouldve been there waiting for me! but whatever...i waited a half hour before they brought my bag,which had my eyeglasses in it,thats why i wanted to wait for it,instead of walking around the hospital blindly!

they finally take the things off my legs...omg they were making me sooo hot!!

finally,its 740 and they bring in my bag...i get dressed in the bathroom and as im lifting my arm,i see a tennis ball size lump under my arm...i ask the nurse about it,and she said oo thats normal,thats where they gave you the bloodthinner shot...i was wondering why my arm hurt like hell!!

now she takes my blood pressure one more time...its a lot closer to normal,just a little high..and takes out the iv....my hubby and i walk around the ward about 5 times,im hyped on drugs,feeling no pain and full of energy!! lol

by the time we get back to the room,the nurse is there with my discharge papers and instruction sheets...yahoo i am free to go!!

we parked right across the street,and there was a deli right there,so i had my hubby run in and get me a water bottle, because i was still very thirsty...a friend who had the surgery told me to bring a pillow to hold against my stomach during the car ride,so the bumps dont kill you! it worked and the ride home wasnt bad at all...but it also couldve been the meds! )

while i was in surgery,my hubby filled my script at the nyu pharmacy,so i had it before i went home,which was awesome...because the iv pain meds work quickly and fade quickly...so by the time we got home,i was ready for more.

we get home,i put on my most comfy pjs,(with my 10 yr old daughters help,as i couldnt really lift my legs,or bend at all)...i took the pain meds,got a glass of ice water and another glass with ice chips...laid on the recliner and thats where i stayed until the next morning.

all in all...not really so bad!!!

[DanaAdams 59]

Well, I am finally home! Whew! Ok...Well, the surgery itself was a breeze. I arrived at the day surgery center at 6:30am on Thursday morning. I went right on into the surgical area and they began prepping me for surgery. They gave me a gown and began my IV. Then, my doctor talked with me a moment and the anesthesiology doctor came in to talk with me. Then the anesthesia nurse came in and began to give me some sleepy meds. Actually, I believe the sleepy med was a more relaxing med than anything else.

Then, I was rolled into the Operating Room. I was talking to the surgical nurse about adoption and BAM! I didn't remember anything else until I woke up. My throat was scratchy and tickled quite a bit. I chopped on a little ice and was then rolled into my regular room. Within literally seconds my husband and my mom were with me. I did not hurt, although I did feel a lot of pressure from gas under my breasts. I immediately felt nauseated. I was given a nausea med called Zoftin? I am not sure that is exactly how it is spelled...but it didn't do anything to help me. And the gas was almost unbearable. They gave me pain meds although I was not really in big pain...and have not been...just a little sore. However, I did spend the night in the hospital due to me living so far away...at an hour and a half from my doctor.

I was allow to come home this morning and left the hospital by 10:30am. I was stillllll so nauseous. However, I took some of my pain meds and noticed that the pain meds took away my nausea! So, since I have been home I have taking my pain meds at THE right time without fail...and I notice that when it is about time for my meds to run out, I begin to feel sick again...and my gas pains seem to return.

My gas is doing MUCH better tonight. I have belched and expelled gas A LOT! Boy! I am sooooo glad! I am beginning to feel MUCH better.

As far as eating...well...drinking, I haven't had any problems except for the fact that chicken broth will NEVER enter my house again! Just something about that broth made me even sicker! So, I was able to sip just a few drops of beef broth...not much better..but little. Since I have been home, my husband brought me some ice pops and some juice. I noticed that I cannot eat anything that is salty or too sweet...Huh! Anyway, those ice pops and that juice is keeping me going for now. I am going to attempt some coffee in the morning....doc said it was cheating a little, but if I could tolerated it...then go for it!

Well, that is all I have for now...I am going to go and get some more medicine! Night all! And thank you guys for praying for me!

[Jlynn217 54]

I was banded 10-16-2012 Just two days ago. I drove about an hour and a half, or rather my mother drove, my husband and son rode along. I got to the surgical suites at 10:30 am, I waited in the waiting room for about 20 minutes, when they called me back i was nervous. The nurses prepped me, I got into a gown, gave me the blood thinner, started an IV, and my mom, husband and son came back to wish me good luck and see if they or I had any questions for the surgeon or the anesthesiologist. I signed papers and gave hugs and kisses to my family. they wheeled me back to the surgery room, they let me lay on a pillow, got me warm blankets, and talked to me, then the doctor announced he had started the sleepy med and I could just relax and would be up in about an hour, he was very friendly and I just dozed off.

I woke up in recovery with my nurse (the same one as Id had since my very first appointment with the clinic so i felt very comfortable) I could feel a little soreness, but it wasnt horrible, I had a very dry mouth and the nurse helped me sip water- which was amazing after having not had a drink since midnight the night before! They asked if I wanted to let my family know I was ready or if they should call them, I opted to text my mom and husband. they were there about ten minutes later. the nurse got me up to walk and go to the bathroom, make sure I had my bearings then they asked if I wanted to go ahead and leave or rest there a while, I opted to go ahead and leave since we had a long drive back and I would be sleeping all the way there anyways, I was asleep pretty much the entire way home and my mom drove us back to our home, I went right inside to my bedroom to lay down, my husband helped me get settled and then he went to retrieve my medicine from pharmacy. he brought it to me and the Loritab knocked me out for about 3 hours. I woke up and moved down to the couch and slept the rest of the night in the recliner. I was able to wake up enough to say goodnight to my kids and show them my band aids.

[Ms. Blue 42]

I attempted to document my day honestly and with humor http://thefatgirlthin.blogspot.com/2012/10/surgery.html

[Ms. Blue 42]

I attempted to document my day honestly and with humor http://thefatgirlthin.blogspot.com/2012/10/surgery.html

[Shackwacky 72]

I was banded this morning! Right now I am pretty sore and pretty stoned >>>> but knock on wood things seem to be going exactly as planned. Bit of pain in my shoulder and I feel like someone is stepping on my belly, but just to the point of uncomfortable. Does that make sense? I am glad to be here, and glad to be on the other side BEFORE CHRISTMAS

[aprilmmason 17]

I was banded on December 18. Instructed to be at the hospital by 6 AM for my scheduled 730 surgery. I got there right around 6 and checked in. Went to a waiting room, sat there for about a half hour til I was called into the OR holding room where they started getting me ready. The first thing they did is a pregnancy test. I guess everyone under 40 gets one at this hospital. Then I got into my beautiful hospital johnnie and slipper socks.

The nurse put an anti nausea patch behind my ear that was good for 3 days. Then she started an IV. I was then given a heparin shot in my stomach. Next was 2 different anti nausea meds into the IV and my lacerated ringers (like Gatorade but through the IV). It's was then time to wait...

Anesthesia came to talk to me, then the surgical team came in. The doc was last to arrive at 730 and he spent a few mins with me explaining the procedure. My friend the anesthesiologist came back and put something that made me very happy and relaxed into my IV. I was loopy by the time we hit the OR. 8:00 Transferred to the table, mask on the face and out like a light.

Woke up in recovery at 1015. My surgery had been over since 915ish. Very groggy in recovery but the nurses were great. Have me ice chips right away. They even washed the surgical soap off of me. Did I mention that I went into the OR in one gown and came out in another?? Lol they got a free show!

My surgeon requires an overnight stay but I didn't mind. I would have come home to chaos anyway... Was nice to be able to rest. I was put on a dilaudid PCA pump and allowed to hit the button every 6 minutes as needed. I didn't need it much.

Was up walking around a few hours after surgery and even went pee. Walked a few more times then bed. 730 am barium swallow and 9 am out the door.

I would do it again in a second. I'm 10 days post op now and feel pretty good. No complaints.