Lap Band Surgery Day Stories

[riley4183 0]

Hello everyone. Yesterday I had my LAP-BAND® installed and I got engaged. I proposed to my girlfriend before we left for the surgery center. The day was all about new beginnings for me and I couldn't think of a better day to do that. (She said Yes by the way :sad:)

The surgery was the easy part and now comes the work. I'm confident that this will be one of the best decisions that I ever made. Good luck to all of you and God bless.

Congratulations!!! What a great story. I wish you and your fiance all the best in your new lives!!!

[cshytle 0]

I had my surgery on Oct. 13th . Things went pretty much as expected. We arrived at the hospital at 8am for my 10 am surgery. I didn't get into surgery until 10:44...i saw the clock on the wall. I didn't have any problems during the rest of my stay except I was very sleepy. By the time I got home at 4:30...I live an hour away from the hospital and we had to make two stops on the way home...one for Water and the other for my meds. I was having some bad gas pains. I had to walk around in the parking lot of the CVS for awhile. I was having alot of pain by the time I got home and was uncomfortable for pretty much the entire day. I slept on the couch so I could prop up. Today I am sore but do not have the pain that I had yesterday in my chest:smile:. Hopefully It will not return. I have been tolerating Jello and broth very well. I never thought that broth would be so good.

[txtigergirl 0]

My surgery was a little less than a week ago (10/15/09). I arrived at the hospital at 10AM with my hubby and parents in tow. After the initial paperwork that hospitals and insurance companies love so much, I was sent up to "holding tank #1"--a pretty nice private room with chairs for my family and a gurney for me. I got changed into the gown and non-slip socks and went back to my gurney to wait. After getting the IV plugged in and answering more questions from the nurses, I got moved to "holding tank #2" about an hour later.

The anesthesiology nurse met with me, as did my surgeon, just to make sure I didn't have any last minute questions. The nurse gave me a dose of what felt like 8 tequila shots and rolled me into the operating room. I fuzzily remember climbing onto the operating table and getting told to tilt my head back for the mask over my nose and mouth. Surgery must not have taken long at all, as my family had barely had enough time to go get lunch and come back before being told I was done (they left when I was sent to holding tank #2).

I vaguely remember getting moved from the operating table back to the gurney, though I don't think I really woke up until I was safely ensconsed in the recovery room. I wondered how awake I was because the nurses kept talking about some kid in a homemade hot air balloon floating over Colorado. :cursing: I felt fine, other than being really thirsty.

About 30-45 minutes later, I was taken via wheelchair for a barium swallow - thick, chalky stuff you swallow as they watch via X-ray (or whatever cool technology) to make sure liquid can pass through the band.

After passing that test, I went to another room with a big recliner with my hubby and waited to get discharged. When they came to check my vitals again, I kind of felt "blah" - turns out my blood pressure was pretty low (95/65) so the nurse hooked up another IV bag. After draining it, my blood pressure had gone up sufficiently to make me feel better and for the nurse to discharge me.

I was home and nesting into my favorite sofa around 5:30. Luckily I haven't needed any of the anti-nausea medicine my doc prescribed. I switched to plain ol' ibuprofen after day 1 as the prescribed pain meds did nothing for the pain (just made me sleepy).

Hope this helps any newbies or anyone reading this considering getting banded!

[txcloverangel 0]

My band was put in place Tuesday (10/20/09).

The surgery went off without a hitch.

When the Man-of-My-Dreams and I got to the hospital my nerves kicked in big time.

Waiting in the waiting room before they called me back didn't help much.

Then I got to put on my oh-so-very-stylish hospital gown and got ready.

The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me and he made me feel so much better.

It didn't hurt that he was a cutie pie!

I told him he could give me whatever he wanted and I'd be fine with it.

After a quick hug and kiss from the Man-of-My-Dreams, I was off to the OR.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room.

I had a wonderful nurse there with me who kept saying what I great attitude I had, I think it was just because I kept making jokes tho...

After I was more awake they walked me over to a cool x-ray thingie and had me do a swallow test, you could actually see the liquid go through your system and band, they don't want to send you home until they are sure your not too swollen to allow liquid past your band.

They went and got the-Man-of-My-Dreams, he helped me get dressed and we were outta there!

Once we got back to the hotel, I spent most of the day sleeping off the good drugs Dr. Cutie gave me in the OR.

I felt better than I thought I would.

Yes, there is pain. But nothing like I expected!

It's amazing how much holding a small pillow over your tummy helps after surgery!

I have 5 small incisions.

The largest one (maybe an inch and a half long) is where they placed my port. It is the most painful, which is understandable, because they stuck something in there and left it in there!

Wednesday I had more pain.

It's amazing how much you use your abdominal muscles!

Once they have been cut, you realize it!

We are back home and I'm recovering well.

I feel like I've been hit by a Mac Truck, but it's tolerable.

This is the beginning of my new life!

Every change, even for the better, hurts.. right?

[Btflmutant 0]

I was banded October 8th by Dr. Alana Chock at NWWLS, in Everett, Washington. My experience was very similar to Timmers, who posted just recently. They have a great staff, and since all they do is Lapbands, they've got the system down pat. I checked in at 6:00 a.m. for a 7:00 surgery. Filled out an abbreviated medical history form, and then went to change into a gown, slippers and a nice large terrycloth robe that FIT. I went back to the preop area, where my husband was waiting for me, and the surgical nurse told me what the plan of action would be. She gave me a heparin shot in my thigh, which burned a little, but wasn't bad. She also put a scopalamine patch on behind my ear to prevent nausea. The anesthesiologist came by and we had a little chat, he examined my airway and then started my IV. He did a wonderful job; I didn't feel the IV at all, and I have a teeny tiny bruise; usually I have a purple spot the size of a quarter after an IV! Dr. Chock came over and told me that I did a great job with my pre-surgery weight loss, and gave me some 'homework' - to walk 40 minutes a day. I can do 4 10 minute stretches at first, but need to work up to 40 minutes in a row.

So then - surgery! A nurse came to get me; I gave DH a hug and kiss and off I went. Walked down the hall to the OR; it was COLD and the anesthesiologist was waiting for me, along with 2 other nurses. I hopped up on the table, they put a pillow under my legs, put the pressure booties on my legs...and I started getting really nervous. The anesthesiologist said "I think I'm going to give you a little bit of sleep meds, because you seem a little nervous, ok?" and the next thing I remember is someone calling my name, and when I opened my eyes I was in recovery! It was a struggle to keep my eyes open, and I had double vision but felt ok. It was uncomfortable to take deep breaths, but my O2 sats kept dropping and the nurse kept popping in to say "Breathe! Keep breathing!". Eventually they put a nasal cannula on me, with oxygen, and that did the trick. It also helped wake me up! I was able to sip ice Water - had 4 glasses or so during recovery. They got me up and walking after about 20 minutes - walked down to a post op area with a recliner, where I hung out for a while. I was feeling ok, but needed some morphine for shoulder pain. After a while I felt good enough to leave, so I got dressed and they cleared me to go. I am really lucky that I only live 10 minutes from the center - I was home by 11:15 a.m.!

I spent most of the day dozing, and keeping up on my pain meds so it wasn't too bad. I was pretty uncomfortable yesterday; the worst part was that I had very blurry vision which was concerning me. I called the clinic and the nurse asked me if I still had the scopalamine patch one - I did - apparently one of the side effects is blurry vision! So off it came, and my vision improved greatly. :seeya: It worked well, though - no nausea!

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. The staff at NWWLS is sooooo supportive - the majority of them have bands, so they know first hand what you're going through. I love them!:smile:

I had my surgery by the same surgeon today. Only problem I am having is from the gas. Can't sleep because of the gas pain but everything else went great. Was surprised to find out I had lost over 11lbs this week on pre-op diet! Excited to see it melt away in the coming months!

[photo01886 0]

I had my lapband surgery on September 21, 2009. My sister came to the hospital with me. She had the surgery back in February of 2007. I figured my husband would go crazy waiting for the surgery to be done. We got to the hospital at 7:30am and I was scheduled to go to the operating room at 10:30. I remember going to the waiting area and meeting with the surgeon and the anesthiologist and everyone was so nice and friendly. I barely remember moving on to the surgery table and the next thing I know I was waking up and then back in my room. I was given pain medication in my IV but never used the morphine pain pump! I got a little freaked out when the doctor told me that while doing the lapband surgery they found a tumour on my stomach! They did a quick biopsy and the surgeon took the tumour out and sent it to an outside lab. She said I would have had to have it removed eventually so I "killed" two birds with one stone! I left the hospital the next day feeling pretty well. I even got up and went to my 10:30 Anthropology class on Wednesday! I never even filled the percocet (sp) prescription. On my 1 week post op visit I had lost 14 pounds and found out the tumour was benign. I could be a walking advertisement for the band. I have only lost 8 more pounds in the following 3 weeks but hope to increase that once I get my first "adjustment". I have had a great experience so far. The only thing I am having trouble with is that I don't feel much restriction. I have been very good as far as the eating goes. I think I am not eating more out of fear than being full. Waiting to see how the first adjustment goes. So far so good.

[justgigi 0]

I had the band surgery yesterday. Had to be at the hospital at 6:30am (I live 2 hours away). Everything went smooth and quick. Had the Lovenox shot in my belly to prevent blood clots, a bag of IV fluids, and changed into gown & footies. I went to the OR around 8am. Great experience with all the surgical staff, very kind. Only difficult experience was I woke up in recovery vomiting and this was quite painful. Stayed in recovery for about an hour and then went to the holding area. I was on the way home by 2:00 pm. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but this was a little more painful than I expected. It might have had something to do with the experience in recovery. The 2 hour drive home was hard (didn't realize how many stomach muscles you use by riding in a car). It felt good to be home. Took the pain meds the Dr. prescribed every 4 hours during the night. Feeling better today, just really sore. I agree with the comments regarding using the Gas-X strips after you leave. Trying to drink alot of fluids so I won't get dehydrated but I have no desire to try anything else.

I appreciate everyone's comments on this website. It was very helpful in getting prepared for the surgery.

[Deekel 0]

Got to the hospital at 1:15. Put on fashionable booties and gown. Sat in a large recliner in small personal pre-op room(my hubby was allowed in with me.) They started my IV fluids and I met with the anesthesiologist. They gave me a shot in my belly- it really didn't hurt at all- I swear! It was a blood thinner. And I drank some nasty tasting stuff to reduce my stomach acid. I said goodbye to my husband and walked into the surgery room at 3:15pm. I won't lie- it was scary looking, but I got up the courage not to cry. I stepped up on a step stool, then onto the table and they covered me with a nice warm blanket. I remember an oxygen mask going over my mouth and that was it. I woke up and thought, "Why is there a funny orange head staring at me?" I forgot Halloween is coming up and there was a Jack-O-Lantern on the nurses desk in the recovery room across from my bed, lol! My husband and Mom were allowed in right before they brought me to my room at 7:45pm. I had no pain, just groggy. My eyes kept wanted to close.

It was a long sleepless night. I didn't mind them getting me up to walk every two hours, it was just annoying to be hooked back up in bed to the heart monitor, blood pressure cuff, booties that circulate your blood in your legs, the oxygen up my nose that dried out my mouth and sinuses and the lady in the next bed invented reasons to complain if she couldn't think of any! Finally at about 2:30am the gas pain hit my back and shoulders and I thought, "What the heck have I done to myself." The nurse came in and saw how upset I was. He reminded me I had refused pain medication up until that point. You see, I'm allergic to so many medications, I was afraid to try a new one. I only take Tylenol when something hurts. I broke down and said I'd try the Dilaudid. I fell asleep before they finished putting it in my IV and I slept soundly for the next 3 hours! Moral of the story kids- sometimes it's ok to admit pain and take the meds the Dr. prescribes. I would have saved myself a miserable night if I hadn't been so stubborn.

The next day wasn't so bad. I walked as much as possible to break up the gas. They wheeled me down to x-ray to drink a dye and make sure the Fluid was passing through my band o.k. Unfortunately it was going through really slow. They determined that it would be o.k. for me to go home though because I had a rather large hernia repaired right near the band and it looked like it was a lot of swelling from that. I got my prescription filled on the way home and fell asleep. I'm a belly sleeper and must have turned over in my sleep- it wasn't fun turning back over but I was glad to have slept a few hours.

Since then, I walked when I could and rested when I needed to. Each day is a little better. The incisions don't hurt as much as the stupid gas in my back and I've been walking a whole lot. I went back to the Dr. on Thursday afternoon and was moved to phase II diet- farina, sugar free pudding, yogurt and low fat creams Soups on top of Clear liquids according to my surgeon. I realize everyone Dr is different as well as every patient. That is his particular diet. All in all, I'm glad I did it, but I'll be happier when I lose this gas pain.

[melloways 0]

Could someone describe their surgery experience at NYU medical center?

[deepinfl 0]

Well, good for you! I wish that when I had mine it had an overnight stay. I was in and out in just about 4 hours. Too fast and no pain treatment. However, now it's almost 2 years later, I have lost 140 pounds, 5 pounds BELOW my goal and I'm really glad I did! You have the rest of your life ahead of you and it WILL get better!! Good luck to you. Denise

[Tory09 1]

Hi guys ! I had my surgery on Thursday 10/22. I went in at 0700 and my surgery was scheduled for 0900. I did the same thing - got the gown, botties, shot in hip, and had to do a pee test. They wheeled me back to OR at 0830, ahead of schedule. My dr did have to repair a severe hiatal hernia before the lb procedure and he did take a liver biopsy. He said my liver looked a tiny bit fatty so he just wanted to check it - but said it will rejuvenate and get better with weight loss. My surgery was at 0830 and they let me stay the night and I didnt leave the hospital till afternoon on Friday. I am doing pretty good. Stopped taking the pain meds on saturday. I am going to try to go back to work for a half day tomorrow. Today is the first day I feel pretty good. I am losing over 2 lbs a day so thats cool. I am sure that will taper off. I actually am feeling restriction like when i eat 3 oz of yogurt or sf Jello. I got the smaller LAP-BAND® so I am sure I wasnt supposed to feel restriction yet but I am. Yea... How are you guys doing on your progress?:wink2:

[Wanjiku 0]

We went in at 6:30am for an 8:30am surgery appointment. Got checked in, garbed in gown and slip-free socks and then the doctor came in for a visit to say “hi” and answer any questions I might have. After that, the anesthesiologists came by and explained what they were going to do. They gave me a numbing shot in my hand, inserted the IV and started a saline drip. My eyes glazed over and I immediately started to feel groggy. I asked the nurse anesthetist what he had given me and he remarked, “nothing yet”. Guess I’m highly susceptible to the placebo effect! They gave me a heparin shot in my stomach which really didn’t hurt much at all and then told me that they were going to give me stuff to make me sleepy and it would take about 30 seconds to kick in. It hurt a fair bit at first going into my hand and then all I remember is asking my BF for a kiss.

The next thing I remember was chattering a lot and fading in and out in a recovery room. I slowly woke up and became aware of a nice warm sensation all over my body. They had hooked me up to some sort of hot air warming system that inflated a pouch inside my gown with soothing warm air. It was wonderful! I was thirsty so I asked for some ice chips which they promptly brought to me. I spent about an hour and a half in recovery and then they wheeled me to my room. I got ice Water to sip on and my BF came to sit with me.

I was surprised by how good I felt. I didn’t really feel any pain except for when I tried to move around and experienced the soreness of my stomach muscles. Drinking Water was fine and I didn’t feel any “tightness” in my stomach.

After a few hours, they wanted me to eat something to see if I got nauseous. They brought me a popsicle, lemon icee, Jello and apple juice. These things were all sugared and I am diabetic – but they said it was fine to have. I got the popsicle and Jello down without any trouble, which seemed to please them. Soon a foodservice person appeared with a big platter of more stuff – tea, broth, milk, pudding, and cream of chicken Soup. Having been told that I could only have Clear Liquids, I figured they’d made a mistake and didn’t eat the stuff. The nurse came in and asked why I hadn’t touched it. Apparently, they had moved me on to the phase 2 diet without informing me. She said I needed to eat some “full” liquids to check for nausea as they were planning on discharging me early (I had originally been scheduled to stay overnight). I was more than happy to try them if that’s what it would take to get to go home (I was getting bored in the hospital room). The full liquids went down just fine too.

Later on, the dietitian came by to explain the post-op diet to me in detail and a few hours after that, the surgeon came by to check on me and to answer my questions. He was very friendly and told me that everything had gone smoothly with the surgery. He asked me if I wanted to go home or stay and I requested to go home so he wrote up a prescription for painkillers and told me that he was going to discharge me. I got to pack up and go home!

We went to Walgreen's to fill my prescriptions and spent about 20 minutes walking around waiting. That's when the gas pains started. At first, I wasn't sure what they were, but I felt sharp pains in my back, shoulders and abdomen. It was pretty unpleasant. When I got home, I took some gas-x strips and a painkiller and went to bed. I tried laying flat in the bed, but felt a great deal of stretching in my stomach area when I was horizontal so I opted to sleep sitting mostly upright in a recliner which was much more comfortable. The next morning, the gas pains were gone and all I felt was abdominal soreness.

One issue I did notice post-surgery was that I couldn’t seem to pee normally. I was able to pass urine, but it was slow and required a great deal of pushing. They didn’t seem overly concerned, though as I passed an adequate quantity of urine. I’m now one day post-op and I’m still having trouble urinating. If it hasn’t normalized by this afternoon, I plan to call the doctor.

Over all, the surgery was less painful and went smoother than I had anticipated. It's still kind of hard to believe that it's over. I’m now looking forward to a new life with the band!

Edited October 29, 2009 by Wanjiku

[PrincipalsOffice 16]

We went in at 6:30am for an 8:30am surgery appointment. Got checked in, garbed in gown and slip-free socks and then the doctor came in for a visit to say “hi” and answer any questions I might have. After that, the anesthesiologists came by and explained what they were going to do. They gave me a numbing shot in my hand, inserted the IV and started a saline drip. My eyes glazed over and I immediately started to feel groggy. I asked the nurse anesthetist what he had given me and he remarked, “nothing yet”. Guess I’m highly susceptible to the placebo effect! They gave me a heparin shot in my stomach which really didn’t hurt much at all and then told me that they were going to give me stuff to make me sleepy and it would take about 30 seconds to kick in. It hurt a fair bit at first going into my hand and then all I remember is asking my BF for a kiss.

The next thing I remember was chattering a lot and fading in and out in a recovery room. I slowly woke up and became aware of a nice warm sensation all over my body. They had hooked me up to some sort of hot air warming system that inflated a pouch inside my gown with soothing warm air. It was wonderful! I was thirsty so I asked for some ice chips which they promptly brought to me. I spent about an hour and a half in recovery and then they wheeled me to my room. I got ice Water to sip on and my BF came to sit with me.

I was surprised by how good I felt. I didn’t really feel any pain except for when I tried to move around and experienced the soreness of my stomach muscles. Drinking Water was fine and I didn’t feel any “tightness” in my stomach.

After a few hours, they wanted me to eat something to see if I got nauseous. They brought me a popsicle, lemon icee, Jello and apple juice. These things were all sugared and I am diabetic – but they said it was fine to have. I got the popsicle and Jello down without any trouble, which seemed to please them. Soon a foodservice person appeared with a big platter of more stuff – tea, broth, milk, pudding, and cream of chicken Soup. Having been told that I could only have clear liquids, I figured they’d made a mistake and didn’t eat the stuff. The nurse came in and asked why I hadn’t touched it. Apparently, they had moved me on to the phase 2 diet without informing me. She said I needed to eat some “full” liquids to check for nausea as they were planning on discharging me early (I had originally been scheduled to stay overnight). I was more than happy to try them if that’s what it would take to get to go home (I was getting bored in the hospital room). The full liquids went down just fine too.

Later on, the dietitian came by to explain the post-op diet to me in detail and a few hours after that, the surgeon came by to check on me and to answer my questions. He was very friendly and told me that everything had gone smoothly with the surgery. He asked me if I wanted to go home or stay and I requested to go home so he wrote up a prescription for painkillers and told me that he was going to discharge me. I got to pack up and go home!

We went to Walgreen's to fill my prescriptions and spent about 20 minutes walking around waiting. That's when the gas pains started. At first, I wasn't sure what they were, but I felt sharp pains in my back, shoulders and abdomen. It was pretty unpleasant. When I got home, I took some gas-x strips and a painkiller and went to bed. I tried laying flat in the bed, but felt a great deal of stretching in my stomach area when I was horizontal so I opted to sleep sitting mostly upright in a recliner which was much more comfortable. The next morning, the gas pains were gone and all I felt was abdominal soreness.

One issue I did notice post-surgery was that I couldn’t seem to pee normally. I was able to pass urine, but it was slow and required a great deal of pushing. They didn’t seem overly concerned, though as I passed an adequate quantity of urine. I’m now one day post-op and I’m still having trouble urinating. If it hasn’t normalized by this afternoon, I plan to call the doctor.

Over all, the surgery was less painful and went smoother than I had anticipated. It's still kind of hard to believe that it's over. I’m now looking forward to a new life with the band!

Just FYI about the pee :thumbdown: It sounds similar to when I had my c-section. Something about messing with your belly muscles makes it wierd to use them to "push" ya know?... It took a couple days before I was "normal" again. Just a thought!

[Wanjiku 0]

Here's a funny one for you all -

So...I was banded yesterday in the AM and was checked in to a hospital room around noon. At about 1pm, I got a roommate - an older woman who had just undergone eye surgery. Her daughter came in to sit with her and the nurse came in and gave her a menu to order "whatever she wanted - and as much as she wanted" from foodservice. She was SO excited! She kept repeating over and over how great hospital food was and how amazing it was that she could order just like she was in a restaurant. Oh my goodness - I kid you not - they spent an hour (no exaggeration) discussing the menu and different foods they like and don't like (and why). Fortunately, I wasn't feeling hungry or interested in food at all - I just found the whole situation rather humorous. THEN her food arrived and they spent another 30 minutes discussing it! My BF and I were cracking up at how absurd the whole thing was - we think it would make an awesome cartoon for bandsters to chuckle at!

[MyBandJourney2009 0]

My surgery was Oct. 21st. It went better than I had been afraid it would. I've never had any surgery or been put to sleep, so that part of it was worrying me. BUT,,, I got to the hospital and it went very smoothly. I woke up with some guy telling me it was time for my procedure,,, sorta freaked me out,,, after all, was I not waking up from my procedure??? After I calmed down, I realized it was time to drink that good chalky stuff for the ex ray. All was good. I went back to my room, and went back to sleep. I think the meds from surgery just were not out of my system. I had a lot of discomfort from the air/gas,,, but I seemed to sleep through it, so guess it wasn't so bad, lol.

Since my surgery was at noon, I had to stay over to the next morning. It was good I did,,, I got some good sleep. But, I will tell anyone reading this,, when they tell you it's important to W A L K after surgery to help with all the air pressure,,,, they really mean it. I didn't have the best nurse during the night and since I was sleeping off and on,,, they didn't get me up to walk, I found out later they were suppose to,,, and I think it made a difference in the amount of pain I had from the air. I felt so bad when I got home the next day that it hurt to walk,,, so I didn't. That was all a big mistake,,, it took my air about 7 days to totally leave,,, and it was after I started walking a lot that it got better. sooooooooo,,,, walk, walk, walk!!!

Other than that,,, my surgery want great,,, my recovery went great,,, the only cut that gave me problems was the port site and that's just because it's attached to the muscle and when you move, it moves and till it heals,,, it hurts to move a certain way. I slept on the couch for about 8 days and it felt much better to be propped up that way then laying flat. On the 9th night,,, my port site felt good enough I could lay flat and move around in the bed at night and it not bother me,,,, yaaaa.

Now, with it being 2 weeks since surgery, I feel totally normal, like I never had the surgery. Just a little twinge in my port site if I do something that really stretches that part of my stomach. I don't feel that I have any restriction,,, well I don't yet, but I must still have some swelling because I tried to eat a small piece of bread and it had a lot of trouble going down,,, sorta like a huge rock was sitting on my stomach. I will get my first fill in 3 weeks and am very excited for that day.

Good luck to all that are having the surgery,,, it's not a bad surgery and afterwards, the recovery time is very quick. The only downside I can tell you that I feel is having to diet hard and not eat when you are hungry and dealing with the head hunger,,, but in my opinion, it's what we have all dealt with during our lives with any diet we go on. The difference with this is,,, we will loose the weight, the band is there to help us with our portions and when we reach our goals,,, the band will always be there to help us keep the weight off. I don't know about all of you,,, but for me, the band will work much better than my willpower alone.

Again,,,, good luck and God Bless us all.:drool: