male only Getting banded on June 27 - are my expectations realistic?

[gigem 0]

I am scheduled to be banded on June 27 by Dr. Spivak here in Houston. It's a Friday. I've got a party to go to the next night. I know I won't be eating or drinking there, but will I at least be able to make a brief appearance?

Also have some travel coming up. Mexico in late July, Europe in early August. I should feel OK then, right?

FYI, I'm 6'3" and weigh 290. My goal weight is maybe 215? If I follow the rules pretty closely, what sort of weight loss might I expect over the first few months?

Thanks, looking forward to a successful journey...

[heatherlynnTX 0]

hey there, i was banded by dr. spivak 5-23-08 and well, as i'm sure you know, he's the best. but i will say this, this "no down time" is totally overestimated. i didn't leave the house for 3 days. be sure to have the pain meds & gasX ready before you get home. drink plenty of Water and walk and you'll do fine, but unless you can wear loose clothes and bring a pillow, i would say--don't get your hopes up. it took me about a week till i started feeling up to myself.

also you will be totally fine for the trip! you will still be on mushies and you won't be able to lift anything over 10 lbs (i think), but you will feel totally great by then. i have read one thing about flying for bandsters, that the band has a tightening sensation when you're in the air, but it goes away when you get back on the ground. i think it's in that manual you got at the seminar. interesting.

now, as far as how much you lose in so much time--i do not know--everyone is different as far as that goes. i lost 10lbs the first week and dropping 2-3 lbs every 5 days or so, so far. who knows after the first fill and i am not being a stickler on fat free, sugar free. but i have been following everything else.

hopefully this helps.

hope everything goes great for ya!! i'm sure it will, keep us posted.

Edited June 9, 2008 by heatherlynnTX

[brandyII 9]

I'm sorry but my first reaction is to say "are you crazy"!!!LOL. But I won't, but I did, sorry.

I remember being disappointed because the Scottish Games were the weekend following my surgery and I always liked attending and couldn't go that year.

Sometimes just sitting up and wearing regular clothes can be uncomfortable, meaning jeans that button, you'll have a few incisions around that area.

My daughter had gastric bypass two weeks ago this Tuesday and she's finally walking around okay now and going out to stores etc... She's going to be taking a 3 hour each way car trip this Friday and as long as she's still wearing comfortable clothes and can recline a bit I think she'll be fine. I know they're two different surgeries but it was also done laproscopically and I don't remember too many specifics besides the "games" I missed because it was last august.

Good luck on your surgery and give yourself some rest and recoup time, brandyII:smile:

Edited June 9, 2008 by brandyII

[Cota129 0]

Um...my first reaction is "oh, hell, no." But you never know. You might feel great the day after surgery. Your body will tell you.

[Fenton 3]

I'm not sure whether or not those two last posters were dudes or not - this being "the Men's Room" - but it seems to me that men suffer a lot less from pain after the procedure.

That said, it does take a good day or two to get over the op, even though it's small. You *could* go to that party, but I wouldn't, and I doubt you'll want to on the night...

As far as expected weight loss goes, I'm three months out from surgery, and down about 60 pounds post-op (haven't weighed in for a while). But I started at a larger weight than you, so I burn faster.

Then again, all I'm doing for exercise is walking; you're light enough that the gym is a good option. If you hit the gym, you'll lose very quickly.

And heatherlynn's tip about walking is a very good one - walk, walk, walk!

[gigem 0]

Good info, thanks!

[brandyII 9]

I'm not sure whether or not those two last posters were dudes or not - this being "the Men's Room" - but it seems to me that men suffer a lot less from pain after the procedure.

That said, it does take a good day or two to get over the op, even though it's small. You *could* go to that party, but I wouldn't, and I doubt you'll want to on the night...

As far as expected weight loss goes, I'm three months out from surgery, and down about 60 pounds post-op (haven't weighed in for a while). But I started at a larger weight than you, so I burn faster.

Then again, all I'm doing for exercise is walking; you're light enough that the gym is a good option. If you hit the gym, you'll lose very quickly.

And heatherlynn's tip about walking is a very good one - walk, walk, walk!

OK,

I saw this as a new post and wasn't trying to go to the "Men's Room" intentionally but I have to say one thing. There aren't that many women out there who are married, as I have been for the past 26 years who would consider their husband as having a higher pain tolerance than they do! I'm sorry but it kind of makes me :lol:brandyII

[Fenton 3]

I'd always thought of women as having a significantly higher pain tolerance than men, but time and again, going through these boards, the people who seem to be suffering worst in terms of post-op pain are women. While there's a chance that men may just be holding back from expressing themselves for fear of being considered wussy, I think there's more to it than that - I had almost no post-op pain (I think I took tylenol once), and most of the men posting here also have strikingly little pain.

I'm not sure if your implication was that I was saying that women were being wusses - that wasn't it at all. I just think that, for whatever reason, this surgery is more uncomfortable for women than for men.

[brandyII 9]

I'd always thought of women as having a significantly higher pain tolerance than men, but time and again, going through these boards, the people who seem to be suffering worst in terms of post-op pain are women. While there's a chance that men may just be holding back from expressing themselves for fear of being considered wussy, I think there's more to it than that - I had almost no post-op pain (I think I took tylenol once), and most of the men posting here also have strikingly little pain.

I'm not sure if your implication was that I was saying that women were being wusses - that wasn't it at all. I just think that, for whatever reason, this surgery is more uncomfortable for women than for men.

You got me there, I guess what I was referring to and a lot of women have shared is that when men get "sick" with a cold or something it's always the end of the world. If you've seen a lot of posts from women in general complaining of pain and I probably have seen them too I apologize. I guess in general as we birth babies we're considered to have higher tolerances to pain, not that we do it pain free of course!

But I agree that the surgery in general was probably the easiest one I have ever had. I even stayed the night, my choice, to avoid any complications as I've been know to be a "bleeder" as I've gone through varicose vein surgery and have had three significant bleeding episodes since then and didn't want to go through that with all the incisions on my stomach area.

Didn't happen with the lap band surgery and the only pain I remember was related to the gas that was still in my system and walking helped with that. They didn't give me a pain pump, just tylenol extra strength but the only thing I really needed was to get some rest as we all know surgery will take it out on you. Sorry didn't mean to offend, brandyII:smile:

[Fenton 3]

I wasn't offended - I hadn't meant to offend!

[mediummike 0]

You may be able to make a brief appearance - but don't push it. I was on the treadmill the day after surgery and spent some of that afternoon walking through a local mall. Very little pain. I was a bit uncomfortable at night (couldn't sleep on my side) which threw off my sleeping schedule, and I did tire pretty easily. But again, listen to your body and rest if you even think you need to !

[brandyII 9]

I wasn't offended - I hadn't meant to offend!

Good!:biggrin:

[Froggi 4]

I'm not sure whether or not those two last posters were dudes or not - this being "the Men's Room"

lol I am not a man no, but It was my idea for the girls to have a forum for just them to talk in and guys come in there and talk already, so I don't think it should matter if girls are coming in here and guys are coming in there. :biggrin:

[Fenton 3]

Oh, good! I've been DYING to contribute to the Waxing thread!

[Froggi 4]

Have at it. lol