Getting Started...LOTS of Questions

[cadmania34 0]

I have just recently started looking into the lap-band. I am wondering about the recovery period. How long afterwards did most of you stay out of work? I have school and work during the week and weekends and I am wondering how much I will be able to handle?

I am curious about the pre-diet and the post-diet...is definatly worth it to change your eating and drinking habits? Especially those you are socialites. I do enjoy going out to eat and occasionaly drinking. I definatly want to lose weight and believe this is the right choice for me, I just want to know if I will feel like I am missing out on things that others will be able to enjoy? Like going out to dinner...

Is there anyone who had a great surgery, anyone who had an extremely difficult one? Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[AAA022414 13]

i had a great surgery. i had to stay overnight at the hospital per doctors orders. i had very little pain and none of the gas pain or shoulder pain that some people talk about. the only real hang up that i had was that i was tired, so naps were definetly helpful. i work full time and go to school full time...i ended up taking about 3 weeks off from work...i could have gone back sooner, but was fortunate enough to be able to take the time off. i ended up having to drop down to half time in school. for me all of the changes in my body and then going back to work and starting school all at once was a little too much for me. i had never dropped a class in my life so it was a big struggle for me to drop them...mentally i just could not handle it.

as for going out to eat and drinking...i can stll do that. there's just certain things i know i can eat without having any sort of problem so i just stick with that...for me it's salad. at first it was kinda hard, you don't want to order salad when everyone else is having steak and lasagna. but i know when i order salad that i will be able to sit at the table and enjoy the conversation and the company of your friends. i always order Water with my meal to feel a little bit normal. i've drank alcohol only a few time but have had no problems with it...however, i'm not a big drinker so i can't say that i really drink that much.

so when you go out just make sure that you stick with things that you know you can eat and that have some sort of nutritional value and then you can still enjoy the experience.

[Lanakila 1]

I am wondering about the recovery period. How long afterwards did most of you stay out of work? I have school and work during the week and weekends and I am wondering how much I will be able to handle?

You'll discover that you'll hear a HUGE range of answers on this. In all cases you must realize that experiences are highly individualized. I had surgery on a Thursday, stayed overnight because I use a CPAP and they monitor you after anesthesia. I went back to work and school on Tuesday (Monday was a holiday.) Take a week off of work, a full 7 days! Go back to school after about 3 days, or as soon as you feel that you can. You will NOT be able to carry a backpack or laptop bag, so invest in a rolling bag or work out an alternative. The post-op gas appears to be 90% of the reason that people suffer after surgery. I told my doc to "squeeze me like a Ziploc" before he closed me. Turns out, none of his patients have the gas problem 'cause he's really good about that anyway!

I am curious about the pre-diet and the post-diet...is definatly worth it to change your eating and drinking habits? I definatly want to lose weight and believe this is the right choice for me, I just want to know if I will feel like I am missing out on things that others will be able to enjoy?

The pre-op diet is really important for two reasons: 1) to shrink your liver so that the surgeon can move it out of the way well enough to not have to do an open surgery (open is when they actually open you like a c-section scar size) and, 2) to begin your mental adjustment to leaving food as you now know it. I thought that the mental adjustment was the hardest. You have to figure out how to recognize "head" hunger and develop some strategies for working against it.

Along those same lines, you will need to learn how to quit focusing on food and drink being such a focus on your socializing. You will eventually be able to eat nearly anything you like. Everyone has foods that they, individually, cannot eat such as Pasta, bread, steak, tough veggies. You'll figure yours out. Whenever you are out, just stick to things that you know are "safe" for you. The drinking isn't out of the question, you just need to come to grips with the fact that it isn't worth it. First of all, booze is all carbs so it really is an awful waste of nutrition. Personally, I take a half glass of wine once a week or so, and have had a shot. No point really in the shot. Not fun, and socially not really satisfying.

Remember that you will be chewing whatever you eat a LOT. Order a very small portion (appetizer or kids, or share) and as long as you are chewing properly it will last the entire meal. That's assuming that you stop when you get full too. You believe that you've made a good choice for yourself, so you'll be able to make the band work. It'll be hard for the first two months or so, but it will get easier after that.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I agree with Lanakila but wanted to cover the post op diet too...it is also VITAL to follow it per your surgeon's instructions because your band is lightly sutured into place around your stomach. It needs to heal and when you eat "real" food (even mushies!) your stomach churns like a little washing machine to aid in digestion. You DO NOT want that tummy churning the first few weeks while your band and stomach are healing and the band is settling into place. You can set yourself up for erosion and slippage down the road. While I truly believe in "question authority" as a lifestyle and encourage it in others (LOL) you need to do what your doc says for the preop and postop diet. I don't think it really is to mentally prepare you as much as it is to shrink your liver and then allow your stoma to heal. You have to do that...if you can't, don't get the band, it's not a good option for you!