what is the actual surgery like?

[lovecats85 2]

Like many other people considering the band, I am scared of the surgery. I've never been under before.

[DeLarla 22]

It's just like any other surgery where they prep you first, then take you into surgery, then put you under. Soon you are awake in another room with no memory of the surgery. For the band, they normally have you put on these tight stockings to help prevent clotting, then they put an IV in you till they're ready to wheel you into the surgery room. I always go in with a sense of humor, which helps tremendously. I ask for Tequila in my IV bag, and that gets the team laughing, which decreases the tension. All you see are masked faces. Soon the anesthesiologist is standing over you, then you are awake. Sometimes they have you count backwards from 10, but you're out by the time you get to 9.

[lovecats85 2]

is it a twilight sleep b/c it's laproscopic or is it full out being under. did you feel weird or sick when you woke up? how long does the surgery take?

[Marimaru 7]

It's all the way under. For me, I was in the prep room, and then I woke up in recovery. I have no memory of an entire conversation that I had with a doctor, then I apparently handed my boyfriend my glasses and was wheeled into the OR. Surgery was about 45 minutes I think, and my doc said everything went perfectly. I was suprised to wake up in pain, mostly I think because my brain didn't record the part where they put me under for surgery. Once I sat up a little and woke up a little more and stuff I was sore, but not in as much pain as I thought I was originally.

[Mariposa Bella 3]

My surgery was like Delarla's except for the thigh high sexy stockings, I actually walked into the surgery room, my designer gown and all. The only worst part of it was the picture the doctor took of me buck naked to document my weight, so that I could see where I was and then compare. That was horrible. The last thing I remember is telling the anesthesiologist, please let me wake up, I have to go home to my three children and he reassured me that I was in good hands and that was it. I remember waking up in the recovery room and an hour later I was in my room. I was uncomfortable because of the gas, my right shoulder was very sore, but nothing I couldn't handle. My mom was w/ me so that was nice and I stayed overnight with her at my side. The next day, I left the hospital about noon and went home to recover. The surgery was simple and I thanked God for letting me come home to my kids.

[TrishS 3]

I waited an hour in the pre-op room.. or maybe longer. I had a blood thinner shot that had to take effect. and I had my stockings and They gave me a shot to relax me right before I was wheeled in.. My Dr. was talking to me but I kept falling asleep lol.. then they came to wheel me back and I kissed me hubby and cried the whole way... then they made get on another table and i remember having a mask over my face taking deep breathes.. like one.. I was out! I woke up in recovery asking "Am I skinny yet?" Then I got wheeled into my room and I watched the snow fall... I was so out of it.. it was fun!!! LOL

[vinesqueen 2]

I have no memory of my actual surgery. I did get the naughty-nurse stockings though.

my experience: they had me go potty, and put on the stockings. Then they started the IV, several people came to talk to me, but I was out-gone before I was even wheeled away from the starting bed.

Woke up in my hospital room, didn't have a single memory of the recovery room.

[Heather Joy 0]

".. I was out! I woke up in recovery asking "Am I skinny yet?" "

LOL i asked my family that when i saw them in recovery too!LOL I had them laughing in an otherwise tense moment:-D

[Persimmon 0]

Fully out like any real surgery. Mine took 50 minutes, and per my surgeon that was 10 min longer than it should've but she had a glove break to had to stop for a few minutes to deal with that.

It was like time travel to me...one minute I was saying something and I woke a while later trying to finish the sentence in Recovery...

Nancy

is it a twilight sleep b/c it's laproscopic or is it full out being under. did you feel weird or sick when you woke up? how long does the surgery take?

[NJChick 3]

You know what bothers me about the surgery. Its not the needles, its not the surgical procedure itself...... Its the embarassment of them seeing me stark naykiiiiiiid with my flubber ooozing off each side of the table. Yeah I know I know, they've seen it before and that is the truth..... but this is mine and they haven't seen it yet LOL ROFL !!!

(I know its silly but the feelings are real)

[coyotegirl 3]

I sooooo know what you mean NJChick!! I felt the same way and to this day 8 months post op When ever I see my surgeon I think "is he thinking of how bad I looked during surgery?"

We are silly I'm sure but hey we are human!!

[Parvathi 2]

I don't remember any of the surgery itself. I do however remember lying on the table waiting to be rolled into the surgery room. When they finally started to take me in there, I saw the stark white walls of the room and thought - "Oh gawd .. I don't think I wanna do this!!". Within 2 minutes I was completely out LOL - which is a good thing cause otherwise I would have probably jumped off the table and ran out the door.

When I woke up in recovery, I was in a bit of pain and remember thinking, "What have I done?!?"

That said, those few moments of panic were well worth it. I've never been happier.

[Brissiebabe 0]

Hey,

Well my surgeon got me and another paitent confused and told me I had at least 3 hours to wait before surgery. The nurse came in and prepared me and by the time I'd had an antiseptic shower, they were back to get me for surgery, it was less than half an hour since he'd told me this. I was was out for just under an hour, I remember waking up in recovery telling the nurse that Mum was waiting for me and I had to go back to my room. When I got back Mum said all I could say to her was "wanna see my stitches & staples?". I was a bit of a mess, normally my pain threshold is really high but for some reason this minor operation near killed me. I was such a baby, I don't know about pain relief in the states, but all my nurses could give me was panadol, single strength headache tablets, and they didn't seem to help. But I'm finally on the road to being thin, what more could I ask for!

Tina

[porclndoll 0]

I left my house like 4am, and the whole ride to the hospital my brain was yelling at my husband TAKE ME HOME...he didn't hear the voices in my head thank god, cause i don't regrete this one bit. i was there for a while before the surgery, in pre op....got my iv...then finally they came and got me. i am a hysterical laugher, so i laughed the whole way down the hall way, and when we got infront of the OR, i looked in and flashes of Willy Wanka And the chocolate Factory came to mind, the sterial room, where they were developing something, and all the OOmpa Loompas were in surgical scrubs. I laughed and then made an announcment to the staff "Do what ever it takes to save my ass!" They scooted me on the table, tried to be as descrete as possible...but that didn't work... everyone survived the "flash".......I got the IV moved because the anestesiologist was not happy with the placement of the one I had. I heard the other OR nurses counting stuff...And then when they were all situated, the anestesiaologist shot something into my IV and I was OUT! This was WAAAY BEYOND twighlight! This was deep deep deep unconsiousness. I got out about 50 minutes later. And I had on compression stockings...these were air activated, and they blew up like balloons sqeezed the blood and stuff thru your legs, and then they relaxed...They were annoying!! Reduces the risk of blood clots though, so I dealt with it. I had a reaction to the anestesia. I was dizzy, I couldn't walk, I was hot. I kept having the dry heaves...and they dont like to see patients vomit or anything after this surgery. They gave me this drug and that drug, and it kept up and kept up. They gave me a fan to keep me cool, and then eventually knocked me out with another medication to stop me from heaving! Oh my God that was scarey!!! But I was fine. I slept everything off....and the next morning I had some ice, and I walked and walked and walked. Then I was released. Whoa, seems like such a long time ago and it really wasn't! I too was scared scared scared to be put to sleep! I made out my will, and a living will, and a health care proxy.......That all seemed soooo silly, but it really did ease my mind. Now here I am two months later, and 40 pounds lighter!

[Guest Loobie]

I had my surgery 5 days ago and I am such a wimp most of the time, but my surgery went really well, with hardly any discomfort.

I had to wear the sexy surgical stockings as well as paper knickers (which were absolutey huge!) I walked down for my surgery in my robe and sexy stockings and lay on a bed where they inserted a drip into the back of my hand, there were 2 theatre nurses in there and the aneasthatist (sp?) who had already been to see me earlier that day. I was lying on the bed with an oxygen mask over my face and the aneasthatist said "you will feel something cold in the back of your hand now" then I looked at the clock it was 6.05pm and my eyes just closed.

I woke up at 7.20 in the recovery room, feeling very drowsey. I told them I felt sick so they put something in my IV and it went instantly, I was also in a bit of pain (not much) and I coule also feel the band around my stomach (which is a feeling that lasted for a couple of days). They then gave me some morphine in my IV and took me back to my room to see my boyfriend.

I felt absolutely fine and didn't require any more pain meds, they did give me some the following morning just in case I felt pain, but I was fine.

The surgery was the easy part. I have been in quite a bit of pain in my left shoulder since I have been home, but that does subside if I lie down. Most people say that the gas is the worst pain and it is true. I haven;t felt hungry once since returning home. I have already lost 8 lbs and my stitches are being removed on Wednesday!