New to it all...

[leenaxx 0]

i'm new to this forum thing, but hi, my name is leena and i just got my surgery date which is less than a month away and don't know what to expect.

How long should i take off of school?

walking up steps, will it be difficult the first couple of days?

is there a scar after the surgery?

How much weight do ppl typically lose th first months?

I hope someone could answer my questions for me, thank you.

[temmaddie 0]

Hi, i am pretty new to this, but I will try to answer your questions. I had my surgery on August 18th. Was sore for about four days, had to sleep on back, not on sides. By the 3rd night i finally made it to my side and got a good nights sleep. LOL!! I did not take any pain meds, but I do have a pretty high tolerance. Went back to work on the 5th day, even though they told me I could take a week or two. I can still see my marks from surgery but every day they are getting smaller, and harder to see. Now - the weight loss - this is different for EVERYONE. I have lost 14 pounds so far.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

DO you teach or just attend classes? Like temmaddie I had pretty much no pain. I slept on my side nite 1, tummy nite 2. I think it helped keep me from getting adhesions. I did take tylenol for a few days, as needed, just to keep things cool. I was banded on Friday and went to class on Tuesday but my thinking was still a little fuzzy. I did MUCH better on Thursday. We all heal differently....based on surgeons, anesthesia, our own outlooks, expectations and metabolisms.

To be safe, assume you'll be out a week. You may need longer, you may feel ready earlier, but a week is a good rule of thumb.

There are scars but they are small. Steps would've been no problem to me; just no lifting about 15 or 20 pounds (depends on surgeon) for first few weeks.

THese are questions that you really should ask your surgeon. S/he will know what is standard for his/her client base.