Lifting restrictions and surgeon not at appt....

[christymarie 0]

Hubby has been banded for a little over two weeks now and is doing pretty good. She kinda hurried though the appt and gave him the brush-off on a couple things that I wanted to ask you guys here.

He asked about lifting restrictions and she told him no lifting over 10lbs for the next 4-6 weeks and then to add 5lbs a week after that. Does that sound right? He had laproscopic and I thought they would lift the weight restrictions after only 4 weeks. Kinda confused on that one.

Also, she is going to be the one to do his fill in two weeks. Is that typical? That means that he has not seen the surgeon at all since surgery, have any of you had similar experiences?

Thanks for all your help.

Christy

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Christymarie bless you Each surgeon has his own recovery plan...I would call and ask for the surgeon and ask HIM about the lifting, or at the least have the NP reconfirm. It may depend on what was done to your husband....hernia repair? hard time placing the band? That's not something we here can tell you. What worked for me may not be right for you or your spouse.

And if you want the surgeon to do your fill, request it. I did. Yes, the nurse (ours is a nurse practitioner) often does that kind of stuff. Just like docs, you can get good ones and ones that are not so good.

FYI nurse practitioners are educated beyond the "normal" RN...they have at least a master's degree, specializing in their area of practice, and practice under the authority of a physician or surgeon. So if your "nurse" is a nurse practitioner, she's pretty well educated. Pin her down if you are unsure or feel her answers are incomplete.

How was your care BEFORE the surgery? If you are uncomfortable, don't proceed with yours. If you think this was just a fluke, call and ask for answers to your questions, and as I said, if you don't like the nurse or don't want her doing your fills, ask for the surgeon.

Edited January 7, 2009 by RestlessMonkey

[amberstar 1]

The physicians assistant does my fills. I've only seen the surgeon once since surgery and i'll see him again jan.30 for another checkup. I'm not sure about the weight restrictions tho... But if your uncomfortable with the nurse or whoever, I would request the surgeon also

[heartfire 4]

I had a 6 week lifting restriction with full lifting after. I did take it easy tho to make sure nothing happened. I was nervous about messing something up.

I see my surgeon every month and he does my fills. That's HIS policy. I've heard others say they hardly ever see their surgeon after surgery.

Oh and my lifting restriction was 10lbs too.

Edited January 8, 2009 by heartfire
Forgot to add something.

[aubrie 6]

I see only my surgeon. He does all my fills and we talk every time I go. He thinks discussing our problems is half the battle. We work out a plan of action and he makes me feel good about what I'm doing. I couldn't do it without him. He gave me a 10 lb. lifting restriction for 4 weeks and a 6 week swimming restriction. I had some stubborn sutures that kept popping through the skin and had to be trimmed.