Question:
Lap Band??
I'm planning on having lapband in June but, I would really love to talk to someone who has physically gone through the lapband procedure and could give me details on the surgery. Some questions are what are fills AND do they hurt? How often do you have to get fills? Do you wake up in pain after the surgery? Is it hard to adjust when you begin eating? Do you lose weight quick? How do you know when you need your band tightened? Does that hurt? Ahhh! I'm scared but, I need it to save my life, but I REALLY want to be prepared for what to expect, I'm not scared about the pain, like I said, I just want to know! Any feed back would be GREAT!!! — Jessica Mayes (posted on May 5, 2008)
May 5, 2008
Hi Jessica! I had lapband surgery 7 months ago today and I am loving my
band ...I am down 100 pounds and still going! Let me see if I can answer
some of your questions. ...Fills are the adjustments made to your
band..when saline is added to tighten the band around your stomach. In my
experience, no they do not hurt. My dr does them in office and uses a
local shot, although she didn't the last time because my port is much
easier to access now that I have lost so much weight ...and she inserts a
large needle into the port and add or removes the fluid as needed. I see
my surgeon and dieticians once a month and we decide together if I need a
fill or not based on my hunger and weight loss. I did not wake up in pain
after surgery, in fact I was up walking laps on the unti within 2 hours and
did not take any pain meds after going hom less than 24 hours later. I
can't lie ..YES, it is VERY hard to adjust to eating differently than I did
before the surgery. I stills truggle with hunger and wanting to eat all
the junk I used to but I've come too far and fought too hard to even have
the surgery to let food beat me! As for rate of loss ...everyone is
different, people lose at different rates. I know my surgeon told me the
average loss of a band patient is 52 pounds a year..I was determined to
beat those odds and I truly have but it's been a LOT of work! If you want
this, you truly have to work at, it doesn't come easy by any means. Good
luck!
~Susan
Loving being in ONEderland! -100 pounds down, 38 to go!
— HoosierDoula
May 5, 2008
My surgery was very easy, but I can only speak for myself. I woke up and
had jello, broth, etc. and watched the news coverage of Anna Nicole dying.
I sat upright on the drive home from Houston (two hours) and sipped tea.
My only problem was shoulder pain for about a week after surgery. (I have
had this same pain every time I have had laproscopic surgery.)
The first fifty pounds seemed to melt away. It was not hard to adjust to
the eating habits. I was nervous about giving up soft drinks, but I have
not had one in 14 months and I really don't miss them.
The most recent 21 pounds have been the hardest to lose. It has taken me
10 months to lose them. I have lost a total of 71 pounds and I have no
regrets about the surgery at all even if I do not lose anymore!
— KimP
May 5, 2008
Hi Jessica, Ihave been banded for the past 17months, it is a slow process
and it does not loose weight for you, it is only a tool in your weight loss
efforts, like a harness for a mountain climber, it does not climb the
mountain rather limits how far you will fall, The surgery is a piece of
cake as far as surgery goes, 2 tough days than you will be 90%, by 2
weeks, 100%, but you can work and do things after 1 week. It is hard to
change your eating and is something you continue to learn and struggle
with, adjustments or fills are painless, they take about 5 minutes in your
doctors office and they help you adjust your restriction, some people never
need a fill and others need a few everyone tis different., good luck, I
love my band, its the internal cue I have always been missing, now i know
when I have had enough, before I ate all the time never being full and
always over eating, I can not do that anymore!
— jjrb
May 5, 2008
I personally have not had a lapband but have talked to others that have and
didn't like that type of surgery and didn't like the weight they lost.
— nascar_angel_3_2003
May 5, 2008
I had my Lap Band 4-16-08 and I woke up with no pain, just a little
discomfort where the port is located...not enough to take a pain medication
(and I didn't get the RX filled) I was up walking about hour and half after
surgery, they gave me a protein drink and something else with glucose in
it. I went into the hospital, had surgery around 10:30 in recovery room by
11:25a.m. walked the halls and went home around 3:45p.m. Could have gone
home sooner but couldn't use the bathroom. I was released from hospital
and I walked from the surgery center to the underground parking garage in
the main hospital....long way, got home and walked into the house and my
daughter in law asked me if I had the surgery and I had to show my
incisions to reassure her that I did. I felt so good. I have my first
fill 5-28 and I don't know about the procedure yet..but I am a diabetic
(which, I have been decreased over 50% of my insulin) and I take insulin
and I don't think it would be any worse than giving my insulin in my
stomach...My surgeon says it is your mind set as to the amount of problems
you have and so far, I have none. Good Luck..
— dyates2948
May 5, 2008
Had my second fill yesterday, totally painless. Mr Dr. wants me on clear
liquids for 2 days after a fill, I find I do great with soup. Today is 2
months post op, lost 30 lbs. and 5.5 inches of my stomach. I am an apple,
not a pear. (shape that is) My Dr. keeps you overnight for observation
and gives his pt.s a morphine pump. I used mine till they send me home,
then filled my pain med. Surgery on Thursday morning # 5:30 am, home
Friday at noon. Went to work for 4 hours on Monday. As someone else
posted, it's just a tool. You must make good food choices, and excercise,
I usually walk. Making good food choices and walking EVERYDAY has been the
hardest problems for me. Best of luck. Oh yea, when I left the hospital,
he took me off my lipids meds and high BP meds and my blood suger is much
better now and Dr. says that will clear up as the weight goes. 120lbs more
to go. I feel like I'm not even trying and the weight is falling off.
— clockeeper
May 5, 2008
I had my lap-band done October 15, 2005. Fills does hurt because of the
lidocaine that my PA uses. I don't feel a thing. Speaking for myself it
took some time to find the right adjustment for me. My band only 4cm of
saline. I believe the new bands hold more. The prefect fill for me was 1.2
cm. I love a total of 81 within 2 years. I love the band because you are in
control of your weight loss. I have lived a normal life with the band.
However, I am having the gastric by-pass this Friday. Not because of
complications with the band but due to severe GERD/Acid Reflux. Make sure
you don't have acid reflux. If you have acid reflux the band could make it
worse or help.
— Icantiemyshoe
May 5, 2008
Hi Jessica, I am only 3 weeks out post-op and still healing. Right now I
do have considerable pain around the port site, but I understand that's
quite common. I did wake up in pain, but the nurses in recovery were great
about making me comfortable. I did stay in the hospital over night, and I
must say, the nurses still were great about controlling my immediate post
op pain until the moment I was discharged. The worst part immediately
after surgery was breathing - it hurt to breathe. So do your deep
breathing exercises prior to surgery, it'll be worth it. I have not had a
fill yet, so I can't answer your question about that. You don't get a fill
until you are healed internally. I lost about 10 pounds right away, and if
you follow the material they should give you, and if you are mentally
prepared, it should not be too too hard to adjust when you begin eating. I
would say listen to your doctors/nurses and don't overdo it during the
recovery period and expect to need to rest more than usual. Please keep in
touch and if I can answer any other questions I'm here. Oh, and one more
thing, as of now, I do feel somewhat better than before the surgery in some
ways already - probably because I'm really paying attention to nutrition.
Good nutrition makes a body happy :)
— [Deactivated Member]
May 5, 2008
Hi. I have found another site that is also EXTREMELY helpful. It's called
LapBandTalk.com and it nothing but folks who have lap band. There are also
very good links here as well.
— chell1957
May 6, 2008
what are fills AND do they hurt? This is when a needle is used to inject
saline via the port to "fill" your band. The port is attachd to
muscle of the abdomen.
How often do you have to get fills? That varies from person to person &
their weight loss and needs. I get one about every 3 months now
Do you wake up in pain after the surgery? You shouldn't
Is it hard to adjust when you begin eating? Practice ahead, that helps.
Small bites (pencil eraser/ban size bites, chew to mush, then chew some
more before swallowing, no fluids w/meals.)
Do you lose weight quick? Not much at first. Once your band is filled
properly 1-2 lbs a week avg (which is considered healthy weight loss)
How do you know when you need your band tightened? When you are eating
larger quantities and not losing weight for 2-3 weeks.
Does that hurt? the tightening, is the fill, there is a needle stick.
Sometimes for the first fill or 2 they have to "hunt", kinda like
trying to find a vein for drawing blood if they miss it on the first hit.
As you lose weight it becomes easier. Some docs always use floroscope, this
is faster to find & fill, but more expensive.
I had my banding 4/19/07, have had 5 fills and lost 75lbs so far.
— Donna O.
May 6, 2008
I was banded on 2/21/08. The surgery went fine, but I did wake up in pain.
Shoulder pain mostly, which lasted two days. I was made to walk, and go
to the bathroom before being released from the hospital. So, it took about
4 hrs. before I was released. Port pain lasted about a week, and I was
back to work in 8 days. The most difficult thing for me was my doctor
requires all his patients to give themselves injections in the stomach for
7 days post surgery. These injections are a precaution to prevent blood
clots. I had to get up more nerve to do this, than to have the surgery. I
just knew I was going to get an air bubble in the needle and kill myself,
but I got through it. I could not wait to get my first fill at 5 weeks
because I thought I would lose weight quicker after getting it, but I was
wrong. I lost 20 lbs. post surgery, 5 weeks prior to the fill, but only 10
lbs. more at 5 weeks after the fill. So, no I have not been losing weight
quickly, but am averging about 3 lbs. a week, which is good from what I'm
told. The fills are no more painful than getting blood drawn, and I'm
getting another one tomorrow. Good luck to you!
— Dro
May 14, 2008
Jessica, I'm 7 months post op and I've lost about 53lbs. I've never had a
fill. I was so so so knocked out and sleepy when I got back to my room.
What I remember most was a very very dry mouth. They only gave me a
teaspoon of ice chips every hour. You'll do fine. I had to stay on clear
liquids for 10 days after surgery. The next 10 days was creamed soups like
Cream of mushroom of course I had to strain the mushrooms and strain the
chicken. However I wasn't really hungrry after surgery. The hardest part
for me was the week of liquids before surgery. I hear some people say they
only had to do liquids the day before. I think I can contrubute all of my
success from the week of liquids before and the 10 days of liquids
afterwards. I couldn't have beef until 6 months after. I'm loving my band
but most of all my new body. Good luck and welcome the the loosers bench.
— bchicks42
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