I forgot to mention...

Dr. B tells you that if you have a hietal hernia, he repairs it before he begins the surgery.  I never knew I had one, but guess what, I did.  He fixed it and then went on to the lapband.  That is the only time he will do more than one procedure at a time, and only because it is necessary to fix in order to do the other.  They don't bother to check for it before the surgery because it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to him whether you have one or not.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Patsy

He thinks I have one too and he told me that he would be fixing it but I didn't know he would be doing that first.  He thinks that the hernia is what is the root cause of my acid reflux issues all these years.  Just another thing many of us have in common I guess.
Ann

Is that a hernia in your stomach? He told me that if my acid reflux is because of a hernia in / on the stomache, it would be repaired during the surgery.

Not sure where he thinks mine is but the acid reflux has been so bad in the past that I have developed a condition called Barrett's Esophagus.  This can be a serious condition because about 1 to 2 percent of people who develop it can get cancer.  Dr. B. assures me that the band will actually help my condition.  So hernia or not, I am hoping this will eleviate some worries for me about the problem. 

My understanding, through his french accent, is that the stomach slips upward sort of.  I'm not exactly sure.  But if he mentioned Hernia at all, this is the one.  He doesn't talk about any other.  When he first mentioned it, to my English ears, I heard  "iatal ernia" and while he was explaining it I figured out what he said.  Just like the Newfies, he dropped the "H"'s.  so i missed part of the explanation.  hahahahahahaha....  but didn't matter to me as long as he knew what he was doing and was going to help me in the end !!!   He's awesome !!!

Catherine explained it to me as part of your stomach rising up through your diaphram and causing a second pouch where food will often rise back up your esophagus causing damage from the gastric acids which gives pain etc.

She is a wealth of information and my personal hero!!!

awwww.... blushing.... 

here are some good pictures  http://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdgs08.htm

I had a huge one...and a lot of acid daily.  So gals....this makes it all worth while just to get your HH fixed!

Congrats!

How have you been holding up Patsy?

I'm holding up good.  I still have port pain in the one incision but it's normal they tell me.  I don't seem to sleep right through the night but I'm not doing much in the daytime to make me tired.  I feel good though and no regrets.