Calling all Lap band to DS patients...
I am very early in the process of trying to get the DS. I go for my consult this Wed. I had to have my band removed 2 yrs ago after having it for almost 3 yrs. I am wondering what the recovery is compared to the lap? I know it is a bigger, longer surgery. I have had both hips & one knee replaced & I gotta say the port area after the lap was right up there on the pain scale. I couldnt even get out of or back into bed for a few days without help. It was a nightmare. Removing the band was no biggie & no where near the pain. What should I expect pain wise after the DS?
i was in your same shoes almost.. had the band in 2008.. removed in 2010 due to infection.. then DS just last month.
I will say the recovery time is longer with the DS... and more difficult. But definately not anything unbearable. I couldn't lay down in a bed flat once i left the hospital for about 10 days.. i slept in a recliner. other than that.. i really thankfully haven't had any complications. I had a C-Section in 2011 and i would compare it to about that recovery. just have to take it easy with your muscles.. and don't overdo yourself. It def was more recovery than the band but def doable.. best of luck to you!
DS w/Dr Kim 12/11/2012
on 1/14/13 7:42 am
Hi,
I had my lap-band removed and the VSG done in the same surgery, then had the second part of the DS done three months later. Honestly. the recovery for all the surgeries was about the same - I had no problems and very little pain for any of them, though I may just be lucky that way.
Best of luck to you!
Julie
Hi Angie! I had my band removed, gall bladder removed and the ds procedure done Nov 14 and I can honestly say the recovery was not horrible. I slept in a recliner as well for about a week. I had some complications (blood clot formation, hemeroids, diarrhea, etc.) but after day 4 I was only taking Tylenol for the pain. I just celebrated the 2 month surgiversary and am down 44 lbs so I can say it was worth it! I still am dealing with the complication issues, but I figure they are just part of the game at this point. I have met your surgeon during my stay at the hospital and he is very sweet. Dr. Inman did mine. I will send you a friend add so if you would like to ever chat, meet, etc... you can get ahold of me! Best of luck on your journey....you can do this!
I found my recovery was about the same as the lap band. Funny part, it didn't really hurt where they removed the port, but it hurt on the other side where they pulled the stomach out. But I had both done laprascopically. I've had two c-sections and a 2 part panniculectomy, and honestly I felt pretty good after about a week for all of them. But . . . I apparently have a pretty high pain tolerance, I took only tylenol after the pannus removal and the c-sections, and for the DS stopped taking pain meds the day after surgery, I don't like how they make me feel and I honestly didn't think the pain was that bad, only took tylenol when I came home.
Julanie
Garden Fairy in training, according to my daughter
I had my Lap band for about 3 years. I got it in 2006 and for the first few years it was pretty good, I lost a little over 100 pounds, then I started having problems and it ended up with my stomach swelling shut and fuzing to my liver (band slip) well I had it removed and I ballooned to over 100 pounds over my original weight. (I can still remember sitting in the hospital after my band was taken off telling myself that I understood this whole weight thing and that I knew how much I needed to eat so I wouldn't be gaining any weight or anything) anyways I looked into DS and within a year I had a panniculectomy and hernia removal which I had in june and then December 19th I had my ds. Thus far the after surgery pain hasn't been too bad at all. When they put my band on they had to open me all the way up and that hurt, but they cut down that scar this time and it felt about the same. Compared to the hernia removal and Panniculectomy the ds surgery has been a complete walk in the park. I was open for a while though for my ds surgery due to all the scar tissue from my band, but as far as recovery goes it wasn't't really any different.
