Lap band to RNY
I was banded in Sept 06 and the first 12 -14 months were great (except my port flipped right away and all fills were under fluro). Once we went in to move my port and had to start unfilling me things went down hill and my last year was bander hell. I couldn't even ge****er / coffee down some days.
I have BCBS EPO / PPO National and they paid for my band and my revision to RNY. I was very scared and crying like a baby the day of surgery, just the whole concept about cutting & stapling my stomach and intestines freaked me out. They were trying to wheel me in and I'm crying as my husband was trying to kiss me. They pushed more meds through and I don't even remember going through the doors to surgery - usually I am semi aware of being in the operating room and getting positioned on the table.
Recovery was far easier than I expected. No pain from the surgery, slight discomfort where my port was and around the drain but you only felt it when you moved. I had a reaction to morphine and had dry heaves so that was not pleasant, but once they got me off of it I was fine. From my first day home I was sleeping in my own bed and doing stairs and so forth. I took just about 3 weeks out of work to recoup and glad I did. Rested a lot especially the first week, but never took any pain meds, just gas-x.
So far I have lost over 55 pounds and am doing great. No issues with food getting stuck, have had dumping but I'm learning what my body will and won't tolerate. I wish you all the best.
I have BCBS EPO / PPO National and they paid for my band and my revision to RNY. I was very scared and crying like a baby the day of surgery, just the whole concept about cutting & stapling my stomach and intestines freaked me out. They were trying to wheel me in and I'm crying as my husband was trying to kiss me. They pushed more meds through and I don't even remember going through the doors to surgery - usually I am semi aware of being in the operating room and getting positioned on the table.
Recovery was far easier than I expected. No pain from the surgery, slight discomfort where my port was and around the drain but you only felt it when you moved. I had a reaction to morphine and had dry heaves so that was not pleasant, but once they got me off of it I was fine. From my first day home I was sleeping in my own bed and doing stairs and so forth. I took just about 3 weeks out of work to recoup and glad I did. Rested a lot especially the first week, but never took any pain meds, just gas-x.
So far I have lost over 55 pounds and am doing great. No issues with food getting stuck, have had dumping but I'm learning what my body will and won't tolerate. I wish you all the best.
Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.- Author unknown
My drain was on my left side about 5 inches from the belly button area. It wasn't really painfull, its just weird. I kept joking with my husband that it looked like plastic handgrenade. You have a tube coming out of you with this plastic bulbous piece at the end that fills with fluid and the nurses come in and empty it out. It was removed before I left the hospital, quite surprising how much tubing is inside of you.
Not all doctors do drains, but mine does. The hole closes on its on, they didn't stitch me up. But there were stitches there to hold the drain in place. I was black & blue around the area and it was just sensitive because of the bruising. Plus all the heprin injections around my abdomen didn't help.
Good luck.
Not all doctors do drains, but mine does. The hole closes on its on, they didn't stitch me up. But there were stitches there to hold the drain in place. I was black & blue around the area and it was just sensitive because of the bruising. Plus all the heprin injections around my abdomen didn't help.
Good luck.
Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.- Author unknown
Oh that sounds fun, lol. after my lapband i had a pain port that they left in and i had to remove it 2 days after i got home. It was called an OnQ. My sister came over and pulled it out and it was amazing how long it was, didn't hurt coming out but felt odd.
Hopefully I will hear something on my scheduling this week! I"m ready to get out of banster hell and back to the business of losing some serious weight! I'm getting married on July 18th, so that gives me a little time to recover and go down a few sizes hopefully.
Vicky
Hopefully I will hear something on my scheduling this week! I"m ready to get out of banster hell and back to the business of losing some serious weight! I'm getting married on July 18th, so that gives me a little time to recover and go down a few sizes hopefully.
Vicky
Feb 18th will be my one year anniversary of having my lapband removed and having gastric bypass..I had the band for three and a half years,,alot of fills and total unfills,,I could tell the difference the morning after the surgery when they gave me breakfast,,I could have it and not be in pain. The doc did tel me tho,,IF the band did any damage to the stomach I could winde up with the gastric sleeve instead,but it came off easily.
lap band start was about 268,,gastric bypass revision,240,,current weight 170 and holding
Im so happy with the revision ! I wish you well on yours,,it will be like night and day !
lap band start was about 268,,gastric bypass revision,240,,current weight 170 and holding
Im so happy with the revision ! I wish you well on yours,,it will be like night and day !
I am also about 5 ft 8 
If you look in my gallery the last picture in it is recent
luckily being tall helps us to look slimmer than we really are
I'd do the RNY again in a heartbeat ! I am very pleased with it. My doc had never done a LapBand revision,,and so I was his 1st..I need to send him a recent pic,,my 1 yr anniversary is just around the corner !
If you look in my gallery the last picture in it is recent
luckily being tall helps us to look slimmer than we really are
I'd do the RNY again in a heartbeat ! I am very pleased with it. My doc had never done a LapBand revision,,and so I was his 1st..I need to send him a recent pic,,my 1 yr anniversary is just around the corner !
Can you tell me what you eat in a typical day? well,I can eat almost everything,,but the key is to remember to stop when you are not hungry anymore,,you know,,the head hunger -vs- mental hunger
I eat alot of chicken,,chicken cooked any way I can get it..when I make a sandwich I make 1/2 of one and am usually full after a few bites,,so I keep small tupperware type things to save the rest or a baggie. I still do Atkins protein drinks,,creamy vanilla is my favorite
One thing,,when I had the band,,for 3 1/2 yrs I couldnt eat a sandwich,,I was AMAZED that I could after the RNY and it didnt hurt ! But same rules apply while eating,,eat slow..and stop when you are not hungry,,other wise you will lose your lunch ..ewww !
Typical day for me..protein drink in the morning..chicken or soup for lunch..dinner depends on what I feel like eating..sometimes I have a quesedilla..my large latino family is always trying to feed me,,lol !
Wendys chili is good,,and sugar free popsicles satisfies my feeling I want something sweet
and lotsa water
that canned chicken that you can get at the supermarket is great,you can put it in anything (soup,salad,sammiches,or get a fork and it it by itself ! )
keep me posted on how its goin ! You'll do fine !
I eat alot of chicken,,chicken cooked any way I can get it..when I make a sandwich I make 1/2 of one and am usually full after a few bites,,so I keep small tupperware type things to save the rest or a baggie. I still do Atkins protein drinks,,creamy vanilla is my favorite
One thing,,when I had the band,,for 3 1/2 yrs I couldnt eat a sandwich,,I was AMAZED that I could after the RNY and it didnt hurt ! But same rules apply while eating,,eat slow..and stop when you are not hungry,,other wise you will lose your lunch ..ewww !
Typical day for me..protein drink in the morning..chicken or soup for lunch..dinner depends on what I feel like eating..sometimes I have a quesedilla..my large latino family is always trying to feed me,,lol !
Wendys chili is good,,and sugar free popsicles satisfies my feeling I want something sweet
and lotsa water
that canned chicken that you can get at the supermarket is great,you can put it in anything (soup,salad,sammiches,or get a fork and it it by itself ! )
keep me posted on how its goin ! You'll do fine !
Great! Sandwiches are the thing that I have missed the most with the band. Sometimes you don't want to cook or don't have the time and a sandwich just hits the spot.
So its ok to eat sugar free stuff? Do you ever dump? I guess everything is trial and error at first. I found a really good protein mix at Walmart. Its called Body Fortress and has 52 grams of protein for 2 scoops. The chocolate is pretty good mixed with skim milk. Hopefully I won't have a problem with milk after surgery.
I'll keep you posted!
Vicky
So its ok to eat sugar free stuff? Do you ever dump? I guess everything is trial and error at first. I found a really good protein mix at Walmart. Its called Body Fortress and has 52 grams of protein for 2 scoops. The chocolate is pretty good mixed with skim milk. Hopefully I won't have a problem with milk after surgery.
I'll keep you posted!
Vicky
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