goddess819

Kealani - Not a problem! Other things you can expect to do are consults with a nutritionist & psychologist, cardiac & pulmonary clearance, maybe an abdominal ultrasound to check liver size, but of course that will be determined by both your surgeon & insurance carrier. After thinking about it I'd like to give you my experience with the RNY if you don't mind hearing about it from a 4+ year post op...

How long did you have to wait to have the surgery after your insurance approved it and you had your consultation? I had my consult at the end of May, had approval from insurance in 4 business days in early July and had surgery 8/3. I think I went from approval to surgery in about 3 weeks.

How long did it take for you to recover from the surgery? I had surgery on Monday and went home Thursday. I felt good enough to go back to work at 3 weeks post op but due to a drain (g-tube that few patients get) I was not allowed back to work until it was pulled at 4 weeks post op.

Did you have a lot of pain after your surgery? Not a whole lot. But remember that pain is relative. It all depends on your pain tolerance. I was tender...like I'd done WAY too many situps. I was pain med free 2 days after coming home from the hospital.

How long was it before you started losing weight? For me immediately. I'd lost 12lb from surgery to my 1 week appt and was down a total of 16lb from my highest weight at that appt. I was down 100lb by my 6 month mark and was at goal of 114lb lost at 1 year.

If you had the surgery 6months to a year ago, how much weight have you lost within that time? I'm actually 4+ years out now and although I've gained 21lb it's all for good reason as you can tell by my siggy. I'm 7.5 months pregnant with my 2nd post op baby. However, when I'm not pregnant I maintain at goal and tend to gain/loose the same 5lb bouncing between 140-145. I was at goal at 1 year. What a difference to go from 254 wearing a size 24/26 to 140 wearing a size 6 in a year.

How has your diet changed since the surgery? For me a lot. Granted now I'm at a point where I can eat pretty much anything I want but a lot of the foods I used to love I just don't care for the taste of anymore. I've eliminated soda from my diet which was a big thing for me as before all I would drink was Mt. Dew. I don't even miss it to tell the truth. I stay away from fried foods & sugary foods as they tend to upset my stomach (and if I take in too much sugar I do get dumping syndrome which you won't get with the lapband). So that dumping helps keep me in line. I can eat/drink anything (except soda...bubbles hurt...I've tried it) now in moderation. I average around 1200 calories daily when not prego and around 1500-1800 while prego.

Anyway I hope this helps! Also one more tip...as you think of questions for the surgeon write them down so you don't forget them. Granted some of them may be answered at the informational seminar but at least if you have a listing of questions you won't forget to ask them at your consult! Good luck!

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