Hi folks, thanks for your thoughts and comments.
skyblu: I may go to Dr. K for a fill or two, but since I live in Maryland I'll probably want to go to a local doctor after a while, especially if I need numerous fills. Congrats on your upcoming surgery date.
Shesha: the day-before-surgery meeting is just to get some paperwork done, give an overview of the procedure, and answer questions. Dr. K has been working with some advanced medical students lately and they were part of the process as well, answering questions, etc. So I would say the main thing is to think about any questions you'd like to ask. That would be the time to bring them up.
The reason for sewing the band to the stomach is to help reduce the likelihood that the band will slip. I know Dr. K is not the only one who does this, but I'm not sure if it is exactly common procedure. To me it makes sense and I'm glad it was done. I have not heard of any risk of additional complications. I'd just like to do what I can to help avoid slipping.
Your big day is coming up soon! Congratulations, and I know it will all go well. Dr. K is a very experienced surgeon, and his whole team seems quite skilled and experienced.
Kirsten: I did get the VG band. I did not ask Dr. K why he went with that band but I'm sure there is a good reason, so I'm not worrying about it. I guess it makes sense that it could take more attempts to get it filled. I think the flouro idea is a good one to get to the right fill level sooner rather than later.
In general I'm doing OK. I'm about 4 days post-op now. I have almost no pain at all. No gas pains or pain at the incisions. I've been feeling low in energy and I've been laying around too much. I will try to get out and walk more today. It's cold in Maryland today so I may just walk in circles in my living room. The dogs will be confused by this I'm sure.
I feel a little bit hungry sometimes but not much. The only thing I really want right now is water, but I'm trying to drink broth to get a little nutrition as well. I am definitely not getting in all this protein yet. I'll have to become more deliberate about that soon. At least I think I'm avoiding dehydration.
All the small incisions are healing well, but the port incision is still looking a little wet and raw, with a little pink liquid draining. From running a couple searches on LapBandTalk this seems to be common and normal, especially for the port incision. There is no pain, heat, or swelling there, so I feel like there is nothing to worry about. But still, I will feel better when this incision closes up and dries out a bit more.
So, that's the latest. At four days out I'm still not fully back on my feet. But in general all seems to be going well.
Take care my fellow Dr. K bandsters. Talk to you later.
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