Home after Lap-Band

I made it through surgery just fine. I had some pain and nausea for a while, but that eventually went away with the right medicine. The day after surgery, they made me drink iodine so they could x-ray me to see if there were any leaks. All was well, but I managed to throw up the mouthful of liquid after I got back to my room. That's been the only instance, and I'm grateful.

Right now I'm dealing with incision pain and gas pain in my shoulders (they pump your belly full of gas during surgery). Oh, and the vein where they had the IV is very swollen and painful. It's not too bad. I'm on a liquid diet for two weeks. While I'm hungry, it's not a lot, and I can manage. The doctor may do my first fill next Monday, but it depends on how I'm doing. The band has to be adjusted with saline to get it to the right tightness to curb my hunger. Right now I'm sure it's the swelling from surgery that's doing the trick.

I've already lost 24 pounds with the pre-op diet and surgery.

Edited to add: Lap-Band seems to have its own jargon terms--sorry about that. A "fill" is when the doctor injects saline into the port that's under the skin of your belly. The saline expands the band a bit, causing it to tighten around the upper part of your stomach. This reduces the amount of food that will go through the band and makes you feel full. It also constricts nerves, causing you to feel less hunger. Often you have to go through several fills in order to get it just right. Not enough fill and you don't lose weight. Too much fill and you can't eat enough or throw up. I plan to take it slow.