ughhhh. getting nervous. need a little contact with veterans.

[october2]

hey veterans. i'm feeling apprehensive today. i'm hoping the surgery will go well and that i won't have complications. i'm also wondering about the scars. i was looking at some utube videos/pics and realized some ppl have multiple/5 scars. i'm no stranger to scars and scars haven't been too much of a concern in the past but i just didn't realize i will potentially have 5 scars and not all small needle puncture size scars. i know worrying about scars is shallow yet i don't like the idea of having a straight line across my midsection. my surgery is coming right up and i'm wondering how hard will it be to just have juice/water for a week or are we allowed clear broths?

does dr ortiz make 5 or so scars too? do the scars heal/fade pretty well??

i just feel really nervous today because i'll be flying out oct 1 and leaving family behind. i'm worried about the outcome and how i'm going to feel. i'm scared, i'll have a complication and i'll be far from dr ortiz.

hope to hear from any of you.

thankyoumuch. okbye.

[Susanp]

October2,

Stay focused! Remember what we are doing and why? Yes you do have a few scars but who cares, I have always said I don't want to get back into a bikinni, I just wanna look real good in a swim suit.

As for leaving the family, think of it as a mini vacation.

Remember I will be there with you and we are going to make sure we have some fun while we are there!!!

Keep in touch and say focused!!

Susan

[Kittycat]

I am not a veteran yet, just 3 1/2 months since my surgery, but I can tell you that there will be 5 incisions, 4 small ones and one larger one on your left side just under your breast that will be approximately 2-3 inches long. They fade very quickly and if you massage them and put on Vit E or Bio Oil, they will fade even more quickly.

By the time you are ready to wear that bikini, they'll be a distant memory.

You can do this...there will be tough times but you'll get through it and we are here for support. Don't forget that.

After surgery when you are on the liquid diet, you will not feel much like eating the first few days, after that it may get more challenging, but creamy soups, puddings and yogurts are very filling and will sustain you. Get lots of rest and drink lots of water, walk as much as you can and keep busy. It's a short 3 weeks, just a blip in your lifespan.

Best of Luck and please make sure you let us know how things went!!

Safe trip!

[Phoenix]

Ortiz was a Plastic Surgery resident and it certainly SHOWS.

I have 5 scars. 4 of them are 1 cm long and are barely there already.

The "large" one, where the port was inserted is 4 cm long and will look like a scratch before long.

Massage them in the shower after the dermabond (surgical glue) falls off and gently work out the little calcium formations.

The three weeks of liquids after surgery suck. ISOPURE ultra clear protein drinks the first week are wonderful. The protein bullets are wonderful.

After that, creamy soups with Unjury unflavored powder are quite wonderful. If you don't have a stick blender, I recommend one to puree out little lumps of mushrooms or potatoes or whatever.

Every single one of us here lived. You will, too.

[cckcsharp]

I am 4 weeks post op and my scars are already fading. I want to point something out. I had my appendix removed by regular surgery(one big incision) several years ago. That was one big thick purple line on my lower stomach. Today, you CANNOT even find the line. Seriously, I can't see it at all. I am sure if I really looked for it, I mind find a hint of it. Yes is was about 15 years ago when I was a teenager, but that was a big scar. These lapband scars are much much smaller and they should fade faster and easier than my appendix scar. Also, I had a scar on my "boob" from chicken pox that I got when I was 12. Obviously my boobs grew since I was 12. And the scar grew right along with them. It got to almost the size of a quarter and it was totally noticable. Well, now I am 31 years old and you can't even see it at all. Almost like it never happened. So I have learned that scars do fade over time. I bet within 5 years or so, you will barely be able to see these scars. And remember scars start out purple and pink and eventually fade to your skin color. I am sure this is not all scars, but in my experience with scars this has been the case. All the scars on my body faded to my skin color and practically dissappeared. If you want extra reassurance, then try some of the creams out there on the market for scars. But wait until your incisions have completely healed. I think you will be fine, sweetie. Good luck.

[Cujo]

check out my scar photo in the members photo gallery. That was a couple hours post-op. 6 weeks later and they have faded to the point where they look like cat scratches.

Good luck, you can do this!

[october2]

October2,

Stay focused! Remember what we are doing and why? Yes you do have a few scars but who cares, I have always said I don't want to get back into a bikinni, I just wanna look real good in a swim suit.

As for leaving the family, think of it as a mini vacation.

Remember I will be there with you and we are going to make sure we have some fun while we are there!!!

Keep in touch and say focused!!

Susan

hey susan, long time no talk, haha. it's good to hear from you

thanks for the kick in the butt, haha! i AM focused woman just got a wittle scared. everytime i was looking to chat i couldn't find anyone online...haha. then i saw these utube videos/pics not dr ortiz or the occ lapband pts vidoes and the scars looked really bad. i have plenty of scars but my tummy is scar free. anyway, enough with the boo hoo -ing, haha. it's not my style. besides scars dimish over time so i'm done...for now. as far as family goes, i worry but they will do fine without me. and just for the record...i DO want to get into a Bikini so don't you go crossing that one out just yet, missy. you never know, you might just change your mind.

thanks buddy. you stay focused too. ta ta for now.

ps. i feel better

[october2]

Kittycat: thank you! It really does help to hear from you and others. You put my worries at ease. btw, i like your new pic with your kitty. thanks sweetie.

Cujo: thank you for telling me about your pic. i will def take a good look at that. i have plenty of scars. i don't know why i started freakin out a bit. just got a little scared but im much better now. thank you!!

cckcsharp: thank you for calling me sweetie, haha. i needed a little love. ahha. ill def put some scar creme on them and im sure they will be fine. big hug.

Phoenix: thank you for the clear discription of the scar size. you rock! haha it really helps to put the scars in perspective and i'll def check out the protein drink you suggested. thanks!! oh ya. i better live. haha jk. i will. i will.

THANK YOU ALL. YOU MADE ME FEEL BETTER AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WORDS. NOW ROCK ON WARRIORS.

xo

october2 aka diana

[bobdole]

My gf was banded Aug 25th with 4 small 1/4 inch incisions and 1 about 1 inch. The smalls ones you can't see unless you actually look for them already. The larger one will probably be noticable but its still only 1 inch.

[teyann]

Contact Dr. Miranda about pre-op diet. There are three different choices and she will tell you which one to use.

[nothereanymore]

I tend to keloid so I just started having cortisone shots on my scars. They have already become less noticeable and it flattens in three to six month's time. So if you end up with bigger scars you can always treat them - and don't get me wrong - mine aren't that big (and you can't see the small ones so I'm not hitting them) - I just don't like them period so I'm doing what I can to get rid of them.

[MamaMichelle]

I scar really easily, (lots of stretchmarks too) if you click on my bikini picture below a larger version of the picture will open and you can see what my scars look like at 6months post op...

Mine are still more red than pink but they really aren't that bad... totally worth the great results the band provides!!

Here's the larger image:

[vix]

Hi October 2,

I was banded exactly one month ago today - August 29th. ALL of my scars look like cat scratches and I can barely see them. Even my largest scar is not raised and is barely visible. However, we all do scar differently. These "scars" are so minimal though, I don't think that anyone would be able to tell unless they were right up on you and looking very closely. Besides, there are a lot of things that cause a person to have these little laparoscopic scars. I had my gallbladder taken out 10 years ago and had 3 scars at first. These are completely invisible now.

Regarding the postop diet, just keep telling yourself that it is going to end and count down every day. Tell yourself how lucky you are to be able to even get the surgery in the first place. So many aren't. Think positive. You will look wonderful afterwards! Best of luck to you...you will do fine!

[OICU812]

Since I was reading this post at work, I decided to put a tape measure to my largest scar and it is 7/8" (approx. 19 mm for our friends in Canadia). The others are barely noticeable at all.