I am considering the LapBand procedure and I need help with 2 very important concerns.

1.) How long does it take for full recovery? I have read that you can do light work in a week or so, but when can you go back to full workouts or moderate to heavy work?

2.) How well will I adjust to the new energy levels? We all know that when dieting, there is an exhaustion period when your body shifts to burning, especially fats. I am a dentist and I cannot take a lot of time off, and often am found running from one patient to the next for 6-8 hours straight. I can squeeze in some liquids between patients, but I wanted to know if there should be down-time after drinking (or what the repercussions might be) and how hard it is to adjust with the changes in energy levels. I cannot afford (nor can my patients!!!!!!!) to crash in the middle of the day, or worse yet, in the middle of a procedure. Passing out isn't an option, but at this point, neither is being over-weight!

These are the only things holding me back from the surgery. My husband and I are very exciting about the thought of getting my diet/body back into the shape it should be.

Thanks for the encouragement and help!
Best wishes...

I'd say it was about 3 weeks for me before I felt like full workouts, but I was pretty much back to normal otherwise within about a week. I took a week off of work but could've gone back in 2 or 3 days if I had to.

As far as energy levels, I never really had much of a dip at all. The weight I loss and improvement in my health gave me a lot more energy than prior to surgery. I too have a job where I can't set aside a lot of time to eat during the day. I get around this by eating protein bars or shakes quite easily and the extra protein and low carbs made the weight come off very quickly for me. I lost 40 lbs in about 4 months.

For myself recovering was pretty quick. I had my procedure done on a monday about noon and went back to work on Thursday. I could have gone back on Wednesday but already had it scheduled off. I was sore for about a week but nothing a couple of aleve here and there couldn't take care of . I never really had a noticable energy drop, if anything after about 2 weeks or so I had more energy. I will admit if for some reason I miss a meal or have long periods between eating anything (say 5 to 6 hours) I start to feel a little shakey/weak if I'm doing alot physically. But usually some peanut butter crackers or a protein bar gets me back on track pretty quick.

Admittedly I heal pretty quickly from about anything and this was the very first surgical procedure I've ever had done. What they say is true, get up and move and it will help you alot. I made a point the day of and the two days after surgery to get up every few hours and walk around my back yard. I do think it helped quite a bit with the pain and the recovery. They gave me liquid pain killer after surgery but I never used it for pain as what little pain I had was tolerable. I did use some of it though to help me sleep. I am a side sleeper and of course for the first week after surgery I had to sleep on my back. So I took the pain meds mostly to help me sleep in that position. After about a week i was able to sleep on my side again without much problem. In all honesty though a Tylenol PM probably would have worked just as well, but I already had the pain meds .

It's been now been 4 months since my surgery and I feel just fine. I do 30 to 45 minutes on the treadmill at night, both walking and jogging. I can also swing a golf club just fine and have moved furniture without issue. Every now and then if I do a lot of straining I'll feel a little tender around my port but that's to be expected. I've been holding off till the 6 month mark to start doing more weight training but that more for my own "mental" comfort than physical restrictions honestly.

As for some general background for comparison...I'm 34 yrs old and weighed 373 pounds at the time of my surgery. I was fortunate that other than high Blood Pressure I had/have no other weight related ailments. So I'm sure that helped in my recovery and lack of pain/complications as well.