Dallas_P

I think the pain level varies by individual and by the surgeon and the methods that they use. I think how much effort you put into getting physically and mentally in shape prior to the surgery also matters. I had virtually no pain from the surgery. I even asked if they had aborted the procedure when I woke up. I lost over 40 lbs prior to the surgery and was working out as well. I'm 60 by the way. I was constantly on the message boards reading all the stories about the excruciating pain from the procedure and the gas and fully expected to be connected to a morphine drip. I can tell you that I had no need for any pain medication any time after the surgery. My wife and son also had the surgery after I did. My wife experienced quite a bit of pain (mainly at the large incision site). My son had some fairly severe pain the first day or two but was fine after that. The best advice I can give you is to put all your efforts into losing as much weight as you can prior to the surgery while working out to build up your cardio and muscles If you do that post op will be a breeze. Get up and walk as soon as you can after the surgery and continue to walk. Stay upright as much as you can. Sit in a chair rather that lie in bed. All these things will help. Just keep moving and you'll be fine. Best of luck to you with your surgery. It was the best move I ever made in my life. Absolutely no regrets! Dallas

I was sleeved on a Thursday (July 31st) and worked from home on the following Monday and returned to work on the following Tuesday. I had little to no pain (no gas pain) from the surgery and was sleeping on my stomach two nights after returning home. My wife and son have since had the surgery as well and experienced more pain than I did but it was manageable after a couple of days after the surgery. Everyone's experience is different. I do believe that a large part of it is how much you prepared for the surgery both mentally and physically before the surgery. I lost over 40 lbs prior to my surgery and believe that played a big part in my recovery. The only issues that I had post surgery was the feeling of light headedness which we found was attributable to my blood pressure medication that I had been on. I was off the bp medication six days after surgery and have also been off my CPAP machine as well about two weeks after surgery. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Best of luck with your procedure. You will not regret it. Dallas

Congratulations on your loss. You're doing great. The post op liquid diet by far was the hardest for me. My surgeon had me on the liquid phase for three weeks post op. Thought I'd go crazy. He told me I could eat anything that would go through a strainer during the liquid phase. My salvation was my Vitamix blender whose motor was so strong it could liquify nails. On the third week of the liquid phase I got some Wendy's Chile and ran it through the Vitamin. It was a thick sludge and wouldn't go through a strainer. I added a small can of spicy V8 juice to the sludge and liquified it. It fit through the strainer and was a godsend for me. This phase is mostly mental but having some variety made all the difference for me. Best of luck with your continued success. You'll be back to eating real foods in no time. Use the time you have know to do research on what you'll eat when that time comes. Stay away from your trigger foods and you'll do great. Dallas

Glad to hear that everyone's surgery went so well. I too had a similar experience so much so that I asked my nurse whether the surgery had been aborted. Based on my excessive reading of the forums before surgery I fully expected to be hooked up to a morphine pump. I had absolutely no pain, required no pain medication and had absolutely no gas pains either. The only issue I had was from staying on my blood pressure medication longer than I should had. The benefits of the surgery kicked in immediately causing my BP to be abnormally low and a few days after I left the hospital I felt light headed whenever I stood up. My doctor took me off the medication and that solved the problem. I know everyone is different but I do feel that people that have more pain tend to post more which creates a false impression of dread on those that are going to have the surgery. The techniques that they have today are incredible to promote speedy and realatively painless recovery. I did not post on the main board about my painless surgery for fear of beining insensitive to those that were experiencing pain. I feel that what most contributed to my painless recovery was the skills and techniques of my surgeon but also the fact that I stuck to the pre-surgery diet and lost over 40 lbs prior to surgery. The better shape you are in pre-surgery I belive translates into a more pain free recovery. Congratulations again to everyone and I look forward to see everyone's progress as the days and weeks roll by. Dallas

Forgot to mention one thing. New Clothes! Be very careful with this. I had my surgery on a Thursday and returned to work the following Tuesday. I headed out at lunch to Men's Wearhouse because my pants were litterally falling off me. I got into my new size and bought two pairs of trousers the next size down. My Sunday of that week I was out of the trousers I had purchased on Tuesday. The weight and inches come off very quickly in the beginning which is a great motivator. Just don't buy two many clothes the first few months. You're going to really like shopping now!

Congratulations on your success. It will only get better and its never too late to have this done. I had it done 7/3114 and am down 85 lbs. My wife had it done the following month and she is down over 50 lbs. My son will have this surgery as well on 1/26/15 so we have an internal support group in the works. The only complication I had and keep an eye on this for yourself, is that the changes were so dramatic that my blood pressure actually dropped below normal because of the high blood pressure meds i was on. I felt like I was going to pass out whenever I stood up. Got with my GP quickly and he took me off the high blood pressure meds only days after surgery and have not been back on them since. Also got rid of the dreaded CPAP machine. The suregery is both life saving and life changing. Best of luck to you on your recovery and a new you for the rest of your life!

Hoping your surgery was successful and pain free! The waiting is the hardest part, now the recovery and benefits begin! Congratulations on what I hope you'll feel is the best decision you ever made! Dallas

Vince, I think it totally depends on the individual. I had my surgery on July 31st and everything is back to normal. Not much change in my libido but my ego is sky high. I'm now down 85 lbs since my high weight of 311 and sometimes I catch myself looking in the mirror saying "Damn I look good". I'm sure things will return to normal for you to. Best of luck to you. I'd give it some time but if things don't get better you might want to talk to someone. I think these issues are fairly common after a major surgery. Just give it some time. Dallas

They only shaved my belly. I also told them I was ticklish so they shaved me after I was out. Like Mick said no shaving anywhere the day of surgery. I did shave my face the night before and didn't have to bother with it again until I got home from the hospital.

James, I struggled with energy issues the first week to 10 days feeling light headed and feeling like I was going to black out when I stood up. It turned out it had nothing to do with my reduced caloric intake but instead had to do with a drop in my blood pressure after surgery. My doctor took me off my blood pressure medication and everything has been fine since then. I had the VSG surgery on July 31st and had lost 40 lbs pre-op. My doctor had me take a daily dose of Vitamin B12 (sublingual)(over the counter) that would help with energy levels. As others have mentioned it's amazing how quickly the body adapts especially when you have detoxed from all the unhealthy eating habits developed over a life time. I'm eating soft foods now and will move to solids in about 10 days but my enery levels have never been better now than they have been over the last 20 years. I'm guessing I'm consuming somewhere now between 600-700 calories daily. I've lost an additional 33 lbs since surgery and the boost in enery in not having to carry an extra 73 lbs with every step I take has been tremendous. I didn't mentioned this but I'm also 60 years old and now feel better and younger than when I was 40. This is the best thing I've ever done in my life. I wish I could have done this 20 years ago but the advances that have been made in bariatric surgery didn't exist then. I'm just happy I did it. Don't worry about the energy. Just do it and you'll be rewarded in a relatively short period of time. Within two weeks of surgery I was off my blood pressure medication for good and also did not need my CPAP machine any more. My sleep is much better now than it has been. I don't snore and I feel energergized when I wake up. The surgery has been life changing for me as I'm sure it will be for you. Best of luck with your surgery. Dallas

5 days post op when I went back to work. Was never on any pain meds just didn't have anywhere I needed to go until then.

Best of luck to you for a pain free recovery. I was sleeved July 31st and am back at the same hospital today for my wife's VSG surgery. I had absolutely zero pain or nausea and have dropped 28 lbs in 25 days. Wishing the same for you!

That is absolutely insane! How could they justify a bill like that? Did you have life threatening complications? This was my nightmare as well. I also have Cigna and knew that is was out of network which is why I switched to Dr. Nicholson and had the surgery at Baylor Plano. I'm sure this will all get worked out. If not I'd be looking for a good lawyer. Work with Dr. Kim. I'm sure he'll help get this straightened out. Good luck! Dallas

Hi Stan. I had my surgery on July 31st at Baylor Plano by Dr. Nicholson. Absolutely zero pain or nausea and I was back to work on Monday. Everyone at Baylor Plano was wonderful. My wife Donna is having her VSG tomorrow (8/25). If you are there Monday or Tuesday please stop by. Dallas

20 oz is not enough liquid to keep you hydrated. Burning is not normal. You should call your surgeon. Also get a few bottles of Pedialyte at the grocery store. It's like Gatorade on steroids. My doctor put me on it Thursday for severe dehydration. He told me a 32 oz bottle is the equivalent of a full IV bag but for only $6. It made a tremendous difference for me. I was sleeved 7/31. Good luck and don't wait to seek help.