ladykatie_

Oh wow, didn't even see the date. I am brand new here to the forums so I'm still getting used to them. Had my surgery May 21 and I'm still recovering too. Man, is it hard....

Oh my gosh, it felt like forever. Then suddenly I had a surgery date 2 weeks away! They do stuff like that all the time. I think the whole process took about 7-8 months. Once you get the surgery date it will go by really fast.

Definitely read the forums here. If you think it will help, read about people's surgery experience. I know it would've helped me if I had done that prior to my surgery. I posted my experience in the pre-op section if you are interested.

I've just had the robot surgery and my doctor said it went "beautifully." I still have pain but I imagine the pain would last longer if it were done organically. I'm only a week post-op, just FYI. So far, so good!

That's so awesome. It gives me hope! (I'm just a week post-op)

I had my surgery a week ago, still have pain. It was definitely more pain than I expected. Some people are exercising on the third day after surgery?! That's crazy talk. Glad you passed your test. Keep posting!

I know it's frustrating. Sometimes people will give you that look or say something like, "You are beautiful no matter what." They all assume that I'm uncomfortable with my self image or that I'm depressed about my weight or something. I'm not. In fact, I'm very confident and body positive. WLS is, for the most part, done for health reasons. Sure, it's nice to be able to shop in the "normal" section of clothing instead of the plus-size part, but honestly the reasons I did my surgery is because I want to be healthy. I want to start a family of my own. I don't want high blood pressure at 26. Etc. I don't understand why people assume that people who are overweight have this negative self image. Some of us do, of course, but it is never safe to assume things about a person. Anyways, my course of action is honesty is the best policy. While I don't go around advertising it to every person I've met, I will not hesitate to share my surgery with anyone who asks or I feel needs to know for whatever reason. I post about it on Facebook and Instagram, and actually I get a lot of positive feedback and good support. If anyone has ever doubted my reasons for surgery, I don't know about it nor do I care. All that matters is the support system that you have. They love you and support you and want you to be the healthiest person you can be!

@@DLCoggin - Could you please send me that list as well? It will be so helpful I know it! You should probably start your own support group or something. (ktjen@icloud.com)

@@MaryJane11 - Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

@@jjinWA - I had the robot (laproscopic) surgery. Six incisions. The reason I was in so much pain is probably because (a) I'd never had major surgery in my life, and ( they still have to cut through stomach muscle and move around your organs to complete the surgery. Those are my theories. Some people have very little to no pain! I couldn't believe it when I heard that.

@electrify216 - I'm gonna Google that because I have no idea what it is! Thanks for the suggestion!

Ugh, that is so frustrating. I'm sorry that you are dealing with all of that. I found that in my process the easiest thing for me to do was go to all the doctors that my surgeon recommended. (Luckily, they were all covered by my insurance). So I went to HIS recommended psych and she faxed it over right away, like within the same week. She was really sweet too, I'd go back to her if she was 60 minutes away from me. Anyway, just a suggestion if you needed to do a last minute eval and the doc has a recommended psych the office always uses!

Hello from sunny and dry Arizona! The community here is wonderful and I've literally just joined. I had my surgery exactly a week ago and honestly had no idea what to expect either. I've never had ANY major surgery before this one. Here's my experience: I went to the hospital with my hubby in the morning and checked in. Thankfully they didn't make me wait long in the waiting room for the "pre-op" room (for lack of a better term). In that room is where they do final checks of everything to make sure you are all ready to go. So you change into your surgery gear (nothing but a paper gown and hospital socks) and they start taking your blood. Anywhere from 2-12 vials depending on what they need. They wanted me to do a quick EKG (I hadn't had one because my doc didn't think I needed it) and of course, my heart was fine. I also had to do a urine test to make sure I wasn't pregnant (rolls eyes). After tests and all that, they get your IV need stuck in your hand. To me, it was painful but I have a pretty low tolerance for pain. Sometimes they'll start your IV right then or wait until right before they take you into the surgery room. Next, you meet with the anesthesiologist, who checks you out and makes sure you are A-OK. All the while they are doing this, the hospital nurses usually are confirming your info like name, date of birth, address, etc. So depending on when you got in the room and when your surgery is, you may have a little waiting time. I brought my phone to play some games and talked with the hub. Just keep calm is my policy. The time comes to take you to the surgery room and the anesthesiologist gives you "something to calm down." Not the actual anesthesia that will put you out, usually. Then they got me into the surgery room and it's just like you'd imagine: a bunch of nurses and staff milling around, big scary machines and a table just for you, all in white. (This is when I got really nervous). They moved me onto the table and the nurse was strapping my arms down with some velcro straps "just in case." Before I knew it I was OUT cold. The anesthesiologist didn't say a word, didn't make me countdown, nothing. I was just talking to the nice nurse then out. Next thing I know, I'm becoming conscious in a different place on a hospital bed. I was so nauseous I thought I was going to throw up and I kept repeating that. I was in A LOT of pain, I won't lie. I don't really remember being wheeled around into my room or anything, so I think I passed out again either from left-over anesthesia or the pain. My hubby said I was moaning and groaning and he hated that he couldn't do anything to help (poor guy). Then in the hospital room, I am conscious and the nurse is making sure I have everything I need: full IV, pain meds and my little button I can push for pain. I'm still really out of it but it's still very painful. No one really warned me about the pain in your belly but man it hurts!! Again, my pain tolerance is pretty low. I don't remember the catheter being put in or even how it felt until many hours later. Felt like I had to pee constantly, but you have other problems to worry about so you kind of just forget it about it. Then people start visiting and it's all kind of a blur. Everyone said I had a permanent frown on my face and my eyes were slits. I hardly remember it and I think that's a good thing because I was in so much pain. I don't remember the drain at all, or if I even had one to be honest. My hubby doesn't know either, he was mostly concerned about me. The next day I just wanted the IV out of my hand because it hurt. They discharged me with liquid pain meds, Lovenox injections (to prevent blood clots) and omeprazole to take one week after the surgery. I was in lots of pain but I definitely wanted to go home. Hospital stay was about 36 hours or so. Not a full two days. I'm sorry it was so long but honestly, I wish I had read more hospital experiences before I got mine done! I am one week post-op, feeling much better except for some belly pain where the "wounds" are. I see my doc tomorrow and start full liquids today. Let me know how everything goes for you! I hope this helps!

Thanks so much for replying ladies! I basically knew what I was getting myself into here and I know I just have to be patient! I also can't complain because I've lost 15lbs already! (one week?!?! whoa!) I've heard of most people being "stopped up" so I was worried that I was just a weirdo with issues. My one week post-op appt with my doc is tomorrow so I'll just be patient and ask him for some nausea meds so help that issue. Allie - do you also feel hungry often? I'm sure it's probably common but I'm still just learning about my new stomach and not really sure what to do about it. I even feel hungry right after I have a Protein shake or other "full liquids" I can have right now. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do about it? Is it all in my head?

I feel so much better now. It does make sense since all I'm ingesting is liquid! Duh! I'm usually a logical person but this surgery has changed me in a lot of different ways. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one wondering why in the world I put myself through this. I have to remember to be patient and that it is in the best interest of my health. Thank you for everyone that replied! I really, really, REALLY appreciate it! <3

In the same boat (same surgery date), I feel like I'm hungry and everything I eat just makes me nauseous anyway... can I eat real food again?

Hello all, I am very new to this site as you can see by my profile. I had been looking into this app/site for a few weeks prior to my surgery. The iPhone app is kind of terrible (anyone else agree?) so I've finally decided to just get on my laptop and figure it all out. I'm glad that this website exists because I really have no one to talk to about this stuff and everyone will probably just think I'm complaining anyhow. My surgery was May 21st and to be completely honest, it's been pretty miserable for me. The surgery "wounds" were so painful and no one really warned me of how painful it could really be. I'm a pretty happy person so my family and friends thought it strange in the hospital when I was all down and not even a hint of a smile. Let me back up by saying, I've never had surgery in my life. I have my tonsils, appendix, gall bladder, etc., which doctors and nurses were all surprised by for some reason. Anyhooooo Since it's the 6th day post-op, I've been feeling much better with my belly pain. However, I've had diarrhea ever since I went the first time after surgery. (I know it's gross, but I can't be the only one!?!) I also have nausea every day that comes and goes with no real pattern. My doc suggested that I try soy Protein drinks, instead of whey Protein Drinks. Thus far, it has not made a difference. I prefer my whey Protein Drink (Isopure) because it's clear so it's much easier to ingest and actually get the proper amount of protein in a day. Does anyone have suggestions as to my possibly overly-sensitive bowels? And the nausea? Thank you for reading!