Reading Everyone's Comments

[VitaleEM 44]

I'm one month out from being sleeved and I have to admit reading everyones posts is scaring the you know what out of me! I'm truly grateful for the honesty! I just don't know if I'm cut out for all the pain and inability to eat and obtain energy again.

[BKMama 179]

Every recovery is different, remember that. I'm a few days out and my recovery has been so good. Not a lot of pain at all. I am struggling with eating/drinking but it's because I'm really trying not to vomit so I'm being super cautious with how much I take in. Someone said it in another post and I remembered it....people don't post about their good/easy recoveries a ton. Maybe because they want to have compassion for those that have bad recoveries (it may feel like you're bragging or whatever). If you look around a little though, there are threads where people talk about having great recoveries with no issues.

Try to stay positive....hang in there. :-)

Sent using VST

[samsmom 54]

Stay positive.....Everyone's journey is different!

[Tiff187 14]

I know exactly how you feel. I was scared to death before my surgery. I won't lie to you--I regret it every day. I never had any complications and I healed well but in the month since my surgery I've come to find out just how different (and difficult) life is now. I don't mean to scare you, I just wish someone, anyone, had told me the truth before I had this done. I would have stuck with the gym and calorie counting and never done this to myself. The surgery isn't the magic bullet it is made to sound like. You'll still have to watch your calories and go to the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle, so my suggestion is to start now and see how you do. Give yourself one month of working out and watching calories and watch your progress. Believe me, hours at the gym is still so much better than the mental and physical effects of this surgery. However, if you decide to go for it, then I'm happy for you either way. Don't let anyone change your mind for you. You're doing the best thing you can by reading up and making an informed decision.

[tiffers 55]

I haven't had any children, so I may be way off base here, but I equate surgery to being pregnant and giving birth. Sure you might have morning sickness, and swelling, and feel awful while you are preggers, and childbirth can be all kinds of painful from what I hear, but the end result, being your child, is totally worth it. Surgery, and post op issues that may arise, and getting used to a new way of life is painful at times, but in the end, I think it's totally worth it! Don't let the comments get ya down!

[SCbabygrits 5]

now I'm scared to death LOL.....I'm less than two weeks out and just not sure of anything.....i think I've just read to much of everything! My best friend had this done months ago, and was up walking the same day and has had no problems, I'm mean NONE and then I read on here and its all bad for the most part except for people who are months out of having the sleeve done. And whats up with the protein......I bought the Nector, fuzzy navel and the crystal sky, I don't like chocolate, vanilla or strawberry shakes, well, these things taste awful LOLOL....how are you supposed to get Protein if you cannot stomach the Protein Shake stuff...... I'm taking extra Vitamins, Biotin, B12, Iron, every time I read something that tells me what I should be doing, I go buy and start doing LOL I am soooo excited and yet so worried...... I keep telling myself I need to slow down, take a deep breath and just let this happen..... I've have other surgeries, hysterectomy, bladder, breast implants prior to all the weight gain, can it really be any worse than any of that???? How long before I can start to work out again? Is anyone else feeling like they are on a merry-go-round prior to surgery? please tell me it was all worth it and OK ......not just months out down the road LOL good luck everyone!!!

[notime 340]

Obviously you are going to make your own decision which is as it should be.

For me, the advantage of the sleeve over other methods of losing weight is that I am not hungry. That makes all the difference in the world. I knew before that the best flavor of anything is in the first several bites. Now I get to practice that. Sometimes out at a restaurant or for a special meal at home I think, "If only I could eat more of that." and I know I would if I hadn't had the sleeve. Then I realize that I am way better off with the sleeve because I would be digging into all of those meals and sabotaging any diet and exercise plan I was on.

Let's face it. We have all been on many diets and tried various combinations of diet and exercise. Have we ever stuck to them? No. This was my best chance to take off the weight and regain my health and quality of life and maybe even save my life.

I had no difficulty recovering from the surgery and it is nowhere near as difficult as childbirth.

[notime 340]

SCgravybits--"I bought the Nector, fuzzy navel and the crystal sky" put these in Jello, the flavor of the jello going with the flavor of the Protein. I bought Jay Robb's pina colada Protein Powder and it was delicious in orange and lime jello.

[smallvegan 36]

Tuesday will be one month post op for me and I have not had one single regret. NOT ONE. Woke up from surgery with some nausea, but the nurses were great and got it under control. Had no pain (RNs gave me pain meds) and I was up walking a few hours after surgery. I was discharged less than 24 hours later and honestly felt great. The only complaint I had was some gas pains and my belly was swollen from the gas. That took a few days to stop. I was able to sleep on my side immediately. I prefer my belly and found that with pillows, I could even do that after a day or two. I equate the belly pain with the soreness I would feel if I had done a lot of sit ups. Totally bearable. I only took the pain meds at night.

I did have an issue the first few days with drinking. I wanted to take big gulps, but could only take tiny sips. I also hiccuped and burped a lot during this time. My MD and NUT had warned me about all of this. Every week, drinking is easier and easier. I was encourage to start working out immediately, but not at high intensity. Treadmill was good for me. Plus you need to walk, walk, walk after surgery. Prevents clots and pneumonia and helps get rid of the gas.

You could go to the gym and count calories and lose weight that way. For me, losing weight was never an issue. Keeping it OFF was my issue. No one I ever spoke to told me this was a magic bullet. My doctor and his staff were very honest and explained it is only a tool that needs to be used with healthy eating and exercise. The weight has fallen off of me so far. I lost 16 before surgery and have lost 41 total at less than 4 weeks out. I feel better than I have in YEARS. I am down a few sizes.

It is a personal decision whether to have surgery, but please know there are many who have no regrets. I think sometimes unhappy folks (unhappy with the surgery I mean) post more than others. It's a good place to come for support.

Good luck with what you decide.

Lauren

[SoReady219 51]

Tuesday will be one month post op for me and I have not had one single regret. NOT ONE. Woke up from surgery with some nausea' date=' but the nurses were great and got it under control. Had no pain (RNs gave me pain meds) and I was up walking a few hours after surgery. I was discharged less than 24 hours later and honestly felt great. The only complaint I had was some gas pains and my belly was swollen from the gas. That took a few days to stop. I was able to sleep on my side immediately. I prefer my belly and found that with pillows, I could even do that after a day or two. I equate the belly pain with the soreness I would feel if I had done a lot of sit ups. Totally bearable. I only took the pain meds at night.

I did have an issue the first few days with drinking. I wanted to take big gulps, but could only take tiny sips. I also hiccuped and burped a lot during this time. My MD and NUT had warned me about all of this. Every week, drinking is easier and easier. I was encourage to start working out immediately, but not at high intensity. Treadmill was good for me. Plus you need to walk, walk, walk after surgery. Prevents clots and pneumonia and helps get rid of the gas.

You could go to the gym and count calories and lose weight that way. For me, losing weight was never an issue. Keeping it OFF was my issue. No one I ever spoke to told me this was a magic bullet. My doctor and his staff were very honest and explained it is only a tool that needs to be used with healthy eating and exercise. The weight has fallen off of me so far. I lost 16 before surgery and have lost 41 total at less than 4 weeks out. I feel better than I have in YEARS. I am down a few sizes.

It is a personal decision whether to have surgery, but please know there are many who have no regrets. I think sometimes unhappy folks (unhappy with the surgery I mean) post more than others. It's a good place to come for support.

Good luck with what you decide.

Lauren[/quote']

Well said!! & congrats to u!!

[Tiff187 14]

I've had 3 c-sections and it's hard to really compare them with VSG. For me it was a completely different kind of pain. If you've ever had a laparoscopic surgery you may have experienced the gas pain before. To me, that was the worst pain I've ever felt. But everyone is different and some people don't experience that. Some people aren't hungry after surgery, some are. Some people have a lot of "brain hunger", some don't. It's hard to say how you'll react until you do it. I would never and will never recommend this surgery, but I respect everyone's decisions about whether or not to do it. What I can tell you is to expect the unexpected. No matter how much you read and how prepared you think you are, on day 3 or 4 you'll ask what the hell did you do to yourself and feel like you went in blind. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it.

[theoldmusicbox 399]

First off, if someone goes into this thinking that vsg is a magic bullet, your surgeon should be fined! One of the main points in all of my visits was the fact that this wasn't magic and it was still going to require work. It is a tool. It won't do it for you, it will help you do it.

I am THAT guy. I had the perfect experience. The other reply was true, I don't post about it, cuz I don't want to seem 'smug' or like 'hey, look at me'

I had very little pain past day 3. I was up and walking several times a day. I've only vomited 2x, and that was my fault both times. I was sleeved on June 5, and starting from april 1, I've lost 120 pounds. I have went from 373 to 253. Yes, I still have to count calories, fats, Proteins, and carbs. But, now, i don't feel like I'm starving doing it. I can be satisfied with a normal person's portion, and the thought of going to an allyoucaneat buffet, makes me feel stupid.

My problem was, I never felt full/satisfied when I ate. I could go to the buffet and literally eat for an hour, then go home and get a snack. I hold the record among my friends at Quaker steak ayce wing night at 64 wings. And a dessert. And an hour later, I was looking for somethin to eat!

This surgery fixed that for me. I know I'm full. I feel satisfied. I'll be honest, I wish I could have done this without surgery, but, I couldn't. Now, I can. And anyone that says this is 'the easy way out' is an uninformed/ignorant person. I work out 5 times a week, plus walking several times. But, that is because I want to be healthy. Anyone that thinks they will reach goal by having surgery and sittin on the couch eating for the pounds to drop off, is sorely mistaken. You will still have to want it, only now, I can do it.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Whatever you decide, you have to live with it. I don't try to talk anyone into this, but I will say, if I had it to do over again, I'd say yes everyday and twice on sunday.

[Tiff187 14]

Let me be clear: I am not saying this surgery is a magic bullet, what I am saying is there is a vast amount of people that do go into this, in spite of a surgeon telling them otherwise, thinking this is their golden ticket. I'm not saying the OP or anyone else here feels that way, but I will say that when I was reading up on VSG all I ever saw were glowing reviews and not a lot of reality. Now maybe that is some people's reality, but I would have appreciated someone mentioning all the things that happen post-surgery that no one talks about. I'm happy for everyone that has a good experience and I don't mean to discourage anyone, I just wanted to be honest with the OP.

[tiffers 55]

Just to clarify, I don't think surgery is as painful as child birth. I just mean that the end results far outweigh all of the negatives that may come along with the journey of getting there. I've had 4 other surgeries since I was sleeved. Believe me, being sleeved was a walk in the park in comparison!

[LawDiva312 33]

I was sleeved 9/4, so I'm 5 days out and I feel great. The only "problem" I had was that the JP drain they put in was hitting a nerve on my diaphragm that sent shooting pain into my shoulder. It was really painful and the nurses thought it was referred pain from the gas they pump into the abdomen. After 2 nights it was no better and when the surgical nurse came in to discharge me after the 3rd night they removed the drain thinking that must be the problem. Immediate relief.

I had very little nausea, no vomiting, no other issues. My stomach is a little tender and sore - feels like I did 5,000 sit-ups- but that's it. Getting fluids in is annoying. It's like the speed of an IV drip or I get has bubbles, but I know that will get better once the swelling goes down.

I know some people have had it really rough so I have been very fortunate. The JP drain issue was horrible but it was kind of a freak thing. As long as you go into it knowing that you're doing it for all the right reasons and you have been fully informed and educated and know what to expect, you'll do fine. Don't freak yourself out. Just prepare yourself mentally as well as physically and a positive attitude will make it way easier.