Best piece of advice you have! I'm a day away from Gastric Sleeve surgery.

[LisaPunkinHead 187]

1. Push that button in the little gadget they give you. You can push it -- I don't remember how often -- but that's where the pain meds come from! Don't be a hero!

2. Have a pillow in the car for your ride home. You can hug it and the road won't feel as bumpy. I had a 90 minute drive home and wish I had thought to do that. I have driven that road 100s of times, but didn't realize how bumpy it was until I was post-op!!!

3. Your post-surgery course is your course -- some of us vomit, some don't. I had none. Some get up and walk around. I didn't want to. But it's a personal process, so don't compare yourself to others. Same with your weight loss. Do what your bariatric team tells you to do and you will succeed.

Good luck!!

[pinkbunies 359]

Ask your Dr. for an anti anxiety medication. It did wonders for me. After surgery I felt like I was going to puke a few times but I never did. They loaded me up on all sorts of drugs via the IV and I was great.

Walk a lot. If they put a tube in you after surgery, you'll notice that once the tube comes out, the pain greatly reduces.

[princess20 60]

No matter how you feel after surgery, it WILL get better EVERYDAY. I kept wondering if it would always hurt to swallow, be in pain, etc. It will pass before you know it.

Edited May 25, 2015 by princess20

[MyKidsMom89 70]

Follow Dr's orders....don't be afraid to use Miralax it SmoothMove tea if you don't poop in a few days....don't trust a fart....and push those liquids-Popsicles will taste amazing!!

Best of luck to you--keep us posted, please!

[GinaSq 11]

The one thing I wish someone told me before surgery is that it hurts. I woke up in the post op recovery room and had a few choice words to say about the amount of pain I was experiencing. Fortunately I had a VERY understanding nurse nearby who took great care of me. (Nurses are the best!) I know this is not advice, but it is something I wish I had known going in. On a more positive note, the pain passes quickly and it is just a vague memory at this point.

Best of luck on your surgery!

I'm expecting the pain but what I'm worried about is will I ever be able to eat normal again -- go to a restaurant with my husband, eat at holidays etc. I'm not talking about eating BIG. I realize that restaurant eating will mean eating a very small amount of the food. I guess I'm just nervous because right now I'm thinking of all the things that I would love to just have a bite of. (I'm on Day 8 of the Pre-op liquid diet).

[princess20 60]

Follow Dr's orders....don't be afraid to use Miralax it SmoothMove tea if you don't poop in a few days....don't trust a fart....and push those liquids-Popsicles will taste amazing!!

Best of luck to you--keep us posted, please!

Popsicles tasted like steak after surgery. LOLOL

[Sara51692 162]

The one thing I wish someone told me before surgery is that it hurts. I woke up in the post op recovery room and had a few choice words to say about the amount of pain I was experiencing. Fortunately I had a VERY understanding nurse nearby who took great care of me. (Nurses are the best!) I know this is not advice, but it is something I wish I had known going in. On a more positive note, the pain passes quickly and it is just a vague memory at this point.

Best of luck on your surgery!

I'm expecting the pain but what I'm worried about is will I ever be able to eat normal again -- go to a restaurant with my husband, eat at holidays etc. I'm not talking about eating BIG. I realize that restaurant eating will mean eating a very small amount of the food. I guess I'm just nervous because right now I'm thinking of all the things that I would love to just have a bite of. (I'm on Day 8 of the Pre-op liquid diet).

I have the same feelings, but that's why I didn't have any food funerals. I'm not saying bye to all of the foods I love, mostly just saying hey, see you, a LOT less of you, later and a lot less often! I know there are some things I'll lose my taste for, some things I shouldn't eat again, and some things I won't eat again, but I've made my peace with it.

[cecilialee220 10]

Honestly, no you won't be able to eat " normally" again. But that depends what you consider normal. I still eat out with my family all the time, I either order a small plate, or get an extra plate and take small portions off everyone's plate, no one seems to mind.

You have to change your whole way of thinking about good. And the most important thing I have learnt is don't drink and eat. It doesn't work. You have to do one or the other.

[Sara51692 162]

Follow Dr's orders....don't be afraid to use Miralax it SmoothMove tea if you don't poop in a few days....don't trust a fart....and push those liquids-Popsicles will taste amazing!!

Best of luck to you--keep us posted, please!

Popsicles tasted like steak after surgery. LOLOL

Steak Popsicles!? Wouldn't most people be excited about that? Haha

[kymhill71 5]

I'm getting my sleeve on June 18th. I've been reading a lot of post. I am starting to get nervous.

[Kindle 8,667]

The one thing I wish someone told me before surgery is that it hurts. I woke up in the post op recovery room and had a few choice words to say about the amount of pain I was experiencing. Fortunately I had a VERY understanding nurse nearby who took great care of me. (Nurses are the best!) I know this is not advice, but it is something I wish I had known going in. On a more positive note, the pain passes quickly and it is just a vague memory at this point.

Best of luck on your surgery!

I'm expecting the pain but what I'm worried about is will I ever be able to eat normal again -- go to a restaurant with my husband, eat at holidays etc. I'm not talking about eating BIG. I realize that restaurant eating will mean eating a very small amount of the food. I guess I'm just nervous because right now I'm thinking of all the things that I would love to just have a bite of. (I'm on Day 8 of the Pre-op liquid diet).

Yes you will be able to go out to eat and have a good time at holiday parties. I go out all the time and the only difference from preop is my bill is less and I take home leftovers. I party with friends and family and for the first time in my life, I'm one of the sober ones. I eat whatever I want in moderation. And yes, I do drink and eat at the same time. At 17 months and maintaining well below goal, I've found many of the "rules" for success aren't necessarily written in stone. Of course it took almost a year to get to this point and find MY new normal, yours may be quite different. Be patient, follow the rules in the beginning and find what works for you in the long run. There are actually dozens of "right" ways to work with your WLS.

[amacox 25]

Walk!! And drink water!!!

[Justme24 69]

Greetings ~ My suggestions would be:

I had been told that I might have pain from the CO2 gas that they pump into you so that there's room for the instruments/laproscope, but I didn't realize how uncomfortable that would be, primarily up near my shoulders. The surgical sites themselves - very little pain.

Don't weigh yourself right away, they give you a lot of IV fluids and it takes a week or so to equilibrate, it was very discouraging to me when I stepped on the scale 4 days after surgery and weighed more than when I went in (not by much, but it was still a bit discouraging).

Eat slowly.

Work the plan - and it will work for you. I never had weigh "fall off" after the surgery, even though I followed everything that I was told and have consistently exercised and advanced my workout as time went on. But I kept at it and have had slow steady weight loss - after 6 months I am down about 70 lbs. I've had to work really hard over these last 6 months, I actually thought the weight would come off a more easily than it has, but I'm so grateful. I know that this will be something that I have to attend to, daily, for the rest of my life. But now I feel like I can truly have long term success.

My best to you, let us know how your doing after surgery.

[Sara51692 162]

Justme24 - awesome advice! Thank you.

[Italian Gal 66]

Be positive...I had no vomiting or pain once I was home from the hospital. I did not even take the pain meds.

I used a heating pad to help me with back ache...I still keep it on the sofa when I nap!