What do you know now that you wish you knew prior to surgery

[Samara1974 116]

I wished I had packed a robe, I was missing a tie on my hospital gown so my husband had to hold it closed for me. I used the chapstick, gas-x strips & slippers I brought.

At some time through the process you are going to freak out or just be done with the whole thing. About two weeks out I got really grumpy with my husband and just started bawling when he came to give me my shot (some surgeons prescribe anti-coagulant shots.) I was tired of the whole after care process and just wanted to be normal.

After surgery Water may taste sweet to you & it may make you nauseous, it faded after 2-3 weeks but it is really tough to get Water in when your main source tastes nasty.

For me the whole process doesn't feel real, I had an easy recovery & am losing weight pretty quickly. I wish I knew that I would be able to drink normally. When you are in post op liquid phase you may be able to drink more than 4oz if so it will freak you out and get you worrying. Just make sure to measure what you drink and keep to your timetable. If you one of the lucky folks you also won't feel restriction during this phase but when you move to more solid food you will.

Also the dreaded three week stall is real. The worst part of the stall is the mental games it plays with you, all your previous diet fears & emotions come bubbling up and you just can't help it. It will break as long as you follow your program.

Almost every surgeon has their own plan and post-op instructions, I am following my surgeons instructions and tucking things I am learning from my online support group that follows my guidelines.

Even though you feel fine one month after surgery, be careful a this is when you can really hurt yourself (your internal stitches have not dissolved yet and if you do something wrong you will feel "pinching". It is not pleasant.

[sja 38]

I too purchased way too many Protein drinks, packs of pudding, Soup broth and Jello. Tossed a lot of it. What I didn't realize was I could only consume 1 oz at a time the day after surgery. We buy for our tumors before surgery, but we can't eat that much after. I'm about 5 wks post op and STILL forget and dish up an old serving size. Then I giggle like I'd actually be able to eat even half of that amount!

The three week stall was awful! Throw your scale away. Just wait for your post op visits to weigh. It's a mind game and it sucked for me.

Getting up and moving as quickly as I could was hands down the best decision I made. No surgery gas pains (I'd had them from a previous laparoscopic surgery and they were awful! Dr said walking right away probably helped.)

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[teaqueen 113]

- I know the first 5 days were the hardest, but in retrospect, not really that terrible.

- Get up and get moving if you want to recover faster!

- Don't buy a lot of anything in advance...your taste buds will not be the same as before surgery.

- the first week is all about trying to actually get some nutrition in your system. It seems like it would be easy to eat 5 bites of something, but it's a challenge!

- Find a Protein shake you can stand. I still drink a Premier shake every morning as its a fast 30 Gms of Protein.

- focus on the protein. Not the fat, not the calories...focus on the protein!

- remember to laugh at yourself the first time you put a heaping scoop of something in your plate only to realize you can eat only 4 bites of it.

- be patient. It works.

- take care of you - mind, body and spirit.

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[VSGButterfly404 29]

All the replies are very helpful!!!

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[rking 484]

I read to take dissolvable gas x strips. I didn't have had pains but could tell it was there. They helped.

[Andi07 63]

I am set for surgery on 4/20 and just wanted to stop by and thank everyone for their tips and thoughts. They helped so much!

[deanna2178 88]

I read and did alot of research before surgery so I feel I was prepared for everything, and yes the shoulder pain was terrible everything else has been a piece of cake, I am 12 days post op and was going to gym the day after I got home so I have recovered well so far no complications, no pain in fact I wouldn't even know I had the surgery if it wasn't for the fact that I am still on liquids only.

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[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Hey guys! I'm about 27 days out from surgery and was wondering.... Experienced sleevers, what you know now that you wish you knew prior to being sleeved?

What you wish you had packed for the hospital???

What you wished you had done to prepare, mentally, emotionally and physically?

After you came home???

Etc. etc. etc.

Gimme ALL the deets ... LOL thanks!

That the surgery itself was the easiest part of the whole process.

[Barry W 336]

I stocked the pantry with 6 quarts of broth and cream of this and that Soups. Then I found that (A) I got tired of them quickly and ( because my stomach was so small and they have bulk but almost no calories, they weren't necessarily the best choice anyway.

[Daniellewi 69]

I wish I had known how much pain I would have felt right after surgery. I slept in a recliner for a week. I have always had a high pain tolerance but this one threw me for a loop. I had read on here how everyone said it was a piece of cake and not painful. I guess everyone is different because I felt like I was punched in the stomach repeatedly and the incision pain was pretty intense for at least 2 Weeks for me. I was so glad I took 4 weeks off work, I would have never made it.

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[losing_jess 19]

Great post. I appreciate all the answers!

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[future Mrs 26]

I wish I knew about the gas pains, no-one told me about them. Everyone said there's no pain. Which there was no pain in my stomach but my back and left shoulder and left hand killed me. I wish I knew everything would have a bad smell. It smells like wet dog here ! No-one smells it but me. I wish I knew I would stay sick and feel sick everytime I try to eat . Water I can't drink it without throwing up! My surgery was 4/14/2016 and I'm taking it one day at a time.

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[Barry W 336]

I wish I had known how much pain I would have felt right after surgery. I slept in a recliner for a week. I have always had a high pain tolerance but this one threw me for a loop. I had read on here how everyone said it was a piece of cake and not painful. I guess everyone is different because I felt like I was punched in the stomach repeatedly and the incision pain was pretty intense for at least 2 Weeks for me. I was so glad I took 4 weeks off work, I would have never made it.

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*LOL* Yep, when I see people say "Don't worry, it was a breeze!" I think whaaaat? I mean, my experience wasn't traumatic, but it was still something to cope with and just to endure for the first two weeks, not something to take lightly by any means.

For what it's worth, although there are a few who say "A piece of cake!", there are also a few who lament "What have I done???"... and it's everything in-between as well. There is a whole spectrum of experiences...

[Carolyn1967 11]

I appreciate all of your replies to this topic. I am awaiting my surgery date and can use so much of this information. Thank all of you for helping others be better prepared, know more of what to expect and what you really need for supplies.

[Leesa926 72]

Wish I knew I worried for nothing :-). Sure I had some nausea at first but the meds helped. I had a very easy recovery.

I'm not 4 months out and feel the same as I did before surgery just better. I only eat less and look better otherwise it's like nothing happened. Best decision I made.

My point is there are soooo many issues to worry about but most are rare. In my group of Dec sleeves idk 100 of us, I haven't seen any issues. I spent soooo much time looking at problems that had me nervous, over prepping that didn't matter afterwards, etc. Just enjoy and get excited of what's to come!!

Good luck!