What was the biggest surprise for you at or after surgery? What do you wish you had known?

[nomorefattypatty 329]

My surgery is still a week and a half away. I'm wondering how we can even drink that stuff the day after surgery. Did they have you drink as much then as they did pre-op?

Ask your Dr. They should do that test while you're still in the surgery room.

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[Joann454 1,329]

Do you know why it didn't work for you?

Curious as well.

[nomorefattypatty 329]

I wish I could've predicted how easy the procedure was and my most memorable part, just waking up out of surgery, you're gonna be so happy it's done until you realize it's really just began, now you have to get the weight off. That was my A-ha moment.

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[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

2 hours ago, LittleM said:

What I wish I would have known before my surgery? That it's not going to work for me. I could have saved my $3000 and spent it on something more useful.

How do you know it didn't work for you when You had surgery 2 months ago and are not even fully healed? Get back to us in a year.

[sunmeadow 82]

The biggest thing that surprises me post surgery is my change in personality. I am more aware of how toxic some people in my life are and I am no longer tolerating or enabling their behavior. It was like a night and day switch. I don't know if it's a physical/hormonal change, or an emotional change, but right now I feel like I am fighting for me and have no patience for the poor behavior of others around me.

Wow! Good for you! I pretty much did that when I turned 40, but I am hoping that being more "normal" will help me feel more confident and enabled to do and go for the things I want, like look for a new job without being embarrassed about my appearance or feeling "less than" because of it.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

2 hours ago, leiaD said:

Can you elaborate? I had my surgery 6/19 and I'm already thinking about how horrible my body is going to look once I lose this weight. I feel like I traded weight loss for saggy skin and breast. Yes, I'm happy that I will be healthier but I'm 27 and don't want to have so many things that I have to pay to fix. It's a little disheartening to think after I've stabilize my weight loss and maintain it, that I have to pay for all this corrective cosmetic surgery and still have to struggle with the body issues and how I view myself. I feel I traded one body issue for a few others.

Hmm, it is really complicated and long.

First as far as identity and image that isn't just about body image. I spent my entire adult life as a plus sized woman. I shopped in the same stores. I had a certain style. I had a body I was familiar with, and that I did not hate. When I dropped enough weight, suddenly I had to find all new stores to shop in. I went from being an Apple shape to an hourglass. I had to change my style. I used to be able to look at clothes and know if they would work for me. I have to try every single thing on. Even now when my weigh has been fairly stable within 5 pounds for a few months I am still dropping inches and things no longer fit. I was comfortable as a plus sized person and that was part of my identity. Now I am no longer in the plus size club. I am smaller than the average woman in America who is now a size 16 or 18.

Not only has the way I think about myself in relation to the rest of the world changed, but how people treat me and react to me has changed a lot also. Women are not as friendly to me as they used to be when I was plus sized. I have always worn a lot of makeup and had big hair. When I used to be in Sephora as a fat girl with a beat face, people talked to me all the time. Normal size, beat face, cheek bones poppin even without highlighter, not as much convo. Men however treat me very differently. I always had men smile and talk to me, but now they really go out of their way to be super polite to me. Some of it has to do with how I dress now, usually dresses (typically bodycon or sheath) and heels. Looking more feminine really gains a lot of reaction from men, especially since most women rarely wear dresses and skirts and that is pretty much all I wear (they last a lot longer and are more forgiving to changing sizes).

As far as body image. I read a book that helped me a lot. Spending a lot of time on the internet plus what I do for my career, I am forced to look at what seems like perfect bodies all the time. That isn't really how people look. I use photoshop every day. I know all these images are fake, but I am still a victim of feeling like I don't measure up to those images. About 9 months ago I had a really hard time with my loose skin, but it has gotten better mentally, and physically. The longer I stay in the same size range, the better my skin gets and the better I look. Shapewear and dressing right for your body and personality can fix anything. Watching people whine on skin tight on TLC helps too. I realized they are making their problems worse by having a bad attitude about it. Most of them can't dress to save their lives and that is 90% of the problem. Also I accepted that I earned this body the hard way. Most people will never have the loose skin I have but they will also have never lost as much weight as I have. I wear shorts, sleeveless tops and work out in sports bra and leggings. I earned all these stripes. I think if I didn't like my body before then maybe it would be easier to accept my new body but I didn't hate myself before. If I could be fat and healthy I would probably still be fat. I wasn't a miserable fat person, I was a person with failing health, which was making me miserable.

http://a.co/fI9AKK1

I look great in clothes. I look great in clothes even without shapewear now. My boobs look great in a bra and they are fine if I am on my back . Like seriously the number of people that are ever going to see you naked, even if you are dating a lot is really low on a planet of 7 billion. It doesn't matter.

Therapists are useless, imo. I looked and tried out a few and all of them are just as dumb as the rest of the general pop. The ones I talked to just assumed that losing weight solves your problems, and their solutions for body image issues were trash. That book helped me think about myself more as a whole person and not a bunch of body parts and remember the real purpose of my body (even if you aren't religious, you can benefit)

[Half-Tum 404]

5 hours ago, LittleM said:

What I wish I would have known before my surgery? That it's not going to work for me. I could have saved my $3000 and spent it on something more useful.

How do you know - it was only in May, right?

[LaLa Ladybug 57]

Ask your Dr. They should do that test while you're still in the surgery room.

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Thanks for the tip. I asked him at my pre-op after reading this. He said they'll do one in the surgery room. He doesn't usually do then the day after anymore. But he said my case is a little more complicated. I used to have a lapband and it herniated my stomach. He wants to take extra precautionary measures on it. I guess he's the boss. I'm all for better safe than sorry.

[Missy161 395]

I am surprised how different every protocol is. I had my sleeve on 6/22 a Thursday. My dr had me in Protein Shakes the day after surgery and yogurt and applesauce by Tuesday. My recovery has been seamless. He had me in ground meat and fish 2 weeks after surgery. I haven't had any nausea at all and very little pain. By far the easiest surgical recover I have ever had. I have had 4 c sections and a gall bladder removed and this was the easiest.

[polliwoggle 7]

I would do it again-my surgery was 6/26/2017-if you have a problem with the aftertaste of the liquid from the leak test, use a listerine strip . . . that will help . . . also, if you can find gas x strips, use them . . . make sure to walk, walk, walk. and get in as much liquid as you can (post op) The 3rd day and 2nd week seem to be the hardest, once you have made the decision and gotten it done . . . There will be emotional reactions . . . like what have i done to myself, etc., but that is normal . . . this is life changing/altering . . .

[EXCALIBER12 3]

Also, I had a few moments of sheer panic of "Why did I do this; what have I done to myself?!?" It always came after a nap. I'd wake up and for a split second forgotten I had surgery and then when I remembered, the panic would come. I could talk myself down but prepare for a few moments of "Whyyyyyy". It has subsided now. [emoji4]. For now. 🤞🏼

Xanax

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[EXCALIBER12 3]

I was thinking the same thing. How can we only sip Water, but be expected to drink contrast stuff down?

Chomp on the ice cubes.. much easier with better results

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[nomorefattypatty 329]

How do you know it didn't work for you when You had surgery 2 months ago and are not even fully healed? Get back to us in a year.

If you live in the bariatric life style there's no reason to get back to your old life style and gain your weight back. You would really disappoint your doctors.

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[Old2NewMe 73]

Pros:
The whole thing was shockingly easy. The surgery was fast and almost painless. The recovery was easy.
2 years later I still barely have an appetite.
Lost weight without much effort.
Cons:
Everyone talks about addiction transfers and alcoholism and compulsive shopping. No one addresses identity, and body image issues post-op. Not nearly as much as they talk about alcoholism etc. I felt I was very unprepared for the emotional issues that come with massive weight loss.

Do you mind elaborating on the emotional issues that come with massive weight loss? I get sleeved July 18.

[LittleM 10]

On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 0:51 PM, sunmeadow said:

Do you know why it didn't work for you?

Because I haven't lost an ounce since the first week after surgery (while on the clear liquid phase, no food). It's been 7 weeks since surgery, and 6 weeks of not losing, all while never eating more than about 800 calories a day. It's just not fair. And I don't care what anyone says, that is just not normal.

I guess I can only lose weight by eating absolutely nothing. But I'm not willing to starve myself. I'm already hungry all the time as it is.