What you wish you'd known before having weight loss surgery

[ThickGirl5683 318]

I wish I had known that this is more of a mental battle than a physical one..... I am 8mos. post op (On Nov.20th) and even though I've passed my "goal weight" I still struggle everyday with SOMETHING.... "Am I too thin", "will I be able to keep it off forever " etc etc.. BUT I NEVER thought I would be this size and honestly I have NOT embraced it yet but I'm proud of myself and I would do it all over again!!

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[UndercoverDiet 57]

7 hours ago, Sullie06 said:

I wish I knew that I would have a drain for 48 hours. My surgeon never mentioned it so I assumed they didn't use them, wrong. That was a surprise to wake up to and the most painful part for me.

Also I wish I prepared myself better for mild regret directly after surgery and how slow moving through the stages would feel.

Now I'm almost 11 months out, about 15-20 pounds from goal and I have zero regrets.

I have wondered about that. I don't want to have a drain, but as a RN I understand the need.

[JeffN 106]

I wish I would have done the surgery sooner!

[walleyecrazy 120]

I wish I knew that I would have a drain for 48 hours. My surgeon never mentioned it so I assumed they didn't use them, wrong. That was a surprise to wake up to and the most painful part for me.
Also I wish I prepared myself better for mild regret directly after surgery and how slow moving through the stages would feel.
Now I'm almost 11 months out, about 15-20 pounds from goal and I have zero regrets.

Man I wish I only had my drain for 48hrs. My surgeon requires one for 7 days, and do to a scheduling issue I was stuck with mine for 9 days. That was by far my least favorite part of the whole process. Other than that I wish I knew just how greatly my tastes would change in the time right after surgery. There are quite a few foods that I simply cannot stand the taste of anymore that I loved pre-surgery.

[Sullie06 1,013]

17 hours ago, UndercoverDiet said:

I have wondered about that. I don't want to have a drain, but as a RN I understand the need.

I had one while I was in the hospital and then they removed it directly prior to discharge. It was literally the most painful part of the surgery for me because every movement I made caused severe discomfort. I wish they had just warned us prior to the surgery that we would for sure have one.

[jes_x 18]

I wish I had known that the pain from the gas is the really awful, Up in your shoulders after surgery, just walk around as soon as you feel up to it. Take before photos & measurements even if you really don’t want too.. Let me assure you stalls in weight loss after surgery are extremely common but mentally it can be quite difficult especially if you are doing all the right things and nothing happens for week/s so it’s nice to see the progress

[bellabloom 2,467]

I wish I had known- being three years out now, that I would live with long term consequences. I would trade being obese for living with chronic digestive issues, never being able to eat freely or normally again and that meals would always be a struggle.

I’m not saying it would have changed my mind. It probably wouldn’t have. Being thinner and healthy is amazing and wonderful.

But you have to know, it’s likely you will trade one thing for another.

[futureslimmama 28]

I have a couple of things. That I would have an insane amount of gas anytime I ate or drank in the first couple of months. And that no amount of eating slowly can prevent that. Not an issue now at 10 weeks but was awful the first month. No regrets though. That eating would get disgusting. As in, I would not get the same feeling from food as I used to get and I would have food aversions to things to used to enjoy. Like guac, Peanut Butter, fried chicken. That my taste bud would change. Also that the sensation of food being stuck in your throat and throwing up is so uncomfortable and weird. When I started solids, it was interesting with chicken. And throwing up is just not the same. Thankfully it's better no gross sour bile taste anymore. Anyways.....lmao....my surgeon did tell me that. The last one is Water. I knew already from nut class that I would need to sip slow with my water all day. But I don't think I knew the extent to which I would be unable physically to drink water. Especially since I was breastfeeding at the time of surgery and drinking 4L water a day! It was a huge shock to my system. I couldn't even drink up to 20 ounces that first week. And now I am at 48-64ounces. My norm is 3L a day pre sleeve. Anyways. I am just a newbie at 2.5 months. So still learning an discovering as I go. We shall see how things go. So grateful for this tool. The first 65 pounds has been awesome to get off, I am now only 15 pounds away from the weight I was before ever getting pregnant. That's one of my milestones.

[futureslimmama 28]

I still have a total of 100 pounds to go. I am excited to continue my journey.

[fclenz 7]

12/19 is my date too!

[Amburmist 55]

I wish that I had known that my taste buds would change. I threw out tons of Protein, Soups, broth, etc, because I just couldn't stand them after surgery. Don't get me wrong, I read this in multiple posts, but didn't think that it would apply to me.
My advice...Don't buy too much of anything before surgery, because you might just despise it afterward.

I did this with Jello. Ugh. Cant stand jello now. Threw out tons of it in anticipation for post surg. Had it a week and thre it away, never looked back!

[Amburmist 55]

I wish I had known- being three years out now, that I would live with long term consequences. I would trade being obese for living with chronic digestive issues, never being able to eat freely or normally again and that meals would always be a struggle.

I’m not saying it would have changed my mind. It probably wouldn’t have. Being thinner and healthy is amazing and wonderful.

But you have to know, it’s likely you will trade one thing for another.

Im sorry to hear ur not feeling as well as ud hoped u would after surgery. U indicated to the OP that she will 'likely' trade one thing for another. Do u hear this happens often, losing the excess weight in exchange for getting some bad ailment? Were ur chronic digestive issues caused by the surgery?

[Markg17 11]

So I had my sleeve on 11-6.. I’ve read a lot of stories on how hard it was to drink water.. how painful the removal of the drain tube was.. I’ve had zero problems drinking Water I’ve always loved water and I can drink a glass of water with no problem just take smaller drinks.. soft foods have been a problem .. the biggest thing I wish I knew was that eve tho ur not hungry your mind is still addicted to food and I CRAVED unhealthy food and was not hungry at all.. I had to drink blue Powerade after surgery so if I had a leak it would be in my drain tube it gave me horrible heart burn and caused me to vomit a lot .. I wish I just drank purple Kool aid instead sugar free of course.. an when u get to eat again if u over eat .. it hurts ur mind says eat it up but please please go slow it’s painful if you don’t

[UndercoverDiet 57]

On 11/18/2017 at 9:25 PM, bellabloom said:

I wish I had known- being three years out now, that I would live with long term consequences. I would trade being obese for living with chronic digestive issues, never being able to eat freely or normally again and that meals would always be a struggle.

I’m not saying it would have changed my mind. It probably wouldn’t have. Being thinner and healthy is amazing and wonderful.

But you have to know, it’s likely you will trade one thing for another.

What kind of complications do you have?

[bellabloom 2,467]

What kind of complications do you have?

Hey there.

I have dumping syndrome (rare for sleeve patients) and I have trouble with things getting stuck/ throwing up after I eat. I also just feel nauseated or generally unwell after I eat most of the time. These might seem like small issues but over time they can be very exhausting.

On the up side, I’m healthy Vitamin wise, my energy is good and I’m thin and living a much happier life.