Is there anything you wish you knew before surgery?

[Zemi 72]

For those who have had surgery ... if you look back, are there things that you wish you'd known about before hand? I think i'm trying to find out as much as possible before having surgery and hoping i don't go into information overload but use it wisely instead.

[GradyCat 3,695]

I wish I'd known about stalls. I wasn't expecting them and they're depressing but normal.

[mgrand 81]

I wish I would have known that my tastes were going to change a lot!

[sheademo29 12]

I wish that I knew I was going to be hungry and craving everything.but there’s nothing I can do about it.very frustrated

[Zemi 72]

@GradyCati was reading about the stalls the other night ... i hope you get past yours soon. i’ve sure encountered these in the past with losing weight but hadn’t thought about it with wls

@mgrand how have your tastes changed?

@sheademo29 i would be frustrated also have you asked your nutritionist/dietician what’s going on there with the hunger and if there’s anything that can help you feel more full? sorry to read how frustrating it is

[mgrand 81]

A lot of things just don't taste good to me. Even the caramel flavor of Premier Protein shakes that were my favorite just before surgery don't taste very good now. Sometimes, something will taste good to me one day but not at all the next.

[mgrand 81]

Oh, and even though I had a real sweet tooth before surgery, I get tired of sweet things now.

[Frustr8 7,886]

I wish now I knew how boring a prolonged liquid diet can be. Sometimes I hate my body for not. behaving better, no I don't hate my surgron, I don't hate that I had the surgery or even the type of surgery it was, just the fact of structuring/ulceration. NP assured me at appointment last Wednesday that my stomal opening was " patent"(medicalese for open) albeit still narrow, well I will concede it might have been. on THAT day, my point is- it did not remain that way. The tenderness of my pouch, which I feel most at and just below my sternum, and my right subcostal. pain which Dr Noria has told me is my jejunal ulcerations are still twingy'paining me. And 4 out of the last 6 days I have vomitted up my evening meal, 3 of those next days I woke up nauseated enough to not be able to keep anything Water included until noon. And I am precaious with my Fluid levels when that happens. If things are are calm enough gastic-wise that I can do 2 at minimum of fluid in my little baby shot glasses every 15 minutes, I will make my 64 oz quota, before last endoscopy I was doing 3oz instead, that made it to 72 oz which was better. Then if I had my Soups, which I have been brewing myself instead of relying on prepared and canned, the fluid from them would make me up to 84-87 oz, that would be enough to keep #1 tickety-booming and #2 soft enough to pass well. And yes I do have 2 doses of Miralax worked into fluids and protein- enrich the soups. Made myself some sugar-free - made with stevia tapioca pudding. When Precious Pouch behaves very very good, I reward her with a couple ounces of that. But mostly I spend my evenings curled into an ball over the wastebasket or with one of my emesis bags I got at the hospital. I never expected this kind of grief this far from surgery. I really feel I have followed all the directives to the letter. Thursday I have an appointment with dietician, let's see if Roy and I can formulate something. And I have another niggling thing, I am husky- voiced, my ENT Dr Suzie says my vocal cords are bowed so I will be having speech therapy. There are 3 possible reasons for it, #1 A normal consequence of aging #2 pressure from my thyroid nodules doing it- this she doubts and #3 and this is the one I believe, so many endoscopies- I am up to 13 lifetime and 10 of them at OSU- that it has traumatized my vocal cords and speech as a consequence. So I guess I resent how long it is taking to heal to a "normal "state, it is wearyin g/boring and feeling futile most days. Do I wish I could be revised back away from my pouch? Not really, it would be a traumatizing long open surgery, not easy to endure maybe at my age even fatal, not easy- peasy like laparoscopy was. I do like the fact I am now even smaller than I was when I delivered Tomkitten, 40 years ago the 12th of June, yeah if you look only at my weight loss, 100 pounds in 8 months, you could say "Good on YOU Frustr8" it's just the miserable way, with PICC lines, Total P Nutrition, and the minor setbacks, this was not what was advertised in pamphlets, pre-surgery consults and even the Post-Surgery clinic visits, I did not request to be this "unique" maybe it is good I am One of A Kind as most practices do not deserve more than one. But , like the happy child singing in a room full of manure, with all this, there has got to be a pony somewhere! Your bewidered but comitted for the journey friend, the 1 the only--- Frustr8

[Zemi 72]

@mgrand i don't think i'd ever have thought about the possibility of tastes changing like that ........ before reading on here; have you found anything you do like the taste of yet that you didn't before, or is it too soon to tell?

@Frustr8 the weight loss itself is great as you mentioned, but what a way to get there i'm sorry you've had such a rough time post surgery, and that there are still so many health concerns and issues ongoing following this. As far as the liquid diet, i was worrying about a few weeks of it; i can see why it would get very boring and hard when you've had such an extended time. i hope things went well with the dietician visit

[VSG_Me_2019 22]

I wish I had known how real the struggle would be with constipation... lol TMI maybe, but I'm sure most people who have had the surgery would agree.

I was someone who NEVER had issues pre-surgery, so I was surprised when I had to start using products to go. It makes sense, but it wasn't on the list of things I talked about with my surgeon pre-op haha.

[Carrot64 214]

I thought I was prepared ( and I was) I think what I hadn’t researched was how cold I would be and the impact of it. It is Memorial Day weekend and I am wearing a sweatshirt and a hoody and the sun is shining and it’s a nice 72 degrees.. the days aren’t so bad but I SHIVER all night long.. believe me , I’ll take the cold over the boob sweat and chub rub,any day.. I was just surprised that after the first 25 lbs. ( now 64) that I’d be cold .. I’ll deal with it and when it’s 95 in New England and everyone around me is complaining I will NOT be a sweaty mess.. wooo hoooo

Edited May 26, 2019 by Carrot64

[mousecat88 2,281]

Complications can happen to anyone. Don't let a surgeon saying "oh, you're young and healthy you'll be fine!" convince you otherwise. I was 29 with no comorbidities and had 3 complications post-op (gallbladder, hernia, ulcer). Just be prepared for whatever comes. You will conquer it.

I also wish they talked more about the Hair loss. I've lost about 40-50% of my hair. Started at 3 weeks and hasn't stopped since. I *think* it is slowing down? I also exploded with badddd acne. Lasted about 5 months. Is clearing up well now.

Also, don't try to use baby food as a substitute for pureeing adult food. BARF.

Also I concur with the other poster about Constipation. I didn't go for 17 days! Went to the ER and there was no impaction or blockage. Super bizarre. But I have to take Colace and Mag Citrate daily to have any BMs.

I also have now developed an obsession with cottage cheese. Which is cool because it's great post-op and high in Protein. But SO WEIRD that my fixation went from carby carbs to this random food choice.

whey never made me nauseous pre-op, but post-op whey isolate anything makes my stomach hurt so bad. Hunting good soy options in the beginning was tough, but they are out there. Now I eat some Snacks with whey in them.. and just suffer quietly. lol. No one told me whey ISOLATES could hurt.

Edited May 30, 2019 by mousecat88

[talithaf 30]

10 hours ago, mousecat88 said:

I also wish they talked more about the Hair loss. I've lost about 40-50% of my hair. Started at 3 weeks and hasn't stopped since. I *think* it is slowing down? I also exploded with badddd acne. Lasted about 5 months. Is clearing up well now.

Whey never made me nauseous pre-op, but post-op whey isolate anything makes my stomach hurt so bad. Hunting good soy options in the beginning was tough, but they are out there. Now I eat some Snacks with whey in them.. and just suffer quietly. lol. No one told me whey ISOLATES could hurt.

quick advice on the Hair loss issue... if you are interested in extensions etc then have a look at Evawigs.com ... I've dealt with major hair loss from alopecia for years and love the wigs I get from them... but hopefully the issue resolves itself for you!

what good soy options have you found?

[KCgirl061 1,532]

I wish I had known that it can cause lactose intolerance. It wouldn't have slowed my decision to have the surgery by any means but once I started getting really bad gas it would have helped me solve the problem with medication quicker.

[mgrand 81]

22 hours ago, KCgirl061 said:

I wish I had known that it can cause lactose intolerance. It wouldn't have slowed my decision to have the surgery by any means but once I started getting really bad gas it would have helped me solve the problem with medication quicker.

Is lactaid working for you?? It doesn't seem to be working for me but maybe I am not taking enough.