What do you wish you had known

[Embody 4]

Hi everyone! What do you wish someone had told you about before you had surgery that you didn't learn until after?

[toodlerue 451]

To never even test your new self to see if you can have sugar ever again! I’ve slipped back into my horrible eating habits & have gained 25 lbs. I’m so upset with myself & I’m having a hard time getting back on track. Those food & alcohol demons will always be with me!

[Ed_NW 684]

I wish I knew that once the weight started coming off, I would experience unexpected anxiety and depression from the hormone dump. I never even knew that was a thing until after surgery and I did some research on the subject. I'm feeling better now but it would've been nice to know this was a thing. Good luck with your surgery!

[Krestel 330]

All my issues have been things that ppl always told me about on this site oddly enough. I was stupid enough not to really really listen. Im still dealing with what I look like now after having lost the weight and am at a normal weight, but it's all in my head (which ppl told me) BUT you never really understand it until you get there. SO if I had one bit of advice, it would be no matter what ppl tell you and what you read, the experience will be totally soul changing...sometimes bad..but MOSTLY good. It is so worth the journey!!!!!!

[Guest]

The hidden hospital charges afterward....

[ChubRub 1,702]

The recovery from the surgery will be more about fatigue than pain. I was sore for a few days, but needed multiple naps per day for 2 months! All worth it of course! Best decision I ever made!

[PlanetHopper 86]

I wish I would have known that dumping syndrome can happen even if you get the VSG. It's happened to me, multiple times. I also wish I would have been less scared of loose skin and excess hair shedding and went for Bypass.

[Circlesis 59]

I wish I knew that the sleeve won’t in any way help keep weight off past year 2 and that it is normal for the sleeve to stretch to regular capacity by that point with no reduction in appetite.

[Recidivist 1,141]

11 hours ago, Krestel said:

All my issues have been things that ppl always told me about on this site oddly enough. I was stupid enough not to really really listen. Im still dealing with what I look like now after having lost the weight and am at a normal weight, but it's all in my head (which ppl told me) BUT you never really understand it until you get there. SO if I had one bit of advice, it would be no matter what ppl tell you and what you read, the experience will be totally soul changing...sometimes bad..but MOSTLY good. It is so worth the journey!!!!!!

So well said, Krestel! I read things on this site before surgery and thought, "I won't be like that" (such as being tempted by sugar and carbs). Almost all of it turned out to be true. The process is difficult and you will wonder at times why you did this to yourself. And it's still a challenge even at the maintenance phase. AND it's totally worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

[Lily66 425]

How much I will learn and grow from this life altering experience, not only about myself, but the terms of my relationships.

In a word, Relationships. My relationship to nearly everything is changing. Relationship to food, to clothing, to money, to myself in the world, husband, family, friends, new boundaries, etc.

For me, it has been nearly 100% positive but requires patience, persistence, no longer comparing, listening and learning, delaying gratifications, realizing that what I want most, may not be what I want right now.

Great question, Embody, you’re off to a well grounded start! 🌟

Edited June 26, 2020 by Lily66

[ms.sss 15,234]

42 minutes ago, Lily66 said:

In a word, Relationships. My relationship to nearly everything is changing. Relationship to food, to clothing, to money, to myself in the world, husband, family, friends, new boundaries, etc.

✊🏼

Same, same, same here.

[sweetsmith78 60]

9 hours ago, Circlesis said:

I wish I knew that the sleeve won’t in any way help keep weight off past year 2 and that it is normal for the sleeve to stretch to regular capacity by that point with no reduction in appetite.

At the time of sleeve gastrectomy, mean BMI was 43 and 78% of patients were female. They had a mean follow-up of 5.9 years. Overall, Peterli and colleagues found that the average excessive BMI lost after 1 year was 61.5%, and then 61.1% after 2 years. By 5 years, average excessive BMI lost was 57.4%, they reported.Jul 17, 2013

[New&Improved 1,780]

I wish I knew about surgery 10 years earlier

[Embody 4]

Thank you, everyone, for your honest responses. I am considering gastric bypass and know it is a big life decision. Is there a best place to post questions about the mental/emotional piece?

[Ed_NW 684]

3 hours ago, Embody said:

Thank you, everyone, for your honest responses. I am considering gastric bypass and know it is a big life decision. Is there a best place to post questions about the mental/emotional piece?

One of the best places I found to help make decisions on what surgery to have and what to expect was YouTube. Just search "weight loss surgery" and there will be a large amount of content on the subject. I watched one yesterday from somebody I haven't watched in awhile because he started doing what seemed like pyramid schemes. It touches on some of the replies on this thread.