Newbie

[BethanyA 1]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this whole process. I just had my consultation at the beginning of the month and have started my three month process for insurance. I have been overweight for quite some time now and I'm just ready to start my weight loss journey. What are something that you wish was told to you before you had your surgery? Did you already start taking Vitamins? Was anyone on birth control before and after surgery?

I've heard a lot of different things about pain also after surgery and I expect pain, but was you able to do some of your normal daily routine? Was bending, sitting or laying hard for you to do? I've had two C-sections so I'm familiar with abdominal pain after surgery, but is it anything like that?

Sorry for the over load of questions. I'm just nervous and anxious and don't want to miss any information.

[BigSue 1,356]

Welcome!

23 minutes ago, BethanyA said:

What are something that you wish was told to you before you had your surgery?

I actually felt pretty well prepared for my surgery because I spent a lot of time reading these forums in the months leading up to surgery. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos from people who have had the surgery. There are a lot of videos about "things I wish I had known about WLS," so I was prepared for some of those things that seem to surprise a lot of people.

One thing that was still a bit of a surprise was just how difficult it was to get fluids and Protein in the first few weeks. No matter how many times I read or heard about how difficult it was, I didn't fully grasp how it would actually feel until I got there. The other surprise was how little pain I had and how easy my recovery was. I took a week and a half off of work, but I could have easily gone back to work 5 days after surgery.

29 minutes ago, BethanyA said:

Did you already start taking Vitamins?

I was taking a Multivitamin with Iron and a Vitamin D supplement before surgery, just because I had some deficiencies. You don't need to start taking bariatric Vitamins until after surgery because you'll be able to eat enough before surgery to get the nutrients you need from food (unless you already have a Vitamin deficiency and/or your doctor tells you to).

32 minutes ago, BethanyA said:

I've heard a lot of different things about pain also after surgery and I expect pain, but was you able to do some of your normal daily routine? Was bending, sitting or laying hard for you to do? I've had two C-sections so I'm familiar with abdominal pain after surgery, but is it anything like that?

I've never had a C-section, so I can't comment on that, but I had surprisingly little pain from my surgery. The incisions are very small, so I'd guess that it's much less painful than a C-section. I had some gas pain the first day, but after that, I was fine and I didn't need any pain medication, not even Tylenol. Different people have different experiences, though. Some people say they had some abdominal soreness as though they had done a lot of sit-ups, but I didn't have that experience.

I was concerned about being able to take care of myself because I live alone, but it turned out not to be a problem. I wasn't allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, and I was careful about bending, etc., but I really didn't have any issues. I was still able to do stuff like light housework the whole time.

48 minutes ago, BethanyA said:

Sorry for the over load of questions. I'm just nervous and anxious and don't want to miss any information.

You don't need to apologize! We're all here to discuss WLS. There are lots of people here who have been through it and are happy to answer questions anytime.

[Arabesque 7,178]

Congrats on starting the journey.

Everyone is happy to answer questions & share their experiences here so ask away.

I haven’t had a c section either but my pain was very little. I think I took one over the counter pain med on day 4 (I wasn’t released to day 3 as my back went into spasm & that was way more painful) & then nothing else. I could even sleep in my side which some can’t. Most complain about the gas pain more from where they inflate your abdomen to operate but I didn’t even have that. I was pretty lucky. I too was advised a slower journey back to carrying heavy items. Started at nothing over 10kg which was was reduced over about 6 weeks so that’s similar to post c section. I live alone & didn’t have any trouble doing what I needed about the house.

I started taking Vitamins after surgery but stopped after I hit goal. I don’t have any deficiencies & get all I need from what I eat.

Talk to your surgeon about taking the pill. As friend was told to go to implants. I think it depends on what you’re taking, where it is absorbed & type of surgery. I’m menopausal but could continue taking my HRT without issue.

Wish I knew about how my taste buds would change as a lot of things tasted darn hideous at first. It took a bit of trial & error & tossed food to work out what I could eat but really it’s a pretty minor thing.

[BethanyA 1]

Thank you for answering my questions. Iv been watching YouTube videos and read the forum on here and they have helped. I was worried about the lifting and the pain because I have two children that are all about mommy sometimes and the videos and forums that I have found don't say anything about the pain after unless you had complications. Iv had both scopes done before so is the gas pain you feel like that?

My mom had the gastric bypass about 10 years ago and everything has changed so much since then so she hasn't been much help because now everything is done laparoscopic.