Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

what surprised you?



Recommended Posts

greetings,

those of you post op: what surprised you after surgery? what happened that you didn’t expect or think of?

(gas issues, rate of weight loss, tiredness issues, food intolerances, other people reaction, or whatever else you were not prepared for)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think for me it's how extreme food tastes so different now. I've always had a sweet tooth, but now the smell of sweet stuff makes me nauseous. Salty things burn my mouth. I'm still trying to find a happy medium but I'll get there eventually.

Oh, and how hard it is to squeeze all of my medications in. I take a lot of pills for Migraines and seizures, add in the Vitamins and supplements needed and I vomit from them. I'm still working on spacing these out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, St77 said:

Oh, and how hard it is to squeeze all of my medications in. I take a lot of pills for Migraines and seizures, add in the Vitamins and supplements needed and I vomit from them. I'm still working on spacing these out.

I'll second the one about medications. Between the supplements and meds I take, it sometimes feels like it takes me all day to get through taking everything. Many nights i stay up too late just trying to get through all the meds!

I knew it would be challenging, but I think I was also expecting to more quickly drop some of my meds. At this point, I dropped my diabetes med and one of my BP meds, but added 2 more (at least temporarily): ursodiol and omeprazole.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nothing. Not to be a **** head. But, for literally 4-5 months I read everything you could imagine.

Read back for years on this forum and another one. Asked so many questions, talked to people who had WLS. Read every article I could find, even watched a few Utube videos.

I was so prepared. I wanted to know every single thing that MIGHT go wrong. Any side effect, changes that may or may not occur. Literally everything, good or bad.

So, nothing really surprised me although I will say I had about the smoothest recovery you could imagine. Which I am so grateful for!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, kcuster83 said:

Nothing. Not to be a **** head. But, for literally 4-5 months I read everything you could imagine.

….

I was so prepared. I wanted to know every single thing that MIGHT go wrong. Any side effect, changes that may or may not occur. Literally everything, good or bad

i am a lot like you… i have read so many firsthand accounts, medical research papers, clinical study results, forums etc etc …. still paranoid that i am missing something but that’s going to cause me issues or mental distress :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For me it was the Constipation, loose skin and food intolerance. There are some foods I still can't tolerate though I keep trying. I hate the constant constipation and I have tried so many things. I knew about the loose skin but really didn't grasp how bad it could be. Can't wait until I have skin removal surgery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Candigrl1 said:

For me it was the constipation, loose skin and food intolerance. There are some foods I still can't tolerate though I keep trying. I hate the constant Constipation and I have tried so many things. I knew about the loose skin but really didn't grasp how bad it could be. Can't wait until I have skin removal surgery.

a person i know uses xylitol based Gummy bears to break constipation. gastric “side effects” happen with overconsumption of some sugar alcohols (a couple spoonfuls of the sweetener may work too)… the body can’t process it for energy so no calorie issues

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, KimA-GA said:

a person i know uses xylitol based Gummy bears to break Constipation. gastric “side effects” happen with overconsumption of some sugar alcohols (a couple spoonfuls of the sweetener may work too)… the body can’t process it for energy so no calorie issues

I'll check those out. Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was surprised that I have no restriction. 8+ weeks now and I’m fully on solid foods and still have no restriction. I’ve even pushed it a few times to just see what I can eat and it’s safe to say I have no restriction at all. I’m also hungry. I’m nauseous off and on and I just feel like the surgery hasn’t been a success at all. I was NOT prepared for that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, KimA-GA said:

a person i know uses xylitol based Gummy bears to break Constipation. gastric “side effects” happen with overconsumption of some sugar alcohols (a couple spoonfuls of the sweetener may work too)… the body can’t process it for energy so no calorie issues

Those do the same thing for my friend but I can eat as many as I want without any bathroom issues? Weird how it does that to some people but she uses them the same way. Lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Like @kcuster83, I too did a lot of reading & I was fortunate who had a friend who’d had the surgery a good year before. My surgeon was very informative & gave me a book to read too. It was very reassuring to know what I was experiencing was to be accepted. Of course sometimes the actual experience can be different from what you imagined. And sometimes the degree to how we experience something can be less or more. If it is more be conscious of what may be too much more like too much pain or too much nausea. If you’re not sure give your surgeon or team a call to be certain all is okay or to get some meds or advice to manage it.

My recovery went pretty smoothly too. The only real issue I had was low energy & low blood pressure but that in itself was to be expected based on my own idiosyncrasies with those things.

Best advice for the Constipation is keep on top of it. If I got to day 3 without movement, I’d take a stool softener. On the odd occasion I’d need to take two the next day but that would fix it. If it didn’t I probably would have tried a stronger laxative. Personally I have an issue with artificial sweeteners. Anything that continues to feed your desire for sweet things isn’t a good thing in my opinion. Xylitol can cause a lot of bloating too so tread carefully if you do decide to go down that path.

All the best.

Edited by Arabesque

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm only 14 days post-op & learning how to eat again is the biggest shock so far. I used to be able to eat a 3 entree Chinese plates for 30-45mins non stop. Now that I'm in my puree stage it's interesting to feel myself get full & satisfied after minutes & w half an egg! I listen to my body say 'we're good' & I'm like 'oh, we're already full? We can stop ALREADY?!' then I proceed to tell my family how crazy it feels haha

Edited by bbykitty
removed auto sig

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I developed a wheat allergy. What they don't tell you is that if you have a surgery with a malabsorption element then you have a 3% change of developing a wheat allergy or Celiac's Disease. I found out the hard way, but honestly? It's been a blessing in disguise. It keeps me on track. I can't eat fast food which I loved before surgery and eating out is next to impossible because it has to be a place that caters to people with food allergies and where I live we have like 1 gluten free place.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess since I'm a revision, Band to Bypass the only thing that surprised me is how natural Bypass feels. After having a torture device (Lap Band) for about 7 years, this feels so completely natural. I've had no food intolerances. Fried foods smell gross, that's the only thing that I've noticed. Like when you park at Publix, and you're walking inside and the deli is frying chicken and that smell is permeating the parking lot... 🤢

As for medication, I take my normal meds and Vitamin in the morning with my proffee and then I have an alarm set on my phone for my Calcium. Noon and 4 pm. I carry some calcium in my purse in case I'm not home. It's just part of wls that I committed to, so it's no big deal to me. And that's the extent of my meds for the day. Very doable, imo.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Jen-ny said:

I was surprised that I have no restriction. 8+ weeks now and I’m fully on solid foods and still have no restriction. I’ve even pushed it a few times to just see what I can eat and it’s safe to say I have no restriction at all. I’m also hungry. I’m nauseous off and on and I just feel like the surgery hasn’t been a success at all. I was NOT prepared for that.

Sometimes restriction takes a bit of time to feel. Due to cut nerves. But I get what you're saying. For me, it depends on the foods that I eat, some offer more restriction than others. Like grilled chicken, denser Proteins offer more restriction than say, Greek yogurt or crockpot shredded chicken. The bypass is just a tool, and it will not do all of the work for us, which I have to be mindful of now because when I had a lap band, that thing was so restrictive that almost everything got stuck and felt dense. So when you can, choose denser proteins and weigh/measure your food so your stomach and brain learns what your new "full" feels like.

I didn't lose my hunger either like a lot of people do. And I work out and lift weights and that has always made me hungrier, especially when I started weights again at 6 weeks post op. I never experienced nausea, but I know acid can cause nausea. Are you on an acid reducer?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • cryoder22

      Day 1 of pre-op liquid diet (3 weeks) and I'm having a hard time already. I feel hungry and just want to eat. I got the protein and supplements recommend by my program and having a hard time getting 1 down. My doctor / nutritionist has me on the following:
      1 protein shake (bariatric advantage chocolate) with 8 oz of fat free milk 1 snack = 1 unjury protein shake (root beer) 1 protein shake (bariatric advantage orange cream) 1 snack = 1 unjury protein bar 1 protein shake (bariatric advantace orange cream or chocolate) 1 snack = 1 unjury protein soup (chicken) 3 servings of sugar free jello and popsicles throughout the day. 64 oz of water (I have flavor packets). Hot tea and coffee with splenda has been approved as well. Does anyone recommend anything for the next 3 weeks?
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        All I can tell you is that for me, it got easier after the first week. The hunger pains got less intense and I kind of got used to it and gave up torturing myself by thinking about food. But if you can, get anything tempting out of the house and avoid being around people who are eating. I sent my kids to my parents' house for two weeks so I wouldn't have to prepare meals I couldn't eat. After surgery, the hunger was totally gone.

    • buildabetteranna

      I have my final approval from my insurance, only thing holding up things is one last x-ray needed, which I have scheduled for the fourth of next month, which is my birthday.

      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BetterLeah

      Woohoo! I have 7 more days till surgery, So far I am already down a total of 20lbs since I started this journey. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NeonRaven8919

        Well done! I'm 9 days away from surgery! Keep us updated!

    • Ladiva04

      Hello,
      I had my surgery on the 25th of June of this year. Starting off at 117 kilos.😒
      · 1 reply
      1. NeonRaven8919

        Congrats on the surgery!

    • Sandra Austin Tx

      I’m 6 days post op as of today. I had the gastric bypass 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×