jilldgipson

I had no gas pains at all. I only had nausea the morning after my surgery, and that was only because I had a reaction to a medication they put in my IV. As soon as that was over, I have never had ANY more nausea and have not thrown up even once. My mini pillow was my friend - getting up and walking around hurt a little for about a couple of weeks. Pretty bad the first couple of days, then increasingly better each day. The pain was from the incisions though - no painful feeling from the actual stomach removal. I was in the hospital two nights (I had a late surgery time - 6pm). After I left the hospital I never used pain meds again. NOTE: if you have any kind of a commute home, ask the nurse to put a dose of pain meds AND anti nausea meds into your IV shortly before they discharge you. This will make the trip home much more comfortable. I would say my surgery was pretty darn easy, and the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. I'm down 40 pounds of the 100 I wanted gone. I have a very normal life. I go out to eat, and I order whatever I want. Last night I had ONE slice of thin crust pizza with my family and was full and satisfied. So try not to worry too much. It won't be horrible, and the results are going to AMAZE you!

Try some Laughing Cow wedges. They are super soft and will give you that great CHEESE taste!

I'm only a month out, which is supposed to be the hardest part, and I have not had even ONE MOMENT of regret. I have not had any nausea since I left the hospital, no throwing up, no issues with food whatsoever. I'm down 26 pounds. I don't even mind seeing people around me eat things that I love. At a month out, I can take a bite of almost whatever I like as long as I chew it up well and eat slowly. Sometimes I wish I could grab a box of my trigger food, Cheez-Its, and eat half a box at a time like I used to. But instead I can eat four or five of them and I'm fine. And I do NOT miss the guilt trip that used to come along with that. I don't miss trying to hide the empty box I just bought under some other trash so no one in my family sees the evidence of my binge. I feel free. I have been freed from my addiction/compulsion and that means everything to me. I only wish that I had done it sooner.

The three week stall is normal and expected. Normal stalls are at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and so on. The thing to do to help break them is to UP your calories and exercise. When we eat so small a number of calories, our bodies go into starvation mode and slow our metabolism as much as possible. Exercise helps combat that. And you need to eat a little more (especially protein) when you are going to be exercising. Realize that you didn't gain this weight at a rate of 30 pounds a month, so it's not going to come off at that rate either. Also realize that the weight is coming off. And this time, it is gone forever! So even if it's not as fast as you like (believe me, I'm in the same boat), just sit back and enjoy the ride. This time next year you will be MUCH smaller!

I think everyone worries and wonders if this is the right thing to do. I had a BMI of about 38 and was perfectly healthy, so I wondered if I would ruin my good health (and my wallet, since I self paid) with this surgery. In the end I decided that I wanted to live the rest of my life in a normal sized body, without doctors telling me I should lose weight every time I saw them. And without feeling self conscious every time I went shopping, went swimming, looked in the mirror, etc. I had surgery a month ago, and I feel great (26 pounds down)! I have had such an easy time. No nausea, no throwing up, no issues with food of any kind since I left the hospital. And I don't care about food - at all. I forget to eat sometimes. I am free. So for me, this was exactly the right decision. But I did research it, go to seminars and browse this and other forums for two years before I decided to go forward. Just make sure you know everything you can know about the surgery, search your soul and find your answer. I will tell you that you won't miss eating large amountsof food. Food becomes a means to stay healthy, not a crutch or a way to pass the time. And food is certainly not a compulsion anymore - I thought I would NEVER be able to say that. I will tell you that it's difficult for me to not say "DO IT, DO IT!" to everyone who asks the question you asked. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself. But we are all different and this is a very personal decision. Think long and hard - read these blogs, the good and the bad. You will find the answer that is right for you.