Butterflyhigh

I was sleeved seven years ago and have maintained my goal weight since then. I have been suffering greatly from severe GERD for several years with a dramatic increase in daily pain and discomfort for the past two years. Finally diagnosed with a Gastric Diverticulum. I’m seeing the GI specialist in a few weeks and am expecting they will schedule me for a laparoscopic resection surgery. Anyone have any experience with this? Is there a post-surgery diet to follow? Did it eliminate or lesson your symptoms? Thanks so much for any insight!

Beautiful family. Amazing transformation!! What an incredible journey you've been been on. You're inspirational. I think your post/pics are the last little kick I need to start the weight lifting I've been imagining myself doing. Thank you for sharing.

Before at about 220lbs. After at 127 lbs.

I am 4.5 months post-op and am just a few pounds away from reaching my goal of 23 BMI. What were you told prior to surgery about life after surgery that was not entirely true or was not the entire story? Nothing really. Life after surgery (so far) has been just what my Team said it would be. What do you wish you had fully understood prior to surgery that you did not and what do you believe would have put you in the best possible position to succeed after surgery? Even though I was prepared for the challenges of handling stress and emotional events without the ability to use my #1 coping method (eating), it was still incredibly hard in the beginning. I didn't realize how critical it would be to have healthy coping options. What information, if any, was missing in the lead-up to your surgery that gave you unreasonable expectations or that led to disappointment in the months or years since surgery? I would say that my surgeon was very honest about the risks vs benefits, realistic in his description of long term post-wls living, and did not try to oversell me on anything. The arena in which I have encountered the most 'cheerleading' has been the online bariatric forums. Something I've noticed in real life and it is well represented here is that most people are okay with just knowing the basics. They don't go into a bunch of in-depth questioning or research and they don't display much self awareness. The responsibility to learn and become educated about anything truly falls upon the individual. If a person is considering WLS and they don't question the process, the diet, the expectations, the long-term lifestyle changes, their own psychology, the aftercare plan, etc. it is because the desire to fully understand (and consequently change themselves) is not in their nature. It's just not. That's not a bad thing...as my Mama says "It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round", but it is just the way it is. We're all so different. The information is available to those who wish to learn it.

This is a great reply post. Very very true. I was lurking around here for at least one year before surgery and I've taken stock of the same things you've observed about the difference in people.

So much great and very helpful information in this article. Thank You for posting!!