butterflypinup

I'm going to be 8 months out tomorrow (holy cow, 8 months already!?) and so far I have to say EVERY ache, pain, moments of queasiness and tears have been totally worth it.

That being said--I wish I had known:

that the mirror and my new clothing size would show me truth, and yet my brain still lies and sees "fat girl"! that seeing collarbones unveiled from their layer of fat for the first time in two decades could bring me to tears. that my eyes still want much more food than my sleeve can hold, and I STILL need to remind myself to slooooooow down during meals. that drinking (or even sipping) while eating is would be the hardest habit to break!! how much I would miss guzzling a bottle of Water all at once. Three swallows is all I can handle at a time now! how much FUN it is to jog up three flights of stairs at work, without feeling like coughing up my lungs or stopping to rest along the way. Wow...just wow! I LOVE my post-sleeve life!! Going nowhere but up, baby!

This is a tool for us to use to help us not be so hungry all the time. It was never meant to cure all of our emotional problems with food. For that we need some counseling. We will still have head hunger, even though we know we are full. We will still be tempted by the bad foods we used to consume in quantity. The success of our surgeries has more to do with our minds. We have to get them in a "good place" or we will slip right back into the old habits that got us where we were.
Relationships with family and friends may change. As humans we are opposed to change. Whenever any dynamic of a family or friendship changes, so do those relationships. Some people can work through the changes and some can't. People who are overweight may not like the fact that you are getting smaller. It can be jealousy or a reminder of their own shortcomings. Spouses may look at a more attractive "you" and start to worry about losing you. They may all try to sabotage your efforts.
We did not go into this for anyone else but ourselves. We cannot let anyone disuade us from our goals.

I'm only 18 days out but I wished I would have known that because I suffer from motion sickness and had morning sickness I was more likely to experience nausea after surgery. I've had plenty of surgeries before and never had a problem with anaesthesia, so it never crossed my mind that I would be vomiting that white froth stuff on day 2. It hurt a lot but by day 3 I felt so much better and have not had any more nausea!
I wish I would have really believed everyone when they said walking would help with the gas pains, it really did so walk as much as you can after surgery.
I wish I would have known that the common cold I caught would set my recovery back a few days, I thought I would be back to work after 2 weeks, but a few sneezing fits had my abdomen so sore all over again. If you feel the urge to sneeze or cough grab a pillow and brace yourself.
And last, I'm a mom of 4, I rarely do anything just for me. I struggled with this decision thinking it was kind of selfish, but I am so happy and proud of myself for doing it and taking steps to get my weight in check. In the long run, my kids will benefit too!

I am 10 days post-op!! So far, I wish I had known...
1) Head-hunger is an ugly beast. Things LOOK good. They LOOK like they will TASTE good. I have to remind myself that's because marketing agents spend thousands of hours on pictures of food HOPING FOR JUST THAT. It's how I got this size in the first place. "AHA I see what u did there," I have to think.
2) Yes you CAN go to a restaurant - order French onion Soup "no bread or cheese". I thought I'd be a total outcast all the time, but French onion Soup helps me feel like I'm a normal person having lunch. And I can feel proud of leaving 70% of it behind.
3) I'd get my sense of smell back with not using my CPAP, and those Protein shakes are awful. My body smells awful. My partner smells AWFUL too! Yuck!! Why does he smell that way?! And smelling food is physically painful. Everything smells weird. I don't want my sense of smell back! Ignorance was bliss!!
4) my mouth would forever taste like the north end of a pig going south. It's nasty. I admit to never being very good about brushing my teeth regularly but now it's twice a day because my mouth is so slimy and gross. SO GROSS!!
5) I would feel judged by others, especially in my workout group, for "cheating" by having surgery. I have lost 35 lbs (maybe more) since starting the pre-op diet (24 days ago) and I feel like I'm constantly making excuses for my success, or minimizing it when one of my class teammates is all "gee I wish *I* could lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks!!" Sure, I COULD sit on my ass and drink clear fluids and get barely 400 calories in a day and lose weight, but I AM EXERCISING!! I deserve some credit!!
5b) Also that I would feel guilty for losing so much weight so fast while my not-interested-in-surgery partner struggles with diet and exercise, after I used to go on about how hard it is. Damnit it is still hard, why am I minimizing my own efforts?!?
6) my kid likes my Protein Shakes better than I do and swipes them. Also SF Jello comes in 3-oz cups and I can't even finish one, but thankfully my kid is always here to help! LOL.
7) that my heart would do REALLY WEIRD THINGS in the 36-48 hours post-op. I have had a ton of surgeries before, but never an upper abdominal one (mostly sinuses!) and I thought this wouldn't be different. It was. My heart was thumping hard, my blood pressure was ridiculously high, and they even gave me a nitro patch at some point. I mean it was kinda scary! It's idled down since but 12 hours post-surg I was like "what the **** did I just do".
8) only being permitted ice chips or non-red sf popsicles for 24 hours (and then tortured with that upper GI radiology study)... Honestly I was so damn thirsty I drank the contrast dye with no issues!! And then, get this, arguing with my night nurse because my "1 oz" of ice chips had melted into 1/3 oz of Water and he got on me for trying to sip it. Maybe I was on a lot of drugs but that was one of the DUMBEST arguments I have EVER had, bar none.
I hope I don't lose friends... But I don't think I will. Most of the friends who wish they could lose weight are well under the BMI cutoff of 35.

@Terribj Congrats! That 19 lbs must feel amazing! I had a feeling that the liquid would be hard. I am finding that I dont chew too much and Im having a hard time getting all my chews in so maybe that phase wont be too too hard for me:) Im hoping to squeeze into a sports bra so no wires. Maybe that will help out. Congrats again on your journey
@@Zoey716 YAY! You are almost there. I just love this site. I feel like I have all the support and family I need from here. Might be a little clickish but Im just sitting over here in my corner with my fellow sleevers, LOL actually not even just the sleevers but my fellow wls peeps

I wish I had known that I miss the gulping of Water..I used to love to gulp.
I wish I would have known that the food tolerance progression is taking me a longer time than others.
I wish I would gave known about gummie Vitamins. I cannot handle the. News I bought at the hospital and was taking my meds.
I wish I had. Now about this stall I am going thru.
I wish I believed in the sleeve before I had the surgery as much as I now believe,. It is working for me.

Take measurements prior to surgery because they can be a benchmark measure when the scale is not moving.
Take pictures of yourself prior to surgery. Get a front shot and a side shot also. I did not enjoy looking at the pictures, but look at them along side pictures you take six weeks out and you'll be amazed at the difference.

Women are rothless when they think another Woman will look better then them, and even more so when they have been " the looker" of the group. Just remember those who speak ill of you or to you only see something in you they wish they could have. Keep kind and stay true to you and nothing will hold you back.

They need to get over themselves! My dad was horrible to me and said I was going to die! Well guess what, he got the surgery one month after me! Keep your head up. This is not a piece of cake and takes work but it's definitely going to help you! It's a tool and no tool works without all the pieces doing their part

Bandmom, nobody really adequately describes head hunger. When I had to drop coffee, alcohol and food it suddenly struck me that I was an emotional wreck over wrought with unaddressed anxiety. There was a lot of crying, a lot of agnst, a lot of resistance and I had nothing left to comfort it with, in fact I was pretty much stuck in my anger for lack of relief. I obsessed about food, dreamt about jamie oliver and even bought chefs knives. Five months or so out and food still doesn't provide the satiety or sedation that it used too. I have to use yoga, journalling, art & meditation. Daily. Had I known, I would have broken up with food long before surgery, so I could concentrate on healing without the pangs of withdrawal to contend with.

Negatives:
1. I wish I had known that two Fiber chews a day would have stopped all my pain earlier! I'm good to go now. Take fiber!!
2. I wish I had known how tired I would be the first three weeks. Once past that all gets better.
3. I wish I had known that I really needed to work on my mental thoughts about food too. I focused on portions. Now 7 months out I have major head hunger. Not really hungry EVER but my mind thinks I should snack all day. Constant challenge
4. Wish I had known about this surgery sooner. People need to talk more!!
5. I wish I had known how challenging it really is to wait 30 mins before and after eating
Pros
1. I feel amazing
2. I feel sexy
3. Happily married but guys consistently gives me looks and it's awesome! Lol
4. Sex = Amazing TMI sorry, don't want people to miss out on the truth!
5. Buying clothes is so rewarding
6. I've saved three friends by speaking up about the surgery and helping through the process - for the surgery because I told them about my experience
7. My dad is alive and had the surgery after me - he was anti surgery until he saw my success
8. I enjoy healthy foods that I would have never eaten before
9. No more blood pressure issues
10. No more sleep apnea
11. Size 20 to 6
I could literally go on and on!

I wish I had known I was the " fat friend" to my best friend, she has been super hateful to me with every pound I lose her comments get uglier, I was told my apples would fall from the tree and only real friends would stay. ,

1. I wish I had broken up with food before surgery so that I didn't have to add it to the first month's difficult adjustments. Emotional basket case and food will NOT comfort.
2. I wish I knew that the 1st month would be a physical and mental challenge. I was tired, stupid and emotional. I had previously believed I was the special snowflake who would recover like a rock star. I am not a special snowflake.
3. I wish I knew that planning was ludicrous. My stomach is no longer a familiar beast. The shakes I liked would be gross on the flip side and my guts relentlessly reject my insistence that it behave as I expect it to.
4. Post first week Constipation nearly killed me. I was entirely unprepared for this.
That said, best decision I ever made.

From someone only 10 days post-op~
1~ would not have packed a bag at all for the hospital....stayed in the gown & didn't use one single thing.
2~ that I could ask for a certain pain medication. I got Dilaudid and it was a nightmare.
3~ I wish I could have tasted the chewable Calcium supplements that I ordered online....they taste so bad I had to get something else....wasted money
4~ I wish I would have remembered my old "gym mantra" 'Strong Abs = Strong Back' because, people, WEAK ABS = WEAK BACK....I'm surprised at how much my back is aching.

I just thought "I can't wait til my butt fits on the toilet seat".... Made me laugh so hard!!!

It could go either way but at least my butt fits on the toilet seat now!

I wish I knew that I would have diarrhea for the whole time since surgery because my gall bladder was dysfunctional and that I would still have it even after gall bladder removal .. Still dealing with this but would have done it anyway.
I wish I knew that I have a deformity that makes my hiatus hernia impossible to repair 100% and that I will be on the lowest dose of nexium forever .. But I would have done it anyway.
I wish I knew how much better I would look and feel just 7 months out because I would have done it sooner.
I wish I knew how awesome running and riding my bike would be after losing this weight, I would have done it sooner.
I researched the hell out of this surgery and went into it with my eyes wide open and I don't regret a thing. I haven't had any deal breakers. If I didn't lose any more weight in my life I would still be over the moon.

1. I wish I'd known that when my doctor prescribed my Prilosec that even if you aren't feeling any pain right after surgery, you should take it right away. I suffered through about 3 days of pain in my chest every time I swallowed. I thought it was gas, and kept taking Gas X but got no relief. Someone on here asked about if I had been prescribed Prilosec, I took it, and I feel much better
2. That half the stuff I packed I ended up not needing (the hospital was drafty and I was very sore, so I didn't want to take a shower)
3. That I had brought my own blanket (they kept giving me those flimsy hospital blankets and even when I had about five of them, I still felt too cold)
4. That it's normal if you have trouble peeing right away (when I was moved from recovery into my room, I had to pee so badly and I kept straining but couldn't go. I got REALLY scared. Luckily the nurse calmed me down and when I tried again in 10 minutes, I was fine)

I wish I would have known how good I would feel six weeks out. I would have done it long ago. All the trauma of the first few weeks is all worthwhile.

I wish I had known how difficult it would be to watch everyone else eat food that I no longer will allow myself to touch.
I wish I had known how difficult head hunger would be to control.
I wish I had known about the emotional roller coaster my hormones have had me on for the past month.
I also wish I would stop comparing myself to others that have had this surgery and stop thinking that I'm doing a terrible job because my weight loss isn't as much or as quick as some people.

I wish I had done it sooner.
I wish I had known that the bad taste would soon go away
I wish I had known about Primier Protein sooner
I wish I had known it would be easier than I thought it would be! So happy I did this for myself!!!

I agree with what others had posted.
I wish I had known how emotionally difficult the first couple of weeks would be, just so that I could have been better prepared.
I also wish I had known that breaking the emotional ties to food would be so hard. There is LITTLE talk of that in the surgery prep classes, etc.
And I also wish I had known about the surgery as an option many years ago, because despite how hard it can be at times, it is the best thing I have ever done "for myself"

I wish I would have known how disgusting and frustrating the "frothing" syndrome can be. I wish I would have known that some people develop an intestinal problem that causes them to throw up when they have bowel movements [sorry I know this is an icky topic] I wish I would have known that I would be one of those people I wish I would have known that despite the slow weight loss, I would have to buy a new pant size every month. I wish I would have realized that the first things I would lose would be my baby face and my, umh, "girls". But I'm not complaining. I did this for my health and I'm am extremely happy.

I'm a month and day post-op.
This is my list:
I didn't know how painful the first week would be, with a sore stomach, little food, and the machine gas getting out. The food gas pains are also pretty rough. If your stomach really doesn't like a new food being introduced, you get sick. And it can be painful after. Getting the required Water in, especially when water tastes bad after drinking so much of it. There's a few complaints xD

Wow~ good point~ already worried how my Italian Mom is going to handle it and how I'M going to handle HER!