Autumn Riley Arnold

Fear is good. Paralyzing fear is bad. If fear keeps you on your toes so you pay attention and are careful about what and how you eat, it will only help you. Don't let the fear keep you from doing the surgery. I've had a couple of episodes described above. Once for eating too fast. Once for eating the wrong thing. Once for eating roast beef. That was months ago when I was learning what my pouch would handle. It happens, you live with it and you try not to do it again. That's good fear! It keeps you honest.
You can do it.
pam

I had foaming with the band when the food would get stuck... It's amazing how heavy saliva would feel in my pouch when that was happening... Sometimes it would last for an hour... Worst ever... Glad I am getting it removed tomorrow:)

I think you are asking great questions and I understand wanting to be prepared for what could happen. I am just about 5 weeks post op, and I've had one experience with slightly overeating. I had the pain in the chest, nausea, just plain out felt like poop! I ended up face in toilet, spitting up and thought it felt like food was coming up, but it actually didn't come out, but I did feel much better afterwards. It lasted about 15-20 minutes. I learned my lesson about pushing the boundaries that night.
I had no problems right after surgery. I did not experience extreme pain but more like discomfort. I probably took pain meds for about 3-4 days and then stopped. Pain was manageable. I am now on soft foods and this evening I was actually able to participate in taco Thursday at home. I had some finely ground lean taco meat, some refried Beans with cheese, a few pieces of diced avocado and a few slices of black olives. I had just a tiny squirt of sour cream. I'd say total was 1/2 cup of food and it was absolutely wonderful!! Who needs the shells! Not this girl. I did miss the lettuce and Tomato, but that's not going to happen for a few months. I am at the point where if I didn't know it happened, I wouldn't even believe that I had surgery less than 5 weeks ago. I'd do this again in a heartbeat.
Don't get yourself too worked up over all this. Just relax. Be prepared by making sure to have your Protein shakes, Water, and Gatorade. Everything else will work out.

I am only 7 weeks out and have not dumped. But like you I FEAR it! Therefore I have kept away from anything that can cause it.
The foaming? Omg. What a horrid freaky experience. I ate a meatball too fast. I was out when it started 20 min later. The chest pain, THICK saliva pouring into your mouth and then the foaming. I felt like a rabid dog!
How long it lasted I can't recall. I went right home and into bed. Woke up a couple hours later ( snuck in a nice nap!) and was back to normal. I gave my tummy a break the next day and dos Clear liquids.

Well said! Thank you! Not so scared now =)

You've inspired me! I don't have a surgery date yet, but it's nice to read success stories and also to be reminded that it might not be nice at first and I might even feel regret. But after reading your story, I feel like it will be worth it! Thanks for sharing

In 2012 I got the gastric band. Because of extreme bleeding, they had to completely open me. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the band and it had to be removed the next day. I understand, because of that, the amount of pain I was in. So my worry and concern is even though we all handle pain differently, how much pain is there from the gastric bypass surgery and how long does it typically last?

I'm 14 months put and I suffer from severe dumping syndrome. From sugar, meat, chicken, fish, scrambled eggs, Pasta, bread, white rice, I'm very restricted on what I am eat. Positive thing is I lost 105 lbs, I even went underweight, now I'm working out and getting some weight. I'm hungry after work out but I can't eat all that I wish. So my tool is working. And I'm grateful for it. I didn't have a surgery to fail another diet. Do I get sad about my eating, yes I do. But then I look before and after and say; Yeah!!!!!!!

Same as ae... 7 months post gastric bypass and no dumping. bread still causes me slight discomfort, but that's about it. Unsure what you mean by carb containing foods, but don't avoid fresh fruits when you get to that stage. The Fiber and nutrients are great for you.

I am 19 months post op, I eat everything and have never once experienced dumping.

There is pain immediately post op. That's to be expected. Most of it comes in the form of gas pain in your shoulder truth be told. You will use a pillow to protect your abdomen when you sneeze and cough. It can be uncomfortable at first to sleep on your side or tummy- use a pillow to support your belly for aide sleeping. It will feel tight in the abdominal area when you stand, but not painful, after the first day or two home. Walking is the biggest key to healing. And resting in -between.
All that said, within the first few days, yes, you know you've had surgery, but it is not pain as much as discomfort. The incision areas are tender. But is it manageable? ABSOLUTELY! Is it horrid?? NO WAY. Is it worth it? A thousand times over!!!
Seven weeks post op this week- I am at the gym daily, three times a week with a trainer, I'm gardening, walking, cleaning house, cooking foods I can't eat without issue, and just so damn happy I could kick myself for not doing this two years ago.
Good luck!!!

I had very little pain, never took a pain pill and was back at my desk job 4 days after surgery.

Do you now have any issues with Gastric Reflux? Have you had to take any sort of protonics? Do you sometimes eat and choke on your food? Do you have acid reflux when you lay down at night? If you answered yes to these questions then I would bypass Sleeve and go to Bypass. I think they are both good surgeries, but with the Gastric Sleeve, there is a greater tendency towards acid reflux. If you have reflux prior to sleeve, it could only get worse. I've always had a reflux issue had the sleeve and the problems got severe enough that with a bmi of 34 I had to go back in and convert to bypass.
There are people that believe if you are a chronic sweet tooth eater that you should chose bypass over sleeve, however there are a lot of posts by people with comments like "I ate Cookies and ice cream and I didn't dump and now I'm really upset". Let that sink in a bit. If you have gastric bypass and you are eating Cookies and ice cream and you are "mad"...after undergoing a serious surgery that you are not even trying to change your habits on your own and you expect a surgery to do everything for you....well, all you can do is shake your head.
Speak with your doctor and continue your research. I myself would have done bypass had I known the issues I would have the acid and the choking on meats due to spasms, which are more common than I thought they were. Pre sleeve I never read anything about 'esophageal spasms' or serious acid reflux.
Note: Not everyone that gets sleeved has this problem, I just always had a problem my entire life with acid reflux and was on two omeprazoles a day. I had acid issues drinking Water.

I'm 8 months out, 140 pounds down, and I have recently started being able to have a bite of something here and there. Even better yet, after one or two bites, I am fully satisfied. I firmly believe in taking at least a bite of birthday cake for good luck, and I did so for my boyfriend's birthday just a few days ago. If you do everything right while you heal, and learn to control your cravings, dumping isn't any kind of issue. In fact, I don't think I have ever dumped. I was very careful. And I have no regrets.

You have been doing your pre-op diet for FOUR months? My hat is off to you. You and I actually have the same starting weight. I was 291 when I first saw the surgeon last June. I'm down to 243 now, which is awesome bc my surgeon didn't think I was a great candidate for laparoscopic at my starting weight. He now feels I should be able to have the surgery laparoscopically without difficulty.
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I am worried about telling people about the surgery, I guess because the stigma attached to it. Although I know I'm doing what's best for me, I still feel embarrassed. I haven't told my work I'm having surgery, just requested time off. My immediate family knows, but not many other people. my husbands family is fro out of town and they don't know, they are all health/exercise nuts so I'm afraid to tell them. I don't know what to say when people start asking me how I lost all the weight. Anyone else struggling with this?
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I am five days in to my ten day pre-op diet. My pre-op diet consists of three Protein shakes, five servings of fruit/veg, and an optional Protein Bar or lite Greek yogurt. I'm doing really well on the diet. 100% on plan. Days 1-3 were tough, but I'm not as hungry now. I am missing food though. Just the satisfaction I get from it, I guess. *sigh*. I know I can do this.
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OK, cool! I guess I'll just see how it goes when I go through it myself =)
Thanks for the help

I like the timer idea. Do you think sipping every 5 minutes would be too much in a short amount of time?

11 months post op -
Best feeling yet was going to a regular-sized department in the department store, trying on some pants and needing a smaller size.
Ended up buying them and nearly floated out of the store!!!

3 weeks in 30 pound victory
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I had surgery 6 months ago, and the first 3 months were a little difficult for me. I was nauseous, I couldn't keep food down, it was basically trial and error and to be honest very frustrating.
I am still coping from time to time, rarely but it does happen. Sometimes I try new things, I like to play it safe, but little by little I've been trying new things or eating things I was used to.
Overall I am very happy. I have lost a significant amount of weight, it's coming a long and I couldn't be happier. I have been a big person my whole life, I never knew what it was to be thin, I know that at 202 lb I am not thin, but do I feel beautiful.
This Mother's Day I wore a dress, and I felt like a new person. I have been feeling great. I have energy to clean my home, walk, I rode a bike after about 10 years. I am incredibly happy.

I turn 30 in 8 days, and I am just so excited. I feel like a breathe, I can go out and do things, I want to go out and do things. I, Victoria bought myself a black dress to wear for my 30th. I feel like a different person. I am truly happy, when I first had the surgery I was sad because I would always feel sick, I would question why I did this to myself. I also had to deal with the fact that when I was upset I was able to eat my feelings away.
Today I deal with my emotions, and eating is one of the last things on my mind. I'm so happy!!
We made a huge decision having this surgery, and I hope we all get to where we want to be!!!
Before and After Pic

Only 4 days left til your surgery!! =D

That's exactly what bothered me a bit. I love having a tall glass of milk with my meals. And I love to gulp. I think things will be SO different after our surgery. I wouldn't worry about doing it pre-op though. Remember you're going to have 1 full week after surgery of nothing but liquids, then another full week of full liquids and then yet another full week of soft foods. So I think you will ease yourself into it