elizabeth751

Hi,
I'm debating having weight loss surgery. It is something I have thought about doing for the last fifteen years but have never had health insurance that covers it. I recently got new insurance and was surprised to find out that they cover surgery. I just started doing research and am unsure what surgery to get? My doctor suggests either the endoscopic sleeve or bypass. What does everyone recommend?
Also I really came to my first forum ever to get real answers on this question. I recently had my gallbladder out and experienced almost three months of severe nausea. I'll be honest I would rather be obese than have that kind of misery again. I have always had a very weak stomach. What is the nausea like post op and how long does it last. From what I'm reading it seems to only be a problem if you overeat, but I want to know if you've experienced uncontrollable long term nausea before I have a permanent surgical procedure. This is a HUGE fear. Also I'm confused by what I'm reading on what you can eat. I have a friend who talks of drinking 100 ounces of Water pay day and eating lean meats and nuts six months out. What realistically can you eat at what phase? Thanks so much! I really look forward to hearing from people who are post op and their experiences. Oh one last question.... how long should I expect to need off work to recover. I think my fear comes from expecting a short two day no big deal surgery with my gallbladder removal and being shocked at needing a month off and months to recover from the unrelenting nausea. My surgeon told me to not worry ,but I want to hear it from you!

So the nausea you experienced in the beginning was possibly more from the anesthetics? I'm ok with that and always have it too. I also understand the occasional upset stomach with new eating habits but am terrified of experiencing constant prolonged nausea as I did with galbaldder removal.

I have had a very easy recovery. I'm now 2.5 weeks post op. No nausea, except from meds on an empty stomach (would have happened preop as well). I work from home, so I technically took zero time off work. If I had to go into an office, I could have gone back 2 days post op, I felt well enough. Incision pain lasted about a week, but now I don't even feel it unless I hit my largest incision on something. The worst thing is a week ago I hit a wall energy wise, and am exhausted by any exertion, like taking in the trash cans. Diet plan for me is, no pre op diet, then post op, 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks purees, 2 weeks soft foods, then anything I can tolerate.

Well, let me first start by saying that I have no regrets at all for having WLS (I had the sleeve).
I am not going to share a "normal" experience. At least in the last 16 months that I have pretty much been visiting bariatricpal, I do not consider my experience the norm. I truly believe that if you search around enough, you will see that most people have a good experience. I think some people experience somewhat expected nausea in the beginning, but that it isn't prolonged say, for several months.
In my case, nausea kicked in not in the beginning, but actually a couple months post sleeve. It gradually got worse, and now, 15/16 months post sleeve, it is relentless. But I have had a lot of underlying health probs and a lot of it stems from a terrible colon resection.
Nausea now, along with pain when eating and terrible acid reflux has set me back to eating only liquids or very well pureed food. This is not a normal experience. Seeing my surgeon on Friday to talk about revision to gastric bypass.
If you have acid reflux and it is a problem, then the sleeve is probably not for you. The bypass would serve you better. I can't give any other info on bypass, as I haven't done much research yet.
Whatever route you go, I wish you the best.