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Before my surgery, I had to get an exam done by a bariatric counselor. They talked to me about how I felt about giving things up, or how I plan to succeed. I am a mental health professional so I told them what I knew they wanted to hear bc I wanted the surgery (I know.. I know.) But after surgery, I felt like there was some unresolved issues with food, much like yourself, and so I'm doing the process to go back to the counseling center. Honestly, looking for eating disorder counselors might be a good first step for you.. because overeating is a disorder.. I imagine most people think "eating disorder" and imagine anorexia or bulimia. Which isn't 100% the case. Mood disorders is something completely different. When you talk to a therapist, you get to interview them first. You have to make sure that THEY are a good fit for YOU. Even if it's just to go 1x a month, I bet it'll be helpful. If you don't feel comfortable with them, then ask for a change. You can request a specific gender if you'd like. Look at their credentials and see how long they've been in practice. healthgrades.com is also a good place to get some reviews. Making a call will also help you establish how they'll treat you. Trust your gut with it. I know you've had a bad experience in the past, but that doesn't mean that all experiences will be bad. I had a horrible exp in college with a therapist and swore I'd never go back. Now I've been in therapy for 3 years now and it's changed my life. Good luck!

I’m glad you asked this bc I’m about 3 weeks in and having almost exact same feeling. I tried walking stairs and I’ve never had issues and now I’m winded so easily. It’s also hard to eat. It hurts in my chest after I eat. did you start feeling any better?

Hi everyone my surgery is scheduled for sept 20th. I haven't started the pre op diet yet but i see my surgeon on sept 4th. Per my insurance empire bc/bs i have to be one pound less than the weight i was in march. In March i was 240 now im 243. Is it possible that the insurance or surgeon will deny me. Covid has been rough stopped alcohol and marijuana and have been low carb for the last 5 weeks.

For me, it was the more long-term effects of the bypass. It's been studied longer and there is more data. Obvi, sleeve will never catch up to it since it was developed after, but with the sleeve, a nurse at the bariatric center said she had a cookie (about 3 months out from her sleeve) and it didn't hurt and it triggered something mentally in her. I know myself too well to allow that to happen.. meaning, eating foods i shouldn't bc they dont cause any issues. so i went w/the bypass. It has the back up "dumping" syndrome which is an alarm of eating something you shouldn't. That alone, is enough to scare me from eating what I shouldnt. So far, it's kept me from eating a lot of things i truly do enjoy, but can't have. maybe one day I can have a bit or two of something.. but for now, i dont want to chance it.

This was an issue for me -- im about 7 weeks out and stalled the first month. and it was mainly bc i wasnt hitting my protein goal. i made sure i was hitting my protein and increased my exercise a bit. it started to come off again. be patient with yourself.

@sunseeker I had the traditional DS 15+ years ago, which if anything, is sometimes reputed to give more gas and diarrhea than the SIPS procedure. It's controllable by what you eat and when. For instance, I don't eat simple carbs like bread or cereal during the day bc I don't want the gas at work. I eat them at home. Same with ice cream or chocolate. For a snack or perhaps lunch, I'll eat a triple cheeseburger or two from McDonald's but I won't eat the bun. Mainly bc it's too filling and I need the protein first but also bc I don't want gas or stool issues. What happens is you learn what you can eat and what will cause problems and you adjust when you eat what accordingly. I also carry a small vial of this for when I go to the bathroom. It works wonders. And I carry a small vial of perfume in the rear pocket of my slacks in case I do have a bit of gas. I just spray the bottom of my pants to ensure no smell remains.

Started preop diet. I’m on day three of liquids. I only have to do liquids for 5 days. Doesn’t sound horrible, I know.. but I feel so tired, I’m having horrible headaches, I’m so hungry. I’m really praying this isn’t what I’m going to feel like after surgery. I’m used to drinking caffeine daily so I’ve had to cut that out, so I’m sure that’s the main reason, along with cutting all carbs. Please tell me it’s better after surgery bc I feel horrible. HELP.

You will be fine! I’m not trying to worry you because with Covid everyone is backed up. But there is huge difference so thought I’d share my experience. I know how you are feeling! I cancelled Surgery in Nov after doing 2 week fluids bc of blogs with horrific complications scared me to death. plus I never heard of loose skin that bad like the extreme ones on U-tube. Also petrified of Anesthesia bc bad issue before. Cancelled surgery in Jan because Dad died. I have met with my surgeon 4 times and he is the nicest caring surgeon. He doesn’t rush me & answers questions truthfully. He also does reflux surgery & has vitamins on amazon plus U-tube videos. He has plastic surgeon he works with & went over info to help insurance cover skin removal as it’s unhygienic & rashes hurt. But said exercise helps so much. His Nurse is awesome and when I call her for questions, she never tries to hurry me. The hospital pre op & Covid test ran smooth. It only took a month to be okayed so I pay nothing. The office is efficient. Surgery is Sep 8th. Three times a charm, I wish I had done it in November. I did the liquid diet twice now & gained it back. If you have a bad feeling make sure surgeon is a registered Bariatric Surgeon. Our health & lives are at risk. I have 4 bad issues will go away. So please think about that if you get scared at the last minute. We can all do this. Like you, I am pretty much alone except my husband. I’m really thankful for everyone here. If anyone is in the Houston/The Woodlands area, He has a 5 star rating several places so I’ll share info. Prayers for everyone having soon & recovering!

For me it's not really complex: I use food for relaxation and I usually undereat during the day so I usually eat the majority of my calories during the evening hours and I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't cause me any reflux issues (I eat my last meal about 2 h before going to bed as recommended because of this). Exceptions from this are rare. Sometimes I do exactly this. Forget it and do different next time. I think I overanalyzed things way too much in the past. Sometimes sh*t just happens and some things are not as complex as we think (or as we were told) they are. IMO it's important to make the distinction between "sh*t happens" and an ongoing problem so you don't waste energy on an issue that not really needs that much attention. To get things into perspective IMO it helps to look at the behaviors of people who were always at a normal or almost normal weight. They're not perfect and they also engage in emotional eating to a certain degree. Substitutes never worked for me. I either eat what I crave or I don't eat at all when it comes to snacking. It's easier for me this way. I'm either still hungry or hungry again, then I need to eat "something substantial with calories in it" or I'm not hungry and then there is no reason to eat at all, let alone some food I don't really want. There was a rather flat and long learning curve involved though. The "find substitutes" option is way too prevalent out there so one really has to be fed up with this (pun intended) not really working before trying a different way.

I don’t miss hiding in the back in pictures. I don’t miss crying in dressing rooms. I don’t miss standing next to my tiny sisters and crying when I get home bc we had to take a family picture and stand side by side. I still cry when I see those pictures. I do miss being able to lose 5 lbs in a day 😂. Now 5lbs is super hard work to take off lol.

I’m 4 days post-op (VSG) and starting to somewhat feel better. I’m able to get around better although the big incision still really hurts. My biggest concerns right now are: pain/cramping after swallowing. It’s not the actual swallowing that hurts, it’s when the Fluid hits my pouch. Doesn’t matter if the liquid is cold or warm - but it hurts like hell every single time for about 2-4 seconds. When will this subside? Secondly, my whole abdominal area is still REALLY swollen & hard - I look like I’m 6 months pregnant. It’s been like this since the surgery and hasn’t gone down at all. Lastly, I haven’t had a “real” bowel movement yet. I had very gassy diarrhea twice on Friday and once yesterday, but that’s it. I’ve been taking a stool softener, but I’m not sure it’s really doing anything. Then again, I haven’t eaten anything solid so...? I’m guessing most of all of this is normal, but I’m looking for reassurance - especially about the pain after swallowing as it’s really uncomfortable. Zero issues with nausea or vomiting.  ETA:  I’m also having trouble getting all my fluids/“meals” in. Again, bc of the cramping pain, but also bc I ALWAYS feel full. I’m able to drink about 30-40oz water, one protein drink, my 1/2C soup/pudding/jello twice a day and that’s about it. 

I’m from BC but got it done in Toronto in February. (Self pay. I thought I had been on the wait list here for nearly 2 years. The surgeons offices ask you not to call, and that they will call you when your closer down the wait list. Turns out my dr. missed sending something, they sent a fax to let him know something they needed was missing, my dr. office apparently never got this fax. And I didn’t find out until I had my doctor look into it late last fall because I was worried about how long the wait was. So rather than start the possible 3-5 year wait all over again, I opted to use my line of credit to pay for the surgery. Very expensive, but better than slowly dying...)

I had my surgery 5/14/20....there was more pain and discomfort than what I originally expected for the first week but by the beginning of week 3 I had no pain and minimal discomfort and went back to work. I haven’t really had any issues other than having trouble figuring out what my body can and cannot tolerate....for example I can’t eat tuna bc it feels like I swallowed a bag of rocks every time I eat it...but so far that’s the only thing I’ve had issues with. I’m just over 3 months post-op and I’m down 63 pounds as of this morning! Ask all the questions you have!! I’ll answer them to the best of my ability! ☺️

Omg I feel the exact same way! And I am afraid I will have to go to the hospital soon too because of dehydration. I literally decided not to eat or drink anything just bc of how it makes my stomach feel terrible. Even though I know I need to I just don't want to feel that feeling in my stomach. I feel weak constantly and I'm out of breath doing the simplest things that I never had trouble with before. And you're right they don't explain this part. I definitely feel like if I would have known exactly what it was like I would have never done it. But it does seem like in the long run everyone thinks is worth it.. WHEN WILL THAT FEELING COME FOR ME!!? And I feel the same about water that was literally all I drank 😩 can't even wake up and start my day of with it like I used to and make me feel refreshed.. I hate this soooo much 🥺🥺🥺

The first 4 days I asked myself why I did it bc no one told me the pain would be so bad , maybe I just did not do enough research, then I hated the liquid diet the worse but not I’m 5 weeks out and 18 pounds down (which I think is minimal) but I’m glad I did give it time your regrets will disappear

•My knees and ankles hurting every time I work out •being on yo-yo diets •Being the biggest person at any family event or social gathering •Not being able to take a bubble bath bc I couldn’t fit in the tub comfortably •not wanting to take pictures •having to get drunk to feel comfortable in my own skin •not dancing or acting goofy with my friends bc I felt like nobody should have to see that •my back hurting from standing too long •the crying sessions I would have in the dressing room while trying on clothes

The Fairlife milk can replace water and juice and give you 13g of protein. My dr recommended I use Fairlife bc water doesn’t go down well for me. I get the Fairlife skim milk and it’s been a life saver since day 1. I’ll be 6 months post op Aug. 17. I’ve lost 90 lbs. I weigh my food and plan my meals and focus on protein. I don’t deny myself a scoop of ice cream when I want it which has been twice a month. I make sure it’s 2oz. and only if I’ve reached my protein goal for the day. I look at everyone’s systems to find tips. I wanted to share mine in case it may help. I don’t want to leave out that I exercise 3 days a week for 60 mins each but nothing extreme. Leslie sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds and an ab workout. You are already doing everything right! You are monitoring yourself and making changes where you see fit! That’s LIFELONG changes. How awesome is that!

I was sleeved 7/14 and I did the same thing, worried about my calories bc I wondered how was I surviving lol but honestly you don’t need any. Just focus on your protein shakes and water and take your vitamins:.. you will be great!!!! Soon you’ll be able to eat soup I did Bariatric soup low calorie and high protein... best of luck

I have only told a few people. I didn’t plan on telling anyone at work but we have lots of work lunches and I had a rougher recovery than I thought I would. Plus I had only started my job a month before I had surgery. I thought it looked bad with me needing additional time off. I will say those I did tell at work have been extremely supportive and nice. What surprised me was the one friend I did tell had lots of unsupportive questions like aren’t you gonna have lots of excess skin, do you think you’ll keep it off bc I know someone who gained all their weight back, etc.... So I think you should tell who you want, as little or as much as you want!

I’m going from a sleeve to bypass in a couple of months. Almost no iron , lowBs, low calcium. Taking high doses of calcium and Bs, but will be having iron infusions in 2 weeks. Pills and shots aren’t enough. Ask you doctor about infusion, maybe you’ll only need a couple, then back to shots or pills. Try to take care of yourself, because you can’t take care of others if you’re out of commission! God bless you!

Hi I'm having my surgery on 19th too and wish you all the best with your surgery. I'm quite calm at the moment and a bit fed up with the pre-op diet but it's not for long hey? I am in London England and having my surgery so that I can continue with the things I love. I play tennis a lot - think I'm addicted - and a bit of golf and as I've got heavier its getting more and more difficult. I have been a yoyo dieter all my life and have had enough of it. I will be 60 in September. I weigh about 250lbs at the moment and am having a gastric bypass (I have reflux so sleeve was ruled out). I decided to go ahead with the surgery in June so I haven't been waiting too long. All the posts help and I look forward to hearing from those who have had their surgery in the last couple of days.

Happy Anniversary to the July 7th surgery pals! We did it and survived the craziest of times:) I for one have had ups, downs and some emotional trials and now know it is worth it. 34lbs down! Hitting the ones again is so close ... my next goal:) Got the good ahead to include more seafood and actually laughed about how happy that made me. What a difference one decision and learning to push myself has made. Congratulations to everyone and keep pushing especially for those with the bathroom issues bc I for one know how that is really painful.

I read a few of these when I was considering surgery and I promised myself that I would do the same thing once I was post-op so that maybe I could help anyone who may need to know the details (like me), or anyone sitting on the fence at the time (like me), or just looking for signs that this was the right thing to do (me again). I discussed the sleeve surgery with my doctor over 2 years ago after countless weight losses and re-gains. That's basically been the story of my life forever. I was a chubby kid, I've never been thin. I probably starting yo-yo dieting when I was 15 and I had my 1st boyfriend. I've done all the diets. Starvation, jenny craig, weight watchers, nutri-system, herbalife, keto, low carb, optivia, ideal protein, bars and shakes, etc... the list could go on and on. I'd lose the weight (sometimes), I even got down to a size 6 when I was about 38. But eventually, overeating called my name and I'd be back to where I started plus 10. Relatable huh? It's not even that I eat poorly, to be honest. Yes I love bad and delicious food, fast food, desserts, etc... but 80% of the time, I am eating a home-cooked meal with veggies and protein (and likely a starch), I just eat too much. My appetite is monstrous. I'm 4'11 and I can eat the same size plate as my husband who works out every day. I come from the 'clean plate club' and always finish my meal. In discussing the sleeve with my doctor he agreed it was going to be the solution I was looking for. Then I told him I wanted to go to Mexico and he agreed that travel tourism can be wonderful (he sends patients to Brazil for plastics) and that he wanted to be part of the decision making process for the doctor. So I took my list of 25 candidates that Facebook told me were awesome, and I narrowed them down to 3 choices: Dr Alvarez, Dr Elias Ortiz and Dr Illan. I presented them each to my primary care physician in the states with their resumes and credentials, we got on a zoom call to discuss the 3 of them and he told me that Dr Illan was his 1st choice, hands down. He chose Dr Illan because he is a board certified master surgeon, his anesthesiologist is also board certified specifically for bariatric surgery, his hospital is private and has an ICU, his hospital has been given awards of excellence, and he only performs 3 surgeries per day. So I called, paid my $500 deposit to get my date, and promptly pooped my pants from nerves. The 10-day pre-op came quickly and was not that bad. I was too excited to be annoyed by it. I got headaches and was hungry, but all in all it wasn't terrible. Before I knew it, my flight from Florida to San Diego was the next morning - I couldn't believe it! My bestie and I arrived in San Diego the day before my surgery (arrived Friday, surgery was Saturday) and we were met at the airport by Carlos; along with one of my surgery sisters that I had already met on Facebook. Get you a surgery sister (or brother) - find out who's having surgery the same day as you and you will become friends! We hung out a lot post-op and I've made friends for life. The drive to the border was quick and easy, before I knew it we were at the hospital dropping off the other person b/c her surgery was bright and early the next day. Carlos whisked us off to Hotel Real Inn, only about 10-15 minutes from the hospital. Mexico treats covid more seriously than we do in the US; so feet wiping, temp taking and hand sanitizing is a requirement literally every single place you go. Carlos pointed out that to the right of our hotel was a open-air shopping plaza and to the left was a grocery store. So after we got settled in, we went to explore and had such a great afternoon in Tijuana! I bought a size small goal outfit for $7 at one of the little boutiques and little knick nacks to bring home to my family. I love that my friend and I had that time to settle in and do some safe exploring. I didn't feel unsafe even for a second, its a very populated area with lots of folks shopping and walking around. That night I ordered my bariatric meal (best popsicle ever!) and my friend ordered authentic mexican street tacos from Uber for like $7. The next morning, we were picked up at 9am to head over to the hospital and get ready for surgery <insert panic>. When you get there, more sanitizing and temp checking and then you head off to get your blood drawn after filling out paperwork. Next comes, chest x-ray, EKG and just a general check up from a doctor to clear you for surgery. So I'll tell you that this part is likely the part that doesn't leave me with the best feeling. The doctor that looked at my EKG seemed to glance at it for about 2 seconds. The cardiologist is probably an awesome cardiologist, but lacked that bedside manner that we see in doctors in the states too. He cleared me for surgery and I said "so my heart looks good?" and he replied "yeah its ok" and then left the room. My bestie reminded me that that not all doctors gush all over you and that he was probably just one of those. Suddenly, Dr Illan and the anesthesiologist were in my room and it was almost go time. Dr. Illan explained the procedure and had a lovely chat with us, I didn't feel rushed or like I was asking too many questions. He explained the OR and that the surgical team in the OR were all also bariatric surgeons (not general surgeons). He told me that I was important and my safety was his #1 priority. He was so wonderful. Them standing there suddenly made me very nervous and I started to cry because I was scared. Dr Illan came to the side of my bed and rested his hand on my leg to comfort me and promised it was going to be ok, told me not to cry. It seemed to upset him to see me upset! In the meantime the anesthesiologist called for some anti-anxiety meds in my IV and I was calm again. Before I knew it, I was in the OR being asked to scoot onto the table and the nurse was signaling to me that it was time to go to sleep. I think some of the nurses in the OR don't speak English, but I speak Spanish so I told her I was ready and before I knew it - I was awake and in recovery. Coming out of being under is funny, as I'm sure many of you know. You're there, but you can't quite open your eyes. I was listening for alarm beeps of monitors or conversations on Spanish that something was wrong, but I was ok. I also had no gas pain. Everyone warns you about that gas pain and I had zero. I was in the recovery room for maybe an hour? My BP was a little high so they gave me something sublingually to lower it, but I don't remember much else. Wheeled back to my room, I spent the rest of the day hearing movies played in the background by my friend and dozing in and out of sleep. I don't actually think I slept much though. I was so groggy I could hardly stand. The nurses came to check on me often, they were giving me lots of drugs in the IV (antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, etc) and a chewable gas pill. Here's something no one told me - you do not get to drink anything until the day AFTER your surgery and you've had your leak test. All you can have is an ice cube to put in your mouth and you have to spit it back out. That's it. I had a sore throat from being intubated and I badly wanted a drink of water - but I didn't get one until the next morning. I really only got up to pee once and felt woozy. I didn't do all the walking they said you're supposed to, I definitely physically couldn't have! I was groggy to the extreme. Getting up to pee was hard enough. I didn't have any gas pain though, thank god for small miracles. My hospital stay was uneventful medically. I had low pulse ox, so had some oxygen for awhile (over 24 hours) and my BP went up a little sometimes but was controlled by the meds they gave me. The 2nd day I had my leak test in the AM and was cleared to have some fluid and had the best tasting water of my life! I sipped slowly and that 1st liquid to hit my new belly felt weird. Our instinct is to chug and you definitely can't do that. I did have some internal soreness and they gave me toradol for that and I felt fine afterwards. Sunday morning I was out in the loser's bench area with my surgery sisters hanging out. That day, we had a valet named Julio. He was AMAZING. It was my bestie's birthday and he helped me order a delicious cake to be delivered from Uber and even went to find a sign for it. We gathered our new friends and Julio gathered some staff and we all surprised her by singing happy birthday and another yummy mexican meal. It was awesome! We hung out with my surgery sisters (we met a 3rd) and their companions in the hallway and all got to know each other, it was great. Monday morning came quickly and then we met Bill and Stacy. Dr Illan came back to my room to check on me and we had another lovely chat. He told me that my stomach was big! lol I knew it was. He got a picture of it for me, which of course blew my mind. He had us take a picture together and he wished me all the luck and told me he couldn't wait to hear about my success story. We left the hospital, hit up a pharmacy, and then Miguel drove us back to the Hotel Real Inn around 10am and then we had a whole other day in Tijuana! I felt perfect so we ventured out again, hit a few shops, and went to the grocery store to bring home Mexican goodies for my family. (I had to go and buy a duffel bag for all the fun stuff I got). I ordered my bariatric meal again and took a nice shower and went to bed, ready to travel back to Florida on Tuesday. Julian picked us up at 7:45 for our 12:15pm flight (you never know what can delay you at the border) and we had an awesome drive with him. Some roads were blocked, so we were delayed but still had gobs of time. Julian lived in NYC for a long time, so he's pretty American - we loved him. We laughed and joked around the entire ride and he told us about life living in Mexico. We got on a jet plane and we came home! I've been home 3 days now and I continue to feel awesome. I'm sore and my belly is bruised (where they took my huge stomach out), but I work from home - so rest is all it I need. I haven't been nauseous once or vomited. Day 5 post op and I'm down 13.6 lbs already - since pre-op. So this sounds like a dream huh? Because it was. It was like going on vacation where I also happened to have an organ removed lol. I will tell you that I would give one piece of feedback for the ultimate experience, the only thing I thought was lacking or could've been done differently. I wish I could've met Dr Illan before I got to Mexico. It's pretty standard to have a conversation with a doctor prior to surgery and you don't get that until you're there. I wish he had emailed me personally, or had a phone call or a video chat. He could've even made me a personal 1-minute video and emailed it to me - just so I knew that he knew I existed and was going to be a patient. That would've calmed me even before I got there. I realize that a lot of people consider surgery and probably don't go through with it, so it could be a waste of time - but that's the cost of doing business. I am a business owner and have consultations with people that never hire me either. It's built into my business model and daily schedule. Not meeting Dr Illan ahead of time obviously didn't stop me from choosing him, but it almost did. The other doctors I considered contacted me directly (one with a personal video and one with a whatsapp video call). If you are thinking about doing this surgery, let my testimony help you decide that it is going to be ok. That chances are, it will go amazingly, There is this new life waiting for us that maybe we don't believe is real or we don't believe we deserve. But it is real and we do deserve it! Give yourself the gift of this weightloss to take your life back. I'm so glad I did and I can't wait to see this weight melt off me and stay off me. Having my surgery with Dr Illan was the best medical experience of my life. I felt cared for, safe, attended to, and healthy the whole time I was there. The hospital is like a resort, very modern and very clean. The nurses and valets were insanely attentive. Now go leave your stomach in Mexico!

Thank you. @ms.sss I started to write a response and I lost words ... maybe when I get up the guts I’ll post the picture from my birthday right before my gastric bypass surgery. The only picture I have, a very unflattering one from the zoo. I was miserable that day, not knowing if my surgery was going to happen or if I would ever get my weight under control. And take an after picture ... I just don’t like seeing my face ... I have pictures of my incisions if anyone is curious and what I look like in Faja. It feels strange to share these things even though I technically already have through the Hospital BC page. with body dismorphia I don’t know if my self image will change. I guess with time I will see ... it’s gotten hard to hide the chronic pain and fatigue from my face and day to day and it tends to reflect how I feel around other people. But I guess because I’m on the Autism spectrum I don’t know my own facial expressions ... or how to interact with people. I find trying to understand people exhausting. Of course with Covid I haven’t been around anyone ... my mom keeps asking when can I go swimming. I don’t even know. well that’s why I never finished writing the response 🤣 do I make any sense? I don’t think I know a normal body. So I’m critical. And can’t exercise to firm things up more I hate that. I’m critical of my knees and excess skin on my calves. And my butt isn’t as perfect as it looks in the Post op pics. But probably is just natural laxity that returns. Though I could use some volume there. I didn’t want to look before the excess skin was so horrible it was like well ... flaps. My skin is extremely thin as well like someone twice my age. i guess I’ll ease my way into this and how the few people I do know will react. It’s more how they expect me to feel about it that’s hard ... I think that’s partly why I’m afraid to buy a swimsuit. The attention, I honestly don’t deal well with it.

OYYY. I felt this post deep in my soul! I'm almost a month out from surgery and I felt ALL of this my first week. 5 days out isn't a lot. I know that you want to move and feel better, but you have to remember that your body is healing. Maybe it doesn't look horrible on the outside, but inside, your body is adjusting to all of this. I couldn't tolerate jello at all.. and i had to learn to take small sips of my protein shakes (which i cannot stomach bc i was so over them) and am slowly getting better and gauging how much my stomach can handle. I cried and had a panic attack my first few nights home and even in the hospital because of the pain and my buyer's remorse.. esp with being on liquids for 2 weeks after surgery.. but you WILL get better and your body will start to show some progress. be gentle with yourself.