Anyone Wish They Had Not Done Their Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

[Tamz 8]

I don't think attacking Tamz on MY thread - where I asked specifically about "buyer's remorse" is very fair. She's sharing her honest feelings. You wanna be positive about hair loss and saggy skin, that's great. She doesn't have to be.

Thanks. Im still getting used to this, and its just up and down right now. Ive talked to a lot of ppl who were where im at.. And after a few mos and being on solid food they were good to go. So im tryin to get there.. Just hard. Thanks for ur understanding

[Tamz 8]

Tamz, it DOES get better at 6 months out. Your capacity will increase and all the funny feelings should drop away. I too enjoyed food immensely and felt shorted when I could not partake, but I now enjoy the conversation and fellowship more than I ever did the food. I feel SO much better physically that it MORE than makes up for missing it. I also enjoy the small amount of food I eat just as much as I used to enjoy the masses. We went to Red Robin and we ordered garlic steak fries and I ate maybe two, I had a little less than half my bunless burger too and enjoyed it too.

It WILL get better, especially when you pass the month mark.

Thanks rootman yes im hearing after the month mark and more food selections.. It gets better. The mushies are just takin a toll on me now!

[ATLGirl 134]

Thought the approach may have been harsh, I think June was right on point with her advice to Tamz. As someone who is almost 6 months out, I can tell you it gets better. The first week was pure hell. The first month hell. And you know everyday it gets better. At almost 6 months out and 70 pounds gone. I'm happy I did the sleeve. I am even a happy slow loser. I think the only people giving you advice should be those who are AT LEAST 3 months out. 6 months if you wanna know about real remose. The first few weeks are NOT always nice, but you can have a really crappy early sleever talk you out of the best choice you can make for your life. Then in 4 months when Tamz posting NSVs and buying sizes in the misses section, you'll be wondering why the heck you listened to a new sleever. In my opinion.

[june13sleever 223]

I don't think attacking Tamz on MY thread - where I asked specifically about "buyer's remorse" is very fair. She's sharing her honest feelings. You wanna be positive about hair loss and saggy skin, that's great. She doesn't have to be.

Having negative thoughts constantly is a terrible thing. People on here have a bad day and then find relief. This seriously pretty girl is trippin and needs some tough love. THERE IS NO GOING BACK. So she needs to saddle up, get off this site which just allows her to be negative all the time and find some happy things to do. This place is the only place where someone who constantly has negative thoughts can have someone feel sorry for them. I am my mother's child and she would tell me to stop wallowing in my negative thoughts. NO ONE ON THIS SITE WOULD DO THAT. Support is one thing, but if my mother ever heard me say what she just said about regretting it every day because I can't eat with my friends...After I cried and cried about being fat...She would slap me. She didn't say she was in pain. She didn't say she was having a compllication. She was saying she regrets it everyday because she can't eat with her friends. Nope sorry. Not gonna let that one go. Well I am certain to be a pariah now, but I just couldn't let another day go by where this...DID YOU SEE HER...SHE IS SO PRETTY...girl wallows in her own self-pity or if it isn't pity possibly maybe needs to seek out some therapy if she could be depressed.

[kellyw74 258]

I was and am very lucky. I had the Cheif surgeon at my facility and could not have been in better hands!! I followed his advice to the letter. Lost tons of weight pre-op, which I believe made my surgery and recovery MUCH MUCH smoother!! I went back to work in 7 days!

My only regret is that they did not have this surgery when I was much younger! I am 36 and would love to have about 1/2 of my life back!

Kelly

[Tamz 8]

Again... Im just 30 days out. Im still adjusting. Im sure im not the only one who felt this 30 days out. Did u put them down too??

[Tamz 8]

Sorry didnt mean to post 3 times

[Maddie 9]

I had complications, so yes, in the beginning I had serious buyers remorse. But now that I am over a year out and have met goal, I would do it all over again even if I knew I would have the same complications. I am off all the blood pressure meds that I took for over 15 years, off the CPAP, and my knee and back pain are much less than when I was carrying around all the extra weight. Like a few others, my only regret is not doing it sooner.

We don't all lose at the same rate and we don't all adjust emotionally at the same rate. Especially when there are complications involved. No matter how much research you do, nothing can fully prepare you for what is ahead with any WLS. It's really more than adjusting, being pumped full of drugs, the trauma of surgery to your body, and having your life changed forever are things that take time to wrap your head around. As tough as it can be at times, we need to hang in there as best we can and do our best to support each other through the difficult periods.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

I would like to kindly remind everyone to keep opinions of Other individuals to ourselves. Please stay on topic, as this is something that can really help others to make a final decision if this surgery is right for themselves.

This is NOT a decision to be made lightly.

Everyone's experiences will be different from another's and if someone regrets having their surgery then that is their own personal right.

I myself had buyers remorse, I believe even up to the first whole month. However today I feel completely different. I'm exactly where I'd hoped to be at the end of my journey, though I don't make THAT decision, my body does. Anyway even if I ended up right here, that's fine because right here is where I want to be. Thus, at nearly 10 months out... I have absolutely, positively ZERO REGRET!!

[purple tulip 2]

A few days into it I did have the fleeting thought of "What the hell did I do?!" With that being said, I got over it quickly as I healed and realized what living with the sleeve would really be like and I love it. I am not quite 4 months out and I have ZERO regret now. I can eat anything I want, but in small portions. I eat like a thin person, which requires healthy choices, but I do have the option of eating any of my old favs. I think if one has mental health issues that need to be addressed and have used food as a coping mechanism than they may find the post op life more difficult. However, as a bulk eater, not an emotional eater, I could not be happier with my decision. Best of luck to you because I know on that side of the fence it seems so scary, but once you get on this side I would be willing to bet my house that you'll be ecstatic with having the surgery

When something goes well for us, we tend to become evangelists about it. I am going to a "seminar" about VSG tomorrow, though... and I want to know if anyone here wishes they hadn't had the surgery.

Thanks.

[Karelia 5]

Oh, I want everyone's opinion. I don't care if you're 2 days post-op. The more information I have, the better able I am to make decisions. I suspect that the people who regret it after 6 months or more probably don't post on forums like these anyway, for the simple reason that they'll likely be attacked as Tamz was here.

I never considered any of the other types of WLS very seriously. I have a very bad case of Hashimoto's Disease, and the malabsorption issues are enough to put me off those types of surgery. I also know the complication rates are higher with the other types based on the document my insurance company provides (lap-band was slightly lower, but I've heard enough lap-band horror stories, and it's not really suitable for someone my size anyway). They cover all the types, but give the basic facts.

I admit that the 1 in 1000 mortality rate is higher than I'd like, even though I accept that it translates to .1%. Still, that's scary... 1 out of 1000 people who do this will die? I'm not sure I like that risk.

There are reasons I'm considering doing this, mostly they're practical. I'm going to finish grad school next year, and I'm worried no one will hire me. But it's also logistical. It would be nice to not need 2 airplane tickets. It would be nice to sit in a booth... but even more practical, it would be nice to not worry that if I do manage to get hired, I won't fit in the seats in the auditorium at the school I work at, or on field trips that I won't fit in the seat on a bus... etc, etc. Those of you who've been a very high weight know what I mean. It's more than looking a way that's socially inadequate. That I don't give a rat's ass about (aside from the risks of not getting a job over it). I have an amazing marriage - better than most of the thin people I know. He loves me for who I am, regardless of my size. I don't need to lose weight to gain friends or find a man. I don't go out socially, so I don't care much about what I can or can't eat when I do. I'd just like life to be less inconvenient. If it actually made me healthier, bonus, but I'm somewhat skeptical and there aren't many long term studies at this point to back up the health benefits. Anecdotal evidence is great... but it's got to be taken with a grain of salt.

Anyway, ty all for sharing your stories.

[ATLGirl 134]

The reason you don't see many (if any regretters) after 6 months is because IT GETS BETTER. No one attack Tam. Well, I certainly did not. But it looks like you have your mind made up and the solicitation of responses was for mere entertainment. TRUST me a person who is 2 days post op is not the BEST person to give you their opinion of the sleeve. You asked a very strong question. Has anyone WISHED they had not done it? My post was merely to point out that there is a series of stages post sleevers go through. Heck, if you look through some of my old post you will see my disdain. There are people who have had complications physically and mentally. Learning to eat all over again is not an easy feat. Heck, I just threw up my lunch yesterday because of a bread and steak combo. It seems like people who don't post from the "Amen Corner" are deemed bullies and "attacking." You make your decision based of a 2-day, 2- week, heck even 2 month sleever AND watch as they live their life getting better and better, thinner and thinner, while you wallow in the words of a dicsouraged newbie. #IJS

[Karelia 5]

I wasn't referring to you, and I'm very glad it got better for you. I hope it continues to do so. I do not for one minute believe, however, that every single person who has this surgery done LOVES it, and I think it's pretty damn naive to believe that. Tamz even said in her very own post that she's still hopeful she will eventually NOT regret it, so I don't see why her opinion and feelings should be so easily discounted by those of you fortunate enough to have reached a point where you no longer regret it.

I have no idea what "entertainment" you think I am getting out of these responses, or what decision you think I've made when you claim my "mind is made up." My mind is far from made up. It's an extreme choice to make, one that is potentially fraught with complications and regret. I just want ALL the stories I can get. Glowing reviews are always easy to come by... and much like many women who have experienced labor, the further out you get from it, the easier it is to forget how awful it was at that moment, especially if the "rewards" are amazing for you. There's no way this procedure is right for everyone. I'm trying to figure out if it is for me.

Every body is unique, and every person's response to something this serious and extreme is going to differ. I'm taking EVERY story with a grain of salt because I know that if I did have the surgery, MY experience would be my very own... it might compare to some of yours, but it's still never going to be the same exact story.

For reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with my weight, the past four years of my life have been sheer hell. The last thing I want to do is rush into a decision that has the potential to make the rest of my life hell... or worse, to end it!

Furthermore, I *need* to hear the stories of people who aren't that far in, to see how challenging life is in those early months. I need to have the surgery by October, if I am having it, because I start student teaching in January. I'm planning to give myself the few months to recover and adjust, but if a lot of people experience major challenges for the first six months, I can't do this at this point. I can't risk not being healthy enough. During student teaching, we're not allowed to miss a single day of teaching. If school is in session, we MUST be there... so, perhaps you understand why these early post-op stories matter, too.

The reason you don't see many (if any regretters) after 6 months is because IT GETS BETTER. No one attack Tam. Well, I certainly did not. But it looks like you have your mind made up and the solicitation of responses was for mere entertainment. TRUST me a person who is 2 days post op is not the BEST person to give you their opinion of the sleeve. You asked a very strong question. Has anyone WISHED they had not done it? My post was merely to point out that there is a series of stages post sleevers go through. Heck, if you look through some of my old post you will see my disdain. There are people who have had complications physically and mentally. Learning to eat all over again is not an easy feat. Heck, I just threw up my lunch yesterday because of a bread and steak combo. It seems like people who don't post from the "Amen Corner" are deemed bullies and "attacking." You make your decision based of a 2-day, 2- week, heck even 2 month sleever AND watch as they live their life getting better and better, thinner and thinner, while you wallow in the words of a dicsouraged newbie. #IJS

[Bryn Dawson 9]

Most of us know the great success stories of the boards (Tiffykins, LilMissDiva, etc) but we couldn't have gotten such a clear snapshot of the first month or so timeline without this question being posted, so kudos to Karelia who had the intestinal fortitude to ask. This whole thread has been very enlightening.

I now have a much better idea of the kind of difficulty I will be facing for the first month or so. I am still going to go forward with the surgery, but in a weird way I feel better knowing that I will feel bad so I can prepare for it, if that makes any sense at all.

For those who are still struggling, I am sorry. For those who are not, congratulations!

Let us ALL hope to have success and comfort in our futures, regardless of approach.

[S311kyra 1]

I am 6 weeks post op and just starting to overcome my buyer's remorse. I still have days that all I feel is regret, but I am finally starting to have days where I am happy with my choice. I know that one day soon I will have more good days then bad. For now, I am just thankful that I am finally starting to have good days.