I have a friend who just had her sleeve done (not a revision) and I know this is mean but all her whining and complaining on Facebook about how she feels so sh&*-y is freaking me out! If I recall correctly my band recovery 3 years ago wasn't sure too bad. If nothing else it was a piece of cake next to tummy tuck recovery a year ago! I have a pretty high threshold for pain (can tell ya about tattoos and piercings lol) but she's really getting to me!!! Is it really that bad???

Everyone is different and our bodies are different. I don't know your friend or her particular circumstances so I could not say what she's going through. But on a separate note, I have learned that sometimes complaining and being unhappy can become a way of life. For some it can become a habit that is very difficult to break - it doesn't matter what's in front of you. I know that personally, when I run into that chronic dissatifaction, where that's all you hear, it gets to me!

For most people, no it really isn't that bad. I had two c-sections and this was a breeze compared to them, IMO! However, if you have a complication, it can seem like the world is ending. One thing I have noticed is that every time I'm stunned by someone's complaints about pain, nausea, etc, it turns out that person has some kind of complication. The complication rate is very low, but it's sure painful when you're the one who has that complication.

The other thing that could be going on is that your friend could have a very low pain tolerance. There are people who can't handle much pain at all without feeling like they are dying. If she's young, has no previous medical procedures, or has never had a child, your friend may truly be feeling as if the pain is overwhelming. I've unofficially noticed that people who are older seem to have less pain with VSG. Maybe that's luck and maybe it's because we've dealt with so much more than the younger folks.

Don't let your friend's misery become your misery. Just because she's having a tough time does NOT mean that you will have a tough time if you're considering revision to the sleeve. Oh, and from what I understand, the pain from a tummy tuck is way worse than the pain from the sleeve as well!

She may have some kind of complication making things worse. Everyone I have read that was in severe pain, there was something else going on.

If that's not the case, there are always people who like to whine for attention and sympathy. My husband is still whining about pain from a car accident 21 years ago. I never had any real pain past the day I came home from the hospital.

It could also be that she just has a low tolerance. You usually see this in women that have had no children yet. She may be spending to much time dwelling on it and perceiving every little feeling as pain.

Lisa and Cherrybomb has said it all. I for one, have had no pain since the surgery. I have only been dehydrated 1 time and that was my fault for not drinking enough fluids. But overall, I have lost a substantial amount of weight in a short period of time and am estatic about my process. I love my new skinniness.

Hang in there, this is a permanent way to manage your new to come skinniness but first the procedure is needed to give you the tool for permanent weight loss to occur.

I didn't have much pain afterward and I agree with Dorrie, a C-section is a whole lot harder.

I think if she's having that much pain, she needs to talk to her physician. Maybe there is some kind of issue or complication.

Onward,

Carol

Please don't let her psyche you out! I recently joined this site and have been reading at others also.

Some people have an easy time, some people have a hard time. It seems to me the people having the hardest times afterwards are people that didn't reduce their carb intake prior to surgery and there are lots of caffeine withdrawal headaches. I notice a lot of people eating a lot sooner than they should be too. If you do your best to lower your calories in advance of the surgery, lower your carb, start getting a shake in for Breakfast and seriously follow the pre-surgery diet (mine will be two weeks liquids prior to surgery and two week liquids after surgery), cut out the caffeine prior to surgery (I would rather get caffeine withdrawal prior to surgery than after surgery). My plan is to limit any withdrawals prior to surgery. I have been on a strict 800-1000 calorie diet under 50gm carbs for 6 months). I HOPE this will help me through the shock of reducing to 200-300 calories for the first few weeks. I am trying to psyche myself out the right way and stay positive.

I have had a long open incision c-section, open incision hysterectomy w/bowel resection, several laparascopies, through my life and the easiest surgery I had was getting my gallbladder out, which is the laparascopic (5) smaller cuts very similar to the incisions made for the sleeve. I am psyching myself in advance that it will be very similar to my gallbladder out, it will be small incisions with one just a little larger to remove the excess stomach like the one that removed my gallbladder. I also know how to hold a pillow on my tummy getting in and out of bed, and I know the value of walking, walking, walking to get the gas out.

However, there are people that follow every rule, and do everything right, start out with a positive attitude and still have complications, and that's something we were all told about before surgery.

My surgeon told me about a woman that did everything right and she had some severe complications, including needing to be fed intravenously for over a month! She had to have another surgery and spent about 4 months really suffering. He asks her every time he sees her (she's about 1-1/2 years out) would you do it again and she says in a heart beat!

We all are going to have doubts, self-doubts. I have spent countless hours reading here and sometimes what I read scares me too.

Try to stay positive and do me a favor, if I come on after surgery and end up with complications and complain, remind me to reread what I am saying now lol! Hey self, In the end, it will be worth it!

Good luck to you.

I've notices a trend of people trying to advance their diet against their surgeons advice and it seems like they are the ones having extreme naseau and vomitting along with pain. Now that is certainly not the case with everyone who is having these problems but there are a few that I have notices mainly from other fourms. I saw where one guy was trying to eat chicken and tuna in the first week and was barfing everything up and he was surprised! Until week 21/2 there is nothing holding your stomach together but staples and sutures so putting that kind of stress on your tummy is insane. For the record I am almost 3 weeks out and I've not had one bout of nausea or vomitting and I've followed the diet to a T. Hope this helps.

I've notices a trend of people trying to advance their diet against their surgeons advice and it seems like they are the ones having extreme naseau and vomitting along with pain. Now that is certainly not the case with everyone who is having these problems but there are a few that I have notices mainly from other fourms. I saw where one guy was trying to eat chicken and tuna in the first week and was barfing everything up and he was surprised! Until week 21/2 there is nothing holding your stomach together but staples and sutures so putting that kind of stress on your tummy is insane. For the record I am almost 3 weeks out and I've not had one bout of nausea or vomitting and I've followed the diet to a T. Hope this helps.

*Noticed*

I have not pain and I am a 1 1/2 week post of and I never took pain med. not even in hospital I was good and the nurse was like are u sure and I was like yeah I am good

I know that some people really do have a hard time.

However, I have been reading these forums since last year and what I have noticed is that MOST of the people who feel like they are dying/feel horrible/regret the surgery are actually having either emotional or compliance issues. OR they really didn't know what to expect. People have unrealistic expectations and do things like progress through food too fast, don't pay attention the Fluid intake, don't pay attention to the Protein needs, dont take a PPI etc. etc. I also think some of the "pain" that people feel is food denial.

I don't know if any of this applies to your friend.

A nurse at my Docs practice is a band to sleeve revision. Presurgery she told me that revision patients don't have all the problems she hears about from sleeve patients because they know what to expect, understand the rules, understand small quantities and understand about separating food from liquids. This is just one nurse's opinion, but I think i see this in the forums too, some people just don't know what they signed up for so then complain mightily when they have some discomfort and emotional distress. You have been through this once so have an idea of what to expect.

I also saw a bariatric doctor (not a surgeon) who is a (dissatisfied) band patient herself and has several patients who are revisions. She warned me that I would feel worse then I did after the band surgery (true). She also warned me that the exhaustion/recovery seems much longer and that is primarily due to dyhydration, also true. She encouraged me to seek the IV drip if I got dehydrated, don't suffer. It is true that it was harder recovery then the band, but for me, not because of pain but because eating/drinking was just harder the first month or two.

I will say that everybody is different. I am having a rough recovery due to some complications. I did stick to my diet and did everything my doc told me. I will admit that I had no real pain regarding the surgery and the only time I've ever been nauseous was either due to overeating (my eyes are still much larger than my stomach) or when I tried a new food. If it wasn't for the complications my recovery would've been pretty unremarkable.

I will say that everybody is different. I am having a rough recovery due to some complications. I did stick to my diet and did everything my doc told me. I will admit that I had no real pain regarding the surgery and the only time I've ever been nauseous was either due to overeating (my eyes are still much larger than my stomach) or when I tried a new food. If it wasn't for the complications my recovery would've been pretty unremarkable.

If u don't mind me asking what complication did u have????