Im a pre-op I am 24 and my big day my Surgery date is Aug.28th and i am trying to prepare myself for this huge change in my life i realize that this is a serious decision that will take dedication and change my whole way of living and i would like to know from all you Post-Op out there the good the bad the ugly and the terrifying so i can prepare myself mentally and physically and so i can avoid as much bad as i can also for the more advanced Post-Ops (yrs) How is it in general??...... how will i be affected years down my life....

I think the biggest bad is worrying about how bad it is. Your biggest asset is a positive attitude. Yeah, you may have to deal with a little discomfort, a little gas, a little nausea, but if you keep your mind on why you're doing it and what you're looking forward to, the rest is consequential. Got my sleeve on the 3rd. No major issues. More discomfort from the hernia repair than the sleeve. I'm already a size smaller in shirt and pants. I teared up when I was able to put on an old favorite shirt again! Losing weight EVERY DAY, and I'll never be this heavy again! Said goodbye to the 380s. In a few days, I'll say goodbye to the 370s. Seems to get better every day.

Continue to read these posts. The people on VST are very candid in explaining what they're going through, and it's been the BEST EDUCATION I've received. Great support here! Welcome to the commmunity!

I think the biggest bad is worrying about how bad it is. Your biggest asset is a positive attitude. Yeah' date=' you may have to deal with a little discomfort, a little gas, a little nausea, but if you keep your mind on why you're doing it and what you're looking forward to, the rest is consequential. Got my sleeve on the 3rd. No major issues. More discomfort from the hernia repair than the sleeve. I'm already a size smaller in shirt and pants. I teared up when I was able to put on an old favorite shirt again! Losing weight EVERY DAY, and I'll never be this heavy again! Said goodbye to the 380s. In a few days, I'll say goodbye to the 370s. Seems to get better every day.

Continue to read these posts. The people on VST are very candid in explaining what they're going through, and it's been the BEST EDUCATION I've received. Great support here! Welcome to the commmunity![/quote']

Omg thank you so much I know I want to tear up just thinking about wearing my old clothes .....I always been a hard stomach kind of girl not quizey but this is a way different thing but I'm sure I can handle it as long as I do everything I am told.....and wearing my old clothes again is my motivation my mind is at ease a lil more can't thank u enough....

Okay, this is my reality...it's not that bad! I had my surgery on Tuesday, June 19th. According to my mom, the procedure took approximately 55 minutes.

When I woke up, I was a little out of it...slept on and of for a couple of hours. I finally got it together & started eating ice chips. I experienced nausea every time that I got out of bed. It would subside when I would get back into the bed. I didn't walk on the first day (only to the bathroom & back). I didn't have gas pain.

Day two...I started walking. Most of my pain was coming from the nurses poking & prodding. The pain from the incisions began to subside. Sn: Don't be afraid to use the pain pump. I used it as needed...thanks to suggestions made on here. Worst part of the day was drinking that disgusting liquid for the leak test.

Day three...stumbling block. My potassium level was low. They kept me a few extra hours to feed me potassium orally (disrespectful) & through the IV. Although my potassium was still low, the doctor felt like I was fine & discharged me. I was glad to be home...no problems getting around (including walking up & down my steps). However, sleeping in my bed has been rough (yes, it is still uncomfortable). My incisions have healed on the outside (beautifully might I add...get some Mederma), but the inside is a different story. If I were you, I would investigate renting a recliner...advice that I did not heed!!!

Thusday wasn't too bad, but Friday was very challenging. It has been my worst day thus far. I say all of this to say...I have only had one horrible day after major surgery. So, I'll take that. Although everyone is different, I haven't heard too many horror stories, it is so worth a few days of discomfort.

Fyi-Eating is very uncomfortable in the beginning. However, it will get easier each day...literally. You can check out my YouTube videos if you want at Littlebits0604. I'm a nervous wreck so work with me.

I hope that this helps...

Littlebits

There are soooo many positives that I do think we fail to mention the lesser times, or stress the harder parts you will have to deal with.

When you have an NSV (non-scale victory) - which you will have in abundance, these are the best times! They are great - you will have your own but they range from smaller sizes, to sittingin booths, no extenders in car seats, buying regular boots and more...I recently took my first full acro yoga "play" - google it! I never thought that could be me.

There are times that are not so easy, when you need to draw away, or compliments are too overwhelming, or you have to deal with not having your fatsuit anymore - with the help of a friend (a real counselor but my unofficial one) that my reluctance to go shopping, while it seems to be a consistent thing (I disliked shoppong before, too - not a real girly type) is not really...I disliked shopping before because the plus-sized girl shops didnt carry te clothing I liked, and the mens big and tall was cut too long, and as I lost weight and still genuinely didnt want to shop I told myself "see? You really just dislike shopping!" - but not so, I realize most of it at this point is that I can't "see" myself as the size I am, and it is doing a number on my head to buy clothing I cant imagine wearing. I went into Old Navy and bought a medium dress and a size 12 dress...that makes 14-12 sizes I have lost in 18 months, most in the last 6 months.

You will have head hunger, and you may need to learn to identify or at least question if you are experiencing passive-aggressive tendencies in people around you.

You will (probably - most of us did) have to learn to say "NO" to people more often, we gave so much, and hid our insecurities inside - now we need to still be good, try to maintain nice, but still say no when needed. No, no drive through. No, it is not okay to keep that food in the house. No, lets not meet up there, there is nothing healthy there. No, I don't want to sit with you on the couch, I want US to take a walk...that sort of thing..

Wow, I could write a book, lol - I have been thinking about this stuff a lot lately...

THANK YOU SO MUCH GirlS!! Im more calm now im just so excited n so many feelings that im sure you all went through when you found out ur surgery date it becomes more real!! thank you so much for all the great advice

THANK YOU SO MUCH GirlS!! Im more calm now im just so excited n so many feelings that im sure you all went through when you found out ur surgery date it becomes more real!! thank you so much for all the great advice

You're welcome! Yes, you find yourself on an emotional roller coaster. It helps to have feedback from others. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions...

Littlebits

I've been relatively healthy and had very few medical procedures. This is my first MAJOR abdominal medical operation.

I'll tell you that I've had bunions repaired and it was FAR worse post op than the VSG was.

I've had my big toes reshaped due to ingrown toenails, it too was far worse post op than the VSG

I've had kidney stones 3 times - that is FAR FAR worse than the VSG post-op

I generally just felt crappy for 2 months then started to feel good, compared to how I felt over all pre-op I now feel fantastic. I can do dang near anything I want to physically without getting out of breath or feeling like I was an elephant.

It was worth it and the post-op issues were nothing compared to other stuff I've had done.