I couldn't decide where to put this one so I figured that most of it's gonna come after surgery so I put it in post op. Feel free to move it if necessary.

I was reading another thread and someone said these words and it made me think about what I have learned reading this board and was amazed at the responses I saw stating that they were not told such and such before hand. What are some things that you have learned after the fact?? The things you didn't find out until you were elbow deep into this journey...

Let's hear them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know that I am not the only one to wander this and I know that others looking are curious as well. The only way to learn is to talk to others that have been through the experience. Thanks, Dave.

I drink coffee but a half decaf and reg coffee mix. The caffeine can be a diuretic and this is why my nut told me to mix my coffee.

Good things is the never trust a fart, weird taste buds and smells get better over time. I personally struggle with peeing. I drink tons of Water and can be once a day. I usually make my self pee by coughing or sneezing because I can feel my bladder is full. I take miralax for constipation. My surgeon said to take a stool softner not a laxative but I paid 20 bucks for this bottle of miralax. LOL I take it once a week. I miss going everyday because I feel like I'm holding waste in my body. No lie I weighed myself one day after I went and had lost 3lbs. SMH

My taste buds have gotten a little better. I can tolerate crystal light again. All the flavors had tasted weird for a long time. I did have 3 of my favorite onion and garlic chips and they tasted like butt!! It's a good thing because I gave the bag away. I hadn't had them since I was pre-op. My girlie parts are different too. My cycle etc; I asked my gyno but she gave me some stupid answer about chemical imbalances in my body from weight loss but no real definitive answer.

My memory and vision has gotten bad since I've been post-op, no one belives me. They keep saying I'm old. It's frustrating. I had the memory of an elephant before. Now I can't even remember where I put my keys when I walked in the house. It's like a blank is in my mind. It's hard to explain.

Never trust a fart is one of the biggest things no one talked about.

Hilarious!!!!....but makes sense. :-)

I wish I had known early post op how hard dealing with the loss of my food would be. although im fine now' date=' it was hard the first couple of weeks. I even regretted the surgery at first. But now, 98 lbs lighter and 5 months later, it was all worth it.[/quote']

I'm glad I'm not the only one who regretted surgery I'm 3 weeks post op and I'm finding it so difficult everything smells so good and I just miss food they say some people eat to live I lived to eat. I hope it will all be worth it . Can't wait till the hiccups stop and I was never a burper and now I do.

YES! That is me. And a short time for me is like 10-20 minutes. I have a super faster track. Plus it doesn't help that I'm lactose intolerant and I have a gluten sensitivity. It's brutal. It doesn't matter where I am...if I don't have super control over what I eat...forget it. My stomach lets me know who is in charge. I am concerned about that for when I do get sleeved. And eating out...forget that too. If I say no butter and keep the olive oil to a minimum...nix that. I can ALWAYS tell when those are used. It's embarrassing. I too would LOVE to know if it gets better.

For what it is worth it has gotten better in the last month or two since I have been going high Protein low carb. So that makes me wander if it is the gluten deal?? I never knew anything about "gluten" really until the last couple years when I started seeing "gluten free" or gluten stuff on tv. It was to the point of imodium everyday. Since I switched up and basically eliminated all bread, Pasta, etc I seem to be about every 1.5 to 2 days. Never like that before. I notice that if I come off of the really low carb for a day that things speed up again for a day or so then I can start back on low carb and back to 1-2 days. Maybe TMI but I know I am not alone...

Pooooor vision!!!! I was sleeved in Dec '11, and in Jan '12, i went to get my new eyeglass prescription. As the months went by, I noticed my vision getting worse and I was squinting just to see thru my glasses. Unfortunately, my insurance only pays for new glasses every 2 years so Im stuck with a pair of worthless glasses. BTW....pre-surgery, I only needed glasses just for reading...now need to wear a lot of the time!

I drink coffee but a half decaf and reg coffee mix. The caffeine can be a diuretic and this is why my nut told me to mix my coffee.

Good things is the never trust a fart' date=' weird taste buds and smells get better over time. I personally struggle with peeing. I drink tons of Water and can be once a day. I usually make my self pee by coughing or sneezing because I can feel my bladder is full. I take miralax for constipation. My surgeon said to take a stool softner not a laxative but I paid 20 bucks for this bottle of miralax. LOL I take it once a week. I miss going everyday because I feel like I'm holding waste in my body. No lie I weighed myself one day after I went and had lost 3lbs. SMH

My taste buds have gotten a little better. I can tolerate crystal light again. All the flavors had tasted weird for a long time. I did have 3 of my favorite onion and garlic chips and they tasted like butt!! It's a good thing because I gave the bag away. I hadn't had them since I was pre-op. My girlie parts are different too. My cycle etc; I asked my gyno but she gave me some stupid answer about chemical imbalances in my body from weight loss but no real definitive answer.

My memory and vision has gotten bad since I've been post-op, no one belives me. They keep saying I'm old. It's frustrating. I had the memory of an elephant before. Now I can't even remember where I put my keys when I walked in the house. It's like a blank is in my mind. It's hard to explain.[/quote']

My memory is exactly the same - I never had the issue before surgery- now- all the time. Forgetting things- and all sorts of weird stuff!

Never trust a fart is one of the biggest things no one talked about.

I'm pretty sure everyone talks about it- at least I see it in here a lot - and never had the issue... Little bit TMI

When my mouth starts flooding with spit it’s a sign I am gonna puke!

My mouth is pretty dry on the whole and maybe that’s due to not being able to drink Water so I drink a lot of decaf tea which means I am not really drinking enough who knows lol

Hopefully the water thing will settle down soon but I am the opposite dry dry dryyyyy

I had a hard time drinking water without wanting to run to the toilet and barf it all back up. My nut suggested the Crystal Light which tasted like rotten eggs; My surgeon gave me a prescription for nausea.

I shopped around trying different bottled waters....then I found my niche! Distilled Water in the jug! I was able to tolerate it and keep it down! I have since discovered SmartWater, which is distilled water with electrolytes (costco carries case of 1 qt bottles for $10) or Wholefoods has their 365 brand Electrolye Enhanced Water ($1 a pint). Try Distilled Water....i was amazed when it worked for me!

I had a hard time drinking Water without wanting to run to the toilet and barf it all back up. My nut suggested the Crystal Light which tasted like rotten eggs; My surgeon gave me a prescription for nausea.

I shopped around trying different bottled waters....then I found my niche! Distilled Water in the jug! I was able to tolerate it and keep it down! I have since discovered SmartWater' date=' which is distilled water with electrolytes (costco carries case of 1 qt bottles for 10) or Wholefoods has their 365 brand Electrolye Enhanced Water (1 a pint). Try Distilled Water....i was amazed when it worked for me![/quote']

Thanks for the heads up! I love this forum!

Thanks Everyone' date=' this topic is really helpful. I had my surgery August 1, 2012 and I am starting to experience some of the things you all are talking about. My husband just told me the other day that since my surgery, my morning breath is really bad.

Also, is anyone experiencing the Saliva in the mouth constantly?[/quote']

I thought that was just me

I wish I had known early post op how hard dealing with the loss of my food would be. although im fine now' date=' it was hard the first couple of weeks. I even regretted the surgery at first. But now, 98 lbs lighter and 5 months later, it was all worth it.[/quote']

OMG, I'm the same way. I'm 3 weeks out,Monday & just about ever other day I'm crying to my husband like a big baby having a tantrum about doing the surgery because I want food. I'm sooooooooo hungry. I can't wait Monday I finally get to have pureed food. Yay!!!!

Never trust a fart!! LMAO!!!!

I'm confused. Some of you say you're constipated, but then you say to never trust a fart which makes me think you have the opposite problem. So basically there is just bowel problems in general... great... looking forward to all of these side effects. Blah but I'm guessing it's all worth it right?

I wish I was told how everyday medications would give me adverse effects...I get hives from prilosec and I get extremely tired with ibuprofen..never had a problem with it before surgery

What about your sense of smell? After getting home I had to unplug my scentsy warmers. 22 days out and I still can't stomach strong smells!

I went thru 3 deodorants before I could even stand to smell something so close to my nose!

I am also glad that this topic is brought to surface. I am so interested in more experiences. I so far am reading constipation' date=' bad breathe, taste buds changing (low tolerance to sweets), and clues to knowing when you are full..[/quote']

I look @ the scale, just stare @ it.. If it moves too fast I panic I'll look like a deflated balloon; if it moved too slow, I feel defeated. Yo-yo dieter I was, u keep waiting for the other shoe to drop & gain it back. Of course, this is all ridiculous. I'm 23 days out, 25lbs lighter, & my scale & I have a twice a week date (only cuz I can't seem to make it once a week).