Is there anything you wished someone had told you before you went in?

Any out-of-the-ordinary supplies that you brought with you that came in extra handy?

Any other words of advice or just helpful things to calm my nerves? This is happening very fast and I'm excited but mostly terrified!

No gum after surgery??? WHAT??

Bummer, right?!

Aside from the fact that you could swallow it and "gum up the works", it also causes you to swallow air which leads to painful gas and bloating, stimulates the production of Ghrelin that makes you hungry, screws up your blood sugar because even sugar free gum makes your body think its eating sugar so it produces insulin, and causes TMJ. Who knew?!

My only piece of advice is drink as much as you can the day before surgery. When you get out the cotton mouth is awful and the waiting time before having anything makes it so much worse.

Bring shorts/ shirt, slippers, PBS. About 2 hours out of surgery I was in shorts and a T-shirt so when I was walking the halls I felt so much better. Also get up and walk as much as possible. It really helps! Good luck!

I am going to have to disagree' date=' and no, I've not had surgery yet so I don't know how it will work for me. I understand that each person's journey is different and I hate that you aren't enjoying your meals post op.

I have 4 friends who have already had the surgery and they are a year post op. All over them have hit 90+ pounds lost and are right around their goal weight. I've been on vacation with one of them two times since her surgery Jamaica and Vegas) and watched her eating habits so I would have an idea what to expect.

She was able to eat whatever she wanted, the difference was, she was happy and satisfied after a few bites of each thing. She probably had the most fun because while the rest of us were eating, she was doing all the talking! [/quote']

Everyone is different, you could end up with the best case scenario and you could get the worst or somewhere in between. In the first months while you are losing weight it's all great because that is what your focus is. But months out when you get to goal reality starts to hit. My stomach can no longer tolerate things it did prior to surgery. Ie. The other night we were at a very good restaurant and the meal I ordered had chilli in it. Within 10 minutes I was throwing up, within 60 minutes I had diarrhea. I was I'll for 24 hours.

What I am saying is, be prepared for the worst case scenario, because you could be the one who spends all night in the toilet while your friend does the talking and even when you are slim that's not fun.