What are the things you wish you knew before surgery that would have made after surgery easier?

[newat52 1,612]

Constipation! DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! Be afraid of it, very afraid.

I wish I knew how bad it was going to be. My pre op, surgery and recovery were remarkably easy because I knew what to expect.....except the Constipation. It's real, it hurts and my butt hurts just thinking about it. It happens before you know it. Some people have had it so bad they became impacted.

Don't buy into the nothing in nothing out myth. Keep in mind that you be consuming pretty much nothing but Protein in the weeks after surgery and absolutely no Fiber. No bueno for your bum.

Milk of magnesia and Miralax can be your best friend post op!

This surgery was the best thing I have ever done for my health and I would do it again in a New York minute! I would just be very aware of the constipation.

Good luck to you, you will rock this!

[scootergirl 118]

I wish I hadn't purchased my Magic Bullet. I knew i needed to purée foods for a few weeks and didn't have anything else small enough. I did not find the Magic Bullet very good at pureeing. It makes a fine smoothie but I already had a blender that could do that job.

I also wish I had been more insistent that my husband help me get before photos. The weight and inches come off fast and I have no photo documentation of the journey. The pre-post photos others have listed have been very inspiring to me.

[Chittick24 52]

I wish I found out sooner that using a little bit of Peanut Butter in your Protein Shake will decrease the foam

[Macy6 356]

I took my own 2 piece PJs and fuzzy socks with the slip nubbies on the bottom. It felt great to get in my own PJs and socks.

[NMJG 1,266]

I only had heavy duty painkillers the day of surgery and day after. Then I switched to plain Tylenol and I had no Constipation issues. In the past I've had that problem from painkillers and it was horrible. Heating pad works wonders for the pain too.

[Jiggly Puff 53]

Hello! This is my first post since becoming a member. I am going to be sleeved on the 17th of this month by Dr. Snyder in Denver. Needless to say, I am super nervous but know that this is the best option for me. What are some things you wish you knew before surgery that would have made the experience after surgery easier (recommendations, items on hand, suprises in the process, etc.)? Thank you!

I'm so happy for you! I met Dr. Snyder at his seminar last May. I instantly liked him a lot. I know several people who have had their surgeries through him as well and he has a big fan base. So good luck with that! And now for the actual topic....I wish I had known about the Constipation issues after surgery. Look up that topic on this forum. You'll find lots of info about it. Take slippers with a hard sole on them for walking around the hospital floor. And if you don't have a blender or something like that, I do recommend a Magic Bullet. I already had one and I use it every single day for my morning shakes. You couldn't pry that out of my cold dead hands. You'll need Gas-X strips for right after the surgery. And don't take the whole box like me and my roommate did. The doc didn't like that at all. But we didn't have any gas pains, so no harm done I guess. I wish you the very best of luck and I hope everything goes very well!

[AngiD 95]

. You'll need Gas-X strips for right after the surgery. And don't take the whole box like me and my roommate did. The doc didn't like that at all. But we didn't have any gas pains' date=' so no harm done I guess. I wish you the very best of luck and I hope everything goes very well![/quote']

How many did take at one time?

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

I use my food scale a lot. I didn't use a blender much, or food processor at all. I used the blender for shakes preop, but post op the froth made me nauseous (even when I let the shake DIY and settle for 30 mins).

I second the don't blend the Protein shakes! I'm just two weeks post-op and still mainly shakes, I try to make them with as little Water (or almond milk) as possible so it's easier to get down. It is kind of shocking how hard it is to yak down the Protein AND the fluids you need over the course of the day, so blending the shakes just makes them HUGE!