Can any of you post op patients give any examples or advice on things you wish you had known or done differently before surgery?

New me on the way

Wish I would have done it sooner. And that is about it for me!

I would have gotten a firm release date from my doc. He didn't give me a release time, and I just had a general release time, he was 6 hours late releasing me and I had a 2 hr drive home.

Also,

I would not have stocked up on so much powdered Protein and premade shakes. Don't need as much as I thought.

I wish I had changed my extended release meds to the different ones three months before surgery so that it was done, and not had the change happening at the same time as surgery.

I wish that I had realized that "no swallowing any pills bigger than an m&m" translated into a 1 hr delay between pills for the first few weeks (I can take a bunch at a time now, five months out)

I wish that I had practiced eating slowly more. Put the fork down between bites! Learning the hard way sucks.

I wish that I had realized how hard it would be mentally to accept that the person in the mirror, 100 lbs skinnier, is still me. I don't recognize her. The mental part of the surgery is vastly under-acknowledged and the prep / post specialized care for it (body image, confidence, etc) is lacking. I think we all could benefit from more help. Don't be afraid to ask for it.

Wish I would have done it sooner. And that is about it for me!

I second that wish. Talked about it for several years but put it off. Now thinking of stuff I may have missed or need to catch up on because of waiting so long.

That I had never reintroduced things like carbs and soda into my diet. Now I'm having to wean myself off them to lose this last 50 ...

I also wished I'd known how important eating REAL food is rather than relying on Protein supplements. eggs, meat, fish, cheese ... those things are so much better for you than a shake or Protein Bar. Fewer chemicals and you can pronounce everything on the label ...

Wish I would have done it sooner. And that is about it for me!

Amen to that!!

I wish I had changed my extended release meds to the different ones three months before surgery so that it was done, and not had the change happening at the same time as surgery.

I wish that I had realized that "no swallowing any pills bigger than an m&m" translated into a 1 hr delay between pills for the first few weeks (I can take a bunch at a time now, five months out)

I wish that I had practiced eating slowly more. Put the fork down between bites! Learning the hard way sucks.

I wish that I had realized how hard it would be mentally to accept that the person in the mirror, 100 lbs skinnier, is still me. I don't recognize her. The mental part of the surgery is vastly under-acknowledged and the prep / post specialized care for it (body image, confidence, etc) is lacking. I think we all could benefit from more help. Don't be afraid to ask for it.

i second this wish every day:

I wish that I had realized how hard it would be mentally to accept that the person in the mirror, 80 lbs skinnier, is still me. I don't recognize her..

That you will NEVER be able to gorge yourself on your favourite morsels ever again and you need to be prepared for that.

It feels like grief - like you've lost a dear friend. Again, this is the mental aspect, but it is very tangible for me.

Ridiculous, of course - because you can eat your favourite morsels.. There's just a sadness that sometimes descends on me, when I realise I'm going to be maxed-out after 5-6 bites...

Oh, how I'd love to be able to eat a normal sized piece of home-made lasagne, mixed salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and a piece of garlic focaccia... all washed down with a glass of spicy pinot noir...

This, is what gets me most....

That you will NEVER be able to gorge yourself on your favourite morsels ever again and you need to be prepared for that. It feels like grief - like you've lost a dear friend. Again' date=' this is the mental aspect, but it is very tangible for me. Ridiculous, of course - because you can eat your favourite morsels.. There's just a sadness that sometimes descends on me, when I realise I'm going to be maxed-out after 5-6 bites... Oh, how I'd love to be able to eat a normal sized piece of home-made lasagne, mixed salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and a piece of garlic focaccia... all washed down with a glass of spicy pinot noir... This, is what gets me most....[/quote']

this sounds so sad! It does get better! You will be able to eat salad and lasagne again later on down the road. And wine also

But yes in the beginning I looked at this surgery as it was taking my free will away for awhile....

And well I needed that, because let's face it, this b***h could not be trusted

You do get moments that cause sadness because the enjoyment of eating to excess (and let's face it we enjoyed tasting, chewing, swallowing food only to do it over and over AND OVER again) is taken away.

But that is what we signed up for. Our stomachs can no longer handle what our minds and our mouths want.

That is the work we have to do. The doctor takes out the capacity we could handle now we have to work on desire for that capacity.

Easier said than done I know..

I should've practiced smaller sips of water. I was so used to chugging a bottle here and there and well, that's impossible after surgery. Also I should've stopped drinking and eating at the same time months before surgery.

I wish I had known the pain in my neck afterwards was a side effect of anesthesia. I wish I had known that there are a few stitches in the abdominal wall where the stomach is removed on the left side... If you maneuver that area too much you can pull a stitch (I did and it hurt like a mofo) and exposes me to hernias later down the line. I wish I had done this before and not had the band. I wish someone would have told me about mango and coconut flavors of isopure so I could make it through the first two weeks of clears more easily.

Also,

I would not have stocked up on so much powdered protein and premade shakes. Don't need as much as I thought.

Me, too.

Me too. I thought I was being a good Scout and laid in all kinds of (expensive) protein powders. There's a scoop out of a couple and the rest have never been opened. Turns out I can't/won't tolerate that stuff no matter how hard I try.

But yes in the beginning I looked at this surgery as it was taking my free will away for awhile....

And well I needed that, because let's face it, this b***h could not be trusted

Love it! Same for me too!

That you will NEVER be able to gorge yourself on your favourite morsels ever again and you need to be prepared for that.

It feels like grief - like you've lost a dear friend. Again, this is the mental aspect, but it is very tangible for me.

Ridiculous, of course - because you can eat your favourite morsels.. There's just a sadness that sometimes descends on me, when I realise I'm going to be maxed-out after 5-6 bites...

Oh, how I'd love to be able to eat a normal sized piece of home-made lasagne, mixed salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and a piece of garlic focaccia... all washed down with a glass of spicy pinot noir...

This, is what gets me most....

I definitely had a mourning period. I think we all do, to an extent. You'll be able to eat those things again, just not in the huge portions you remember.