Hello everyone! I've been reading this forum for a long time now but have never posted before. At my nutritional consult the psychologist really recommended I reach out to people who've had the surgery I am going to get (DS) to get some real life accounts of what life is like after surgery and to help me feel more prepared.

I've had my initial consult, psych evaluation, nutrition consult, and am on month 2/3 of my doctor supervised weight loss program. I'm very excited that I'm getting close to (hopefully) being approved and getting my surgery date. I really feel like I'm ready (I've been reading everything I can on this particular surgery for over a year now, including many posts on this forum) and just very excited to become a healthier person who can really enjoy life.

Anyway, I guess I'm looking for any stories of any kind that you feel might help me feel more prepared for surgery. I'm very concerned about what to expect in the pain department immediately following surgery, I would say that's my biggest fear at the moment. I am well acquainted with the diet and supplements and how different life will be in that regard. That will surely be a challenge for me, but it's one I am looking forward to at this point.

What types of issues or complications did you guys have after surgery? How long will it be until I feel like myself and have energy again? I have 3 kids from infant to school age so that's another concern of mine too. Has anyone been disappointed with their weight loss following this surgery? I am looking to lose about 170 pounds to reach what is medically considered a "healthy" weight for me.

My surgeon is Dr. Sudan at Duke, who I have all the confidence in the world in. I'd love to connect with anyone who has had him as a surgeon, but I'm mainly just excited to hear from anyone who might be able to help me get prepared!

Thank you

Mine was laparoscopic. I stayed 2 days but was ready to leave after one.

I had the gastric bypass procedure on November 25th, 2014, so my journey is only beginning!!! But I can tell you a few things that I wished I had known prior to beginning the surgical steps. The first thing that I would have done differently is that I would have slowly eased myself into a protein shake for breakfast every morning, or maybe occasionally for my lunch. The reason why I would have done this is because (for me) the pre-op diet would have felt like less of a mental "shock" had I been already doing this for a period of time. Now that I have been drinking the carnation drinks for six weeks, I find that I love them and I crave their taste and texture. Now I can't say that about ALL of the protein shakes because well I think all bari patients can agree, not all of them will appeal to you. Finding one that works well for you is IMPORTANT.

As far as motherhood goes, I also have two children and I was definitely more concerned for how they were going to handle this that I was concerned about myself. The oldest child is really the only one that even noticed that things were different, and her main concern was "Will you still sit with me at the table while we eat, even if you're only drinking?". I worried that I would feel left out while they all ate a real meal and I had a shake, but it has not felt that way to me at all. During my pre-op diet I was allowed broth, and some steamed veggies once a day for the first five days of the diet, so I saved my veggies for dinner time, added them to broth and viola! I had soup with my family while they ate. After surgery, you will feel tired for a few weeks as you recover. This is considered a major surgery, and weight limits are usually placed at 10pounds or less for the first few weeks so you will need to line up help with the little ones but it definitely can be done as you will be feeling better in no time.

About the pain level, my dearest friend in the whole world had the sleeve done in June. I was there with her and she had issues with pain control. I watched it all and I STILL went through with my surgery. Why? Because being overweight is painful every day. I knew that I was strong enough, and I believe that you are as well. Two weeks ago, this friend and I were hanging out and she asked me how it compared to child birth as she has yet to have children and I have already been through it. She said she feels less scared of child birth now because she made it through that surgery. I told her I didn't want to scare her but childbirth is hands down much harder than WLS and I would definitely do this over again if I had to choose between the two. After my surgery, I actually requested that my pain medication be discontinued as I wanted to walk and the medicine made me dizzy every time that I stood upright. I knew it was a side effect of the medication as I am a medical professional. The doctor of course agreed to allow them to stop the medication and within a half hour I was up walking. Walking moves the gases used in surgery which causes the most discomfort in my opinion.

The hardest part, as others here have already told you, is all mental. The learning, educating yourself, and the convincing your brain that you are NOT being deprived of joy by not eating as much as you used to, or WHAT you used to. There are other joys besides food and you will find them. Good Luck, you're already doing the right thing by reaching out! This is a GREAT place to start!

I had DS only three weeks ago. The pain for me was pretty bad the first two days, but as I moved around more, the pain got less and less. By a week out , I was driving and feeling mostly good, but I did still hurt a little. At 3 weeks out, I feel pretty much normal. The only discomfort I feel is when I'm lying on my side. It's not really pain, it just feels like a tugging. Needless to say, I still can only sleep on my back. Keep up on the pain meds and walk a lot, and it makes the pain manageable.

I had my DS surgery almost 8 months ago now. I've lost 173 lbs and am fully expecting to reach my target goal of 185 (from 412) by my anniversary date. Pain post op is minimal and handled by taking Toradol in most hospitals. It's not a narcotic but like Ultram has some qualities similiar to one. The REAL pain for you is going to be from trying to drink and eat. Your tastes will change in sometimes unpredictable ways after your surgery. Be prepared to just roll with it. Find a drink you can easily consume and stick with it. Hydration is your most important need post op. Your stomach will be in shock. It's just had 75% of itself cut out and thrown away, and it's not amused at all! Drink VERY slowly and space out your efforts so that your stomach never gets too full. Experiment with different temperatures, sweetness, sour,etc. to find the concotion that appeals to you. Now, I'm an RN of 22 yrs and I know they will try to get you to remove your IV shortly after surgery to encourage you to take fluids orally. RESIST THIS! Keep that damn IV going as long as possible, because you WILL have a very hard time getting in your fluids and you WILL become very dehydrated. Simply ask your doctor to let you keep the IV until discharge, though reassure him/her you will try hard to drink fluids as well. You will be encouraged to walk after surgery....immediately after surgery. You can drag an IV pole on wheels around with you easily enough. As for the DS vs. just a sleeve, I'd say you made the right decision. I too was in the "super obese" category with a BMI of 54 when I started. Folks like us need the malabsorbtive element the DS provides to reach our goal and assist in keeping the weight off. The sleeve is a fantastic option for those with a BMI of under 45 or so, IMO, but we require more assistance. The studies show at 1,2,5,10 yrs DS patients lose more and are able to keep more weight off. Obviously, this is achieved because we only absorb about 20% of our fat intake. Best of luck to you! Your new you is just waiting to shine through. Remember what I told you about fluids...and the IV. You need to stay as hydrated as possible in the hospital, so when you get home you're not already dehydrated. Every day you'll get a tad better, but it's going to take some major time until you can eat and drink comfortably. Your most important struggle is against dehydration. You can go weeks with little or no food intake, but only 4-5 days without water. Plan accordingly.

Wow, thank you for the many amazing responses! It's wonderful to hear from people who've already embarked on this journey. Thank you so so much.

Toastedink, would love to hear how you're feeling and doing now!

Hello!

I'm doing really well. I did have a mishap New Year's Day. I had a fever due to a respiratory infection. This also probably had to do with me running around without a hat or a warmer coat on and completely brushing off the fact I had major surgery which makes me susceptible to everything. So don't go doing that. Lol. I was okay after a couple of days with the help of Theraflu.

I'm entering the soft foods phase tomorrow and I am so flipping excited!!

And I'm 21 lbs down

My surgery date was July 16,2014. The first month was really hard. One of my connections was tight and my body responded like I had a bowel blockage. So I spent 18 nights ( not all in a roll) in the hospital within that first month and was on TPN for about a week. But now I'm doing great I'm down 72 lbs since surgery and 115 lbs since March. I'd do it all again. Good luck !!

Toasted Ink, amazing weight loss! Sorry to hear you were ill. I would love to keep up with you and your progress!

Oh please do! And definitely keep me in the loop on your progress as well!!

28 lbs down as of today.