Valuable Things you should know or consider prior to surgery and after surgery.

[Nikki Monroe 71]

What are some things you think people should know that may or may not be commonly discussed, do's or dont's or anything else. Please help! Thanks!

Edited July 12, 2015 by Nikki Monroe

[The Candidate 3,215]

Well number one would be to research like you have a test tomorrow morning and it will count for 100% of your grade. ????

But in this case it will affect 100% of your life. This will be a monumental life changer so give the decision the respect it deserves. Be sure you've considered every other option first too.

The surgery will change your body and digestive system, but it's totally up to you to change your mindset, eating habits, physical activity, and lifestyle towards healthier living. People can gain the weight back if they don't make these changes. Never forget that.

Good luck!

[impact 4]

• Depending on where you go in the future you'll probably find many times that you are much more educated about your needs and this subject vsg than some of the doctors, nurses and pharmacists you'll meet.

Your maintenance for this is a life long affair, you're going to find that it's you that need check all your P's and Q's, teach them or tell them out right, making sure others are on focus when they work with you is a good thing to stay on top of.

Go to a meeting in your area if you find they have them, learn from others directly what they do and need post surgery and the effects of all things.

I gained a lot back also, but I still can't over eat a single dish and the less I consume it seems the stomach adjusts as well.

So Vitamins, B12, Calcium or no, vit D's ? get into it and know what's what BUT the diet is what's big here, perfect your know how and keep doing it all, added exercise is a key further on and easier with out being as big.

Oh, also bring flushable wipes to the hospital, you'll be messy afterward, some blood and poo can be so uncomfortable, LOL.

I have several injuries which set me back as well, I will be working harder and must go back to adhering to rules I set long before. Some are, no take out, no pizza, no alcohol, daily walks too. scales are handy at first, I should be doing it all the same and keeping counts but I fudge it all away since when.

Personal low is 255, after highest was 420, now above 300 again. Sorry, maybe not what you'd want to here, but I've seen others go all the way. And afterwards getting tucked and such a beautiful result, my never regret is comfort of still weighing less but not enough unfortunately. Take grain of salt, everything is not magic and not done 1'2'3, although at first it certainly is.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

• Start getting in better shape now. I walked, lifted, and did as much as I could 5 times a week getting ready for surgery.
• Started practicing eating slower for lunch.
• Watched many videos, talked to people who had been through it.
• Oh, but best work was preparing for the mental changes with my therapist and worked through this book: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-First-Aid-Kit-Practical/dp/0976852659/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1436729032&sr=8-13&keywords=bariatric+book
• If you drink, like I did, you need to assess how to wean yourself off. Ditto cigs, and slowly cut the caffeine. Don't try to cram it into the final week, you will feel horrible, just put it on a calendar and do it in a controlled manner.
• Followed the pre-op diet to the letter
• Shopped two weeks before surgery for the foods I would need for the first two weeks.
• Revised my will and power's of attorney just in case something went wrong
• Tried pureed meal ideas before surgery so I had some meal plans.

The result of this work - flawless surgery, up and running a day later, no real drop in energy, and ready for the change. Its been a great ride. Off BP meds/CPAP and the sex is incredible, but that's in a different forum (look up sex, oh my god sex in the men's room if you need motivation).

[livvsmum 2,370]

For me, the absolute biggest factors to my success with the surgery were these two things.

1. I stuck to the "plan" to a "t" in the first 10 months or so until I reached goal. I mean, I didn't stray at all. It just wasnt' an option for me. Lots of Protein, no more than 40 carbs, and 100 oz Water.

2. This is probably the bigger one. Around 7 months, I don't know what happened, but something clicked (in a bad way) and it was a LOT harder to pass up things that I should pass up. At that point I sought out therapy with an eating disorder therapist because I didn't work so hard to just throw it all away. I feel with a lot of certainty that had I not done the hard (I mean HARD) emotional work to figure out my eating issues (that coincidentally have very little to do with food) I would have started regaining at that point. My therapist is awesome, and at almost 2 years post op, I still see her weekly. If you can't commit to therapy at this point, at the very least I would recommend getting and reading (RIGHT NOW) "When food is Love" by Geneen Roth....absolutely changed my life.

Good luck to you!

[TakeitorSleeveit 124]

It seems simple and elementary, but read, READ, READ!!! Research everything you can get your hands on. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

And most of all......realize this is permanent.

[TexasGirl86 37]

I'm almost 3 weeks post op- and I've had a side effect from the operation that I wasn't made aware of/ didn't come across on my own:

The outer muscle of my right thigh has been numb since the operation. If something brushes against it, I get a burning sensation. Towards then end of the day, I can feel a shooting pain going up through my thigh towards my butt. The first week post-op, I'd wake up with burning/shooting pain. That's calmed down.

My surgeon said he did some research on this after a "couple" of his patients complained about these sypmtoms. He said it has to do with the fact that some people have a nerve which is closer to the surface, and when they roll you from the operating table to your bed- it can get pulled or stretched.

He said it should go away around 2 weeks. Its gotten better, but it is a weird/scary sensation for my right thigh to be numb all the time.

[Nikki Monroe 71]

That sounds scary but thank you for sharing. Definitely something to look for afterwards. Hopefully it goes away soon!????

[eyhornmom 36]

The one thing I wish I would have been more prepared for were the emotional struggles after surgery. Even though I knew it was coming, and I'd already made changes, I struggled with the change in the relationship I had with food. I didn't really realize what a huge part of my life food was. It was almost like mourning the loss of a friend. I still struggle somewhat, and I think I probably always will, but counseling helped me a lot durung this time.