things i wish they would have told me...

[glitterpockets 85]

That's good to know that's an option. I will most definitely be asking him! Thank you Lexie

[shellyd88 463]

The pain won't be anything like birth thank u Jesus lol it's kind of like a mild muscle pull it will mostly bother u getting up and down bending over etc for a week or two nothing intolerable tho it hurt way more having my tonsils out the gas is very uncomfortable tho get up and move around it helps I felt bad gas for about three days and was nauseas but they give u great meds for that so just ask for them they do not want u to throw up trust me

[SoundMound 42]

Trust your doctor. Trust your nutritionist. Trust the process. Never trust a fart. Never.

[glitterpockets 85]

Hahaha ????????

[lovingdavid 119]

Well make sure you walk right after surgery.. I did that the same day and felt great. The sleeping was a bit hard because I slept on my tummy so try to start sleeping on your side to get use to that. Also, drink slowly afterwards because you don't want to feel sick if you drink to fast. But mainly walk walk ????. I had a smooth and no complications after surgery. Everyone is different the only thing was the gas for me but it wasn't that major.

[cuchas 51]

Honestly, the worst pain I felt was right after I woke up. One minute, I'm getting put under the anesthesia, next minute I'm awake and gasping. I felt so terrible. I was in recovery with a whole bunch of other recovery patients.

My stomach was killing me. I've never felt anything that bad and I have 5 tattoos and 5 piercings????

My nurse kept getting annoyed that I was asking her for medicine but you're not allowed any medicine until you're transferred to your room. Or at least that's how it was for me.

Pain levels for everyone are different. But the moment I woke up out from the surgery, I was in hell. I'm 19 btw and it was my first major surgery.

[Dallyup2me 32]

Before my surgery I read some horror stories on this forum about pain, discomfort, nausea, ect. so I was a little worried about what issues I would face... Maybe I was just one of the lucky ones, but I have had no issues what so ever. I returned to work two days after surgery, and have not slowed down for even a minute. The Dr. told me not to rope, or ride horses for 6 weeks after surgery, I waited two and a half weeks just for good measure, and started roping again with no issues what so ever. I honestly do not feel as if I ever had surgery.(until I try to eat food, then I realize I can only eat a few bites and I am full) From what I understand a big part of the nausea, and pain comes from how well your Surgeon stitches your stomach back up. if there is any bruising or swelling in the stomach that is what causes nausea, pain and the ability to not be able to keep down even Water. I would recommend this surgery to anyone who may be struggling with weight issues.

[naturegirl 320]

That hiccups, coughs, and sneezing are the enemy! Not sure if I'm coming down sick or an allergy is forming but I had a sneezing fit yesterday that left me in agony.

[Hipigrl 24]

Here are the issue I ran across:

Make sure you are stocked up on recovery liquids before you get home from the hospital. I did not have the juice, popsicles, and broths that I needed and I really did not feel well enough to get them myself. My husband is not a good grocery shopper and I had to send him back a few times to get the right stuff.

Walk walk walk. If you do have gas pain, walking really does help to get rid of it.

Take before pictures. You will want to see how much better you look even just a few weeks afterwards!

Expect to feel a drop in your energy. I took two weeks off from work but still was not prepared for how little energy I would have once I went back. Even now I have issues with feeling so tired all the time. But I am just beginning my 5th post-op week and I am told over and over again that this will get better. Especially as I get more protein!

Get your bariatric Vitamins before the surgery!

Find the right Protein supplements before the surgery! I am still struggling to choke down ones that I do not like as I try to find one I do like.

Expect to have very watery poops for a few weeks - my surgeon said "liquids in liquids out". Don't worry too much about this, it is normal. Especially if you have to do a bowel prep the day before your surgery. Do not trust a fart!

Expect to not feel like yourself for a little while. I have heard that for women especially, your hormones are really out of whack as your weight drops. I was not so all over the place, but a friend of mine who had the same procedure done a few months earlier, she wept all the time, even when she was happy. It lasted for about 2 months for her.

Make sure you have comfortable clothes to wear for the first few weeks.

Um.... I think that is about it for things I wish I knew before I had my surgery! Hope it helps.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Believe it or not, your surgeon will do their best to remove as much gas as possible, it is just almost impossible to get it all (it's the nature of gas).

[theatrejo 29]

@@Hipigrl THANK YOU! I am getting my liquids together. Got my Gas X and liquid Tylenol too. The Dr is giving me the Bariatric supplements and Protein shakes. I may get some samples of other ones though just in case I don't like the Dr's.

Got my maxi Dresses (sundress) to wear after surgery, a robe, slippers and night gown. I don't want anything on my tummy!

[Essence46 493]

This worse part of the whole process (surgery included) was the Constipation. Gas wasn't too bad but the constipation was awful. It took days for me to finally have a bowel movement. It only happened then because I took something to make me go. I would suggest taking stool softeners before you surgery so that will already be in your system.

[Vaness7578 35]

I think the hardest parts were the food restriction the first month. My brain wanted me to eat all the things I loved. I had to work hard to turn off my brain from it's food addiction. The surgery wasn't hard for me, the recovery wasn't hard for me. The hardest part is the mental part for me. Oh, and the crushing the pills to take them made me throw up. That wasn't pleasant either. On to some possible TMI subjects. The first 3 weeks, my pee stunk and made me self conscious like it was my girly parts (dr said it's the ketosis) I showered several times a day just trying to not smell. Also the frequency of #2 bathroom breaks has thrown me off too. I used to go daily, but now go maybe 2x per week. And on the days I go... I go several times a day. It's like my body waits until the system is full and it flushes it out completely. It's weird, but thankfully I'm not having Constipation issues, it's just slow moving.

[Hipigrl 24]

@theatrejo

I forgot to say anything about the pain. When I woke up from surgery the only real pain I had was a sore throat from the surgery. My incisions never really bothered me, the gas was uncomfortable but not painful for me, and that was about it. However, 9 days after my surgery, I woke up with major pain my right shoulder. Everyone had said to worry about the left, and this did not seem to be what I had been told to watch for. It felt like tendonitis, which I have had once before. I waited all day, and then as it was getting worse and worse, I went to a doc-in-the-box, and explained that I thought I had tendonitis, that I knew I needed and anti-inflammatory but was unable to take one because of the recent bariatric surgery. They gave me a shot of torridol (spelling?) and within minutes I was out of pain. THey took x-rays and came to the conclusion it really was tendonitis. The doc said she thought it could have been caused by lying on the operating table for an hour and a half or so. But, the point to this is, call your surgeon before it gets too bad. I wish I had called mine that morning, and if it happens again I will call his office before I do something stupid like wait all day and then go to a doc in the box.

[glitterpockets 85]

This is all great information. I'm glad I can get advice from all of you to help me understand what to expect and not to expect. I honestly just want two things. 1. To wake up and 2. When I wake up do not let me be in major pain lol.