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Things you wish you knew....



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I'm 2 weeks out from my follow up with my surgeon after completing all the pre op visits and requirements. The coordinator believes I should be getting my surgery date then ((freaking out!)) and I'm curious if anyone who's gone through the process and surgery has any advice or pointers....tips or things you wish you knew beforehand to better prepare. :)

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Maintenance drugs: Extended release drugs work differently with sleeve, Ambien doesn't work for me now. So check with others who have had it who are on the same meds as you

Wean off caffeine over a couple of weeks instead of cold turkey at the hospital (ditto with alcohol and nicotine if applicable)

Get the emotional relationship with food in order: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-First-Aid-Kit-Practical/dp/0976852659/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1441295897&sr=8-7&keywords=book+bariatric+surgery

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I'm 2 weeks out from my follow up with my surgeon after completing all the pre op visits and requirements. The coordinator believes I should be getting my surgery date then ((freaking out!)) and I'm curious if anyone who's gone through the process and surgery has any advice or pointers....tips or things you wish you knew beforehand to better prepare. :)[/quote

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I wish I had known I would be getting a shot in my stomach on surgery day (that one wasn't pleasant). I also wish I had known about the horrible gas pains in my abdomen and shoulder after surgery. They tell you to expect some pain but this was more than I was expecting. Just keep telling yourself "This is all temporary!!" It is sooo very worth it :-)

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I too wish I had known about the gas pains. My doc said to expect, "some discomfort" He didn't say it was going to feel like the critter from Alien was trying to burst out of my chest! :-P

I wish I would have known to bring my own CPAP Water to the hospital - they gave me sterilized Water, talk about nasty!

And I wish I would have brought my favorite pillow to the hospital. It would have made sleeping easier and helped on the ride home.

I wish I had known I would be getting a shot in my stomach on surgery day (that one wasn't pleasant). I also wish I had known about the horrible gas pains in my abdomen and shoulder after surgery. They tell you to expect some pain but this was more than I was expecting. Just keep telling yourself "This is all temporary!!" It is sooo very worth it :-)

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After you get home, and for the first week or so, don't trust a fart. Wish i would've known that. Gross, but true!

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All of this makes me laugh now...not so much three weeks ago. Gas was absolutely the worst especially since it took a week for me to feel better.

The shot in the stomach was painful to prevent blood clots. Ask for them to give it to you in the back of the arm which I did post op.

Don't trust a fart...so right. Especially if you are not home and can't get clean. The antibiotics act like liquid plumber.

I can only add two things... It was easy to go cold turkey with caffeine post op since you are in and out of sleep, and have other pains. I wish I had not been scared to take nexium post op and delayed it for a week. Stomach issues resolved within two days of taking it.

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    • Theweightisover2024🙌💪

      Question for anyone, how did you get your mind right before surgery? Like as far as eating better foods and just doing better in general? I'm having a really hard time with this. Any help is appreciated 🙏❤️
      · 2 replies
      1. NickelChip

        I had about 6 months between deciding to do surgery and getting scheduled. I came across the book The Pound of Cure by Dr. Matthew Weiner, a bariatric surgeon in Arizona, and started to implement some of the changes he recommended (and lost 13 lbs in the process without ever feeling deprived). The book is very simple, and the focus is on whole, plant based foods, but within reason. It's not an all or nothing approach, or going vegan or something, but focuses on improvement and aiming for getting it right 80-90% of the time. His suggestions are divided into 12 sections that you can tackle over time, perhaps one per month for a year if a person is just trying to improve nutrition and build good habits. They range from things like cutting out artificial sweetener or eating more beans to eating a pound of vegetables per day. I found it really effective pre-surgery and it's an eating style I will be working to get back to as I am further out from surgery and have more capacity. Small changes you can sustain will do the most for building good habits for life.

      2. Theweightisover2024🙌💪

        That sounds awesome. I'll have to check that out thanks!

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