Hey guys, I'm only one week out, but I would love to hear from some of you "seasoned sleevers" about things you didn't expect during the first month post-op gastric sleeve? I have already experienced sole unexpected things myself, like not being able to swallow my crushed pain meds, and ending up back in the hospital the day after my release. I think if you guys shared some of your experiences with us, we can be better equipped to handle these situations as they occur. Please share with us...the good, the bad and the ugly lol! Thanks guys ????????????✌????️❤️

What I didn't expect:

How hard it would be to drink plain Water.

How little pain I actually experienced.

And

How fast the time went by.

I am sure there are more things, but this is what I remember off the top of my head.

Adding:

How easy it is to forget to eat and drink.

Thank you so much for making this post! I really want to know every detail of what I should expect before and after surgery.

I was quite surprised by:

- the intensity of the gas pain

- my entusiastic reaction to pureed chicken after drinking nothing but liquids

- my new obsession (weighing myself in the morning, without clothes, with clothes, before pee, after pee, at my friend's house, after a nap, in the middle of the night, with my hair up, with my hair down, on the bathroom floor, in my bedroom, 3 times in a row, 4 times in case the previous 3 were wrong etc.)

- the feeling of not being hungry (yes I know it's normal, and I did not it would happen, but the feeling is still new)

Thank u so much, I'm loving this already. The part about the scale was hilarious because I've done this already too. The gas pain has subsided for me but I still haven't had a BM yet almost a week post-op. Not feeling hungry is one for me too, although I've had a few moments where I felt the urge to consume something. Although I haven't experienced the issue with water, I've been drinking cold ice water non-stop. But I love hearing others' experiences. Please, carry on ????????????????????????????

I was surprised by:

how annoying "sip sip sip" was .... UGH ... I wanted to DRINK not sip !

how painful the gas was ... when it reached my left shoulder ... I wanted someone to shoot me!

how weak I would be ... just taking a shower made me sleep for 3 hours afterward ....

how certain foods would actually smell horrible! My mom made a bowl of Cheerios ... WOW they stunk!!!!! I had to go into the bedroom and shut the door .... bleech!

how sugar free popsicles tasted like they were drowned in sugar .... I still have the box in the freezer ... and I refuse to eat them ... yuck.

how not being able to take Midol anymore really really sucks.

BUT ...

the thing I wasn't expecting ... ( or maybe I secretly was )

was just how wonderful losing weight ... and KNOWING I cannot gain this much ever again .... just how great this feels !!!

Oh I forgot one!

I guess it may be TMI for some, but after reading all the threds about irregular/ disappearing/never ending periods, I was so surprised to get one on time.

Immidiately there was a new surprise: it sucks not being able to take ibuprofen.

I'm only one week but so far this week I have been surprised by

how thirsty I feel. Sip sip sip is not quenching my thirst. I want to gulp so bad

how little pain I had in the hospital. I felt surprisingly good

how much I miss my bed. I've had to sleep at a 45 degree angle so that means sleeping in the recliner in the living room

how tired I feel

but I know it will get better!

Yes, smells set me off as soon as I got home! And I'm glad you mentioned how tired you are after simple tasks, because I feel the same way. Taking my daughter to school in the morning sets me back hours. I guess I have more of these than I expected! ????

Oh I forgot one!

I guess it may be TMI for some, but after reading all the threds about irregular/ disappearing/never ending periods, I was so surprised to get one on time.

Immidiately there was a new surprise: it sucks not being able to take ibuprofen.

I don't think there is such a thing as TMI when it comes to this. The more information we can share the better. This particular information doesn't apply to me, but it helps other people.

Edited September 10, 201511 yr by Radar

I loved reading some of these. I am also the same about drinking water. I want to gulp a whole glass, but slow and steady wins the race. I am surprised by my willpower to not eat things some times. Though there are times when I slip up, I try to really think about what I am consuming. I am shocked that I was able to cut out caffeine. They didn't tell me I had to, I chose to give it up, and you know what? I have more energy now than when I was drinking tons of coffee and soda!

Wait a minute!!! We have to cut out caffeine?!? That's a deal breaker! I have no problem giving up soda or other stuff, although giving up beer makes me sad.

My doctor says no caffeine for 6 months after the surgery, but I think the 'caffeine policies' vary as much as the diet recommendations.

Apparently caffeine can decrease absorption of some Vitamins. It can also irritate the sleeve in the healing period.

I didn't expect to feel so good after. I thought I would feel tired and run down for weeks.

I didn't expect fixing dinner for my family would make me so irritable (was on full liquids for 3 weeks post-op).

I didn't expect the first stall to come so fast or last so long. One week post-op and lasted 2 weeks. But I made it through.

I didn't expect have a love-hate relationship with the scales. Some days I love it, other days I want to take a sledge hammer to it.

I didn't expect to look back and see how quickly it really did pass. At the time it felt like it would drag on forever and things would never be normal again.

My book from my doctor says no caffeine @@Radar so get mentally prepared for that. That's hard for me too, because I'm an avid coffee drinker. I have a Keurig at my desk for pete's sake lol!