Please tell us something that you wish you had been told BEFORE your surgery that you think might be helpful for us to know.

It's not as hard as you might think. I stressed a great deal more than I should have.

I wish someone had shared with me that having Fibromyalgia might/would make any nerve pain extremely intense and different from regular surgical pain.

If I had known that, I would have been able to wrap my head around the possibility and not just be blind sided.

If you don't have Fibro, I would just say "roll with it". Especially we women who have given birth. Try to relax and breath through the pain. It really does help.

AND

DON'T WORRY. You got this!!!! We are all here rooting and praying (if you'd like) for you.

My best piece of advice is to make as many changes as you can as soon as you can, and work to get new habits and thought processes into place right away. Do NOT wait until your surgery to be 'reborn'.

As I've seen stated over and over in these forums, it's stomach surgery, not brain surgery. Changing your brain takes time, and the time to do it is NOT immediately post-op when you're fragile and healing. If head hunger and long formed habits are going to lead you to make poor choices (as they very often do...it happens), you want to learn to navigate them pre-op when you can afford to make mistakes, not post-op when you can really do some damage.

Valentina - thanks for the heads up about the intensity of the fibro nerve pain. I do have fibromyalgia so I appreciate that heads up. I am sure others with it will feel the same.

That a lot of people worry about dying on the table but that there are much worse things that can happen to you then dying. I know that sounds harsh but please make sure you are prepared for anything that might happen and are ready to except anything that might happen.

I learned an awful lot about WLS after the fact. And I thought I knew a lot before.

Maybe it is difference 4 years later I don't know..But I doubt it very much!

That is what I wish someone had told me before I did it anyway....not that I would have listened.

You won't be hungry. My nut told us this, but I didn't believe it. I have a 300 page manual - I was prepared. So prepared, we have enough Jello until 2020. I thought I'd be starving and need it all.

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Valentina - thanks for the heads up about the intensity of the fibro nerve pain. I do have fibromyalgia so I appreciate that heads up. I am sure others with it will feel the same.

I do as well, and can no longer take celebrex. It was fine with the surgery pain meds the 1st week when I was taking them. It's hit me like a truck now - and gabapentin is a massive pill to swallow.

I also have endo which has gone HAY WIRE.

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How bad reflux could be! Its so PAINFUL. :-( currently on meds for it for god only knows how long.

Valentina - thanks for the heads up about the intensity of the fibro nerve pain. I do have fibromyalgia so I appreciate that heads up. I am sure others with it will feel the same.

I was quite concerned about the post op fibro pain too but found that it wasn't so bad. Once I was able to take my fibro pain meds, I had no trouble with pain.

But the post op fatigue (fibro? sleeve? both?) and fibro immunity issues, those I struggle with.

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That a lot of people worry about dying on the table but that there are much worse things that can happen to you then dying. I know that sounds harsh but please make sure you are prepared for anything that might happen and are ready to except anything that might happen.

I learned an awful lot about WLS after the fact. And I thought I knew a lot before.

Maybe it is difference 4 years later I don't know..But I doubt it very much!

That is what I wish someone had told me before I did it anyway....not that I would have listened.

Ditto!

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1) That a swollen stomach, a healing stomach, excess acid in my stomach would mimic hunger feelings. I was so hungry the first week or so and wondered why, but at day 16 or so, my appetite dropped off.

2) That gallstones/gallbladder disease are very common after sleeve surgery. One study showed 23% of us... I just hope I don't have go under the knife again to remove my gallbladder.

However, having said this, even if I knew these things, I'd do the sleeve all over again.

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That it would be best to have the surgery and then go live on a deserted island for the next year, lol.

My best piece of advice is to make as many changes as you can as soon as you can, and work to get new habits and thought processes into place right away. Do NOT wait until your surgery to be 'reborn'.

As I've seen stated over and over in these forums, it's stomach surgery, not brain surgery. Changing your brain takes time, and the time to do it is NOT immediately post-op when you're fragile and healing. If head hunger and long formed habits are going to lead you to make poor choices (as they very often do...it happens), you want to learn to navigate them pre-op when you can afford to make mistakes, not post-op when you can really do some damage.

Great advice. It goes with all WLS. Head hunger is the little red devil whispering in my ear.

I wish someone had shared with me that having Fibromyalgia might/would make any nerve pain extremely intense and different from regular surgical pain.

If I had known that, I would have been able to wrap my head around the possibility and not just be blind sided.

If you don't have Fibro, I would just say "roll with it". Especially we women who have given birth. Try to relax and breath through the pain. It really does help.

AND

DON'T WORRY. You got this!!!! We are all here rooting and praying (if you'd like) for you.

I do have fibromyalgia and I'm not sure what pain you are referring to and how it is different. Please elaborate.

CW 227 5'5" 61yrs

I wish someone told me about the awful pain I would feel in my chest and shoulders when I woke up from sugery. It scared me so much I was sure I was having a heart attack. The pain is caused by the air they have to pump into the stomach during the surgery in order to see through the scope. If you do wake with this pain, at least you will know what it is. The best thing you can do is to be mobile as soon as you can. Walk to the bathroom, sit up in the chair often and walk up and down the hospital halls. Walk, walk and walk some more.

I also had the shoulder pain from gas, but I was prepared for that.

What I wasn't prepared for was when I overate/ate too fast, I also experienced shoulder pain, but much more intense in my muscles. It seems that the gas or full feeling somehow gets displaced and settles into your muscle tissue causing extreme muscle pain. The first time I experienced this, I suffered for 2 weeks. I went for a massage, thinking that would help, but the pain came back just hours afterwards, probably because I wasn't able to get enough fluids in to wash away the toxins that were released from the massage.

At 5.5 weeks out, I still occasionally have a little muscle pain, but probably happens when I am not getting enough Protein or fluids. I'm good, though, as long as I eat slowly and stop before I'm full.