I wasn't nervous about my surgery until I found this site

[MikeIL 49]

This site has been a cold bucket of reality splashed right in my face. During the 6 months of classes and pre-surgery discussions, everything was presented to me as -- follow these rules, do these things and you'll have a smooth recovery. IF you do this you'll get dumping syndrome, so don't do that. You'll be fine. IF you do that you'll have horrible chest pains and shortness of breath, so don't do that. You'll be fine. Now I read posts all over about how people do follow the rules and they experience both.

So I should expect at some point I'm going to get dumping syndrome, dry heaves, vomiting, and cramps. I can only hope they will be few and far between and I should work on trying to avoid them, right?

[insta_adventurer 1,046]

It honestly varies from person to person.

I ate dry chicken a few times and got sick from that. However, I am 3.5 months post op and have experienced none of the typical complications. You do figure out what you can tolerate and what you can’t fairly quickly. I tolerate most things. Super sweet things make me feel a little yuck, but not full on dumping, so I basically avoid them.

But you’re right... some people follow the rules and still experience issues. I’m not sure of actual percentages, but it does happen. What’s important is to ask YOUR surgeon about THEIR complication rate.

Also- keep in mind that people are more likely to be more vocal about problems they are having than about not having problems. Nobody asks for advice when things are going great and according to plan!

Good luck!

[BostonWLKC 806]

I don’t dump at all— but feel a bit sick if I don’t follow rules but nothing crazy!

Everyone is different .

Most people don’t post about all the great things… Only want to talk about the crazy so take the discussion board with a grain of salt! The ugly side gets a lot more airtime. Plenty of us who have zero side effects! Just follow your plan do your best and you will be fine

[Suz61 3]

I underwent gastric bypass on August 1st. My surgeon was honest to the point of brutal. Told me the percentages, how many succeed, fail, herniate, need further operations, have chronic pain, regain the weight, die.

It made me weigh the benefits and risks of surgery. I came through it with no problem other than abdominal pain above my navel (not a hernia thankfully) I also can no longer tolerate some foods. There are no guarantees.

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

Every person is different and everybody will have a different experience.

I have never once vomited postoperatively, but I was never a person that was prone to having stomach issues pre op either.

The only time I have experienced chest pain was after eating too quickly and you learn fast to slow down. Certain foods may cause discomfort at first...but you can try them again later if this is the case.

As far as dumping goes, I mainly do not dump and can tolerate small amounts of ANY food so far. I have had several episodes of what I think may be reactive hypoglycemia but that’s another story.

There are those of us out here that have had zero issues like myself. If you are close to surgery, avoid negative posts that discuss complications. Remember that people are more likely to complain about something than praise something. Go cruise Instagram for inspiration of those that have lost weight and share stories on there.

Remain positive and remember that this procedure is a safe procedure with an overall low risk of complications.

[elcee 3,340]

A dose of negative can help just so that we are aware of what may go wrong but I don't think its something to focus on. Focus on the positives, how much healthier you will be, how much better you will feel etc.

As for dumping it's not something I'm looking forward to but for some having it helps to keep them on track.

[jasmineinmymind 204]

On 11/2/2018 at 9:20 AM, MikeIL said:

This site has been a cold bucket of reality splashed right in my face. During the 6 months of classes and pre-surgery discussions, everything was presented to me as -- follow these rules, do these things and you'll have a smooth recovery. IF you do this you'll get dumping syndrome, so don't do that. You'll be fine. IF you do that you'll have horrible chest pains and shortness of breath, so don't do that. You'll be fine. Now I read posts all over about how people do follow the rules and they experience both.

So I should expect at some point I'm going to get dumping syndrome, dry heaves, vomiting, and cramps. I can only hope they will be few and far between and I should work on trying to avoid them, right?

So,.......? Im very curious...hows it going for you now?

[Recidivist 1,141]

MikeII, I understand what you are saying--I had certainly not heard about many of the issues that can arise after surgery. (My gastric bypass is scheduled for February 2019.) However, it hasn't caused me to have any doubts. I'm grateful I've found this forum because it will make me better informed about the process and I can hopefully avoid some problems as a result. It's also incredibly reassuring to know that so many people have been through this and are doing well, in spite of a few bumps in the road. I no longer feel so alone!

[ABawdyMermaid 70]

I'm actually glad that I found the website, because I learned a lot of things that my surgeon (and surgical team) didn't even tell me.

[Frustr8 7,886]

That's something good about educating yourself. You go from blissful ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty to firm resolve. a And you base your decision on what you have learned and also what you feel within your heart and soul. And if you are true to yourself, nothing false will have a chance in your life.

[MikeIL 49]

On 12/31/2018 at 1:03 PM, jasmineinmymind said:

So,.......? Im very curious...hows it going for you now?

It's actually going very well, thanks for asking. I'm down 61 pounds and I've had no major issues. There was a 4-5 day span about a month ago that I was having trouble drinking liquids but it passed pretty quick.

I've had no stomach dumping and only experienced "foamies" a handful of times. Those few times were real doozies but they all passed within 20-30 minutes.

The biggest issue I had was more of an annoyance vs an actual problem. Because of my size and the way my belly was shaped I was left with an open wound where the surgeon did his main entry. It took a full month of packing it twice a day until it finally healed. It was uncomfortable and limited me from moving as much as I would have liked to.

Edited January 8, 2019 by MikeIL