Hello! Let me introduce myself. I am a mother and wife living in the Metro Detroit area. I have struggled with my weight for the majority of my life. I have had difficulty losing more than 30 pounds and maintaining the loss. Both my mother and sister have had gastric bypass surgery and have had great success. I joined this community to connect with others who will, or have been, through gastric bypass surgery. I just had my consent appointment and am waiting on final insurance approval before I receive my surgery date which is anticipated to be at the of October.

If you have any tips or hints you wish you had heard before surgery I'd love to hear them!

Hi @SassyTwin

I am very new to all of this as I had a sleeve done on Aug 12th and an emergency bypass done a week later, so I hadn't read much on the bypass as that isn't what I went in for lol

So, even though it had to be done nobody filled me in on the differences or the info I needed regarding the bypass. So you may well know most of these but I will share my questions and ponderings with you anyway.

• Take extra sleepwear/underwear just in case you end up in there longer than anticipated.
• Take basic toiletries
• Take some feminine hygiene products just in case, the sudden change in hormones from surgery and drastic weight loss so quickly caused a release of oestrogen from the fat cells which meant I needed some products, even though I am perimenopausal with a coil and haven't needed any for a while! (that was a shocker!)
• I wish I had taken a good body lotion in with me as I became very dry all over, my skin looked like it had aged 10 years everywhere
• I wish I had taken my own v-shaped pillow in as I found the hospital pillows really thin and pointless. (I got it in there in the end!)
• If you are on medication before you go in, find out about getting all of them in liquid form if possible.
• Take a heat pack and an instant ice pack or 2
• You will be uncomfortable lying on your back if you are usually a side sleeper, so be mentally prepared
• Have a good protein powder ready at home that is a small scoop (genepro) rather than the one I currently have which is a large scoop and froths up too much.
• Have a good supply of savoury high protein soups ready at home because those of us with a Bypass don't seem to be able to tolerate the sweet one's post-op.
• Learn what you can about dumping syndrome so you can try and prevent it happening to you
• Learn what you can about being lactose intolerant post-op too, I didn't know this was a thing with bypass
• Read read read what you can on here, so much fantastic info, advice and support

GOOD LUCK