Hi:

I am 1 month pre-op RNY and I’m nervously excited.

I’m not too scared about the surgery part as I DO expect to wake up. But I am scared about complications. I have read enough on here and elsewhere to know that bad things can happen.

I’m worried about how I am going to feel afterwards. Not so much the surgery pain because I have had surgery before. I’m more worried about fatigue and possible sadness.

I’m worried about what I will eat when regular food is reintroduced. I read what people eat and not much of it is what I like. It seems the healthy things that I like are off limits. I don’t eat a lot of protein but I do like protein shakes so I expect that they will be a part of my life forever which is ok. I also hear that tastes change so maybe I will start to like things that sound awful to me now...

I’m slightly worried about how my appearance will be regarding mainly my face. I’m 55 and I’m not wrinkled much right now probably because my chubby face helps. I have had said chubby face for 20 years so I don’t know what my middle aged face looks like at a normal weight. Last time I was thin, I didn’t have wrinkles. Lol. What a kick it will be to be a healthy weight and have an unrecognizable face! Lol

I am not too concerned about loose skin because most of my weight is in the belly and that looks pretty bad right now so it will just look a different kind of bad. And there are always plastics...

I’m hoping getting this stuff off of my chest will help me and maybe others would like to get these things off of their chests, too.

Thanks

complications aren't that common, and usually when you have them, they're pretty minor. I had strictures at four weeks out and eight weeks out (they almost always happen during the first three months post-surgery). Easy fix - and also, they happen to about 5% of RNY patients, making them one of the most common complications. I'd hardly call something that happens to 5% of patients "common", but that should give you an idea of how common complications are - basically, they're not. I think it seems like they're a lot more common than they are in reality because people post about them. People who have never had complications don't usually broadcast that fact, whereas people who *do* have complications sometimes post to get advice or support for dealing with them.

as to your other concern, I had my RNY at age 55. Yes, I'm more wrinkled than I was when I weighed over 300 lbs, but I think I look my age now (I had plastic surgery for my body, but not my face - again, I think I just look like your average 60-year-old now. Before, I always looked young for my age)

@catwoman7

Thanks for your response.

I have read about your plastics with great interest. Have you considered doing anything for facial wrinkles? Even at this weight I have that pesky frown line between the eyes that I wonder about post op. Do we lose weight in our foreheads/brow? Lol. Maybe the depth of it will be less if we do!

I have had these same concerns, I am 3 weeks out and the closer it gets the more nervous I get about it. Curious @catwoman7 - what is the procedure to fix a stricture?

1 minute ago, lingre said:

I have had these same concerns, I am 3 weeks out and the closer it gets the more nervous I get about it. Curious @catwoman7 - what is the procedure to fix a stricture?

they do an upper endoscopy. If they see a stricture while in there, they use this instrument with a balloon-like thing on the end of it. They inflate the balloon to stretch out the stricture. It's a quick procedure and they put you under before they do it, so it's no big deal. I felt about 100% better afterward.

On 9/11/2019 at 8:51 AM, pssk said:

@catwoman7

Thanks for your response.

I have read about your plastics with great interest. Have you considered doing anything for facial wrinkles? Even at this weight I have that pesky frown line between the eyes that I wonder about post op. Do we lose weight in our foreheads/brow? Lol. Maybe the depth of it will be less if we do!

I don't notice more wrinkles between my eyes. Rather, they're on my lower face - I look kind of "jowly" now and have more wrinkles around my mouth and on my neck.

I'll message you a picture so you can see what I'm talking about

Edited September 14, 20196 yr by catwoman7