My surgery is in a week. I am so scared and nervous. I have so many things running through my head. Will I ever be able to treat myself again? Will I be able to have a cocktail at a wedding or celebration? Will I be sick after surgery? Looking forward to meal prepping but scared I will mess up. My head is spinning! Fear and nervous, is it normal?

Of course it's normal. We were all nervous and scared before our surgeries wondering if it was a mistake, if we really needed it, how bad it would be afterward, etc.

1. You're going to be nauseous for 24 hours after surgery. No getting around that.

2. You MIGHT have some slight pain and some incisional pain.

3. You WILL be able to enjoy the occasional treat or cocktail at least 2-3 months after your surgery.

Life will be normal for you, only you'll be smaller.

I suffered zero nausea after surgery. Lots of folks don't.

Agreed! There will be some pain, but in a few days it will be gone. There will be growing pains...but you will be shrinking! I have been out to eat several times, I have had a few cocktails and I just ate the most scrumptious lobster bisque for lunch...made with last night's leftover lobster. Leftovers and appetizers will be a way of life...but things all work out!

I am one week post surgery today and feel fantastic. For me the first two days were about total rest, then slow and steady increasing fluids as my body allowed. Everyone is different, listen to your body and you will be fine.

Nervousness is totally understandable.

Let us know how you get on. X

Of course it's normal. We were all nervous and scared before our surgeries wondering if it was a mistake, if we really needed it, how bad it would be afterward, etc.
1. You're going to be nauseous for 24 hours after surgery. No getting around that.
2. You MIGHT have some slight pain and some incisional pain.
3. You WILL be able to enjoy the occasional treat or cocktail at least 2-3 months after your surgery.
Life will be normal for you, only you'll be smaller.

Thank you! This made me feel better!

It's totally OK to feel nervous before a surgery. That's completely normal!

I had a gastric bypass on 12/28 and I was feeling the exact same way. I was also concerned that I'd never be able to enjoy the foods I loved anymore. I'm only two weeks out from surgery and I feel confident that I will enjoy those foods again...but it's amazing how satisfied you'll be after smaller quantities!

The docs and nurses at the hospital will take care of you. I was given a bunch of pain medication even before the surgery began, and they came in frequently afterward to ask if I felt sick or in pain. They put medication directly into my IV when I felt ill or was starting to feel sore. I didn't throw up once (though I did gag when they made me swallow a Tylenol pill...they gave me liquid after that). The incisions didn't hurt much either. I slept on my side that night. DO NOT HESITATE to let your nurse know if you start to feel ill or are nauseous! They are there to take care of your comfort. I had Tylenol mostly because my pain was mild, but they'll bring out the big guns if you feel your pain is high. I think they gave me some good stuff in the middle of the night when I had some breakthrough pain. Mostly, I was exhausted and just slept.

I found the hardest part of staying in the hospital was trying to drink water when that's the last thing you feel like doing. They brought in four 8-oz bottles of water and said I needed to drink them before going home. At the time, it seemed impossible...but you can do it! They also brought me in small meals (pudding, broth, jello, apple juice) and made me sit up to eat when all I wanted to do is sleep and sleep.

once you're a ways out, you can eat most/all foods again - just in smaller quantities. There's not much I can't eat. It's really the first few weeks or months that you have all those restrictions.

pain is all across the board, but most of us seem to have little to no pain with these surgeries. If you're one of the unlucky ones who has a lot of pain, you'll have the pain meds they sent you home with, so just keep on top of it. It should be gone in a few days.

9 hours ago, jvandervoort said:

My surgery is in a week. I am so scared and nervous. I have so many things running through my head. Will I ever be able to treat myself again? Will I be able to have a cocktail at a wedding or celebration? Will I be sick after surgery? Looking forward to meal prepping but scared I will mess up. My head is spinning! Fear and nervous, is it normal?

Being nervous is totally okay! I was nervous too! It’s a big surgery and a big change! I think I was more nervous for this surgery than I was giving birth twice!

For me, I had minimal pain but significant nausea. I did vomit a lot the first 2 days, which was very challenging and I wondered what did I do?! But one phone call to the doctor and they added an Emend pill, it literally saved me! So there are MANY options should you experience nausea to help get you through it. After that I felt like I turned a corner! I’m almost 3 weeks post op now and have felt completely back to normal since probably 1-1.5 weeks out.

Remind yourself why you are doing this and remember YOU GOT THIS!!!! ??