Hi everyone,

I was just cleared yesterday to have my surgery.... haven't decided when I want to have it done. I am hoping either late December or waiting until January.

I am really excited, but scared to death about the pain that will come with all this and the possibility of losing people around me. I met with the therapist and she said that it is a very strong possibility that people either don't want to deal with what your going though or the jealousy factor of losing so much weight so fast. Has anyone else lost people due to this?

Hey blueeyed. I haven't had to deal with all that emotional turmoil, but there are a couple of forums (I'm thinking specifically of powder Room Gone Wild, the ladies forum) where you'll probably get answers to that question.

I can tell you that the pain associated with the surgery seems to be extremely subjective. To me, it was fine.....I couldn't even really say the word "pain" was applicable. It was more like "discomfort" for me......but some people here report a different experience. I was sore 2-3 days, then back to work.

Blueeyedgirl:

This was by far my easiest surgery. I had surgery at 9 and was on my way home by 1. I wouldn't worry about the pain. You may have some discomfort the first couple of days but remember its only temporary. What I wasn't prepared for was the emotional rollercoaster I've been on since surgery. Prior to surgery, I didn't consider myself an emotional eater or food addict. Now I find myself mourning the loss of food and the way I used to eat. Even though at times it can be liberating to know I will one day be "free" from old habits. My best advice is to be prepared for the road ahead; if that's possible. It is a long journey to the new you but when you arrive at your destination you will be so happy you had the surgery. Best of luck!

Hi everyone,

I was just cleared yesterday to have my surgery.... haven't decided when I want to have it done. I am hoping either late December or waiting until January.

I am really excited, but scared to death about the pain that will come with all this and the possibility of losing people around me. I met with the therapist and she said that it is a very strong possibility that people either don't want to deal with what your going though or the jealousy factor of losing so much weight so fast. Has anyone else lost people due to this?

Hi! As far as the pain goes, like plain said, this is definitely subjective! For me, the surgery went great....had some soreness in the hospital but I couldn't believe it wasn't that bad, probably due to the meds they gave me....I stayed overnight and the next day I felt pretty good too, was sore but definitely tolerable....but then by my second full day at home the pain really kicked in and pretty much the entire day I wasn't very good company....again, mostly gas pain, some soreness, but it definitely kicked up a couple of notches...all I ever took was extra strength Tylenol and it definitely helped me...and then the third day I woke up and felt like a completely different person! So really, the only real pain I felt was on my second day and honestly, you get through it! I tried to walk as much as possible and let out the gas any way I could...LOL! I can't tell you not to worry about the pain as I don't know you or your tolerance for pain. All I can say is that, for me, regardless of any pain I had, knowing that I chose this surgery to save my health and to live a longer life with my family far out weighed any trepidations that I had...I read and read and read and tried to prepare myself as best as I could so that there would be no surprises when I got out of surgery....and honestly, there were NONE! So just try and stay positive and know that you WILL get through this! As far as losing anyone because you chose WLS, you have to decide which is more important to you...the people you might loose who don't support you, or your health...I chose NOT to tell anyone about my surgery except for my husband and my aunt...no one else knows...not because I feared losing anyone or because of jealousies, but because I was in a very positive place when I decided to do this, negative thoughts weren't an option... I knew that this decision was right for ME and nothing was going to change my mind....another reason was because I didn't want all eyes on me everyday, asking me how much weight I've lost and judging me if its not coming off fast enough! Again, its all about being positive!

I am almost a week post-op and I feel GREAT! The swelling has gone down tremendously, I have hardly any pain and since starting my pre-op diet on November 8 I have lost 16lbs! Would I do this again? YES! Do what is right for YOU and try not to focus on anything negative....do your homework, educate yourself as much as possible and think about how fabulous your going to look AND feel 6 months down the road!!! I hope this helped....best of luck to you!!!