You know, some of y'all are scaring me

I had a revision from sleeve to DS in. March  of this year,after having the sleeve three years ago. I had mild pain immediately after surgery but no nausea/vomiting/ trouble swallowing ,etc. 

what I did have was about 4 months of feeling more tired than usual and the trials and error of learning to eat the DS lifestyle diet and learning how to manage / make bowel issues work for me instead of against me. I had. Trouble e wanting to eat/ drink anything,but I. Did eat and drink and had no. Trouble doing it,just didnt really WANT to. I have had no hunger return since my sleeve surgery so that was no real surprise to me.

 

i think you have took to is with the realization and the expectation that it is going to be a hella adjustment. Period but that doesn't necessarily mean bad. There are always going to be ppl who are going to have troubles after surgeries. WhAt you have to factor in is  we don't know what their medical/ surgical histories are pre op. did they smoke? SmOking causes poor tissue healing. Ppl don't always tell. The whole story...just often the bad  part,the part that has Them worried. I am not by any means saying all the posters who  Have had trouble caused it themselves.I am just saying we can't know why.

all we can do is try to make sure We are In  the best shape we can be for our Own surgeries,do what the doctor says,follow the Plan to the best of out ability and MAKE SURE we hve the most experienced DS surgeon we can beg,borrow or steal for ourselves,so to speak. I am beginning to see just how important the vets  message of. Making sure  you have the most experienced surgeon you can get for yourself. 

In actuality,any  General surgeon can do a DS. It is really not  Rocket science for them. The HUgE huge huge question is can they do it  GOOD? Do they have a good  follow up plan or will you just be left  t o deal on your own? Most surgeons hate dealing with post op patients,they want to cut You,fix the problem and get you out of their office. That Is one of the reasons most became surgeons. They  Like to cut. Dealing one on one with patients,not so much.  Old  Nurse 22 years speaking here,lol.

now,true bariatricians,surgeons who deal with morbidly obese patients are often a different story. They are usually the Ones who have strong follow up programs and everything in place to help ppl be The most successful they can be after Wls.  Just because a Pcp refers you to a surgeon who "does" Wls ,doesn't mean you are going to get a good effective surgery or a good post op experience. 

Good luck and we can't let every thing In life make us scared or we will never leave our homes and We get also get scared of our homes,Kwim? For every bad post you see about  new DS er,make yourself also look for a poster who is doing great and Has had no problems or overcame the problems they  had. The good ones are here too,in FAct,they are many  our vets who have hung around for years passing it on,and my eternal gratitude goes out to them.

I understand how you feel.  When I read posts on this forum before my surgery I got scared just seeing what the possibilities could lay ahead of me.  But I was excited to do it, mine was July 16, 2013 and I had no pain at all.  Just gas discomfort for the first couple of days, and once that passed (pun intended), I was fine.  Getting used to the drinks for the next two weeks was challenging, and then on the soft food stage. All that time my whole body was healing and adjusting to all of the changes.  I'm now 4 months out and feel great.  Down two-three sizes already and loving the comments I'm getting from people.  But I had to do something.  I am just under 5 feet tall, and felt I was getting as wide as I was tall.  I felt terrible, and I didn't want to admit I was that big.  But clothes don't lie.  The scale doesn't lie.   A friend who had lost some weight was giving me her larger sizes.  I do not regret for a minute having the surgery.  I am still learning the eating options, and the vitamins.  But it's a commitment we have to make before hand.  Obviously we cannot know ahead of time how we will respond to the surgery, but being as prepared as you can, both good and bad, is the best thing.  If there were only 3-4 posts who said they were sorry, that's minor compared to the many, many others who post and wonder why they didn't do it sooner, it definitely changes our life!  Best of luck to you as you will be writing your own story one of these days!

The 11th of next month, I'll be ten years post-DS. Had I NOT had my DS when I did, I'd probably be dead by now, so...

I have not had one day of regrets.

you will have a few months of "oh sh*t!" and then a lifetime of "Oh hell yeah!"

Read ALL the worst posts you can find. It will inoculate you from freaking out later when you are emotionally compromised. It's like marriage. Know your guy and listen to others heartaches, but remember you've got your guy! Copy as many of the helpful hints, food and meal info, everything you can find and then cull out the best parts. You should have a book full of how to's and what not to do's to depend on. Focus on the healing, and do what you need to do NOT to end up on the wrong side of the statistics. Besides, maintenance is the worst part...Surgery is a piece of protein cake! rdc

I'm not gong to lie...my first 8 weeks were horrendous.  I got dehydrated within the first 48 hours, back to hospital for IV fluids.

It wasn't the DS...it was my own body.  I was already lactose intolerant, and drinking shakes made with straight whey protein gave me the runs.  My surgeon told me that many DSers become lactose intolerant immediately after surgery, but generally if you weren't to begin with, it will go away with time. Those of us who are already LI, become more so.   Remember, your gut has been altered, and the way you process foods, especially lactose, which *is* milk *sugar*..is different.  Acidophilus beads helped me.  I'm planning to switch to full-monty probiotics once I've used up my current supply.    My surgeon -note I said SURGEON..not the NUT /dietitian/nutritionist, told me during the dehydration episode to switch to whey protein isolate.  Most or all of the lactose is processed *out* of it. 

The NUT could have told me that when he/she visited my bedside.

There are other RTD (ready to drink) lactose free options on the shelves.  Muscle Milk is my go-to when I'm on the road and stop in at a convenience store.  Most carry them. 

Edited to add: BTW, my body gave me a nice surprise at about 18 months out.  I can now drink whole milk with no problem whatsoever!  It's ice cream that kills my gut now!  Lactose plus sucrose and/or high fructose corn syrup = too much SUGAR!

 

My surgery was on 09/24/13 less than 2 months ago. I did have complications. However I was severly diabetic and a heavy smoker. My doctor told me in 15 years of doing gastric surgeries I was only the 5th patient to have such problems. My first month I did kind of regret it. But now just 2 months later, my blood sugars are normal, my blood pressures are normal and all with out any meds. I have lost 39 lbs in about 6-7 weeks and I have not done a bit of exercise yet due to my complications. doc told me today I'm normal and cleared me to start exercise I'm very excited now. Just be aware of the risks, talk to your doc about your concerns and weigh them out. Are you willing to take those chances to live better and happier. Good luck.

I just had the VSG on 10/29. At some point I think it's more of a mind thing because it's a whole new lifestyle. Your life will never be the same but in a good way. I too got dehydrated and had to get fluids. Its an adjustment trying to get everything in. I said to myself what the Heck did you do! But when my PCP took me off the my 6 diabetic pills a day I felt like I had won. Even though I am no where near goal weight, just not being dependent on Meds everyday it was worth it for me. Good Luck you will manage ok. I didn't know about this before I had my surgery, had I read some of the post I may have gotten cold feet too. In fact I was so determined to do this I told no one except my husband that I was having the surgery, because I did not want to hear anyone elses opinions or negative comments. I think I will make my announce to my family at Christmas Dinner. When I say I told no one that includes my mom, 5 siblings , 4 kids and 7 grandkids. Good Luck!

I won't lie.  I regretted it.  I felt like crap for a long time.

I think the worst thing about this surgery is the bathroom issues.  I had a rough time getting my body to sync up with vits, protein, etc – it’s all a balancing act.  I had chronic diarrhea for the first 6 months - which causes bad stuff to happen down there. 

I know now that it comes together over time.  Your body is shocked at first.  But then it falls back into a rythym.  So the first 6 months were hell for me, but at 11 months out now I actually feel normal again.  Like I never had the surgery.  Except I don’t take any meds, I don’t have diabetes anymore, and I feel great every day and never seem to catch any virus’ (probably because I take my vits).  

It hasn’t been a picnic, but I’m glad I did it.

Read this What to Expect Following Surgery

Go into this eyes wide open.  My recovery was picture-perfect, and in saying that, I was very listless for a good six weeks or so before I started to feel like myself again.  Some people bounce back faster, but not me, and I gave myself 8 weeks off work to get through it.  I expected to be uncomfortable, tired, and feel bad for a while and I wasn't disappointed.  I never regretted my decision, though.  Not even once.