Ok guys.. Be honest with me..

I am sitting here thinking about whats coming up and I 've been reading every scrap of info I can get my grubby hands on regarding WLS. Granted I dont have my final consult with my doc til tomorrow, hes gonna give me technical info and I wanna know stuff coming from real people.. You know what I mean? I wanna know how you guys dealt with the dumping and the cramping and the vomiting and what you did to avoid. How bad was the pain really? I am pretty sure I am ready for WLS, but I want both my eyes open ya know.. Give it to me guys and dont sugar coat it. Please feel free to email me as well [email protected] Thanks guys for all your honesty. Kimmy K.

Hi Kimmy, Totally un-sugarcoated .. it will be as bad as YOU let it be!!! The more positive your mental attitude the more positive your experience will be. We all deal with pain differently, and you can't form judgements based on other's experiences. I went into my WLS with my eyes wide open, but I also had allocated 3 weeks out of my life for the surgery and 'recovery' to be back to work. I was back to work in two weeks ( part time the first two weeks back, but I was back). I had open RNY and my incision was completely healed. I went through all the stages of the WHY did I do this, etc, and had the complication of ulcer and esophageal stricture about 5 to 6 months out that plagued me for a couple of months, but even if I had known that going into it, I would have STILL done it. Best wishes on your journey. Hugs, Mo

Hi Kimmy, I agree....your experience will be as positive as YOU make it. Since I had WLS over 2.5 yrs ago, I have NEVER thrown up...NEVER!!! Have I dumped? yes....do I know what causes me to dump? Yes....so that makes it much easier. For me, and there are those who would disagree....I found pre-op so much harder than post-op...yes prior to surgery was harder than after surgery... Pre-op I was so worried that I was making a wrong decision...I was going to die or worse, be horribly sick for the rest of my life....you know all the information... Well, I am 2.5 years out....I have reached goal....and am maintaining....I could ask for NO more than what I got from WLS.... Do bad things happen? Yes...but it didn't happen to me or to lots of others on this site.... I had open and the pain was very bearable...and that is why they give you pain meds...use them!! I had NO gas pains at all....no one seemed to know why, but recovery was easier than I expected, but I did get tired for a while...but hey, basically I was starving to death, so I guess my body needed the rest...you can read my log to read my story... Best wishes to you.... RAE

Congrats on getting to the final step on your way to surgery. I think the only real area of concern I had right away was that no one told me I would not be able to hold my bowels immediately following surgery. If you have to have O2 in the hospital, make sure they give you humidity with it or you might get a nasty headache. I did, but as soon as I had humidity the head pain eased. I had limited pain. I was home fast and back to work sooner then I had to be. I went back full time. Also, you will get very tired for the first several weeks. That does pass. Other then that- no issues. I would do it again in a heart beat. Aime

Hi Kimmy- Congrats on your wls journey. I totally agree with Mo. It is how you make it out to be. Just listen to your doctors and nutritionists and you will be fine. Good luck and keep us posted Kelly

Hi Kimmy, I apologize in advance for the lenght of this response, but felt I needed to be as honest/complete as I could be. I had my surgery on a Thursday. The prior Tuesday I had to go to my Dr. for a last minute blood test. I was somewhat concerned that it would delay my surgery. During the drive to the Dr's office, I had a moment where I realized time was flying by and that my surgery was only 2 days away. I kept waiting to get nervous and to have second thoughts - even as I sat on the gurney in the "preop" area the morning of surgery. I never got nervous. I mean, I was concerned about having major surgery but not about the after-affects of life as a post op. I was as cool as a cucumber and have continued to be since then. I was so ready for this surgery. I am 17 months post op today and I find that like Rae, life is so much easier post op. Yes, I still have moments where I realize I'm eating emotionally. I have moments where I'll eat the wrong food, but this is the exception now not the everyday. Also, my tool is in place and I just physically cannot overeat like I used to. As for complications, I have had virtually no complications. The few things I have had happen to me have basically been of my own making: 1) Early on after surgery I found that I had the "foamies" alot. This happens when you either eat too fast or you don't chew well enough and a piece of food gets caught in the stoma. Your pouch will create saliva/foam and you'll find yourself feeling uncomfortable and you may vomit the foam until the food either "goes down" or the offending piece of food is ejected. The relief is instantaneous and it is not nearly as yucky as traditional "vomiting". 2) I have had a few instances where I ate a sweetened milk product (i.e., for example a piece of ice cream cake for my birthday this past month) and it just doesn't agree with me so I've vomited. Again, the volume is not nearly as bad as prior to surgery. I have had no cramping or vomiting. I pretty much followed my doctor's program to the letter the first 12 months. I've been a little "loose" from his program this past holiday season, but I've not gained weight or had any significant problems because of it. I've had a few times where I ate 2-3 christmas cookies. I kind of felt guilty and then squashed that feeling because I'm determined not to live my life "on a diet" the rest of my life. I want to make the best choices for me to be healthy. I'm not going to feel guilty for "popping a bon-bon" every now and then, I mean normal people do eat 1-3 cookies, it's the 12-14+ that I used to eat at a serving prior to WLS that got me in trouble. One thing that I do have to deal with is...well..how to say this, I apologize for being so graphic. When I was between 4-12 months post op, I experienced several bouts of what I can only describe as "sticky poop". Again I apologize for being graphic, but I wanted to be totally honest with you about my experience. When I would have one of these bouts of "SP", it would be painful to go. Not constipated, just sticky like it didn't want to come out and "cleanup" was not business as usual. I had some minor discomfort like I could feel it sticking in my intestines on the way out. I've tried to find out the reason behind this and never did. My doctor didn't seem to understand what I was trying to say. The other side affect concerning bowel movements is not constipation (although I know some others have complained about it due to the high amount of protein) but the size of the bowel movement. I apologize for being graphic. I've had this discussion with a few other post ops so I know they have experienced the same thing as me, so it's not just me. Since I've gotten further out from surgery and I'm eating more (still not huge amounts of food, but more than just out from surgery), I've found that the size of my bowel movements are LARGE. Not trying to go for a joke here. They are not just large, they are HUGE. They can sometimes be painful. I have found that making sure I get at least 100oz of water and getting additional fiber help. Sometimes I use a non-stimulating stool softener or milk of magnesia. I agree with what the others have said that it's all about attitude. I went into this hoping (and praying) that I wouldn't have any problems and considered if I did I would deal with them when they came. Thankfully I have been blessed and haven't had the problems that can crop up. Even after having the bouts with the foamies and occasional vomiting, I've told family members several times that even if I knew I had to vomit everyday for the rest of my life I would still do this again because WLS saved my life and gave me back my life. I hope your consultation goes well Take Care, Terry

Hi Kimmy. Feel free to read my profile --- it pretty much tells all. Best wishes. If I can be of further support -please let me know. I have never for one moment been unhappy with my WLS, my surgeon and/or my experience. It has been an awesome journey. Debra

Thank you all for your candid and honest responses.. Its really helped me what to "expect in the afterlife" lol.. You guys are awesome