Happy with surgery VS Unhappy
Kim,
I had my surgery Feb. 6 at Hurley so let me give you a point of reference from a very "new noob." My very first thought, coming out of surgery was, "OMG, what have I done!" With that said, I did have a complication and I threw up A LOT of blood while "coming to." The nurses at Hurley were total angels and so kind and did all the could to alleviate all my fears and discomforts. Anyway, I had a lot of time and then some to think about this surgery, so I knew what I was in for. I had 2 really low points/times that cemented the fact that I wanted this surgery. One was last January when the Spring colors were coming out, I tried on a cheapy tee shirt at Walmart and I literally cried in the dressing room. How did I let this happen??? What have I done to my body? Another was after I got the ball rolling on my surgery and starting doing my year of "Dr. supervised diet attempts" We were on vacation at Rifle River and I was on my hands and knees and I could not get up. I really COULD NOT LIFT MY BODY OUT OF THE WATER!!! Right then and there, I knew, no matter how hard this journey was gonna be, it was right for me. I have been heavy my entire life and for the most part, I was ok with it. Was I estatic, no, did I wish I was thinner, of course, we all do. Anyway, to get to the point, there are days that I regret this with every fiber in my being. I hate trying to guess what I can and can't eat. Just cuz you can eat it one day, doesn't mean you can eat it the next. It is soooo much harder than you will ever realize, but every time I look in the mirror (even after puking my guts up) I think,"You have to get through all this and it will get better." Already, my face is thinner, my belly is less puffy and I feel pretty darn good, most days. Just know it is going to be hard and then think its gonna be 10 times harder than you expected. Dieting was always an issue for me, I was consumed with food and when I was gonna get to eat and what I was gonna get to eat!! Guess what! That is still the case! We, as new post ops, are alllllllllllllways putting something in our mouths. Water, a vitamin, some shake, a bite or 2 of food. It CONSUMES you. Literally! I am too close to say I would or would not do it again and like I said, that can change from day to day, but this is a decision I have made and I have to live with it to the best of my ability. I try to do what is right and it is very hard undoing what you have done to bring you to this point, but in the end, I think all the pain and scary stuff will fade and I will be a happier, healthier, stronger person for doing this.
Good luck and I wish you all the best.
Tiffany
Kim
It was a really hard decision for me to have surgery. I broke down crying just asking my PCP for help with this journey. I was scared so much that I cried down the hall on the gurney to the operating room. Even for a couple of weeks after the surgery when my head was playing games with me about food I still had second thoughts about the surgery.
Now I am 14 months out and I am ecstatic I had this surgery. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I wish I could speak to others about how much of a change for the positive in my life this surgery has been. Dr. Hendrick is truly my angel, and gave me my life back. I was living in a dark cloud and now I am living in heaven everyday because I am so much more healthier and able to do things I could have only dreamt about so long ago.
Hope that helps.
Suzanne
300/150
Hi Kim,
I pray that all goes well for you tomorrow. Before surgery I was in pain all of the time. I could barley walk. I rarely left my house. You could find me either laying on the couch or in the bed. I spent most of my days/nights sleeping, yet I didn't sleep very well. I felt like my insides were being squished. It hurt so badly. I was miserable to say the least. I often thought about my funeral, How big my casket would be, how would they lift the casket with me in it. What would the people say about how big I had gotten etc. etc. I did not want to die, but that is right where I was headed! I had to fight for my surgery. That was very discouraging, but I did get approved. I was on the table everything was ready to start, all the lap stuff was set up, my surgeon started to separate the stomach, I had a seroma, As soon as he started cutting I started bleeding, they couldn't get it stopped. Yes they finally got it stopped and continued with the process. I was in the O.R. for 5 hours. 1 1/2 hours longer than expected. When I woke up I had a lot of pain in my left shoulder, and left side. I don't remember a lot about it, but I do remember asking my surgeon "What did you do to me?" He ever so gently told me "I didn't do anything that you didn't ask me to do." Then handed me a thing and said when you feel pain just push this button. He showed me the button and pushed it. That was the end of my pain. The next morning I didn't even need it anymore, I did use it a couple of time's though, cause I liked the way it felt (I'm bad). I've had 2 strictures since my surgery. They can be painful, but are very easy to fix. I have lost a total of 131 inches off my body, from my neck down to my ankles. I have lost a total of 141 pound's. I went from a size 30/32 pants to an 18/20 Kind of in between right now. My shoe size has gone down. I can walk with out trouble. I sleep fine at night. I don't sleep during the day. I go places all of the time. I am active, I love to roller blade. This September I'm going sky diving. I am so much healthier. I smile all of the time. I AM HAPPY!!! All of this and I still have 90 pounds to lose. This surgery is the best thing I have ever done for my health. I don't regret one second of it. I would do it again, but I don't have to. It only takes one time for most of us. There are changes to be made but if you start before your surgery, it makes it a lot easier post-op. I hope this helps.
God bless you,
Annette
Hey Kim,
I have a total different aspect that I'm going to talk about regarding having WLS. I absolutely have no regrets as far as my health goes. I feel so much better than I did 3 years ago. I couldn't be the mom my children needed me to be and that killed me. I have gained so much since having the surgery, my health, my new outlook on life and wanting to try and do everything that I can to better myself and to live life to it's fullest everyday, but I also have lost so much in the process. I lost the love of my life and my children suffer greatly every day not having their daddy in their lives on a daily basis. Because I wanted to better myself as a person, an education, a career someday, I lost my love. I thought he was my soul mate, the one who was to let me soar to make my dreams and aspirations come true, but in the end, he wasn't. It's taken me a long time to realize that he was and is not the one for me for life. A partner in life would not leave because one wants to better them selves. I still cry every day because I just can't believe that he could be this cruel, selfish person. I have loved him for 15 years and always supported him in his schooling and job changes. I gave 12 years of my life to raise my children and will never regret it. Now is the time for me to soar. I am in the recording studio working on my music, I'm headed back to school as soon as the divorce is final and I'm going to raise my children with all of the love and support I have always given them. I have found great happiness with many new friends and support groups that have given me my strength and self love back!!! So, No, I do not regret having WLS, my ex-husband to be will some day regret what he has done and will realize how much he has lost!!! Have a great day honey and my prayers and thoughts are with you.
Susan
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