What do you miss the most?

My DH has been such a wonderful support system since I decided to look into WLS. My appt for my initial appt is 2/2. My husband asked me what do they miss the most since they have had their surgery? So here I am wondering the same thing. I think the one thing I will miss the most is a fully leaded Dr. Pepper. I am not a big fan of any diet soda. Also do you have any regrets at times? I know that the WLS road isn't an easy one, but is there any doubts or regrets. I could imagine you would have lots of regrets if you had complication after complication. I promise no one will hear mud slinging out of me. I want true blue honesty. Thanks!

First of all I can drink fully leaded Dr Pepper with no problem. I can't gulp it but sodas don't bother me much especially in a cup with ice. I thought I would die for real coke but I don't have that want to any more. I do want sweet tea though like I did before. I have been without it for 2 days now and it is hard. I love my tea. I am addicted to southern sweet iced tea along with my family. one gallon a day was made around here a day before surgery. Now a gal every 2 days. I did have complications BUT at this point I wouldn't be too down on surgery. I would only say I am sorry I put my family through it. I may do it again if you asked me now. I am past alot of my experiences--ng tube being the worst the week of my leak. That is my major hang up about the entire experience. As for as weight loss being easy I would say it is not easy but it is not hard either. Anything you do in life that has rewards is not going to be easy. It is not the easy way out but it is not "hard" per se. Not in my opinion, especially after failing at weight lss for the last 30 years. That's all folkes!! Jane

I do want to say when you ask someone would they do it again that is fine and dandy BUT they may have a perfect experience and the next person may die on the operating table. That is why I usually say--It is a very personal decision. YOU have to want this for yourself and know that is the reason you are having it. Then if things don't go your way, you have no one but yourself to say--Well I chose to do this and I will go with whatever I am dealt. I am a respnsible adult and I chose to have this surgery. I am just really big on that phrase and forgot to mention it. It is a personal decision and know that is why you are having it. For yourself!! Jane I promise this is it-- sermon over

Ok I will deffinalty be honest with you about this one, i dont realy MISS a whole heck of a lot , if i want a little sweet something i eat it , BUT just a bite! Now im not recomending this , but its what i do , and yhea sometimes it DOES leave me wanting More, but i just suck it up and get over it! I used to be a BIG coke drinker, now i dont even care for it so much. If i feel like i need a whole glass ,I drink diet sprite, zero coke, or my fav diet dr pepper. i dont drink but a soda but maybe once a week now.I do belive that once you get the Sugar out of your system that the diet MIGHT taste a little better to you than thay do now. The ONE thing that I truely just can't eat is a big ole sandwich, i used to love me some po boys! I do wish that i could eat just one more! BUt oh well these size 12's verses a skin tight 20's makes up for that sandwich! I cant tell ya that the surgery was hard for me cause it wasn't , i didnt have the least bit of pain, or any complacations. THAT of course isn't, the experince most people have, most people DO have at least some PAIN! Oh i also do miss this pair of pants that i cant seem to find a repalcement for, i can now fit in one leg of them !LOL Oh and i realy DONT care for the ugly ole greasy gross men and there stares and nasty little looks, i liked being unnoticed before. YHEA, this is Just now starting to happen, wouldn't be so bad if they were young and good looking !haha dawn 271/175/145-160 or size 10 whatever comes first!

I MISS BAKED STUFF BREAD ,CAKES AND COOKIES THINGS LIKE THAT . THERES NOT MUCH ELSE I MISS . I DID TRY A CANDY THE OTHER DAY AND IT WASNT THE SAME . I DO NOT REGRET MY WLS AT ALL .. WISH I WOULD HAVE DONE IT SOON SARA 283/175/13?

WHAT DO I MISS MOST? BEING ABLE TO DRINK DRINK DRINK AND NOW I CAN ONLY SIP. I DON'T HAVE ANY REGRETS I'M SIX WEEKS OUT AND MY WLS WAS PERFECT. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. WLS MADE ME SEE JUST HOW GREEDY I WAS. TO BE ABLE TO EAT A SMALL AMOUNT AND BE FULL IS SO WONDERFUL. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY.

Hey Leslie, Boy oh Boy. This is one of those post that could start a fire storm. But I don't blame you for asking these question one bit. The one thing that I miss the most is the freedom of being able to eat or drink anything I want without a bunch of questions being asked about what is in it. I don't eat or drink anything with sugar in it because of fear of dumping on it. I may can eat sugar, I don't know. I'm not willing to risk it. Because of this, I have to ask a thousand questions about foods & drinks. I just can't & don't have the freedom of sitting down & saying that "I'll have..." anymore. When I started on this wls journey I read everything I could about this surgery & even then I didn't know everything about it. You can't. Every little bit of info on the after effects of having wls is not in books. But there are those out there that will tell you to your face that every little detail is in books. I had problems after surgery. Some were not due to the surgery itself, but some were. However since I was an emotional wreck at the time, I blamed it all on wls. I know my inner ear (dizzy, can't stand or walk without falling over, etc.) coming back probably wasn't due to surgery. Even though I had not had any problems with it for over 35 years. That makes me wonder, cause it is strange that it just happened to come back at the same time. Plus I see more & more people posting on the main board now about their being light headed & dizzy after surgery. So who knows. I had a touch of pneumonia. Some people have that after having any type of surgery. So it could have been from having surgery or not. Kidney Stones- they WERE due to my having WLS. Having those things are a very big regret !!! PAIN PAIN PAIN !!! More & more people are posting on the main board about having them. AFTER WLS. There are those that will say... No way. But I think, No.... I know for a fact that my doc knows more than they do. People on this very board has told me that "The Mayo Clinic says it takes 2-3 months for stones to form". Well..... me & several other people from this board went & looked at "The Mayo Clinic's" site on kidney stones. We couldn't find that info anywhere in the article. However we did see where it plainly states that "intestinal bypass surgery" could cause them. Now I don't know about everyone else's surgery, but when they did my surgery- some of my intestines were bypassed. A diet that is high in protein will cause stones. Well.... after surgery most people do protein shakes & have upped their amounts of other proteins. A diet that is higher in protein goes along with having wls. Dehydration can cause stones. The amount of liquids that your able to take in after surgery is going to be drastically reduced. And if your not careful, you will dehydrate. Therefore, you may have stones due to that. I'd suggest that you read the Mayo Clinic article. The article proves my point & my doctors points. It makes for good reading & it arms you really well with facts about kidney stones. I'm sure that if you have them & say it was due to wls, someone will try to bash you & your doc as well. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-stones/DS00282/DSECTION=1 Kidney Stones are my biggest regret. Right now anyways. Something major would have to happen to change their #1 ranking. The mental strain that it can put you through is a big regret also. I thought I was going to die. No joke. I was actually to the point that I even prayed for God to just go ahead & take me. I'd didn't see it ever getting better, if anything it was getting worse. Things on top of things kept going wrong. I found myself lashing out at everyone. I was mentally to a point that all I could see was that everyone on this board was a liar. People kept saying that "Its gonna get better". But it wasn't. It was getting worse. Finally after 2 months it was getting better. On the plus side though, The first of the year I was able to stop beating myself up because of my having wls. It was a wonderful day to be able to let go of that issue. To date I have lost 91 lbs. I get out, go more, I don't get tired as easy as I once did. I'm once again out among the living!!! I hope my point of view helps you out some. I know it is a long one, but at least it is the true blue truth. I am not one to sugar coat wls for anyone. From me you will get the good & the bad side. Now to protect you from what has happened to me, I'd like to say that Not one person on this board ever walked in my shoes. Therefore they don't have the smallest clue of what I went through. But they are very judgmental about it & me. So you should remember that. I'd suggest that if you have surgery & problems.... Keep them to yourself. Most people on this board & site are "Pro WLS" all the way. Now if you speak your own opinions & thoughts, & they don't really jive with what others think, you just may be black balled. So God forbid you have your own opinions & thoughts. Watch the flames rise now !!! Tammy

Tammy, First of all, I am not flaming you or anyone else, you know I am not like that. However, I have to disagree with you telling Leslie to keep her surgery and problems to herself. We are here to help one another, there are a few people that strive to cause trouble, but for the rest of us, we like to hear of everyone's experiences. It helps me to know that the reasons a person has kidney stones is the protein intake and the decrease in liquids, not to mention the symptoms of them, so that if those things happen to me, I will know what it could be. There are always going to be those people that want to post nasty comments no matter what, but I have learned to ignore those type of comments and not respond to them. I did not walk directly in your shoes, but I did have a lost of post op problems, heck the first week, I thought I was going to die, as did my mother and the Queen was pretty darn scared too. Saying I was naseated is an understatement. I was the sickest of sick. I was always up front and honest with everyone about my experience, and I did that to try and help others that may have some of the same symptoms. I think that after your surgery, and everything that you went through, you were very emotional and on edge. All those people that had problems with you before your surgery took advantage of the situation to say nasty things like "You reap what you sew", unfortunately that left a lot of hurt feelings. The behaviour of some people on this site and everywhere else in this world is quite childish, but we can't change how people are, we just have to forgive them and move on. I would not go as far to say that most people on this board are "Pro WLS" but we are all here for the same reason. We made the decision or are thinking about having WLS, therefore we all need support and we all need information. Tammy, I love you and everyone else on this site, regardless of any and all nasty comments that have been made in the past. You have never made any to me personally but there have been instances that I have witnessed where both you and the other parties let things get way out of hand. I hope we are all passed that now, and can all continue to support each other the way that we all deserve to be supported. CONGRATS ON THE 91 POUNDS.. THAT IS OUTSTANDING! Rhonda

Rhonda, You are so right. I shouldn't have told her to keep it all to herself. But you have to admit that when you step back & look at everything from my point, you see why I told her that. I didn't tell her that being ugly to her. I told her that to protect her. I know exactly what your saying about being so sick. Being in a situation that you have purposely put yourself in (having surgery) & then you think your gonna die because of having surgery & being so sick. That is a scary place to be. Nobody under stands what goes through your mind, unless they have been there. You & me..... We have been there. You are so very right about people taking advantage of my being so sick. They knew that was the only time they could punch at me without my punching back & they did. I wasn't on the boards very much then, so they had a field day with. Plus it seems like there are a few select people who just like to sit back & stir in the potty chair. If they see a chance of trying to start a fight with me or between me & someone else- they jump at it. So honestly, its a very good thing that we don't always instantly "reap what we sew". About my "Pro WLS" remark, I meant that there are people here who do not want to hear anything bad about wls. They're like what ever happens to be written down in books that is good, is the only things that they want to hear or they just know will ever happen. If it isn't in a book, then it isn't so. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks that to a certain point that we are all Guinea pigs. I haven't seen any "long term" reports of the health of wls patients. Long term meaning over 10-20 years or more. So there's a good chance there are a lot of problems that can & do occur in wls patients that just hasn't been documented yet. Another thing your right on, I have let things get out of hand with other people on here. And for my part, I was wrong. But I can also tell you I wasn't in it alone & I'm not talking about the ones it was against either. However to this day, the other party to it, has yet to stand up & admit their part of it. They sit back & let me take the heat. Which is fine, cause it shows their true colors & just how good of a person they are. It doesn't change my part in it, but it is something everyone else should know. So if they're gonna throw rocks at me, they need to get some rocks in both hands & aim at some other people also. But I know these rock throwers are perfect & have NEVER done anything to anyone else. So it's safe for them to throw rocks Has anyone ever stepped back & asked their selves why I stand my ground ? I was "broke in" on this board really well. Since I've been here & I mean most of these were within the first year. I was called "a sheet wearing racist", a liar, an idiot, clueless, stupid, & a b*tch-(in emails from one other member). My loyal friendship was manipulated & used to benefit others wants. So after going through all that, who wouldn't be defensive at the least little thing ? And then to make matter worse, after surgery & I'm thinking I'm dying- I end up with kidney stones. Arlies I think posted about it. But, I'm told to contact a gas station attendant to get better info than what my doc said. But not one word was said to JG when he told basically the same story as mine about his having kidney stones. And when I asked why wasn't anything ever said to JG, I didn't get one answer. That question was avoided like aids. That was nothing more than another attempt to start something with me. I was told that the Mayo Clinic says this, they say that. Well, I go look for the info. To this day, I have not seen what I was told it said. If anything the Mayo article backs up everything my doc said from the very beginning. I even asked 2 other people (Arlies & Sherry) to go see if they seen it, just in case I over looked it. They said Nope it wasn't there. So I guess someone will now want to call Arlies & Sherry liars. Or blame me for them not finding the info either. So see.... it all goes right back to "Lets start sh*t with Tammy". People think that I'm not suppose to have my own views, thoughts or opinions on anything. They get their drawers in their crack if I say anything that may have the least little bit of negative down side to wls. But then most of them turn right around & say they want to know how others feel or their regrets, etc. Heck, those people probably have their own little private club with membership packages, beanies to wear, pencils & all that good stuff. Which is fine. Because it just means the joke is on them. You can ask all of my closest friends & I'm sure you know also, I am one of the best people to have as a friend. I'm loyal, I go out of my way to help others, great listener, honest with them- no matter what, but most importantly.... I'm there when then need me no matter what time of day it is or what else is going on in my life. So I see it as "It is their loss, Not mine". Because they honestly don't have a clue as to what they are missing out on. Anyways.... I love you too. And I'm glad you brought up these things. It was a way of my getting some things off my chest & letting it go. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop having my own opinions though And just in case you missed it.... I LOST 91 LBS. Tammy

The way I see it darlin, is that we all have the right to our own opinions and everyone does not have to like it, that is their decision. I am so proud of you for getting all of that off of your chest.. You should have lost a couple more pounds... hehehe.. Arlies should be here any minute, I am so excited! Love, Rhonda