What are your expectations about life after surgery?

I have been thinking a lot about how happy I've been with this surgery, and how it was measuring up to my pre-surgery expectations.  I'm interested in hearing from you guys that are pre-op about what you are expecting, and whether that's changed from reading this board.  I think my interest in this is because normal folks have strange ideas about WLS, and I know my thinking about it really changed with time.

Ultimately, I went into this with limited expectations of what I could expect surgery to do for me. I hoped it would help me be satisfied with less food so that following a food plan would be easier, and provide a safety net so I couldn’t go way off the reservation. I knew it wouldn’t change my being a compulsive overeater, or a sugar addict, and I knew it wouldn’t change that much about my screwed up relationship with food.  Before surgery, I knew that long-term maintenance of weight loss for me would require following a food plan, weighing, measuring and tracking my food, and imperfectly abstaining from certain foods (that’s just me). After surgery, I think all those things are still true, but seem oh-so-much-more achievable. I can actually imagine a life where 1200-1400 calories of food is enough, and where I know I probably won’t ever be able to eat 2 pounds of food at the Chinese buffet just because the monkey on my back convinced me it was a good idea.

I have had several unmet expectations.  First, I never had any of the negative experiences that some folks have.  I was expecting more pain, more discomfort, and more change to the way I had to physically eat food.  I feel pretty normal in that regard.  Second, I was hoping to have my hunger go away for a while, but that has not been my experience either.  I get hungry every 3-4 hours like clockwork, but am (usually) satisfied by a very modest amount of food.

What are you guys expecting to get out of surgery?


 

I am scheduled for surgery on the 29th (YAY!) I am expecting to be able to stick to my healthy eating plan by having this tool to help me  feel satiated with a smaller amount of food. I expect to be able to stay motivated because after going through all of this I REFUSE to fail. I don't expect to be in too much pain or be in the hospital more than 2 days, I'm pretty tough, come from good stock, and God has got me covered!

Good for you!!  Perserverance counts more than almost anything else!!

Great question and something that should be examined by all of us before we go into this journey. I am actually going to make a list of my expectations.. not a wish list, but expectations. I am expecting some pain and discomfort, i am expecting lots of people to not understand and make off handed comments regarding lack of will power to do it the hard way through diet and exercising without cutting off more than half of an organ.. an organ that really didn't do anything to deserve that! I am expecting to continue to have my issues with food but to have the tool to help me control them - if not eliminate them with time. I am expecting (and I will be really pissed if that does not happen!) that my blood sugar levels will be back to normal and that the diabetes or pre diabetes or insulin resistance or whatever it may be called is halted, reversed, goes into a remission forever. I am expecting that my life expectancy will increase by at least 10 years! I am also expecting to get some fringe benefits out of a slender and more attractive body. That has not ever been an issue but hey, if there are some benefits to collect, why not? I am also expecting that I will love myself more after surgery and take the time to put myself first for a change and care for myself better. I am expecting to wake up from the surgery. That would really be a mega bummer if it did not happen... I am expecting to lose my excess weight and do the toning, trimming and tucking necessary to feel like I am really really hot again. I am expecting to get all sorts of new and wonderful clothes and have better presentation skills and get a promotion also!
The list can go on forever I think once we get started on reflecting on this.

What a great list!  I completely forgot the "looking better" part!  I was so afraid of doing this surgery for the "wrong" reasons, I didn't let myself even *think* about looking better until I got out of surgery.  I lover being smaller!!  I love having more options for clothes!

And you did remind me that my mother's early death was a big impetus.  I hope I get more years than she did (59)!

 Good question!  I expected it to help me reduce portion sizes and control hunger. I am only 2 weeks out and so far so good. 

I expected the weight loss to make exercise easier and more enjoyable. Not there yet. 

I expected that I would become a little more confident again and would make more of an effort to have a social life! The last 3 yrs I have gained about 40 lbs and I have noticed that I no longer want to go out, socialize, and I am pulling away from people. I just dont want to go out when nothing fits and I feel so fat. Was not really overweight until after second pregnancy (17 yrs) and I have noticed a big difference in my desire to do anything the last 3 yrs (lack of energy from wt too).

People treat you different when you are fat, and I think that leads to the lack of confidence many of us have when we are overweight.  When I was in HS i was chubby (150 lbs) and lost about 30 lbs and people who didnt even look at me when fat started paying LOTS of attention to me. It was an eye opener for me (I know it was HS but I have found at 46 that people dont change that much). 

I didnt expect the recovery to be this slow. I know it is only 2 weeks, major surgery, yada yada but I want to have some energy again!!

This is great!  I am definitely looking forward to not being the fattest person in the room, especially at work.  Most of my colleagues are fit and trim, and I always feel like Jabba the Hutt around them.  I hate that everyone knows right away about my difficulties with food!

 Great post!  It's pretty amazing how quickly we adapt to a new situation.  I've been thrilled with this surgery.  I had the band two and a half years ago and hated it from the beginning.  I was stuck daily and threw up often.  I didn't want to go with a more serious surgery, just kind of wanted to sample weight loss surgery with the option of reversal.  I hated it immediately and wanted nothing to do with the band.  I wanted it out right away.  I knew I had a foreign substance in my body at all times.  I went to my Dr. To remove it when he told me that my insurance now covers the sleeve.  I thought about it for a while, then thought, I need to do this.  I weighed more than I did when I got the band and had also developed serious sleep apnea.   I then committed fully and am soo happy with the results so far!  It just feels like my body, not like a steel port right under my rib cage and silicone squeezing my stomach.  I am thrilled!  The quality of my life has improved dramatically already.  When I walk I feel like my lung capacity has tripled.  My muscles get sore before I'm out of breath - a first in a long time.  

I cannot get over how "normal" I feel.  I couldn't go through with the band because I was so afraid I wouldn't feel as good after and I did before.  I gave up and started the process up again when I learned our insurance was covering the sleeve. 

 I'm trying not to expect anything!  I really do like my life and who I am so I don't expect my life to suddenly be a garden of roses.  I do expect that it will be easier to be satisfied with less food.  That should help me with maintaining a long term weight.  I don't have much of an issue losing weight so I'm looking for the help for the long haul.