DS for Teens?

Hi guys... I'm new to this so please hang with me!

I plan on having a DS in the middle of December this year. I just have a couple questions for people who have gone through it already. I am currently 19 years old, and weigh about 240 lbs. Two of my biggest concerns are tightening loose skin after weight loss, and the pain level after surgery. Anyone have any comments???  

Thanks in advance!! 

Hello Megan!

If you've not found it already, I invite you to go over to the DS page to get a more captive audience specific to the DS, but these questions are pretty general.

Loose skin is something individual to the person.  How bad it's going to be is dependent on a combination of age, how long you've been MO, genetics, sprinkled with a little luck.  There are no magical creams, lotions or exercises to change it, but I'd say that youth is on your side.  Until you can afford plastics if you need them, lycra shapers have come a long way and I don't go to work without them.

Pain levels are very well controlled.  When I came home, I only needed the pain meds for a week or less, then only at bedtime (to counteract discomfort so I could sleep more than pain).  The rest of the time for another week or so, Aleve did the trick for the day.

Another thing I"d like to recommend is that you talk to your school about possibly doing some home-study to get you through January if you need it.  I was very listless for a good 6 weeks post op, and my recovery was picture perfect.  Some are extremely resilient and bouncing off of the walls after two weeks, too.  The standard expectation, though is a good 4 weeks to recover.

Another thing I want to mention is the necessity to become a nutritional expert for yourself.  Your surgeon may give you paperwork on supplements to take or he may even refer you to a nutritionist.  I can tell you is that 99% of the surgeons and nutritionists are merely guessing at the nutritional needs for dSers, and that's if they even try to understand the differences.  Most get a paper that's generic to all wls procedures.  We have very specific needs and fortunately, we share information over on the DS page and on Facebook, so start learning.  You don't need designer bariatric vitamins either, so you can save a significant amount of money understanding your needs and knowing how and where to find what you need economically.  This is something you want to address very aggressively.  There is a gal who got the DS around the same age.  I believe she's known as Jessy w, from Alaska.  She's done wonderfully.