Questions from a newbie

I am considering WLS. I am 329 pounds. 

Here are my concerns, things stopping me:

1. fear of a painful recovery/vomiting after surgery (I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago and threw up solidly for 24 hours after the surgery) 2. Being hungry from eating such small amounts of food 3. Losing my mind cause I can't eat what I want and 4. Losing it all....and then gaining it back.

Anyone here with more than 10 years of lost weight kept off?

What was your recoveries like? I am scared of the after surgery, having so me weeks of being in bad pain and not being to do anything but sit on the couch.

Any help is appreciated!

Annie

I don't have ten years but over eight.  I told the surgeon and anesthesiologist that I did not want to have nausea and vomiting after surgery.  They can make sure it does not happen and I had no problems.

After surgery I was on pain medicine for two days in the hospital.  I had liquid Tylenol for home and never opened it.  I was up and doing light housework the weekend after surgery and back to work the next week.

I have never once been hungry since surgery.  I do eat a small meal of about 200 calories every four hours or so.  I had a regain of 12 pounds during the third year after surgery but was able to take it back off.

I maintain within about two pounds of my goal weight, by eating small high protein meals, avoiding most carbs and weighing myself daily.

I am only 2 months out, but can assure you that pain after surgery was no issue. I had no problems-the first night I took pain med, but by the next morning I was off of that and was fine. I was out of work for a week, but that was not because of pain--it was because it takes a great deal of effort to make sure your fluid needs are met!  I eat a very small amount but am never hungry--there are times I know I need to eat or I want to eat, but hunger is not part of that, and I have learned to tell the difference. There are times you can't eat what you want, and that is something you have to overcome. As for losing it all /gaining back.....I have that fear as well, but will try hard to utilize my tool.

Good luck!

I am going to be 15 years post op this April.   All of your fears are quite normal, but there are ways to avoid them.   

• You will be interviewed by an anesthesiologist prior to surgery, let them know you are fearful of being nauseous directly after surgery and they can make sure you get some meds to combat that. 
• Vomiting after you have surgery from eating too fast or too much - be sure to eat slow, chew your food very well and take breaks between each bite.   If you over eat or eat too fast, you will want to throw up to stop the pain that this can cause.   Once you do it, you will know when to stop.   
• In my experience, I was NOT hungry from eating the small amount of food that I could.  I did not experience head hunger like some people do, immediately post op.   Just know, that most people are not physically hungry immediately post op.   You will be fine.  
• You have to change the way you think.   You can still eat good food.    You just need to learn how to adapt your choices to those that are conducive to being a WLS patient.   You will have a post op diet you need to follow and you SHOULD follow that to a T.   These are designed to allow you to progress from stages of food to allow your pouch to heal properly and to introduce foods to ensure you tolerate them.   Don't rush your progression.  Once you are able to start enjoying all foods, within reason, you need to start adapting your consumption of those foods.  Cut the carbs, cut sugar, focus on protein.   
• Regain can happen.   I started having regain 2 years ago.  I am working to get it off.  I have gone back to basics, to enable me to lose the weight.  Just know that this surgery is not the only component of losing weight.  You have to change your eating habits, you have to exercise.  In the years of being on OH and in the bariatric community, the most successful long term WLS patients are the ones who ALWAYS weigh their foods, pre plan their meals, do meal prep and stay focused on high protein, no carbs and no sugar.   

Your recovery is going to depend a lot on how active you are.  The more you are up walking and doing things, the faster you will recover.   Don't sit on the couch, or that is what you will become used to and will end up doing, thus prolonging your recovery.   

This surgery is a tool and how you work your tool will determine how successful you will be! 

Good luck!

Nik

I can speak to losing it and then gaining quite a bit back. For the first 2 years, I followed general rules and was successful. But once I let the sugar back in my diet, I was always head first in the sugar or hard core diet mentality. The last 2 years I put on 70+ lbs. But I finally joined Overeaters Anonymous and found a solution that works for me and I've lost quite a bit of my regain. 

The best advice I can give is to research ALL the different forms of WLS. The way you'll live after surgery varies according to which form of WLS you choose. (LapBand, VSG/Sleeve, RNY/gastric bypass, DS/duodenal switch.)

12 years ago, I chose the Duodenal Switch. In those 12 years, I've thrown up maybe a dozen times---or about as often as I threw up before I had surgery. My DS was done open, not lap, so I have a big scar. My DS was my first-ever surgery, and I'd mentally prepared myself for it to hurt A LOT. It did---but NOT nearly as bad as I'd expected. It took me about ten days to feel human again.

As for hunger---pre-op, I was ALWAYS hungry. Post-op, I GET hungry---but I eat a small-normal amount, and I'm satisfied for about 3 hours. Because the DS causes permanent malabsorption of calories, DSers actually eat quite a bit of food. Small, frequent meals that are high in protein and fat, moderate to low in carbs. It's a totally satisfying way of eating for ME. (And for most DSers I know.)

There is NO food that I simply can never eat. There are foods that I LIMIT my intake of, but nothing that I can't enjoy a few bites of.

I think we're ALL terrified of regain. A bounce-back of about 10% is fairly normal, but not everyone has regain. Some people do have significant regain. Some manage to lose it again, some don't. The only advice I can give you about this is, again, research all forms of WLS and choose the one that you think you can be most compliant with. It's really not a one-size-fits-all. 

I am 6 years out next month. It was the best thing i ever did. I have gained a bit, now starting to come off. I was a diabetic and now off all meds.

After I got home from surgery I took one pain pill the first night...more out of fear of pain than needing it. After that Tylenol. 5 days after surgery I taught a 2 hour painting class standing most of the time. I sat a few times-which I normally don't do, but was fine. I got tired in the afternoon for a few weeks.

Do I get hungry? Yes...but it is not ravenous hunger? No, it is more like- "oh, I need to eat something..."

The further out you are you can eat pretty much what you want.... but you still need to make good choices. I've been having a hankering for steak for awhile so tonight I made myself a Steakhouse dinner at home - 3oz beef tenderloin, 1/3c mushrooms and onions, 1/4 sauteed spinach, small chunk of baked potato... that was a bigger than normal amount of veggies, but I ate my protein first and ate it within the 30 minutes they tell you not to go over or it is grazing. Ate it slowly and totally enjoyed it.

Will it be the same? No. Can you still socialize and enjoy food? Yes.