What I wish I knew before my surgery

Not like I'm counting or anything.. but next week at this time I'll be getting ready to head to the hosptial.  We all know that they don't tell you everything and there's always things that afterwards you say.. I wish I had known.... So those of you who are on the loosing bench...  What is it that you wish you knew before your surgery... It can be anthing... Surgery related, hospital stay, when you get home etc... Since I still have a week to think about this, I'm trying to become as informed as possible... Thanks everyone..

Everything for me was so darn routine!  OTHER THAN...the many, many hours I had to wait hooked up to an IV, in my pretty compression hose and gown, UNTIL they finally found my band in Utica, NY.  My surgery was in Syracuse!  LOL  Let me tell ya, I second guessed whether I should have gotten dressed and left during that time period, cried because I had let myself go for so long, but when it was over..and still today, at 8 months out, I'd leave right now to do it again!  I wish you the best of luck sweetie.  Can't wait for you to come back to the board and let us know how you've done!

Muah xo

I wish I had known... my shoes were going to all be too big (like two sizes too big) that I was going to lose a lot of hair that I'd be going through clothes sizes so fast that my taste buds were going to change pain killers can make you constipated there is really nothing on tv that's good--after a week in bed you'll understand this completely there are NO good protein shakes--they ALL taste like grass or sand But mainly I wish I'd known how great I would feel and look and I wish I'd done this 5 years ago!! All the best!!

One thing to remember after surgery is to take a day at a time.  At first you will wonder "what have I got myself in to".  I was very exhausted after my surgery for about 90 days.  You need to remember that this is major surgery and your body has to have time to heal.  Don't overdo right away.  I have NO regrets...I have progressed to eating small amounts of food I want...no high fat or high sugar...but, I lead a very normal life.  I am 94 pounds down...43 to go...and feel like a million.  We will be praying for you for a perfect surgery...please keep us updated. Rosemary

Hm. I wish I'd known that I'd get my period the day after my surgery. Bring personal items - JUST IN CASE. I wish I'd remembered chapstick and some lotion. It gets very dry in hospitals. Bring a pair of sweats to wear under your hospital gown so you can be comfier.

i wish i had known that not drinking enough water can make any little stones you have in your kidney to pop right  out and put you in incredible pain....... i would have been drinking it by the gallon if i had known that before surgerY!!    I also wish i had known that none of my shoes would fit after the first month.....   it was a surprise when i went back to work and had to wear two pair of socks to keep my shoes on.

 

Ok I wish i'd known that the stuff they make you drink to test the flow of liquids the day after surgery literally turns to cement in your digestive tract and that a little bit of Miralax in your water will help with the passing of the cement.  I ended up in the ER with a bowel impaction.  Lets just say my darling husband knows way too much about my back side.  Bless his heart.  I'm just saying you do not want to have to strain to pass anything because it's somwhat painful if you do.  walk a little bit each day, it helps with the sore stomach muscles.  If you have lap dogs, keep a pillow on your abdomen so if they jump up on you, you have a buffer zone.  I wish you a very speedy recovery and an uneventful surgery.  You will not regret having this done.  I go in for my 6 week check up on Monday and for the first time in my life, I can't wait to hop on the scale.  Best wishes

I wish I knew to bring a pillow for the car ride home. My tummy was so sore with every bump and turn. It also helps when getting up and down the first few days after surgery. I also wish I had been on actigall--meds to break up gallstones from day 1---I just had the GB out yesterday. It's definately easier then any WLS, but still not fun! Best of luck---oh and the clothes thing is so true...I bought tops and pants and wore them like one time and boom they were too BIG. Hit the sales racks and wear the clothes that do fit as much as possible until they become too BIG. Get your monies worth. I bought an amazing pair of Calvin KLein jeans---had them altered because I am short and ended up shrinking out of them in like 3 weeks...not cool considering those puppies were $95!

I tend to think about this in a different manner perhaps....Maybe not what I wish I knew but what I wish I could of accepted and let go of! (All the thinking I did to avoid feeling! as well as judgments and regrets! Whatever you think of after is hindsight and is 20/20 as they say but I think now, HOW IS THAT HELPFUL other than to further shame myself and keep me down. I instead attempt to reflect with the goal to learn and grow so notice w/o judgment, letting go of need to do things perfect has helped me a lot with this) The little things I so worried about (such as what to bring, if I needed a fan, if I could bring extra pillows or having the perfect plan postop etc really were attempts to soothe my anxiety and fear of the unknown (death especially!), now I see that but the lesson just keeps coming up until I master it, the lesson is acceptance, letting go, making a decision and being ok with the outcome regardless if it turns out as I hoped because my plan is not always what is best for me! Making an educated and informed decision is important, for myself though letting go of the need to be perfect, rigid thinking (all/nothing), needing to control everything and in doing all the thinking avoiding the feeling and life, being consumed with WLS in general so much I 'lost my life/identity' to a LABEL (I was a WLS person) when in fact I am much more than that. That despite the OPERATION the need for myself to do personal growth (therapy, 12 step work, develop supportive network, learn to take care of me FIRST) around my personality/character traits of codependency and how they are so intertwined into my obesity no tool can fix those (although I wi**** could of, that would of been magic as many of us hope WLS will be!). That in acceptance of myself at any moment, healthy boundaries, taking care of myself I could succeed or at least learn to reframe success as something more than a number on a scale or if I ate enough that day in protein or didn’t eat too many carbs or drank enough fluid or got exactly enough exercise in etc. Surgery was the easy part looking back although going through it I thought it was the hard part (ha how skewed that was!) living the lifestyle after in a consistent, self responsible manner is the most CHALLENGING thing I have ever chosen to do, I did not realize preop the immense effort it takes each moment to be healthy! It is so worth that energy though the freedom it brings! I wish I had accepted vs. known intellectually that Happiness and Success will NEVER EVER come from an external source (person, object, number on the scale). It can and will ONLY come from internal self-discovery and love. Listening to my BODY is key, my natural physical hunger, my body knows and will not let me down Sometimes we consume our lives with food, thinking about what we can and can not have, when we can eat or should eat, how much, how often, how it should be cooked, when to buy it, how much, etc that we occupy so much time and do not even realize that we have no time left to feel (the point) in an addiction, it takes over us so we can forget us and what we are scared/fearful of feeling/being. I think the WLS lifestyle can be a sort of addiction and escape for a while ****il life overwhelms the beauty of the honeymoon!) and for myself exercise became an obsessive addiction as well.  I wish I had known that WLS is one of the million steps on my life’s journey *it is not the destination*!  I wish I had worked more on finding inner peace with my decision to have WLS with living preop best I could by taking some time to meditate, journal, pray, use positive affirmations like those found at http://www.dailyinspiringquotes.com or http://www.nawls.com/public/department27.cfm or here http://www.unityonline.org/pray_prayersaffirmations.htm  etc on my decision.

 

 

 

Writing all the reasons why this was my choice, what my expectations and goals were (*considering those beyond wt loss itself), what I was so fearful of. All my core fears (Death, Failure, Making wrong decision, not being accepted and loved/abandoned, not perfect enough etc)

 

I recommend those preop consider trying to fill their minds with as much optimism and positive thinking as possible! Basically, become more conscious of what you are thinking and feeling, and start preparing yourself to think of food and your life in a different way. This is a courageous step for you to take, and it's not just about weight changing -- it's about life changing. This is why so many of us are challenged by the enormity of the decision.

 

 

 

In closing I would not be who I am or where I am without my past, I am choosing to be grateful today for all my struggles/challenges, as they were only lessons and opportunities that presented themselves and that I have been able to embrace and learn and grow from. Without them I would not be where or who I am today a STRONG WARRIOR! I needed those things such as my exercise addiction to be able to see that balance is possible, that feeling is okay, that I am perfect the way I am, that I am loveable, that I can make decisions and live with the outcome! Be well! And thanks for the topic!

 

 

I wish i would have known how HAPPY and HEALTHY i would be and i would have done this a long time ago. Good luck with your surgery , positive thoughts and prayers for a textbook surgery and quick and easy recovery. LisaMarie