Give it to me straight...

I'm 3 months post op, and honestly there have been days I almost regretted it. The surgery was a breeze, no pain, just tired and sore. The post opp liquid diet was hard, the around 1.5 months po, I started having ALOT of nausea, they tried to treat it with meds, but not very effective. Doctor said "some people do have nausea fir a few months after" so I guess that was gonna be me. It was tough, like morning sickness, but I never threw up, pretty much all day every day. I struggled to eat, protein drinks I could nt get down anymore, I didn't get in enough fluid s. Nausea persisted up until about 2 weeks ago and I finally feel like I can eat my protien now and am building up to getting all my fluids. 

The biggest thing for me has been coming to understand how much space in my life food took up! I have lost craving for sweets, I struggle with carbs though, during my nausea days I became dependent on oatmeal for breakfast., but I work hard to try to eat my protien, if I do that, I find I dint have much room for anything else. There are days I'd love a big icey cold coke, and days I want some Five Guys fries, but this is my new reality and I'm coming to terms with it. 

I have lost 50 pounds, feel good, look more like what I used to think I looked like in my head..lol.

I too was very anxious, scheduled and cancelled the surgery once, waited 3 years then finally went through with it. I finally accepted the fact that Id never know if it would work for me unless I actually had the surgery!

Good luck!

I do not think that I would have been successful had I pursued WLS back when I first met someone who had had surgery. I wasn't in the right headspace, not at all. It wasn't until I hit my lowest point (and highest weight!) that I really began to look inward and decided that I needed to start making some pretty drastic changes in my life. I started researching in earnest, and after six months I decided to attend a free seminar offered by the local Bariatric Center of Excellence. By that point in my journey I had already lost 40lbs by eliminating fast food and soda and starting to log my food and activity, but I still was not ready to commit to surgery. I didn't turn in my packet until nearly seven months later, once I felt like I was finally in the right place both mentally and physically to commit to this enormous decision.

I am now three weeks post-op and I am totally at peace with my 'new normal' in every way. I am prepared for trials and temptations in the future, and I know that I will have bad days along with the good ones, but I am confident that this was the right decision, made at the right time in my life. Only you can decide what is right for your life, and I wish you luck with your journey :)

Thought I'd give you a perspective from a bit further out.  This August it will be five years for me, and my weight in my signature is accurate,  143 lbs.  I was utterly convinced that this surgery would not work for me.  But from Day One I took it day by day, just putting one foot in front of the other, following my plan thru stalls, finding my way back from errors in food decision-making, all the time convinced that I was going to be the outlier but doing these things anyway because that's what I was supposed to do.  (I'm a bit of a rule-follower, and I think that helps.)

And for the past five years, having WLS was the central, defining fact of my life.  Pretty much everything revolved around it, even after hitting maintenance.  Thinking about and planning my meals.  Getting in my water (a challenge because I still don't drink and eat at the same time, in fact I like to avoid liquids as long as possible after a meal to make it last longer).  Getting my vites in.  Cooking, my God the cooking!  Which can sometimes be an issue because I'm still working, although working from home has made a big difference there. Making sure I have on hand what I need (and remembering to take things out of the freezer so they can thaw).  Getting in my walks, which has become easier to do twice a day now that I have a dog.  And on and on. 

In the past few months I've noticed, though, that things seem to have normalized a bit.  I no longer think about being a WLS patient every waking moment.  The way I eat, a sort of "Paleo-with-cheese" kind of food plan, is much more normal for me now, almost automatic.  I'm able to completely avoid sugar, grains, potatoes, etc.  I recently went on a 17-day vacation to Ecuador (Galapagos Islands, rainforest, it was wonderful, and VERY active for a 65-yeaar-old), and food was never a problem.  I don't find my style of eating to be a problem anywhere, really.  The volume of food I can eat is on the small side of normal; no one who didn't know about my WLS would guess that I had a capacity issue.  I've gotten used to how I look (which doesn't stop me from admiring myself in any available mirror or window). 

The head hunger is still there, kind of a low-grade, constant buzz in the back of my mind, like tinnitus.  Advertising triggers it often. I can usually just ignore it. (But if I found out I had six months to live, I swear I would dive face-first into sugar and bread and never come up for air.)  I eat on plan about 99% of the time, and it's pretty automatic, as I've said.  That doesn't mean that I'm not vigilant, though - the Beast could come roaring back to life any time.

My surgery experience was pretty easy, recovery was smooth, so the surgery itself has taken on a smaller and smaller part of my experience. The best advice I can give you is that the surgery will work if you work it.  (We used to say the same thing in Overeaters Anonymous, I wonder if they still do.)  Be prepared for a major life upheaval for about five years before things start settling into your new normal.  It won't be your current normal, or at least I hope it won't.  But you'll figure out how to create a normal that works for you. 

Good luck!

If I could hug each and everyone one of you I would. So consider this my hug. Squeeeeeeeeze!

Thank all of you so much for taking the time to reply to my post. Taking the time to share your experience means a lot to me and you should know that I have read every word multiple times and will probably do so many more. The support you have shown is amazing. HUGS!

I still have time before I make my decision (it is still leaning toward getting it done) and I know there is no one that can make it for me, but your thoughtful responses have given me more perspectives to consider it from, and for that I will always be thankful. :) I'm sure you will see me posting more questions as time goes on, it's nice to know that I'm not in this alone.

I've been lurking on the boards for a couple of weeks now, I'm in the process of getting approved for the Gastric Sleeve.  This thread has been extremely helpful to me, it gives me hope.  Thanks to all of you for your honesty and sharing your journeys.

I even printed off a couple of especially moving comments to reread on the rough days to come!

I found out about the sleeve around Christmas time from my husband's cousin who had it done. I was so tire of being fat I decided I want to do this. January 2, 2015 changed my life. I was never scared about the surgery. A couple weeks post op I thought what have I done ( that was the liquid in liquid out phase). I'm happy with my decision. I still go out to eat with my family only now I don't order anything, I just get a few bites of what they ordered. The one thing about this surgery is that it has showed me just how much food people eat. That I used to eat. At family gatherings it just shocks me how much food they put on their plates and I'm full after a few bites. It's great. I wished I had known about it sooner. Good luck with whatever you decide in your future!

I'm not going to sugar coat it and I don't want to sound nonchalant. Let me preface this that I'm only six months out. This road has been easy for me starting from the program before surgery to surgery itself to now being six months out. I consider myself lucky as I had no complications and recovered quickly. I followed directions after surgery and since then on out it has been a breeze. I had some personal issues and stress in the new year, but I never once turned back to food and the sleeve didn't get in the way. I wish I would have done this 10 years ago. Follow directions & stick to the plan. Its not rocket science. You'll have success.