Question:
Informed but still surprising...
Even though you had read about it, talked about it, and researched it, what is the one thing, that you were not prepared for the reality of...after surgery? — Ladi_DiAnna (posted on April 11, 2008)
April 11, 2008
How little I could really eat. The fact that I was not hungry, at all.
How fast the weight fell off. The first 6 months were a little rough
introducing foods but after that I rarely had any problems. 100 pounds
came off in the first 6 months. I had lap RNY 4 1/2 years ago.
— Carlyn M.
April 11, 2008
Malabsorption is a reality I NEVER imagined would be a problem for me
specifically since I have always ate with nutrition in mind (even when I
was morbidly obese) I thought that I didn't need all my extra vitamins
after 4 years because I was eating enough by this time. I also noticed
that I could gain weight...so how could I malabsorb vitamins if I was not
malabsorbing calories...I thought that if I felt fine I didn't need to go
to the doctor as often for labs either...WRONG...You CAN gain weight and
still find yourself with malnutriotion from not taking your vitamins! OR
checking up with labs! So DO IT!!!! Don't be stupid like me...This is why
I come here and stress this point....I was great the first 3 years...Now I
am trying my best to get my vitamins back to healthy levels. All I would
have had to do was take my vitamins daily! How ridiculous is that?
— .Anita R.
April 11, 2008
I nver imagined after I got skinny my husband would leave me. I am sooo
glad he did though. I had a hard time with not being able to eat like I
used to eat. My mind wanted the food but my stomach didnt.
— Joanc
April 11, 2008
VERY good question.
1. they gave me hyphern (sp?) shots in the hospital - which they told me
about, but not how painful they would be.
2. the first 2-3 weeks after surgery eating liquids, pureed and then soft
foods was remarkable hard. I dealt and was fine, but let's face it - we are
carnivores and like to "chew" our food. I would of given anything
just to chew some food, have some texture and taste.
that's it really.
— jammerz
April 11, 2008
i am going to expound on the malabsorptiom issue- its the number 1 problem
we will have forever- and I knew better, as a retired doc- so here
goes---you will find out your GP doesn't know squat about how your body
works now. If you are at all like me, I went into my WLS because I needed
a rt hip, rt knee and rt shoulder replaced, due to work injuries -took
normal amounts or pain meds pre op. Now, and in the last 4 years, even
though I am in the same profession as the surgeons and reg docs, they just
dont give a flying fig that we are running approx 80% malabsorption-this is
with everything. When I finally yelled back at mine, for them to cut their
pain pills in 5 pieces- 20% each piece and take just one and see how it
took care of their pain, then tell me how it felt, did they finally start
to listen. Do you realize, the percentage of pregnancies a woman of child
bearing years gets pregnant after wls because their birth control pills
dont work? Over 72%. The percentage of wls patients both male and female
who are on some kind of antidepressants pre op, where their dosages have
been regulated, have so many problems post op, because their docs dont want
to play around with their medications to actually make them fit their new
bodies. I have made a study of this, and have gotten more than 37
different medical practices here in the southern calif area, to require any
physician who refers a patient for WLS, to be made to sit in on the
surgeons and the patients pre op seminars- they need to know as much if not
more than we ( THE PATIENTS ) do about post op life. It isnt just losing
weight, following the eating rules, the drinking water, the exercise,
because those things make sense, its everything else they need to know, in
order to take the best care of you-me, their patients. The vitamins are
essential too, just like any other medicine. Telling yourself u will take
them later, just doesnt cut water any more. This is our life now. Learn
from this little statement, and if yu are pre op please discuss this with
your GP, since this is the person you will be seeing- they dont realize you
wil need to open all capsules and pour it into some crystal light if they
put u on antibiotics in that form. They dont realize, no matter how far
out you are, you will still have to completely chop your pills up into
almost powder, no matter if you think you dont have to, your pills wont
work at their max if you dont. If you can get pain meds in elixir form,
even for a tooth ache, get it. Remember, nothing time relesed either- wont
work. Chewable is good- best actually-the stomas are still small even 4
years out. If you have any questions, you can always email me and I will
be happy to expand on the latest regarding this topic. I havent been on
the boards in a while, but I am back, and ready to help anyone who asks.
Cindi 3.24.04 - 230lbs and maintaining because i still think i am 3 weeks
post op hee hee [email protected]
— DollyDoodles
April 11, 2008
How quickly I became full AND how one bite beyond that made me miserable.
Eat slowly, rest between bites. You won't like that one bite too many
feeling! Good luck. I love my rny. Deb
— Debbi S.
April 11, 2008
well one thing i didn't realize that is food is always going to be a hit or
miss as far as if it makes you sick or not....one day i can eat a bowl of
shrimp and be fine and then a couple of days later i eat 2 of them and get
violently ill! i'm also amazed that i can eat sugary junkie stuff and be
fine but eat something healthy and i'm a ready to hurl! still this is the
best gift i could ever give myself....and it gives me structure and
discipline which i severely lacked when i was overweight...
— lizzie42
April 12, 2008
Prior to this surgery, I had never had a surgery. The one tiny little
detail that was not covered was that any of the incisions could
"ooze" -- it's a natuaral thing, as it turns out - not
necessarily sign of infection, but when it happened, it freaked me out
BIGTIME!
Other than that, I was hungry after surgery when all I had heard was that
after surgery no one was hungry....It doesn't matter to me if it could have
been head hunger - at the time, I WAS HUNGRY....but in the almost 5 months
since, that has diminished significantly. My eyes are now HUGE compared to
what I can actually eat, and that is a blessing.
Sincerely,
Dani Down 85 pounds!
— zandeldm
April 12, 2008
Be prepared for the likelihood that you may NEED plastic surgery for all
the remaining hanging skin. It can look horrible. HOWEVER, the real
shocker is the (sorry) Frankenstein monster-like appearance of the scars.
It's a tough call which looks worse. Just my opinion.
— blues-singer
April 12, 2008
I never doubted until I woke up from surgery and then I had the thought
"What did I just do?". That surprised me. I had done all the
reading, research, classes a lot of times, support groups, stopped drinking
soda and was pretty prepared. I was surprised how easy it was to get
full, and how soon it really passed. It was a daily struggle to exercise
and fight for my weight loss, but it was worth every effort. I was also
surprised at the confidence boost for me. Patricia P.
— Patricia P
April 12, 2008
Much luck with you surgery, keep us all posted! I think the most real
thing is realizing after 6 months and 92#'s lost that I was actually THAT
BIG and never saw it! That was hard for me to take!
— reretheplaylady
April 12, 2008
I keep asking myself...Why didn't I do this sooner! There are all
different answers and some of them not so positive, but for me there is no
real answer to everything, I can just say I am healthier on no more
diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea machine.
This is the best thing I have ever done for myself and my family. I wish
you the best as you start a new life!
— wandajomorgan
April 12, 2008
i am a little over 6 mo. postop and i think the hardest thing for me, that
i didnt expect, has been hearing people say how good i look since i have
lost wt. i know i look (and feel) soo much better now, BUT sometimes it
makes me want to say "damn, did i really look that BAD before my
surgery!!!" its hard to explain and sounds crazy, but true. people
dont really tell you how fat you are until you start loosing wt then the
truth comes out about how they really felt when you were big....and
sometimes that is hard to hear especially coming from your closest friends
and family. don't get me wrong, i do enjoy hearing the compliments too, but
i guess i am just hormonal and sometimes the comments strike me the wrong
way. it has been a wonderful journey for me so far and i would go back and
do it all over again...good luck, Holly
— RNlvnCARSON
April 12, 2008
It was scary realizing I was full on 2 oz. of liquid. That's when it hit
me that I had really done it; I had changed part of my anatomy. Planning,
researching, contemplating is not the same as actually living it. It took
a good 4 weeks to really wrap my head around and get with the program
emotionally. Now I am 3 months out and SOOOOO happy I did this! You will
be, too. All the best.
— eddyrider3
April 14, 2008
I was surprised by how u feel when u eat. The "full" sensation
that I knew is different. Its not the same emotional satisfaction that came
from eating. And I actually felt a sense of loss that I had to work
through.may sound strange, but I fully expected to feel the same
"full" sensation. I miss that.
Mari
— wowmomma
April 14, 2008
I was surprised by how u feel when u eat. The "full" sensation
that I knew is different. Its not the same emotional satisfaction that came
from eating. And I actually felt a sense of loss that I had to work
through.may sound strange, but I fully expected to feel the same
"full" sensation. I miss that.
Mari
— wowmomma
April 14, 2008
I was surprised by how u feel when u eat. The "full" sensation
that I knew is different. Its not the same emotional satisfaction that came
from eating. And I actually felt a sense of loss that I had to work
through.may sound strange, but I fully expected to feel the same
"full" sensation. I miss that.
Mari
— wowmomma
April 14, 2008
Sorry my response is much later than the others. I don't want to sound
negative either, but I found the level of my depression was much greater
that ever before in my life. I grieved the loss of my best friend FOOD.
Also the meds don't work as they did in the past and it took me the whole
first year to finally get to the point where I am glad that I had the
surgery. So I was really surprised that the loss of 110 pounds did not make
me "happy" like I thought it would. Hmmmm, I wonder how I would
feel if I "should" win the lottery????
— Toni Todd
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