Question:
What is the 1st three months like after the surgery?

I am still trying to get coverage. Am doing an appeal with my insurance, if that fails, will try through DH insurance. Anyway, I really want to know how bad it is after the surgery - I've been told at a informational meeting that it is really bad. However, I've read many differing things here. I realize that everyone is different, but is it really true that it is very normal to only be able to eat like 2 bites and then be REALLY full? How long does this last? Does everyone throw up at some point? If not, can they maintain such small portion control for as long? I'd appreciate any information. Thanks    — [Anonymous] (posted on November 1, 2000)

November 1, 2000
From my personal experience, I just cannot imagine anyone telling you that it is "really bad" after WLS. I had a proximal lap RNY in March...on clear liquids for the 2 day hospitalization, then full liquids for the next 3 weeks, followed by a soft diet for 3 more weeks, then regular diet as tolerated...no tubes, no drains, no external sutures or staples, and back to full time work in 8 days. For the first 3 weeks of full liquids, I was only eating 2-3 bites at a time, but that was enough to make me feel full and I was instructed to have 6 feedings a day during that period and also get in my protein supplements and as much water as I could comfortably drink. To be honest, the hardest part about that first 3 weeks was watching the clock and reminding myself that it was time to eat...the first time in my life that I ever had to "force" myself to eat something! I was never hungry then, nor have I ever been hungry during the past 7 months...and I still have to remind myself to eat! I only experienced vomiting on 2 occasions, and those were during the first weeks when I "forgot" and reverted back to a lifetime of old eating habits and either ate too fast or took one bite too many. The key for RNY patients is to take small bites, chew thoroughly, eat slowly and stop immediately when you feel full...but isn't that what we all should have been doing during our lives anyway? All WLS patients are not destined to experience nausea and vomiting...just follow the "rules". As the initial swelling at the operative site resolves and time goes on, you will find that you can gradually tolerate more food at any one meal. At 7 months post-op, I can eat a whole plate of salad (lettuce "dissolves" to a liquid state very quickly), but a small chicken breast completely fills me up. Trial and error...different tolerances for different folks...I cannot tolerate pork or eggs to this day, but other post-ops report that they do fine with those items. I figure that giving up those 2 foods is a fine trade-off for the 100 lbs. that I have lost! There will always be a minority of patients who unfortunately will experience some complications or negative side-effects, but for me, this was the best decision I ever made and I can identify absolutely nothing "bad" about my experience. Good luck and best wishes!
   — Diana T.

November 2, 2000
The first 3 months for me was the "feeling out" stage. My open RNY went without any complications, and I have no regrets about my decision. It has never gotten "really bad" for me. For the first month, I treated myself very tenderly. Introduce new foods very, very slowly and only in extremely small quantities until you know how you're going to handle it. Treat your new body with kit gloves. Chew chew chew and avoid high fat and high sugary things. You will find that a few bites is all you need to keep you satisfied and full, and soon you will be able to eat a little more than just a few bites. I can eat a little more now at 6 montsh post op but thankfully no where near the huge quantities of food I used to eat. If I overeat or eat something that really disagrees with me, I throw up. I know this may disturb some people, but I am actually grateful for that built in mechanism. It helps me stay in control because it is a reminder of what will happen when I misbehave! For the first 3 months I realy had to force myself to eat - I had little desire to do so. Don't worry you'll do fine. Remember, when you are immediately post op, you are relearning a lot of things. Be patient with yourself and go with the flow. Don't sweat it if you don't get everything exactly right all the time. Give yourself time to heal and learn. :):):)
   — Paula G.

November 2, 2000
I am still in the three month post op time frame. I am just a couple of weeks shy of being 3 months post op. I have not had any problems at all. I have tolerated all different kinds of foods and have only had one episode of dumping and that was with Chinese food. To date I have lost 77lbs and I feel fantastic. Before surgery I could eat all day long and now I can only eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of food at any one sitting but that satisifies me and I have 100% more energy than I did 2 1/2 months ago. I would do this surgery 10 more times just to feel like I do right now.
   — Jeannette S.

November 2, 2000
Yes, everyone is different, and every <b>Surgery type</b> is different. I had the Duodenal Switch which allows us to eat a little more than some other procedures. It <i>is</i> major surgery and it did knock me on my butt for about 5 weeks with fatigue, but I had no pain and could eat pretty darn well. To read what my post op experience was like you can go to <a href="http://www.mywls.com/Post-Op/post-op.html">My postop story</a>. Good luck to you!
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 2, 2000
I can't give you information on the full three months as I am only 9 weeks post op(open RNY), but I'll tell you what it's like to date. The actual surgery was less painful that I was afraid it might be (I son't kid you - it hurt). It took me almost a week on the liquids before I finally got the hang of it as to what I could have. The soft diet portion wasn't bad either. I've been on "real" food for three weeks now and have only had a problem with one food. In nine weeks I think I have vomited about six times. I eat more than two bites before I get full. The key is to eat slow and chew your food well. By taking your time eating it allows you to know when you are starting to feel full. You will reach a point that if you eat one more bite you will be sick. I went back to work part time at 2 1/2 weeks and was up to full time by six weeks post op. I feel better than I have in a very long time and have lost 45 pounds. And yes, I would do it again!
   — georgiacarol