Question:
What is one thing no one told you before surgery that you wish you would have known?
I am winding up the steps required by my insurance for RNY and getting very excited! I should be having surgery in April or May. I was just wondering if there was anything that you experienced after WLS that no one had mentioned that you would now be willing to share with a pre-op patient? Also, what is one thing/appliance/food that you would recommend to pre-op's? Thanks! — Clumsybarbie (posted on March 11, 2009)
March 10, 2009
I think going into the surgery we are all so desperate to lose the weight
that when people tell you certain things they just dont matter. I barely
recall someone telling me about how angry she was that people treated her
so nice now that she is smaller, and that, beware, you are going to go
through periods of really hating your body with your clothes off. I
remember thinking how vain that person was. All I cared about was getting
smaller. Woah and Behold here is the new me, 100lbs lighter and I find
that I still have some major body issues. In other words it is very hard
to stop critizing yourself, when you've been doing it for so long. It is a
very important thing to work on, I have already seen a few people who look
awesome with their clothes on but are so depressed about how they look with
their clothes off. So be aware, so that you can prepare yourself for these
very common feelings. My favorite thing I use post op is a mini chopper by
Black and Decker and my blender for my shakes. I bought a food scale,
advised by someone else, and have used it once. Good Luck!
— jenniknowles
March 10, 2009
It's not that I wasn't told, but I did not understand that the surgery is
really just a tool, and that there's no magic. You have to still be in
charge and make the correct choices. I was told right out that the surgery
was a just a tool but until I used it I didn't "get it". Here's
the thing though. It's such a wonderful tool/gift to have this great help
on the journey. It makes me not want to go back to where I was. I would
do this all over again in the blink of an eye if I had to. Good luck on
your journey with your wonderful surgical "tool". It's worth it
all.
— katiecakes
March 10, 2009
I did alot of research pre op so I was very prepared physically,
emotionally, psychologically post op. I usually have a high pain tolerance
so I wasn't surprised that I experienced very little pain post op. I did
have nausea the first 2 days & a very very dry/parched mouth (honestly,
that was the worst part of surgery!!). Those mouth swabs were a life saver
for me day 1 post op & sipping water/ice chips (even when I walked the
halls) helped me too.
Regarding appliances...I bought a Magic Bullet & use it everyday! I
also recently purchases a combination blender/food processor to use when I
need to blend/puree my foods. I also bought 2 sizes of a metal mesh
strainer which I use when I blend soups. I am still on the full liquid
phase post surg, so it makes the soup very fine without pieces that could
hurt or get stuck in my new pouch. I did buy a digital food scale at
Target, but only used it once pre surg. I figure I'll use it more when I
begin eating "real" foods & need to weigh protein like
chicken/turkey, etc. My favorite protein powder is Unjury...love the
chocolate & unflavored (which you can add to everything without
changing the taste) & the vanilla powder-- I add SF DaVinci syrups to
them (I have about 7 of them). I did go overboard with that purchase, lol
& I'm sure I'll never see the bottom of the bottles! I like switching
up my protein drinks so I don't get tired of 1 flavor. Best of luck in your
journey & keep my posted.
Hugs, Diane
— angel325
March 11, 2009
The one thing I did not understand is how this would affect social
situations. When I go out to eat with people it bothers them how little I
eat and how slow I eat. I get a cup of soup and take half of it home. A
dinner salad will last me as long as their entre. I don't eat out much now.
Stopping by fast food on the way somewhere is a real challenge to find
things that will work. I usually just get a kids meal with milk and finish
half. People think it is strange when you order milk with your fast food.
They don't say it but they look at you very strange.
The other thing to prepare for is going through clothes sizes very fast. I
went from a 22 to a 12 in six months. Lucky for me my daughter had clothes
from when she lost weight so I had it covered. I find it depressing when
the outfit that looked cute last week is just to big. It is great but still
you want to just grab clothes and go and I am always having to sort out the
too big ones and get more. I am 8 months out now.
— trible
March 11, 2009
This may be TMI, but it would have been nice if they had told me what my
stools were going to be like post-op at home so that I could have prepared.
It won't be pleasant, black, tarry, loose - liquid, even... and they sneak
up on you without warning, causing accidents that you'll need help cleaning
up... or at least I did.
— Erica Alikchihoo
March 11, 2009
The appliance I couldn't live without postop was my magic bullet. I used it
everyday for the first 6 weeks. I just started on regular food and started
eating out again(of course it's small, soups,chili and you take half of it
home) but is amazes me how much food people eat. Now that I only eat very
small amounts I sit and wait while other people eat and it's tough because
you can't even order a cup of decaf because you can't drink for a half
hour. I'm not hungry but I don't want to sit at a table for an hour and a
half. I have found that frustrating.
— [Deactivated Member]
March 11, 2009
I'm almost 9 weeks out from lapband surgery. Keeping foods in the house to
eat is very important. Have the fridge constantly stocked with high protein
snacks like nuts, cheeses, yogurts, and protein shakes. get a base list of
food items and always pick those up. Shop for additional items as you try
new recipes and stuff. I'm have an dining out habit that is hard to break
but this helps me a lot. :-) Good luck with your surgery and keep in
touch!
— slimcolagirl
March 11, 2009
This may sound silly, but I have a huge sinus problem. I wish someone had
told me that when the drainage runs down the back of your throat it fills
your pouch. If your pouch is full you can't eat. If you have sinum
problems talk to your dr about the healing process and about changing your
sinus meds to sprays or liquid etc.
— phyllismmay
March 11, 2009
I mirror the answer about the Magic bullet. I love it! I had lap band last
week and the protein powders did not mix in as well as I would have liked.
I got the bullet, presto, great shakes. I was told but not prepared for the
GAS!!! Good luck. Jackie
— Boggma
March 11, 2009
The wrinkles in my face. Had I known,or even thought about it, I would have
started using creams~ before surgery. But other than that,,I expected it
all. My favorite can't do without stuff is unjury unflavored protein
powders that I mix with flavored waters by nestles. and my scale, and
support group! I weigh all my foods..9 months post op, I still weigh it
all. I never bought or used a blender..I drank soup broth, not soup, and on
the pureed stage I just ate soft foods, scram eggs, mashed potatoes,
cottage cheese, etc, I could do without mushing my food. But I measure all
my foods. I am up to eating 3-4 oz a meal and feel perfectly full and
content. I am still losing weight, tho I have only 3 lbs to goal. I lose
much much slower, and I was a slow loser anyway. Support group is a good
way to measure your "on the right track" self. Keeps you
accountable and lets you blow off steam..Good luck on your journey! I
would do it over again in a minute...wish I had it done years ago.
— gpcmist
March 11, 2009
One thing immediately post op that I was surprised with is the amount of
pain of the surgery. (I had lap RNY) I had been told by the dr. to expect
to feel "run over by a bus"-not everyone is so painful, but he
said to expect the worst and then if I was one of the lucky ones who
weren't in so much pain-great. I have a high pain tolerance so I felt I
would breeze through it. WRONG! It was very painful the first day. The
second day was markedly better and pain meds helped some. In about a week I
was almost 100% and have had no complications. I'd do it again in a
heartbeat!
I purchased some tiny ceramic bowls in 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup sizes-I could
bake or micro them. Very handy and at 3 months out I still use them. I
purchased a magic bullet and used it for only one week-now I'm going to
sell it!
— Kristi K.
March 11, 2009
Teri-Neal, another thing I thought of was to always keep low sugar yogurt
handy. I found whenever my stomahc gave me
problems I found the yogurt to be very soothing. This was a great question!
— Muggs
March 12, 2009
I was well prepared for the dietary changes after surgery...however, I
don't feel I was prepared for what it is like to recover from any major
surgery. I had never had abdominal surgery before and I thought I would be
up and about a few days later. It has been 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery
and I am still in a lot of pain at times. I also still have a hard time
with household tasks and chores. I am single and live alone and had I
realized I would be so immobile for so long I would have hired someone to
help me with my dogs and housework.
The other thing is be prepared for anything. I had been told I would be
leaving the hospital on pureed foods and was actually kept on full liquids
for a while after. I had prepared to puree. That meant I was missing
protein powders to add to my liquids so that I got all my nutrients
in...and I could not shop for myself. I live rurally and have really
burned friends out asking for help with things. I feel that general post
surgery explanations would have been helpful in addition to the specific
bypass stuff.
— Olivia P.
March 12, 2009
I have to echo what Peggy Stempfly said. I heard the words but I did not
understand that the surgery is a tool. At first I thought "Oh how
great! I'm not hungry! I have desire to eat! It's miracle!" Now that
I'm 4 months out, some of my old food issues are beginning to resurface.
I'm starting to feel hunger again and it's up to me to make good food
choices rather than poor ones in spite of the cravings. It isn't a whole
lot easier than before surgery. Every day is a struggle. I've also found
that I have absolutely no idea how much food is the right amount. I felt so
guilty for so long about every bite of food that I think I'm being bad when
often I'm not not getting enough. I should be weighing or measuring
everything and sometimes I do but I struggle with that also because I want
to be "normal." Well I guess I probably have to adjust my idea
of--or perhaps create a new "normal" for myself. The short answer
is that the surgery is on your BODY, not your mind; whatever food issues
were there before will not be magically cut away. They still have to be
dealt with. Having said all that. I've lost 77 lbs so far and I feel better
already. I stil have a long way to go but I have more faith in myself now
that I can finally be successful at weight loss. I wish you the best!
— Tina G.
March 12, 2009
Nobody told me I would be out of work for a full month-- not because I
wasn't ready to go back, but because they demanded surgical clearance that
I could lift 10 lbs. Wound up blowing almost all of my sick and vacation
time. The other thing is something I knew but I guess it just didn't hit
home. I remembering being told that after losing a significant amount of
weight most of us still see the same old person in the mirror and in our
minds. OMG, is it true! Since October I've gone from a size 26 to a
18/1X... but it wasn't until a friend sent me side-by-side pictures of
myself from a few years ago and this past weekend that it really hit home.
Sure, I look at myself in the mirror and see clothes falling off me. I hear
things people say about how much I've lost. Yet I still feel and, in my
mind, still am just as big. Out of habit I'm careful when I have to squeeze
past people and find myself sitting in the largest chair available unless I
think about it. There are a dozen little ways that it still hasn't quite
sunk in for me and in a way I think it's made me more self-conscious than I
was pre-op. If a guy compliments my appearance or looks me over, it just
gets worse. May sound crazy, but I'd gotten so used to my size that I took
it for granted in a sense. Getting used to being noticed for something
other than that will take getting used to.
— snickersblk
March 12, 2009
Hi, I am 16 days post-op lap RNY. I have been lucky to have literally no
pain, no problems with bowels, no problems with periods, no problems with
food reactions. I still, however, can't sleep in my own bed comfortably
due to my G-tube. A recliner was/is ESSENTIAL for me. I bought one just
for the purpose. In the full liquid/pureed stage I have found one of those
stick blenders to puree my food a necessity. I can take almost any canned
soup and whiz it right up, including deli sliced turkey and ham. Also, one
more tip I was given and am using, if you go home in a car that does not
have leather/vinyl seats, bring a trashbag to sit on. It will make it easy
to slide when getting in/out of the car. Good luck :o)
— opheliafl
March 12, 2009
I could probably go on and on all day about the little all kinds of little
things...I think I have actually done just that everytime this question
gets asked! I'll try not to repeat what others said...here are a few
biggies fo mine...Your friends and family will have different reactions
toward a thinner you...Some will be jealous, some will try to sabotage your
progress...and some will stop talking to you all together. My mom tries to
feed me after spending her whole life trying to make me diet! UGH! ..You
learn who your real friends are and that hurts...You learn to respect
yourself and some people don't like that! Then there is opposite sex
attention...I was SOOOO not prepared for that...and the old feelings of
insecurity as men began turning their heads and saying stuff again...It
really pissed me off and made me umcomfortable and very anxious! I am now a
recluse in real life because of it! People begin smiling at you when you
pass by...It's just weird! When people rush at me to hug me...I cringe and
hyperventilate... I have issues that i went to years of therapy for rape
and child abuse...So it was extremely hard to become an attractive woman
again and revisit old feelings...I learned "everywhere you go...there
you are"...You can't run away from yourself...and losing weight, you
are still the same person...If you had a bad marriage before surgery, it
will still be a bad marriage afterwards, unless you WORK on it. Surgery
doesn't fix what's wrong in your head...Your mental image of yourself
doesn't change easily either...I still look in the mirror and see a fat
person with loose skin here and there...Where once was plump and fullness
just sags. I still have an eating disorder and at anytime I can regress if
I do not TRY every single day to make good choices...After all the
attention of losing weight stops and it does stop...I thought, wow...well
this is boring! LOL Being thin makes you AVERAGE! EEK! Average is soooo
boring after a while!LOL You have to remind yourself that being healthy is
worth it...'cause being a star is OVER once everyone sees you as a thin
person! LOL And last...do not under-estimate mal-nutrition with RNY...It's
real...and losing your bodies vitamin stores is a very slow process...DO
NOT assume you do not need to take ALL your vitamins daily on a schedule
all day long...FOREVER...DO not ignore symptoms or skip yearly vitamin and
blood labs...Be your own health care advocate and make sure you get the all
the vitamins checked and keep copies of your labs...Vitamin defs show up
3-5 years almost as clock work on MOST RNYers! And if you think taking 1-2
childrens multi vitamins is a enough to do for long term...you are sorely
mistaken...It will catch up...and once one thing goes off balance it all
goes off with one vit def trying to compensate for how your body reacts.
The longer you ignore symtoms (even mild ones as they mostly are) the more
at risk you are for permanent damage! And lastly...all carbs do not make
you gain weight...CALORIES DO! Remember that meat protein is loaded with
saturated fats...those fats are high calories too...Eating a nice balance
of foods from all groups keeps your vitamins from dropping as well because
the MOST bioavailable (absorbable) vitamins are those you EAT rather than
those you supplement!
— .Anita R.
March 12, 2009
I'm a DSer, and only two weeks out now, but I wish someone would have told
me NOT to buy a large quantity of milk or whey - based protein supplements!
Using those supplements put me back in the hospital for dehydration, due
to SUPER lactose intolerance! I am now 100% soy - supplements, milk,
margarine, everything!
One appliance that I would not be without: Mini food chopper. Thjis is a
miniature food processor that makes pureeing foods for 6 to 8 weeks after
surgery easy.
One food: Chicken broth/stock - When I have no appetite, which is often,
chicken stock keeps me hydrated, and can often whet my appetite for
something else.
— [Deactivated Member]
March 12, 2009
I'm now 8 wks out from RNY and although I did alot of research for about a
year talking with friends/family that had it done, I wish someone had told
me how BIG of an adjustment the first month would be, i.e. adjusting to
drinking protein, liquid diet and hoping that you don't get dehydrated.
Almost a week after surgery, I had to go back to the hospital due to
dehydration and my bowels being paralyzed. My doc said usually everything
goes back to normal function after a couple of days, but not me. My
stomach looked like I was 7 mos pregnant I was so full of air (due to
having it done laproscopically). The pain was horrible! I was able to go
home after about 3 days. I still had to adjust to the protein diet shakes,
etc. Just a word of caution - do know that everyone's taste buds are
different. So a protein drink that may taste good to one person may be
disgusting to you. I realize now that it's all trial & error and
everyone's complications are different (if there are any). So just be
prepared for a rough first month. Sorry, if I sounded negative but you
wanted to know the truth...Despite the rough beginning, I'm happy to say
that I've lost approx 32lbs, knees don't ache, I sleep better and able to
get into clothes I haven't worn in almost 10 yrs!
— Kayla B.
March 27, 2009
I have to agree with Anita on the vitamin thing, although I have been
religious with my vitamin regimen since day one I have big time issues with
malabsorption. I have to have iron infusions for the rest of my life ( and
anita was right mine showed up 3 yrs after RNY) my doc said i was the first
she'd had to send to a hemotologist for iron infusions and this was back in
oct of 08 and since then she has sent more than 10 more gastric patients!
So I think this issue is just starting to be realized, also I suffer from
neurological which we are trying to determine if its related to vitamin and
mineral malabsorption issues.... do yourself a favor and go to the message
boards and look under medical problems after RNY. Alot of ppl ( including
myself) also have issues with their teeth crumbling after also.....to be
honest tho even if i DID know these risks I think i still would have gone
thru with the surgery because like most of us i was desperate to lose
weight too, and unfortunately we choose to swap one set of problems for a
totally new set. Best wishes on your journey, its a heck of a ride!!!
Tammy =)
— Tammy M.
Click Here to Return