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Hi. My name is Maribel and I am on day 7 of my liquid diet. My surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday January 28th. I haven't allowed myself to get excited about it yet. I have had such an easy and smooth ride until now that I feel like something is just going to go wrong at the last minute. I started at 302 and have lost 8 lbs. I would love to hear from people who have just had their surgery or can give me some advice for my journey. I'm a little scared of not being able to tolerate the pain. I am such a baby for stomach pain but I do have a high pain tolerance everywhere else! I am also concerned that something could go wrong. I don't know why but I keep thinking of that 1% risk of death. Help!

Hi Maribel,

I'm pre-sleeve, just waiting on a date, but wanted to chime in and tell you how I deal with that 1% death risk. I'm not sure how to give credit to sources in this forum, so I won't make specific quotes, but go google "death rate obesity in america" and you'll see that your risk of death is even higher remaining obese than if you had surgery and became a healthier weight. 

 

Also, while attending one of my surgeon's seminars, a client asked about the death rate, and my surgeon described a case where a newly sleeved patient went home and within a few days of getting her new sleeve, ate her previous portion of pasta and busted her staples and died. He reminded us all that those kind of people are included in the statistics, and that if you take into consideration the ones who don't follow post-op instructions, your death risk is actually much lower. That's what gets me through the fear, hope that helps. 

 

Best of luck to you,

 

Thank you! That is an excellent point and this has definitely made me feel better.

Hi welcome! I am almost 5 weeks out, and I can tell you, it really wasn't that painful. The worst pain came from some meds that I was on pre-op that really hurt my sleeve post-op. I've been taken off of them, and I feel great! There are a couple of horror stories, but please do not let that deter you! The chances of something going wrong are so much less than everything going right! Live without regret... It has been hard to beat my night-time binge eating, but I am slowly working on it. Good luck to ya!

Thank you, good to know! :)

My advice: Get ready for one helluva ride!

:) Thanks, I can see that. I am totally ready for it now.

Congrats on making it this far! It's completely normal for you to feel nervous, anxious, and scared. I don't if I necessarily have any advice other than make the most of your first 6-9 months. Stick to your doctor's plan and lose as much weight as you can because this whole thing definitely gets harder as time goes by - at least in my opinion!

I didn't think the pain was all that bad... I was only on the pain meds for a few days and I wasn't even taking it as often as I could have. Hang in there!

Thank you! Yes I am definitely sticking to every instruction I have been given.

I am 7 weeks out today. The three days after surgery I felt like I did a million sit ups. By the fourth day I felt better. I did the pain meds for the first three days. I switched to tylenol for another couple of days. Nothing after that. I have lost 27 lbs since surgery.(total 42lbs) I feel GREAT! I am off my high blood pressure and cholesterol meds. I focused on all the great things that were to come. I have not been disappointed! All the great results makes small amount of discomfort so worth it!