Complications and discomfort after surgery?

I am scheduled for surgery march 2018 and still contemplating my decisions. I was wonder if anyone had any post op complications or side effect whether it was hair loss, pain, problems with certain food. Anything for tgat matter. I would just like tp know what possible side effects i might face. I know everyones body is different but I wpuld like to be prepared for anything. Also if I can get feed bavk from those who have had the surgery more than 5 years ago wpuld be great as well. I Would like to know any side effects i cpuld face Years after the surgery.

Thank you all!

Aside from the typical pain from having a major surgery? I initially had some constipation issues, most likely from the pain meds. Since I have healed I have had the hair loss, it wasn't all that noticeable since I have very thick hair to begin with. That is mostly over with now. My periods are a bit wonky. At this point I don't know if its the weight loss or the beginning of menopause. Not a big deal either way. Going forward I know I will have a lifetime of needing daily vitamins, my skin will be saggy and if I'm not careful with my diet I could regain every pound I have lost or will lose.

No regrets here.

As far as pain goes...I expected it to hurt after surgery, and it did, but not as much as I was prepared for, thanks to my medical team. They really had me set up to counteract the post-surgical pain and when I got home, I think I only needed pain meds for a few days, then took them for a few more nights just to ensure good sleep.

What did surprise me was the foggy head I had for weeks. I mean, the pictures on the television moved too fast for me to follow for a while. They said I was a cheap date to anesthesia. Who knew?

Getting in water was a full-time job for a couple of months. It's hard to describe this to someone who hasn't had surgery, but every sip was a challenge sometimes. Put it in your mind that you need to do it no matter what your body feels like, because it may not feel thirsty at all. Dehydration comes hard and fast, so be proactive about not letting yourself go there.

To learn more about hair loss, look up Telogen Effluvium. It cannot be prevented or treated. It just happens, and to what degree is a roll of the dice. It happens around 3-5 months post-op, lasts a few months and stops. In a nutshell, your hair growth cycle reboots itself and sparks new follicles to push out the old.

Another big surprise was my aversion to food for many months. I just wasn't hungry.....for anything. My favorite foods were...meh...it made me a little sad at first. I focused on what my body needed for nourishment and removed emotion and expectations for satisfaction during this phase. It lasted about 9 months for me. Even today, though, 12 years later, if you ask me what I feel like eating, I rarely pipe up excitedly about anything. I have been building up a craving for chicken wings for a while. I may surprise my husband sometime soon with that.

Thank you so much for your feed back

I never experienced hair loss, but I also shaved my head 6 weeks post-op to raise money for St. Baldricks and to avoid the issue of hair loss all together. So that was a non-issue for me.

I needed to take pain killers (liquid tylenol with codeine) for the first two days and then I believe I took it the third day just before bed so I could sleep.

I did have some nausea, but this was controlled with the scopolamine patch and dissolvable zofran.

I can't eat falafel, which is weird in the scheme of things.

I did have an issue about 3 months post-op where I started feeling increased restriction to the point that I couldn't keep anything down. I talked to my surgeon and got a prescription for an anti-spasmodic and had to revert my diet - so I did 3 days of liquids, 3 days of purees, 3 days of soft solids, and then back to forever diet. At the time, I was super annoyed to go back to liquids, but now, 3.5 years post-op, I barely remember this glitch. It solved the issue though and I've never had a problem since then.

There have been a few times post-op that I've felt a lot of hunger. During those times I've taken a week of Nexium and the hunger goes away. So it was likely just due to acid. I think happened 2-3 times in the first year and hasn't since then.

I'm always worried about acid/GERD because there are a number of people who develop GERD after VSG and end up revising to RNY. So if you have any history of acid problems, I'd recommend not getting the VSG.

And I think that's it!

Oh, clothes are expensive. I love to exercise and race fees are expensive. Reconstructive surgery is also expensive. Overall, this whole losing weight thing has been more expensive than I thought it would be. It also motivated me to go back to college - another thing that's expensive!

Read old posts on the forums, that can give you a really good feel for commonalities among everyone's experiences. I've been on OH for over 4 years and I've read posts on pretty much anything surgery-related that you could think of!

To address some of your questions--

Hair loss is pretty much a given for just about everybody. Google "telogen effluvium" for more info. It seems to start at about 4 or 5 months, and nothing-- not special shampoos, vitamins, or whatever-- can stop or slow it. The good news is that it grows back, and it's a relatively small problem considering how much you're benefitting from surgery!

Learning to eat at first can be a challenge. Pushing your progression immediately post-op (clear liquids, full liquids, purees, mushies, soft food, regular food) can be life-threatening! Don't be like the posters here who eat popcorn or tacos a week out of surgery; follow your surgeon's instructions.

Other food problems can be a minor annoyance. Some that I've seen include having a hard time gagging down shakes, getting queasy after eating eggs early on, having trouble with dry foods (especially meats) at first, or people becoming ill after eating too much or too quickly. By going slowly and being patient with your body, you can likely avoid a lot of trouble.

Some people experience dehydration early on because they can't/won't drink enough. It can make you very sick! Fortunately it's pretty easy to avoid, you'll just need to keep a water bottle in hand 24/7 in the first weeks and months after surgery.

I'd suggest talking to your doctor to get his/her take on post-op complications. A good doctor will be able to give you rates for mechanical issues that s/he has experienced, like leaks and whatnot.

I didn't need any painkillers, not even Tylenol, after I got home from the hospital.

I lost a good amount of hair, but I guess I had a lot to start with, so it's not noticeable to anyone but me and my hairdresser.

My hiatal hernia repair didn't hold, so I need to go in for a second repair next month to try to get my post-surgery GERD under control.

Oh, and I couldn't urinate at all early after surgery (it can be an anesthesia side effect) and I found it difficult for weeks after. Weird, but it can happen. The threat of a catheter somehow got me to go.

I found the surgery surprisingly easy (I was prepared for more pain and nausea). I only had painkillers during the 2 days in the hospital but nothing once I was home. I never had any nausea. I was way more tired then usual for about 4 weeks, so I slept well. It was an experience learning how to drink/eat again, but it went pretty smooth. I only had 3 times (one very recently) when I ate too much/too fast and felt like I was going to vomit. I didn't, but was uncomfortable for at least an hour. All three times I stuck to liquids afterwards for 1/2 to 1 day because I was leery about having anything solid.

I did not lose hair and so far (knock on wood) my hiatal hernia repair is holding up and I have no GERD.

And, yes, saggy skin (think ET) is a real thing and PS is expensive, but you feel so much better about yourself after the investments in WLS and PS. You also feel good about clothes, but be prepared to find some good second-hand shops.

I take my vitamins religiously and my blood tests have all been great so far.