Pre Op asking- Whats the hardest part?

Kerry, The hardest part for me is not being able to have pizza. The Jessica Simpson commercial is all it takes to have me rolling in self pity. In other words- this surgery was on my stomach and not my head. We have to stay just as focused as we did when we dieted prior to the surgery. We can still make poor choices. Everything else has been just peachy. I had no pain, no complications. After week 2 my energy was back up. It is sometimes hard to get my butt in a pair of walking shoes, but as soon as I am outdoors and I have gone about 1/10th of a mile, I am feeling great and am so glad that I am out there walking. One other thing, I didn't really expect a plateau after two weeks out - but it came and lasted for 18 days. The past week it has broken and I have lost 5 more lbs. The plateaus come, we just have to be patient. The best advice: HAVE AND KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE. If you go through with this - You will lose. Just keep a good attitude and make good choices. PROTEIN, WATER & EXERCISE! Good Luck! You will do GREAT!

Eat and enjoy the cheese and toppings of the pizza - all that sauce has lots of iron in it, too;just skip the bread. And remember - soon you'll have the body like Jessica and can wear your short skirt and cowboy boots, sashaying your stuff across the room!!!!

My hardest time is trying to get down 64 oz. liquids. I had my surgery1/20/06 and while I was on liwuids it wasn't all that bad. Now that I am eating soft foods I am full and then try to get in all my water. The pain after the surgery was mstly in my back, i have arthritis and laying on my back has been bad. While laying still I had discomfort, trying to get up was a little painful for the first few days, but at least we know that we will feel a little better every day. Good luck to you, I will keep you in my prayers. Rosemary

Hello there. It is so hard to finger just one area and say "that is the hardest," because so much has come up since this surgery that has proven so hard to overcome. The surgery itself is a piece of cake (barring any complications - I don't mean to sound flippant). There is pain, yes, but it is expected and is easily managed with meds. Don't stress yourself out about the hospital part of it at all. I was worried about anesthesia and all sorts of things that were a waste of my energy. All went fine. But then you have to go home. First off, getting in the liquids and protein is very hard. I still struggle with it. If I get in enough fluids, I am not eating enough and therefore not getting in all my protein. If I am getting in my protein, I am not drinking enough. So, only time will help you figure out the best way to handle that conundrum for you. I am getting better by each day and so will you. I guess the hardest thing is to come to terms with that you have done and then learning to deal with it and all that goes with it. You may think you have come to terms with it as a pre-op, so did I, but when you are healing and things seem bleak and you are depressed for whatever reason, you will struggle with the fact that you are mutilated -- even if you don't use that terminology. Your mind will be your worst enemy through a lot of the healing and you need to prepare for that. And unfortunately, unless you are very close with someone else who had the surgery, you will feel alone in your daily routine and struggle because no one can understand what you feel. No matter how much my husband loves me and wants to understand and help -- he just can't. Just as I couldn't see these problems ahead of me while I was a pre-op. Nothing I am saying means that I regret the surgery. I am not far enough out to have come to any conclusion like that. And I don't mean to try to sway you against it. I just think if I were more prepared and realized just how downtrodden I would feel afterwards I could have tried to prepare more mentally. Dig deep in yourself to prepare because everything changes afterwards -- even if only for a short while. Best of luck to you. Emily

Kerry, I have to agree with Carol C in saying that preop was the hardest part. Going to all the appointments, wondering if something was going to fall through with the insurance, terrified that something tragic would happen during surgery, worrying that your making a mistake, fearing that you will never live a normal life again, wondering if you will fall into that 5% that this doesn't work for, etc, etc, etc. Once it is all done and you wake up in recovery you just take one step at a time and it is a surprisingly simple transition. I wish you the best with your upcoming surgery. Dawn

Hi Kerry, I'm a February post op but I typically stay over on these boards too. For me, the worst part was the depression that came with not being able to eat. I was on liquids for only 10 days post op, and the first 6 days were fine, but when I got to the point that I was craving foods, I simply could not control myself. The first episode of depression came when I finally decided that I would try a creamy soup (instead of the broth's). I went to the store and saw Broc. & Cheese soup, bought it and was so excited to try it. I got home and realized that it was stocked wrong on the shelf. I had looked at the sign, grabbed the can and when I got home, it was cream of celery. I think I cried for 1/2 an hour. Next, having a daughter to take care of, I was fixing her a sandwich and without even noticing, I took a bite. It hurt so bad when I swallowed and I kept thinking I had made a mistake. I wanted so desparately to be able to eat normal again. But I had alot of support and I kept reminding myself that I wasn't even 10 days out of surgery yet. I am now 17 days post op and I can laugh about it now. I am doing so much better now and I just needed time and patience. Other than that, I experienced no pain after surgery, but I was slightly uncomfortable. Good luck to you, keep us posted. Roni