What is the hardest thing about the DS?

I'm curious as I am exploring my options for WLS what the hardest thing YOU have experienced as a DS'er? Was it the recovery time from surgery? Is it the diet intake requirements? Is it intolerance to some foods? I'm trying to get a sense of the other people's experiences and any insights would be helpful! Thanks in advance! 

My experience was as a revision patient and not a virgin DSer. What was hardest? Recovery sucked in the beginning, but I had an awful lot of work done to me. For the first 6-9 months my lactose intolerance was off the charts, but I also had c. diff and that probably made it worse. Time-wise, the first 6 months were hellish, the next 3 were middling, and everything after that was great.

Now, things are great. I'm much happier than I was living with the RNY, and the hardest thing seems to be explaining exactly what the DS is to other people. :-)

The first month was the hardest for me. I didn't have pain just discomfort, but after 1 week when my drain came out  I felt much better and I couldn't shower for the week the drain was in.  I was very very thirsty for the first month, I couldn't get enough  to quench my thirst and had an awful taste in my mouth, I got very tired often, but, after that month all of a sudden I felt fantastic and have since. I am almost 4 months post op..  Liquids are not an issue for me, I got enough in and can drink more than a sip now, For the the most part I don't have many food intolerances with the exception of cucumbers (I got very gassy, uncomfortably gassy), just so you dont' eat to fast, you should be fine, If you eat too fast, you will pay for it as i have a few times in the past few weeks (you will vomit) but once you vomit you feel fine.


So Overall besides the gas and stinky stinky bowel movements and a few food intolerances, it has been the best think I did in my life. And I can live with those few things.

Good Luck in your decision. If I had to do it all over again, i would in a heartbeat...

I am down 102 pounds.

KATHY

Nothing hard ... but annoying!   You gotta keep shopping for clothes to wear!!!   Things you have saved over the years thinking you would fit into them again will be missed and will fall right off ya.  

It's a ***** but worth it.   I'll be 3 years next month and quite honestly my experience has been a very easy one.

Cool Tom! I hope you post a 3 yr surgiversary youtube video! :)

I meant to add, my energy level is through the roof, before surgery I would wake up in the morning or afternoon ( I work night shift) and I would want to lay back down, no more..

My knees don't hurt walking up stairs

I can actually run up the stairs (lol) and I am not out of breath.

I fit in a booth

There is alot more room behind the steering wheel.

You get the picture.

 

For me, it's the gas.   If I eat wheat or too much sugar, it's a killer.    But, please understand, whether I have that gas is my choice or not.  I CHOOSE to be shameless at times in my carb consumption.    Yesterday, I stayed wheat free all day.    I didn't fart ONCE, all day and all evening, until I finally let one go at about 9:30 p.m.

Compared to where I was this is soooooo easy it should be a sin. I suppose the occasional unpredictable bout of gas might qualify for some as "hard."  Maybe not being able to drink chocolate milk or milkshakes any more is "hard." Maybe carrying a little can of air freshener for when I need to poop in a public restroom is "hard." (I sure wish some normies would be so polite and do that!)

Meh. I've had such a disgustingly easy time of it thus far (4-1/2 years) it's hardly worth mentioning. Yeah, it took, oh I dunno, 6-8 weeks to fully recover from surgery. But it took that long to recover from most other surgeries I've had. It took a while to learn how to listen to my guts about what to eat or not eat. But compared to where I was, I shrug at all of that.

Now, the hernia repair/abdominoplasty/panniculectomy REALLY SUCKED. But I got over that, too, with nine inches gone around my middle. I like the results :-).

Absolutely none of the negatives I've experienced would keep me from doing it all again.  Hell, I'd do it every year if I had to.

The negatives:  hard to get enough fluids first month post-op.  Full time job.
Having to buy a complete new wardrobe.  Not a single item stayed.  Everything had to be replaced.
Relationships change when one person changes.
Not having enough money for plastics.

I can't think of anything else.  I wish I had done this twenty years earlier.

~Becky

I agree with everything everyone had said.. I almost think some times, Did I have surgery? LOL..  Elizabeth you are too funny.. At work, I ALWAYS have a small thing of air freshner in my pocket.   I try to stay away from carbs too, meaning crackers, pasta, etc..

WELL WORTH IT !!!!!!!