what is the one thing, that you were not prepared for the reality of...after surgery?

April 11, 2008 How little I could really eat. The fact that I was not hungry, at all. How fast the weight fell off. The first 6 months were a little rough introducing foods but after that I rarely had any problems. 100 pounds came off in the first 6 months. I had lap RNY 4 1/2 years ago.    — Carlyn McBride

April 11, 2008 Malabsorption is a reality I NEVER imagined would be a problem for me specifically since I have always ate with nutrition in mind (even when I was morbidly obese) I thought that I didn't need all my extra vitamins after 4 years because I was eating enough by this time. I also noticed that I could gain weight...so how could I malabsorb vitamins if I was not malabsorbing calories...I thought that if I felt fine I didn't need to go to the doctor as often for labs either...WRONG...You CAN gain weight and still find yourself with malnutriotion from not taking your vitamins! OR checking up with labs! So DO IT!!!! Don't be stupid like me...This is why I come here and stress this point....I was great the first 3 years...Now I am trying my best to get my vitamins back to healthy levels. All I would have had to do was take my vitamins daily! How ridiculous is that?    — .Anita R.

April 11, 2008 I nver imagined after I got skinny my husband would leave me. I am sooo glad he did though. I had a hard time with not being able to eat like I used to eat. My mind wanted the food but my stomach didnt.    — Joan Collins

April 11, 2008 VERY good question. 1. they gave me hyphern (sp?) shots in the hospital - which they told me about, but not how painful they would be. 2. the first 2-3 weeks after surgery eating liquids, pureed and then soft foods was remarkable hard. I dealt and was fine, but let's face it - we are carnivores and like to "chew" our food. I would of given anything just to chew some food, have some texture and taste. that's it really.    — Jammie Cotton

April 11, 2008 i am going to expound on the malabsorptiom issue- its the number 1 problem we will have forever- and I knew better, as a retired doc- so here goes---you will find out your GP doesn't know squat about how your body works now. If you are at all like me, I went into my WLS because I needed a rt hip, rt knee and rt shoulder replaced, due to work injuries -took normal amounts or pain meds pre op. Now, and in the last 4 years, even though I am in the same profession as the surgeons and reg docs, they just dont give a flying fig that we are running approx 80% malabsorption-this is with everything. When I finally yelled back at mine, for them to cut their pain pills in 5 pieces- 20% each piece and take just one and see how it took care of their pain, then tell me how it felt, did they finally start to listen. Do you realize, the percentage of pregnancies a woman of child bearing years gets pregnant after wls because their birth control pills dont work? Over 72%. The percentage of wls patients both male and female who are on some kind of antidepressants pre op, where their dosages have been regulated, have so many problems post op, because their docs dont want to play around with their medications to actually make them fit their new bodies. I have made a study of this, and have gotten more than 37 different medical practices here in the southern calif area, to require any physician *****fers a patient for WLS, to be made to sit in on the surgeons and the patients pre op seminars- they need to know as much if not more than we ( THE PATIENTS ) do about post op life. It isnt just losing weight, following the eating rules, the drinking water, the exercise, because those things make sense, its everything else they need to know, in order to take the best care of you-me, their patients. The vitamins are essential too, just like any other medicine. Telling yourself u will take them later, just doesnt cu****er any more. This is our life now. Learn from this little statement, and if yu are pre op please discuss this with your GP, since this is the person you will be seeing- they dont realize you wil need to open all capsules and pour it into some crystal light if they put u on antibiotics in that form. They dont realize, no matter how far out you are, you will still have to completely chop your pills up into almost powder, no matter if you think you dont have to, your pills wont work at their max if you dont. If you can get pain meds in elixir form, even for a tooth ache, get it. Remember, nothing time relesed either- wont work. Chewable is good- best actually-the stomas are still small even 4 years out. If you have any questions, you can always email me and I will be happy to expand on the latest regarding this topic. I havent been on the boards in a while, but I am back, and ready to help anyone who asks. Cindi 3.24.04 - 230lbs and maintaining because i still think i am 3 weeks post op hee hee [email protected]    — Doodles *****

April 12, 2008 How quickly I became full AND how one bite beyond that made me miserable. Eat slowly, rest between bites. You won't like that one bite too many feeling! Good luck. I love my rny. Deb    — Debbi Sutton

April 12, 2008 well one thing i didn't realize that is food is always going to be a hit or miss as far as if it makes you sick or not....one day i can eat a bowl of shrimp and be fine and then a couple of days later i eat 2 of them and get violently ill! i'm also amazed that i can eat sugary junkie stuff and be fine but eat something healthy and i'm a ready to hurl! still this is the best gift i could ever give myself....and it gives me structure and discipline which i severely lacked when i was overweight...    — Liz Boccamaiello