Upcoming DS - I have some questions!

Thanks in advance for any responses or help.  My surgery is scheduled (10/10) and now I am waking up at night thinking about a few things!

1.  I am nervous about losing my "friend" food.  I guess I have separation anxiety.

2.  I am nervous about the pain (when I had my shoulder surgery the surgeon said I had a high pain tolerance).

3.  I am worried about the thought of all the internal changes (hard to explain).

4. Any suggestions for things to make sure I take to the hospital.

I am still confident in my choice and believe this is my chance for a rebirth!  I just need to sleep at night until the 10th!!

Thanks again, this is a wonderful community!

This is normal!  You won't lose your friend food.  Down the road you CAN eat anything.  There are just things you shouldn't eat!  I was never in pain and my surgery was open.  I was just uncomfortable.  Internal changes?  You will adapt!  And take lip balm to the hospital!

PattyL,  thanks you made me smile!  Karen

I eat so much more freer now than I ever did before the surgery.  I eat anything I want now days.

I didn't have pain, just was so tired and wanting to get back on my feet.  I had an open surgery also.  I don't remember taking anything stronger than Tylenol, even though I had a serious infection in my incision.

Take baby wipes to the hospital, reading materials, that's all I remember.

Internal changes - yea, the first year can be a real adjustment, but it depends on how your body adjusts and how hard you work at balancing your vits, food and your protein powders.  The faster you get onto your vits and a high protein diet, the faster your insides will level out.  Expect it to be rough for a little bit, until you get back to solid food and calcium and iron pills.  When I started my vits, I could not handle more than 1 iron pill a day.  Take each day at a time and relax cause the weight loss is fantastic.

I have my baby wipes now and thanks to this board I am ready to go!!  Thank you

Hi, I am fairly new too, 9 weeks out. I feel pretty good most days. I have lost 39 lbs. I statred at 239. The pain was more of discomfort, I only took the pain meds in the hospital, then at home just Tylenol, nothing else and only for a few days. My biggest pain was the drain, it was just in the way. The liquid diet isn't fun, but it's tolerable, just relax...it goes by so quickly. I started solids at 6 weeks, I notice that some things like hamburger still don't agree with me, but I just use ground turkey instead. I try to at least try things, my stomach makes lots of funny noises, but I haven't been "sick" so that's good. 

 The hardest adjustment for me is not drinking anything with my meals, but at least I can eat with my family, just a smaller portion. Take your vits, and work to get your protein in. 

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

As a DSer, you have a fully-functional STOMACH, not a pouch. You can drink with your meals. It will cause you to get full faster, so you'll want to drink sparingly at first. I'll be 11 years post-op come December, and today at lunch I drank a glass and a half of iced tea with my meal at Shoney's. I also ate three ribs (small ones, but still, three), a chicken wing, a few popcorn shrimp, about half a roll, a few bites of mac n' cheese, a small salad, and a few bites of honeydew.

Good luck with your journey and thank you for the insight.

Hi there. Easy to get nervous as the big day approaches. Hang in there.

1)  It might happen and that might be a good thing. Eating was a go to comfort for me pre-op but not as much anymore
and I think that is for the best. It's not like you won't be able to eat your favorite foods eventually - you will. Tastes can change
and you may pick up some different likes and dislikes over the long term.

2) I had mine laproscopically done and while it hurt a lot in the hospital it really diminished by the time I went home. I made 
liberal use of the pain meds in the hospital but cut the take home dose in half and only used that for 2 weeks. 

3)  When you hear your stomach gurgling in the weeks and months post-op you will wonder even more just exactly what happened. 
It's hard not to wonder but once you are post-op it just becomes how you are not a "changed" part of you. If that makes any sense
at all.

4)  Mostly I just walked and watched TV post-op. I didn't have much of an attentions span. Did I mention I took liberal advantage of
the button for pain meds?  LOL I would just take a comfortable pair of slippers.

Have a good surgery. It was certainly the best choice for me.

Pete 

Congrats on your success, thank you for the insight.