Re-post: More things I wish I knew before Gastric Bypass

http://www.realself.com/forum/12-before-gastric-bypass-surgery

12 Things I Wish I'd Known Before... Gastric Bypass Surgery

Posted 03 Dec 2010

1) Gastric bypass is not a quick fix

Gastric bypass surgery is the most popular of the WLS options. However, it is not a "get out of jail free" card. You still have a lot of work to do pre- and post-surgery. Most doctors require you to lose between 14lb to 42lb, quit smoking, start eating right and exercise. This is all before you have the surgery. Once your post-op you still have to exercise, eat right, take daily vitamins and minerals, and have regular consultations with your doctor.

2) Weight gain is possible, even after having a gastric bypass

As mentioned above, gastric bypass surgery is not a fix; it's a tool to help you overcome the situation you are in, but you have to control that tool. If you abuse your new "pouch" by not eating right, not taking your vitamins, not drinking water and not exercising then you will gain weight.

3) Dumping syndrome is very common

Dumping syndrome occurs when undigested food from the stomach rapidly enters the small bowel, which is not prepared to accommodate it. This is then rushed ("dumped") into the intestines with a lot of fluid. It doesn't happen to everyone but it is very common. You can stop this from happening by not eating high sugar, high fat foods and not drinking with meals.

4) Insurance won't always cover the cost of gastric bypass surgery

Insurance companies use the NIH (National Institutes of Health) guidelines when considering whether or not to support weight loss surgery. However, it is not all based on weight alone. If you have other risk factors that your obesity is causing, adding to or affecting, it may be possible to use this as supporting evidence for your insurance claim. Every insurance company works to different guidelines, so you should always check with your insurance company first.

5) Support groups are very useful

After having gastric bypass surgery you will start to see yourself differently. You may not recognize the person you look at it in the mirror and it can be a scary time. Support groups are an excellent way of connecting with people who have been through, or are going through, the same situation.

6) You will still have an appetite and a relationship with food, it will just be different

Each individual is different but for most it is about learning to eat all over again. Your appetite won't be gone, just changed. You'll learn to enjoy food because you like it and not because it's there. You'll choose somewhere to eat out based upon their standard of food and not how much they give you. Food will still be as fun and interesting as it was before, if you want it to be.

7) It is going to be difficult to drink the required amount of water

After gastric bypass surgery you will be expected to drink approximately 2 liters of water a day. When you have a pouch the size of an egg, that can be difficult. The best thing to do is to fill a sports bottle up and carry it with you all day. Sip regularly and keep topping it up.

8) Trying to get enough protein into a post-op diet can be difficult

Protein is a major part of any post-op diet. You have to make sure you get enough -- if not you will start feeling ill. It can also affect your eyesight and hair growth, among many other things. Most post-op patients use protein powders to make shakes or even use them in cooking and baking.

9) One day you will plateau

You can not continue to lose weight forever. Your body may stop losing weight ("plateau") long before you are ready for that to happen. This happens to most people and can be rectified by changing your diet, your exercise routine or something else that has changed or slipped. Talk to your dietitian and doctor; they should be able to help you get back on the losing streak.

10) The pain will be worse than you imagined

Everyone is different and everyone handles pain differently. However, just because most gastric bypass surgeries are now done laproscopically, doesn't mean that you won't experience any pain. Your doctor is going to be drastically reducing the size of your stomach and cutting away the part that is not needed. That is going to cause some discomfort. You should be prepared for some pain and ensure your doctor talks through the procedure thoroughly with you.

11) Almost everything is psychological

For a lot of WLS patients, having gastric bypass surgery is less about losing weight and more about taking back their life. This is also one reason why many doctors request you see a psychologist prior to surgery. They need to make sure that you are fully aware of why you're having surgery and that your goals are realistic.

12) It is a hard journey but the highs are better than you could imagine

The WLS journey is not easy. It's hard work, takes dedication and can consume you for a time. However, fitting into those pants you haven't worn for 10 years, or shopping in "normal" shops, can give you such a burst of energy. Having people stop and tell you how good you look, going to a restaurant and not asking for a table instead of a booth, or going on a plane and not asking for an extender belt makes you feel better than you could have imagined.

Re-post: Things I wish I would've known before having gastric bypass

from http://www.gastricbypasstruth.com

WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN 

• I wish I had realized that my life would still revolve around food – or at least, what I ingest. Instead of being able to forget all about eating, my day consists of counting fluid ounces, protein grams and supplements.
• I wish I had known how difficult it would be to get all of the required fluids, proteins, and supplements in every day.
• I wish I had realized that gastric bypass surgery – and the ensuing weight loss – will not make all my problems go away. That I would still face issues even though I weighed less.
• I wish I had realized how this weight loss would change the relationships in my life – for better and for worse.
• I wish I had understood how incredibly traumatic it is to follow the liquid diet immediately after surgery, to see others eat and how I would feel excluded from things like family dinners.
• I wish I could have understood how it’s both liberating and frightening to be smaller.
• I really wish I could have seen how the sagging skin and remaining fat would look, and how self-conscious it would make me continue to feel.
• I wish someone could have gotten it through my head that I would still have to work at weight loss.
• I wish I would have known that my weight loss would make others feel uncomfortable and self conscious about their own weight and therefore they’d want to lash out at me.
• I wish I had realized that complications can happen to me and that those complications can be very unpleasant.
• I wish I had known how my attitudes toward food would change, and how unpleasant it would become to watch others shovel too much food in.
• I wish I had known hwo my attitudes toward overweight people would change, and how strange it would feel to not be “part of the club” around them.
• I wish I had known how easy it is to become obsessed with how I look, and how I would have to watch myself to make sure all my conversations didn’t revovle around me, my weight loss or my wrinkled skin.
• I wish I had known how invasive well-meaning people can be with their questions and how uncomfortable it would make me.
• I wish I had known that after 6-9 months the old demons of cravings and head hunger would rear their ugly heads and that eating right would not be easy or automatic.
• I wish I had known how horrible dumping really is, and how often it would happen to me after also having my gall bladder out.
• I wish I had known how frustrating it would be when I suddenly had loads of energy but my family didn’t, and how depressing it would be that all they wanted to do was watch tv.
• I wish I had known how sweet and understanding my husband would be and how difficult watching me lose weight while he didn’t would be for him. And I wish I had paid more attention to that during the first year, and thanked him more.
• I wish I had known what a relief it would be to interact with strangers and not feel they were judging me for being fat.
• Most of all, I wish I had realized that I’d still be “me” 100 pounds lighter.

None of the above would have been enough to change my mind. At least I don’t think so. I don’t regret my decision. But knowing them sure would have made the journey easier!

I hope it does that for you.