I'm a few months out from my Gastric Bypass surgery and some interesting things have occurred to me. I won't say no one told me any of these things, but perhaps I wasn't listening or didn't process some or all of it. So, I am going to address some things that maybe you don't know or thought you could ignore.
1. Food/ Sugar Addiction: This was a BIG one for me, as I had been told by various people that I would be starting over from scratch. Boy, was I naive; people actually had me believing that after surgery I would never want junk food again, that the only way I would crave sweets or chips or pizza other garbage would be if I slipped up and had some. To that I must respectfully say WRONG! I cannot speak for everyone, but food had a tighter grip on me than that. Although I knew I could not have that sugary, salty, unhealthy death on a plate that I had come to know and love, I wanted it from the moment I woke up from surgery. I was heartbroken. I had convinced myself, with the help of others that my life long battle with food was over; it was only getting more interesting. Here I am, nearly 4 months after surgery, and I STILL have power struggles about food.
So, be aware, if you were addicted to food or sugar before weight loss surgery, the addiction will not magically vanish just because you had surgery. The mental part of changing your life is much more difficult than any of the physical. Surgery cannot change the way you are hardwired. You will need to be diligent and careful. Food addicts are just like any other addict; you need your fix! Weight loss surgery is a great tool, but it is up to you to use it wisely. My advice is to seek counseling to get to the root of your issues with food prior to having the surgery; success will come much easier that way.
2. Required Intake: I wish I had understood how difficult it would be to drink all the fluids I was supposed to, not to mention the daily diet of vitamins and supplements. I nearly have to plan my entire day around fluids and supplements.
3. Feeling Left Out: I wish I had known how heart-wrenching and isolating it would be to live purely on liquids while everyone around me was going about their regular lives, eating, drinking and living as they pleased. Bless my poor husband who tried to eat in secret, so as not to offend me.
4. Jackson-Pratt drain: Having to live my life with this little clear bulb at the end of a rubber tube protruding from my stomach was one of the most uncomfortable things for me. It collected red, slimy gunk that I was supposed to empty, measure and record periodically throughout the day and the stench was almost unbearable. I have significant issues with the outside world being exposed to my insides and this whole ordeal just nauseated me. Not to mention I had to sleep in a recliner, because every time I tried to lay down it would get wadded up and tug at my insides. It also tugged at my insides when I would get up to walk. I ended up fashioning a sling that went around my neck to cradle this thing so I could lead a somewhat normal life. Then, on what I thought would be a great day, the doctor pulled it out. PAIN! It was brief, but it still hurt! It felt like it had attached itself to my insides and then got ripped out, which I guess is essentially what happened.
5. It's NOT Easy: I kept telling myself that this was not the easy way to lose weight, but on some level, I must have thought it was. Because I was irritated to learn how much work it is to STILL count calories, exercise, and watch what I eat. My life still revolves around my weight and food, but it has been magnified. Weight loss has never come easy for me, but I guess I thought that would change after I had surgery. I'm not saying I regret my decision or that the surgery isn't effective; I'm just saying it takes hard work and determination.
6. Weight Loss Surgery is Still Controversial: There are topics I have always refrained from discussing, because I am uncomfortable with the level of confrontation and passion that ensue: politics, religion, abortion, and sexual orientation. I would now like to add weight loss surgery to that list. When I began to tell people what I was planning, I was flooded with opinions, positive and negative. I wish I would have just kept it to myself. Even now, months later, I am cautious about telling people that I had gastric bypass surgery.
7. How Much Have You Lost? I never thought I would tire of people noticing that I had lost weight, but I feel like I need to call a monthly meeting to update everyone at the same time so I don't have to repeat myself over and over. In addition, the constant inquisition about my weight loss adds to the pressure I already put on myself and when the scale doesn't move, it really stings. I know people mean well and they are excited for me, but sometimes I wish I could avoid the topic of my weight.
8. Let's Go Do Something: I was once the queen of the couch potatoes and I reveled in my title. But now that I have started to lose some weight and gain some confidence, I want to get out and do stuff. However, I am surrounded by people who are content to just watch life happen on TV. It's really depressing and lonely to have gone your whole life hiding in the shadows and when the day finally comes that you don't want to hide anymore, you are standing alone.
9. Small Children Don't Understand: While I do not have children of my own, my 2 1/2 nephew lives with me and he may as well be mine. I didn't realize how troubling it would be for me to tell him I could not pick him up or how it would break his tiny heart each time I refused to scoop him up in my arms. I was able to compromise and let him sit on my lap, which seemed to make it a little easier on him.
