Anyone that has had Bariatric Surgery can tell you. Most insurance companies will put you through the ringer and make you jump through hoops to even HAVE the surgery. Even though, for many people, including myself, it will save your life. They fight tooth and nail to let you have it.
With that said, I had to get cleared by no less than 6 specialist, such as Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Psychologist, Endocrinologist, Gastroenterologist and Nutritionist. But during NONE of these 6 or more months of appointments and testing, did any of them mention the 5 things in the list below. So if you are thinking of having this operation or already have had it, keep these things in mind:
1. Constipation is a fact. I do not think that I have met anyone that had NOT had a problem with Constipation. I didn't have the problem at first, I suppose because just about everything you eat in the first 6 months to a year is either liquid or soft. But after that year when I found that I could eat other foods in moderation, I became constipated. I don't know why, it just happens...fiber helps a little, but I would say, just get used to it and try to get ahead of it.
2. You really will NEVER eat the same way again, EVER...and when I say that I mean NEVER. Oh I can still eat most things, although not very much of anything really, but there will be foods that you just can not stomach anymore, no matter what you do or how you eat it, it will make you nauseous or just sit in your stomach like a rock. And don't get pissed but some of the foods maybe things that you LOVED previously. To this day, I still can not eat tough or dense cuts of beef or pork, cole slaw, more than a tbsp or 2 of Ice cream at a time, over greasy foods, anything that is too rich or dense will seriously put me in a B.A.D. mood.
3. If you have been overweight to obese for most of your life, like I was, Do NOT expect to all of a sudden become 125lb diva. The truth is, the older you are, the harder it still will be to get to what they call your "goal" weight. Unless you have a private chef and can work out 3 or 4 times a week for 4 or more hours a day, don't expect to reach your "goal". Let's be realistic, You were fat, you got that way because you didn't eat right and didn't exercise. Just because you had this operation and will probably lose a good amount of weight, don't expect miracles.
4. Chances are, if you do not change the way you eat, you will gain weight back. I know it's hard to stop doing what you have always done. And sometimes your body just battles against you. But it's the truth as much as I do not want to admit it, it happens to more people than anyone actually ever talks about.
5. Oh you never heard of Dumping Syndrome? It happens to the best of us and without warning. Its when food is passed through your sleeve of a stomach too quickly, usually this happens with things very high in sugar or carbohydrates or very fatty. It usually happens a short while after you eat. You will get nauseous, dizzy, anxious and probably get diarrhea. Believe me you will remember it. The few times I have gotten it, I was sick to my stomach for hours after. Just remember to connect the dots, don't eat whatever it was that made you feel like that.
