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Introduction
My name is Melody. I'm a total newbie, so thank you for your patience in advance. :) I'm 50 years old and having my sleeve surgery September 6. Very nervous, but my Aunt had the procedure at the same hospital several years back and she's doing well now. She had a very hard time recovering and that's my biggest fear is the recovery process.
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Re: Introduction
Hi Melody, Welcome!
It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous (and excited at the same time). Sometimes I had to remind myself to just...BREATHE! LOL
It’s great that you have your aunt who I’m sure will share with you the benefit of her experience. Some sleevers have an easier time of it than others. It depends on a lot of different circumstances.
A positive attitude goes a long way ;-)
For me...this is one of the best decisions I ever made for myself. It has changed my life in miraculous ways. My only regret is that I waited and suffered way too long.
This is by far the best site for information, encouragement and support. We have lots of fun together, too!
I read everything I could here and watched lots of YouTube videos. Ask any questions you might have. We’re here to share our experiences with you.
Best of luck as you embark on this amazing journey ;-)
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Re: Introduction
Welcome Melody.
Totally normal to be nervous. Try to be excited too :-)
There are many of us who have had the surgery and have been lucky enough to sail through recovery with no issues - others have had a hard road.
As Cyndi said a positive attitude goes a long way to a successful recovery.
For me having this surgery has been life changing. I only wish that I had been able to have it years ago. (I was 54 when sleeved). It is truly the best thing that I have ever done for myself.
I wish you all the best and am sending you all my positive and good wishes!
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Welcome Melody. No way to predict how you will recover bc everyone is different. Congrats on your decision.
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Welcome Melody!
Congratulations on having your surgery date!
All of us who have had the surgery have had different outcomes on our road to recovery. Your aunt had complications, but you may not. I had zero complications. All you can do is pray and follow the guidelines of your bariatric team. Having this surgery is by far the BEST THING that I have ever done for myself. Good Luck!
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Hi Melody, welcome and congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I think it's great that you have taken the time to find a forum to read and ask any questions. This group has a wealth of information.
As all of the wonderful posters above have said, each surgery and recovery is so individual. I was fortunate and blessed to have had super smooth sailing from Day 1. I researched and read a lot before making the decision to move forward and took everything so seriously and followed my Dr.'s instructions to the letter. Having the surgery has been one of the best decisions of my life.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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Melody, welcome! I was 65 when I had mine, and even with a small bobble and second surgery with transfusion, I was still out of the hospital in two days, and my recovery, although a bit whiny at times, I was really good. And the support here helps ever so much!
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Re: Introduction
Hooray!!! How excited you must be for your upcoming surgery!!! I had mine last Friday and things are going great!! I know that it can be nerve wracking going in for ANY surgery but I have always been a huge mind over matter fan. Especially with health. I think that if you go into it
1) PREPARED. Read as much as you can on these forums and other bariatric sites so there are NO surprises come surgery time. Sometimes if we think something is not right we panic and stress and that makes recovery slow. But if you hit a moment like that and can go "Oh I was told this could happen. I deal with it like THIS." Then your stress is WAY down.
2) STAY POSITIVE! You will be shocked how much this helps. You stress WAY less if your mindset going in is "LETS DO THISSSS!! and "I'M SO READY FOR MY NEW LIFE!" as opposed to "Oh gosh I hope things go ok." Stay UP! Because you can do this!
3) COMPARE YOURSELF TO NO ONE. Experiences with this surgery vary so wildly that just because it happened with one person doesn't mean it will happen with you. And that's not because of the procedure but our bodies. We all heal differently, our bodies deal with abrupt change differently. We are all in different stages of wellness before the surgery. We all have different undiscovered conditions and the list goes on!! As long as you go in super prepared and follow your surgery teams instructions to the letter your chance of success is much higher.
I had my surgery last week and I feel amazing one week later. My energy level is returning and getting higher and higher each day and I might go in to work for a few hours on Monday to see how that goes. I am 43 so I'm no spring chicken and I am type II diabetic but was cleared at yesterday's visit to not have to restart my medication! WHOOT! Off my meds! (I haven't taken them since 4 days before surgery)
So experiences are different. Go in ready to crush this and come out crushing it! You will do well!
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Welcome ! I had my sleeve done on August 1. It was a Thursday and I went back to work on Monday. It was so much easier than I expected. I wish you well!
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Everyone's different, my recovery was no biggie at all. You can't compare yourself to others. I was home from the hospital the next day and back to work in 2 weeks feeling great. The first week I did sleep a lot, I think that really made the difference. Good luck!