what surprised you most just after surgery?

Hi guys, was just wondering what surprised you most in the first few weeks after surgery? I've read alot of people didn't feel like they'd had part of their stomach removed, some say they still felt hungry, etc... what shocked you in the beginning?

Also I have a weird question about meds.. did you/do you take pill form of meds right after surgery? I have a couple prescriptions that I'm told are ok to continue after surgery but I have this weird visual of a pill getting stuck in the new stomach LOL 

I have surgery scheduled for September 14th and I'm so grateful it's finally happening and want to thank all of you for the supportive environment I've found here! I'm SO glad I found this place where I'm no longer "alone" in my battle with obesity. I'm grateful to have found people who "get it" ;) 

Hi!! My first surprise was the weight loss since my last doctors appointment. I did not own a scale at home. My last appointment was the end of April. I had to switch surgeons (long story) and have surgery in Mexico. The day I got home from surgery I bought a scale. I was down 23 pounds!!!! And another shock...you physically can not eat more then your new tummy can hold. Yoou will get a sharp pain in the middle of your chest if you eat or drink too much or too fast.

And the vitamin question...I had the same thoughts. I started my chewable multi and sublingual b12 2 weeks post op. Target has yummy chewable calcium. I started that 2 weeks post op as well. All my others I just started taking this past week. I take them with lots of fluid or with a bite of yogurt.
Congrats on your surgery!!!! I will save your spot on the losers bench.

 Hey Nursgirl - I was sleeved 6 days ago and there has already been some surprises. I was surprised that I was swallowing small pills in the hospital mere hours after surgery. I take my meds at home between meals with my sips of water and have no problem.

I think my biggest surprise is how my body is talking to me right now. Very different from 7 days ago. I have discovered that I hiccup when I am full. Just once, but it hurts. The sensation of hunger isn't what I used to have but kind of a rolling sensation in the tummy area. One of the other surprises is when I drink water. I used to be a gulper, I drank huge amounts of water in a day and at any given time, now if I take to much in my mouth at once I almost automatically try to hold back and only let a little at a time go down.

Listen carefully to what the body says and you will learn some amazing things.

The biggest surprise for me was how little I could get into my stomach. Like 2oz of anything, including water, MAX. They aren't kidden when they say your stomach is swollen and in shock after surgery. DON'T PU****!

I am on 100mg of sertraline a day and I couldn't get the pill down for a couple of weeks. I still have to cut it in half and take it much earlier in the evening. I think that particular pill just foams up a bit and has a tendency to get "stuck". Any capsule or coated type pill should be okay after a few days.

The first time I took my "happy pill" it got stuck - it felt like right at the esophogeal valve. Ugh. I was in so much pain and discomfort my husband asked if we should go to the ER. Instead, I remembered someone posting here how they had chugged water too fast and threw up almost instantly. So I did that. Hurt like a mother, but I got relief. Since I'm still having issues I'm going to talk to my doc about getting a coated version.

My surgeon gave me a prescription for liquid hydrocodone for pain, but I didn't need any of it.

 I was shocked I made it two weeks on liquids...never thought my food addicted self would ever go 2 weeks without food. Even more shocking was that I didn't miss food at all and was content with protein shakes. 

 omg this just gave me chills and made my eyes get teared up a little.. I can't imagine that either.. and just thinking about it is making me realize (on a much deeper level) how much food rules my life.. never thought of it that way before *shudder* 

thanks for giving another something to look forward to!!!! I'm loving all these responses, thanks so much everyone!

I'm 9 days  post op, and so far the biggest surprise has been how little water I can drink at a time. I was prepared for the food part, but even though I had heard the stories about tiny sips of water, it didn't sink in for some reason. Used to be if I grabbed one of those 16.9oz bottles of water, I could down it in less than 2 minutes. Now it sits here on my deskfor hours and I have to remind myself to drink a little every little bit. It's quite annoying! I hope that gets easier eventually.... or that I get used to it eventually!

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and a big surprize for me is that my eyes want more than my tummy can hold.  I look at a couple of ounces of anything and think...no way...I need more than that.  Well,  after those couple of ounces, I have leftovers :)

LOL - I am now the cheapest date ever!

 this is good stuff!! thank you!