Contemplating bariatric surgery.... advice?

[Seriouslyconfused3]

Hi as the title states I am contemplating a gastric sleeve. I am a serial yo yo dieter and my metabolism is fucked. I have pcos and have tried Xenical, saxenda etc- successful until I stop using and the weight piles back on.

I’ve seen an endocrinologist and he said that, in his opinion, sometimes surgery is the only viable option. I’d be paying for it myself as I don’t quite meet the nhs criteria yet.

I’m miserable- I don’t lose weight unless I starve myself ie 600 calories a day and then I’m even more unhappy. I’m worried about my health in the long term, but then the prospect of surgery scares me too.

Any advice from those who have been there before?

Thanks @habibihabibi I’ve pm’d you

V seriously considering this myself, have been thinking about making an appointment with a bariatric consultant, do you think they are seeing people during COVID?

I had a gastric bypass in Feb 2019. I was referred because I had sleep apnoea. I lost six stone and am no longer overweight and the sleep apnoea is gone.

It's a very big decision but I wouldn't change a thing. It's not an easy way out. I've had some rough patches and bad days.
15 months on and I still sometimes make mistakes with what I eat. And as a poster above said, I'll be on vitamins for the rest of my life. You have to consider everything you eat and drink. It's a bit of a faff but you get used to it. Sometimes I've feel like I've swapped one set of problems for another but I don't regret it my decision.

It's great to be able to say that I no longer have sleep apnoea and I can wear a size 10.

@BrennieGirl thanks, if you don’t mind me asking where did u get it done and how much did it cost?

@MonkeysandParrots I think it’s probably just phone consultations right now. If you fancy a buddy to go through the process with let me know

I'm in Ireland so over here. My health insurance paid but the surgeon told me it was about €18,000 privately.

@seriouslyconfused3 yep, let’s do it!

Yey @MonkeysandParrots well I’m going to start ringing around on Monday to get a picture of prices and different clinics

There are some Facebook support groups you can join which are excellent at letting you know what to expect, just search weight loss surgery/bariatric/gastric sleeve. I wish I'd done that before I got a band. My biggest surprise has been that you can still eat slider foods easily after gastric surgery, chocolate, ice cream etc. you still need willpower and a diet mentality, it's a tool not a cure.

@youreajetalltheway

Indeed- the person I know was actually borderline malnourished because they generally ate crap for the small amount of food they could eat.

They had a bypass and you don't absorb as much nutrients - in their case this actually applies to medicine as well as food.

My sleeve cost £10.5k, that includes all before and after care from the clinic including dietician, fitness coach, bariatric nurse, therapist and all consultations with the surgeon. My surgeon was amazing and I would recommend him to anyone, so let me know if you want the clinics details.

I was due to have a gastric bypass on 23/03 but due to corona virus obviously this was cancelled so I should be getting it when elective surgeries are back up and running. I had to go to appointments with a dietician in the bariatric department in the hospital for a year (every 4/6 weeks) and in that year I had to lose 5% of my body weight (as the bare minimum requirement) and keep it off for the year before I could then be considered for bariatric surgery. I then had to see a psychologist twice, a bariatric nurse, have an ecg twice, full blood tests multiple times, see an anethetist and have two appointments with a bariatric surgeon. I was then finally given a surgery date, so it was a long process with a lot of hoops to jump through. Luckily despite my weight I have no other medical issues at all so it was a lot quicker process for me and more straight forward than a lot of other patients. I obviously haven't had surgery yet but i.know this is completely the right decision for me (as the surgeons etc agree) I have to practically starve myself to lose any weight at all (600 calories a day maximum) from years of messing up my metabolism. Gastric bypass doesn't just make your stomach physically smaller it also for some reason completely resets your metabolic system and that is unfortunately what I need. I don't care if other people believe it is the 'easy' way, this will be the only thing that will work for me and will stop me getting weight related illnesses in the future (thus saving the nhs money in the long run)

Sorry forgot to put that it's through the nhs not private that I am having surgery

Thanks @Addler a recommendation would be great

Have sent you a PM

Go for it Seriouslyconfused3 !

Best thing I ever did.

I had a sleeve 4 years ago. On NHS . My BMI was 40.
I had sleep apnoea
Pre diabetes
Arthritis requiring cortisone injections
Couldn't walk more than 30 metres without stonking backache. .
Didn't have sex for three years because I was too self conscious and DH didn't fancy me (understandably)

My BMI has been 25 for the last 3 years.
I have no sleep apnoea
No sign of diabetes
Can walk for hours
Go walking everyday
Not a twinge of arthritis
Haven't had a cortisone injection for 3.5 years.

It's literally a new better life. I had tried every diet and every slimming club for 4 years. I would lose 3 gain 4 lose 4 gain 6...

Diets don't work . This operation reset my disordered eating and I will be forever grateful.

Thanks @disorganisedsecretsquirrel where did you get it done and what did you opt for?

Sorry I missed the sleeve but. Any regrets or low points?

Hi Seriouslyconfused3

I can honestly say absolutely none !
This has been a 100% win win for me.

The only part which was annoying was the long process that you have to go through on the NHS.

As far as I can tell their is entirely down to all the 'just move more and eat less brigade ' shouting about 'taking the easy option' . It is entirely pointless .

My journey was ;

1. Go to GP and discuss wait loss AGAIN but this time go armed with your research about WLS.

1. You absolutely CAN be referrered in the 'Tier 3 Bariatric pathway' ... This sounds a lot better than saying it want an operation because I can't lose wait'.. but amounts to the same thing. The 'pathway' is 6minths to a year of workshops about food and nutrition. However the reality is that it was (for me) 6 months of incredibly pointless time wasting that even the Bariatric team find frustrating. I am not a child. I know EXACTLY why I was getting fatter and fatter - bad food choices bought in by comfort eating because I was fat - which occurred through being on an anti anxiety med for insomnia. (Used also to make the elderly feel hungry !)

So I had 3 appointments over six months where I had to sit through people e planning a food label...
There is one great part of this pathway though - a psychological assessment about your relationship with food - and if you press the buttons for that issue you get help with that...

6 months later I had the OP. For the first few months you are on puréed meals . I froze mine in ramakin dishes and struggled to finish 3 a day.

As the weight comes off so the enthusiasm to move increases because it no longer hurts to move.

I eat NO sugar. Had one cup of tea by accident (was for my daughter who takes sugar) ... my bowels nearly exploded 😬... I have never been tempted again.

I now eat ' normally' . But healthy options. I am not tempted by sugary stuff. It lead to great unhappiness and I never want to go there again.

I was 19st 10
I am now 11st 3
5'7

So a comfortable size 12/14.
I have a life.

People against this operation need to look at the science. Prof Rachael Batteram did a large scale study (40k ).

Your chances of returning to healthy BMI after BMI 35 are 1:245
at BMI 40 + it's over 1:700
Of those lucky '1' s .. over 82 % put it all in again and more within 5 years.

Bariatric surgery is still the ONLY long term sustainable route for weight loss with over 89% remaining in the healthy zone after 10 years.

It's a no brainier .

Sorry, Forgot to say, I had mine done at Saint Richards in Chichester about two hours from my home unfortunately this was the closest regional, Bariatric unit.

@disorganisedsecretsquirrel thanks for your insights- it’s great to have people who have been through the process share their stories-what is your diet like now on the average day?

Breakfast : 1 weetabix with milk
Cup of coffee with 1 sweetener . (I would love to be able to drink it without but just don't like the taste ..

Mid morning an omelette with mushrooms/ available veggies.

Lunch : Soup and crusty whole meal roll or Ryvita , cream cheese ham and tomatoe. Can manage 1 and a half.

Afternoon a banana. (Some people can't manage fruit very well because of the fructose but I am lucky)

Supper.. I like to cook . Tonight is pork stroganoff with creme fraise, leeks and mushrooms . Jasmine rice.

If I fancy a pud it's sugar free jelly pot.

My downfall ? After 2 years I have had a regular drink on Friday and Saturday nights. Vodka Tonic (slimline and left to go flat) - DO NOT DRINK BUBBLES !! The gas stretches the pouch..

You don't need much vodka to get a happy buzz. Without a doubt this is not recommended as empty calories but life is for living.

Bear in mind that all the above are tea plate sized portions. You don't have to deny yourself though. The miracle is that the Op does this for you.

I take a multi vit and 3200 vit D everyday. I also have vit B12 injections every 3 months.

I feel healthier than I ever have. Even before I put in the weight.

It helps that I work full time. At the moment that's from home.

Boredom is my food downfall.

Keep busy !

Wow that’s better than I expected- I’m not a huge volume eater so Multiple smaller meals sounds good to me. It’ll be sugar I find the hardest to get rid of

I think I'm going to join you! My BMI is 40. I've been stable for a long time, after a certain amount of yoyo dieting. But my weight is creeping up now, and I can't let it get higher.

Hi @picklemewalnuts we could set up a little support group as we go along!