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?

Hello again everyone I posted a couple of months ago - having a sleeve gastrectomy on 23rd October.

I'm really hoping corona doesn't stuff it up!

I started self-isolating on Friday, and started the liver-shrinking diet, which is grim and I'm bloody starving but I can do it.

It's great to hear how everyone else is doing - I just want to have the op now.

@luckylady22
thank you for replying.
wow thats amazing!!
This sounds so crazy because im sure the criteria for nhs is bmi over 40 with no co-morbidities!
Theyre prob gna turn me down and definitely cant afford it yet.

@CoronaCurls
Good luck with your journey. I hope i join in soon x

@Seriouslyconfused3 any update on your situation?

@CoronaCurls good luck!

@LaurieFairyCake how are you doing this week?

As for me, just checking in. I a milestone this weekend - 3 stone loss since I started the LRD on July 17th. I’m happy with that, it’s fairly slow compared to some others but as long as I keep going in the right direction, I don’t care. Best decision ever to do it, am v thankful for all support via this thread.

Luckylady22 - that's an amazing loss. Totally agree about the privacy and it would be obvious if you were eating out to others with our wee spoonfuls of food

MonkeysandParrots - that's a stone a month - well done!

I'm definitely doing better though really struggling to tell myself to slow down when I eat - I keep trying to eat at normal speed and having to stop after 3 mouthfuls.

It's so weird to eat whatever I like and I mean whatever I like without dieting. It's taken me 4 days (!) to eat a Tarka Dahl from my favourite restaurant and 2 days to eat the custard in a doughnut. I am only limited by my appetite - which is TINY.

3 spoonfuls of anything and I'm stuffed. The most I've managed to eat in a day is probably 600/700 calories and that's with my trying to up it a bit as I still get so tired.

The 'foods' I can most tolerate are ice cream, yoghurt, warm soup (I hate soup now) and scrambled eggs. I emailed my dietician and she said I shouldn't be eating them for a month - but I find them ok.

I haven't lost any weight for a few days but that's because I lost a stone in the first 2 weeks. I'm still too tired to go for walks and I've been isolating as DH had to have a Covid test.

I went out to the shops for the first time on Saturday and walked 5000 steps pottering around buying plants - when I got home I didn't move for the rest of the day as I was so tired. I've also unhelpfully picked up a cold from Dh - we now know it's not Covid - so exhausted from that.

It really does take a while to recover - I'm not quite 3 weeks out yet but I can sleep and turn without it hurting now.

I've just had my pre-op medical and paid so definitely going ahead now!

Fantastic - well done you!

How's everyone getting on? My surgery is on Saturday (pending Wednesday's covid test).

Just over a week in to the LRD and 12lbs down which has been a massive motivation.

@CoronaCurls good luck for your op on the 23rd
@BillyAndTheSillies good luck for your op on Saturday
Can't wait to hear how you get on

@nandaandm good luck to you also on Thursday x

@QueenOfPain when is your op ? Good luck to you also x

Gahhh, it got cancelled as they had me down for the wrong bloody procedure. So I’m now back in the waiting game for a date again.

[quote luckylady22]@nandaandm good luck to you also on Thursday x[/quote]
Thank you. I'm excited. I've stopped reading all the Facebook groups. I've connected with two people I know who've had the sleeve in the last month and it's all good reviews. So this time next week I should be discharged and back to my hotel.

I have my Covid test today - not expecting any problems as my DH and I have totally isolated.

It feels like the final hurdle before surgery on Friday.

I have told all of my family and quite a few friends because I need their support. Everyone has been very positive (to my face) so far.

Whoever recommended the Bariatric Bible - thank you it has been really useful already.

I'm finding the liver-shrinking a bit easier this week, although I am dreaming loads about food!

Thanks all for your encouragement and support it has been so helpful.

I'm currently packing my hospital bag - is there anything apart from the obvious that I need to pack?

@CoronaCurls Anything without a waistband! Layers as rooms range from hot to freezing. Never in-between for whatever reason. Baby wipes if you can't face showering? When thinking about clothes remember you might be hooked up to a drip after so limits what you can take off & on easily (unless staff unhook you, but they won't want to do that often) earplugs. Hospitals can be noisy.

Soft bra if you've big boobs - one of my lap
scars is between my boobs (low down) and the underwire of my bra rubbed against it

I'm still, a month on, comfier in soft jersey trousers. I've worn jeans once for a couple of hours but the button dug in when sitting down. I'm rotating through about 5 pairs of soft jersey trousers.

Thanks v much both of you.

Hi all, hoping to have surgery next year. I am on the NHS pathway (I’ve been on it since Jan 2019) and should have a decision in a couple of weeks as to whether I will be offered the operation.

It’s really interesting to see how you are all doing and hope to be able to document my journey too. After my husband being made redundant I won’t be able to self fund so fingers crossed I will get the go ahead.

Good luck for tomorrow @CoronaCurls will be thinking of you!

My covid test was yesterday, they said I'd hear today if anything wrong and if I didn't hear to come in at 7:30am on Saturday morning so looks like that's it! Bags are all packed, childcare sorted. So ready for this!

@CoronaCurls good luck for tomorrow! Did you go with Mr Osborne in the end?

Yes I did @MonkeyandParrots!

Thanks everyone for your good wishes.

And good luck @BillyandtheSillies for Saturday.

Omg, spent an hour and a half reading this thread!

Very inspiring. I need to sleep now but I will be googling like mad tomorrow

I killed it again. My bad.

So if anyone comes
back, please can you suggest youtube videos for absolute beginners who's just looking at this as an option.