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?

@scryingeyes don’t worry, it’s not you - people are just busy getting surgery or whatnot 😝

I haven’t looked at any YouTube videos so can’t recommend any but I had surgery 11 weeks ago - a gastric sleeve - please feel free to ask any questions here & I’m sure any of us will be happy to answer.

Hi all sorry for the long absence- been dealing with some family stuff. I eventually got my sleeve about a month ago. I was really lucky and have had absolutely minimal pain. No pain relief needed after day 3. The first few weeks were the hardest- I didn’t realise how much I physically missed eating (and I hate protein shakes- I have no sweet tooth at all anymore)

My clinic have been brilliant, so supportive at every stage and the weight is falling off. I did decide to tell family and friends about it all in the end and they were so nice about it.

So while my journey hasn’t been the smoothest (bloody Covid) I wouldn’t change it.

Great to hear hear @seriouslyconfused3!
I had my sleeve yesterday - didn't sleep at all last night really struggling with gasiness. I'm doped up but still in pain - how long will it last??

I'm massively regretting it right now but am back home so hopefully will sleep better tonight and have the OK to have some ground up diazepam tonight to help with sleep.

Congrats @CoronaCurls it does get easier! The gassiness only lasted two days for me but I did lots of pottering about- peppermint tea really helped too. Honestly use the pain relief until it eases up and don’t push yourself too much. Anti sickness mess were a god send for my first few days too

Everyone is different - I took pain relief for 2 weeks - paracetamol and codeine 4 times a day. I also regretted it for nearly 4 weeks

I'm 4.5 weeks out now - no pain at all. Not regretting it now.

Unfortunately have a massive sweet tooth but still only eating 900 maximum calories a day - and not hungry at all

I eat 2 chocolates or one biscuit and that's it for me.

Weight not falling off me - just 3 pounds in last 2 weeks - but 14 pounds in first two weeks so really it's the long haul now

I also HATE protein shakes - made dh drink them all

I've ignored the dieticians advice and listened to my body - I've had no problem eating a scrambled egg/ice cream since the beginning

I've managed to eat brioche and bread now in very small bites

I will NEVER drink soup again 😂

I am NOT dieting for the first time in 27 years.

I eat protein (eggs/steak/haggis) and potato / small amounts of veg first - then my next 'meal' might be a biscuit or ice cream. Meal after that cheese and biscuits.

I've ended up where I wanted. Being satisfied on under 1000 calories a day - meaning a likely weight loss (until I can exercise - arthritis still awful) of 2lb a week

I expect to be between 8-9 stone by 17th July 2021 if this continues

Scryingeyes

Watch that BBC documentary linked earlier - it's fantastic

I also forgot to say one thing. I had an online doctors appointment with my GP (a random GP I don't know as I'm with Babylon) and you get to update your notes at the beginning saying what you want to see the doctor about. I put in that I'd had the surgery and needed the medication prescribed you take after 3 weeks.

The first thing she said to me when she came on the call was "I think you're bloody amazing and brave"

I almost cried. All I usually get from doctors is 'lose weight/exercise'

That’s really good to know @LaurieFairyCake I was following the plan religiously but found it hard- I was a bit nervous to do my own thing. Might give intuitive eating a try. If anyone is struggling with the shakes I found a great alternative. It’s protein powder you add to water to make juice. The orange and mango flavour is really refreshing. You can also get the vieve bottles ready made which are lovely too- much more palatable than the sickly shakes

I am in awe of you all. Well done.

I wish I had your guts (haha) and your money. Will start saving up my £2 coins.

I told someone recently that the only thing that would work for me is an induced coma for ten months. This is another option.

Seriously though, must work out my BMI. Haven't weighed myself during covid.

@Seriouslyconfused3 Thanks for coming back to update, really glad you managed to get your surgery after all.

@CoronaCurls it will pass, hang on in there.

@LaurieFairyCake so interesting to read you are following your own path with eating so to speak. I, too, have been doing that for the past three or four weeks ... I’m very active so have been eating around 1200 cals a day to fuel the activity however weight loss is slow.

I spoke to the dietician yesterday morning, he asked me to cut back to 1000 a day and, since then, Ive had a real emotional reaction to that feeling of having to ‘diet’ again to the extent that I’ve eaten ALL the food yesterday and today. Logically I know this is ridiculous but emotionally I’ve fallen straight back into old habits.

Sigh.

Tomorrow is a new day. We all know surgery is just a tool and we have to get own own heads straight, this has been a real lesson in how true that is.

Thanks everyone your support means so much and is helping massively. I'm all dosed up so really hoping for some sleep tonight and then I can get my head round the drug regimen tomorrow.

That's what is stressing me the most - I take lots of prescription medication already so getting that incorporated into all the painkillers and vitamins seems a bit insurmountable tonight.

My DH is being a total total star and gave me my blood thinning injection because I couldn't do it - didn't hurt a bit!

Tomorrow is another day we'll get it sorted.

You’ve got this @CoronaCurls! don’t forget depending on the meds combo it could make you anxious or woozy- definitely did that to me. Felt much better once things reduced down

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. I’m 7 weeks post op now and down 2st 4lbs. It’s really nice being able to chat with others who are on the same journey. Has anyone experienced sickness following eating? I’ve had it two or three times now. Once after having about a third of a Costa hot chocolate And a car journey, running straight up the stairs to the bathroom! And immediately after eating half a small hot dog, so both times it seemed clear I’d pushed too far.

Now that I’m post the initials 2/3 weeks of regret at the loss of my eating habits, I’ve moved on to my second main concern of hair loss. Has anyone else experienced it? Are you worried about it too? I’m becoming slightly paranoid every time I pass a mirror!

Have you tried biotin for hair loss? I have been taking it and my hair grew sooo quickly.

Also have some powdered collagen lined up to take once I'm a bit better.

That’s really good @HyaluronicHippo! I did when I transitioned away from liquids. Purées made me retch not envy.

Yes, I have biotin corona my surgeon suggested not to take until after 6 weeks. Another little tablet to add to the pile! I’ll make sure to take it daily though from now on, glad to hear it went well for you.

MonkeysandParrots

I'm sorry to hear that about the eating, something I'm scared of happening. I'm surprised at the dieticians advice if you're active though.

No chance you've just hit a bit of a stall as you've lost so much weight so far ?

For those of you who have had it done are you terrified Of gaining weight or is that just me? What’s your daily diet like now?

@LaurieFairyCake I suspect it’s because the average calorific intake at this stage, according to the dietician, is between 800 -1200 cals a day so he wants me to drop into the middle rather than the upper end.

@Seriouslyconfused3 Christ, I’d be devastated if I put on weight this early on.

Daily diet tends to be a lindahls kvarg yoghurt for brekkie, a thin with egg & tuna or soup with added chicken for lunch and then dinner is a small protein heavy, carb light portion of whatever the family are eating which is often fish or chicken with vegetables thing. A kind protein nut bar for evening snack, sometimes an orange. Milk for tea/coffee during day and occasional a small skinny latte from Starbucks. All of that normal comes to around 1200 cals & i am definitely eating more now than I was at, say, 8 weeks post op.

Interested to see how much more I am eating than everyone else?

More than me 4.5 weeks out - I'm on between 800-900 calories at the moment

I'm massively struggling to tolerate veg so I'm eating in a typical day:

Morning - scrambled egg, half a crumpet
2 biscuits
Cauliflower cheese/mashed potato or rice
couple of chocolates
Cheese/biscuits/chilli jam

Just made dinner - it's one quarter of a pack of mash and one quarter of cauliflower cheese

If I eat half of even that I will be lucky

I have a hiatus hernia so normally pre surgery I would take a big swallow of water if food got a bit stuck - can't do that now - instead DH is hitting me on the back so I don't die I keep forgetting to eat tiny bites

Has anyone tried alcohol yet?

I'm not working tomorrow and I really want a gin but nervous about trying it

No alcohol for me yet. I don’t think I’m eating enough really but I’m still nervous of carbs in particular

I thought I'd give you all an update. I was sleeved on 14/8/20. So I'm 10 weeks post op and I have lost 2st 13lbs in total including LRD. I am really glad I had it done. I was on a downward spiral with regards to my weight. I feel so much better even though I still have 5st to lose to get down to a healthy bmi.

There are downsides, but the main one is that you have to change the way you eat and think about food. You can't eat and drink liquid at the same time. There's just not enough room for both. You must take all the vitamins which is a bit if a drag, but they will keep you healthy. Eating is different- you have to eat tiny spoonfuls, chew everything for 30 secs and then wait 30 secs before the next spoonful. This is the thing I'm finding the hardest. I find I get a blockage in my throat, but it takes time to get that feeling and I'm still missing the signs. I haven't drunk any alcohol yet.

My weight loss team have been great. They phone regularly for support. My gp has prescribed most of the vitamins I need (not the multi-vitamins, I buy those) and I'm due to have my first B12 injection in November.

I did go through a phase a few weeks ago where I wondered if I'd made a massive mistake. I was really missing the idea of having a big 3 course meal. However I know that it was those massive meals that got me into this in the first place.

I'm not losing weight as quickly as some people do, but I'm losing it fairly steadily after the initial dramatic loss. I will be happy with a loss of 1-2lbs each week from now on.

If anyone has any questions about my journey, please ask.

Sorry that was such an essay!!!

That’s brilliant @needtoloselots gives me hope for the long term. I’m really struggling with the not drinking while I eat thing- I feel desperate to wash my food down