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?

Hope everything went well today @QueenOfPain & good luck for Monday!

@Seriouslyconfused3: I have 2 relatives who’ve had this done (they are sisters, procedure was a gastric band)

For 1: amazing success, went from v v large to size 20 or so (so ‘normal’ vs quite seriously perhaps 40 stone, always a large person)

For the other: initially some result but now some years later bigger than ever, has eaten around it/stretched: but has a food addiction which is masking other issues (don’t we all, but to a lesser extent!)

I’d think carefully and get some counselling from an independent person to explore your motivation: it’s either a huge blessing or a pointless and difficult (and painful) surgery - all depends on where your head is ad

@Seriouslyconfused3: sorry I didn’t realise you’d already had done, hope will be successful. Unfortunately hair loss can be a side effect of weight loss... sure you know but protein, iron, vitamin D are your friends

Protein: are humus and low fat soft cheeses options for you?

You might enjoy a book called ‘I’m still hungry’ - Carnie Wilson’s(from 80s band Wilson Phillips) account of her surgery & period after

@10kaDay Thankfully, the gastric band is becoming quite passé now due to high failure rate and potential complications. Lots of people end up having their band revised to a sleeve or bypass. It’s no longer offered routinely on the NHS and private hospitals will try to encourage towards the sleeve rather than the band. Some surgeons just will not perform bands on people.

So I understand... both band surgeries were about ten years ago. My point was outcome even in 2 sisters can vary so much, and mainly for psychological reasons

I had major therapy with a psychologist to sort out my binge eating disorder before I had my sleeve and so glad I did.

It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would and has helped so much - I would definitely recommend it.

Seriouslyconfused3

Thanks for the tip about the protein water - I can tolerate it in the way I couldn't with the protein drinks

It's taking me all day to drink it though as can only sip slowly (I miss gulping)

Glad it’s helping @LaurieFairyCake I found it so much better. Think I might start back on it myself to try and stem the hair loss!

Happy new year everyone.

2020 was a horrible year in so many ways, however I will always look back at it as the best year for my personal health. COVID made me realise how at risk I was with a bmi of 45. I made the decision to have wls in may and had a sleeve in august. The end of 2020 sees me having lost 4 stone, which is exactly 50% of the total weight I need to lose to get down to a healthy bmi of 25. My bmi is currently 34.3. I am out of the "at risk" category for COVID and I feel so much healthier.

It's not an easy journey by any means. My eating life has changed forever. As a Cornish bakers daughter, I am never going to be able to eat crusty bread and Cornish pasties in the same way as before, but it's a small price to pay for being able to see my future grandchildren and enjoy my retirement.

Good luck to all those who are embarking on this journey in 2021 - it will be worth it.

Happy new year @needtoloselots! I feel the same way coming into 2021. Yes Covid has been terrible but it has really given me a kick up the bum. I’m going into this year nearly 4 stones down and feel so much healthier- and somewhat hating chicken (I’ve eaten far too much of it now). Aim by this time next year is to be at goal weight

Happy new year everyone! I agree that while 2020 has been pretty shit, it was the year I had my sleeve and have ended the year nearly 3 stone down. I feel for the first time in my life that I have a chance of getting to a healthy maintainable weight over 2021.

Good luck to all of us 😃

Today is my last day with my pre op stomach and bowel.

Getting a little nervous now, lots of what ifs, what if I’m the person who it all goes badly wrong for, what if I die, what if I have an undiagnosed condition that nobody has picked up on that means I don’t deal with the anaesthetic well (have had four GA’s in the past - so this is silly), what if they don’t look after me properly, what if I have to stay in extra time, what if they don’t give me enough notice of my discharge time so that my partner can drive the 70 miles to get me and I’m just stood outside in the cold waiting for him.

I’ve even gone so far as to pack my own thermometer and pulse oximeter (I’m a nurse so already have them) in my case just in case they don’t check in on me, how ridiculous!?

Today my plans are to finish the last of my packing and give my hair a good wash and blowdry and try and get my last bits done around the house so it’s nice to come back to. I’m also gonna finish watching The Wilds on Prime.

Did anyone else have these fears pre op? Were they unfounded?

Good luck @QueenOfPain I think most of us had those worries! I was convinced i would die on the table (far too much greys anatomy for me). I wept every time I thought about it but I was fine. I don’t deal with anaesthetic well and needed oxygen and a heated blanket afterwards but the hospital staff were amazing!

I’ve lost over 50% of my excess weight in 4 months- best thing I’ve done!

Brace yourself to feel pretty awful afterwards though- I think most people regret it in the first couple of weeks but it gets so much easier! Oh and stock up on some protein water- so much nicer than the shakes afterwards.

Make sure to come back and update us once you feel up to it- good luck

Good luck @QueenOfPain, hope all goes well. I’m sure the fears you have are totally natural, but everything will be fine.

Good luck for tomorrow @QueenOfPain
You'll be fine, totally normal to have these worries. I went to Turkey and as they wheeled me into the (very non English looking) theatre I was wondering what the hell I was doing. It was fine, I felt rough for a couple of days but I was fine by the time I got home, 3 days post op.

I've lost just over 3st in 2 months so it was well worth it, still another 8st to go!

Good luck @QueenofPain I hope it all goes well.

When I first came round I was thinking what the fuck have I done but once I got home the next day I felt loads better.

I've lost over a third of my excess weight already (surgery at end of Oct) I'm soooo glad I had it done!

Good luck @QueenOfPain it will all be worth it. You probably will feel pretty crap when you come round but it passes!! Let us know how it goes when you feel up to it ☺️

I went down to theatre around 2pm and was done and in recovery shivering crazily for 16.10. They have me pethidine to stop the shivering, then I started dry heaving, but that stopped. Had morphine for pain while still in recovering and have been largely pain free till now.
Nurse has just brought me some codeine and calpol.
I’ve managed to drink 3-4 little glasses of water, but worried that it all seems to be going down to easily, and I’ll end up doing some spectacular vomit later.

I really wanna get up and go to the loo, wash my face, brush my teeth, put a crop top on and change my pants but they’re just dithering about letting me.

Overall I feel okay, quite surprised.

Congrats @QueenOfPain don’t do too much too quickly- the movement made me vomit. You sound like your doing fab tho- keep us updated

Well done @QueenOfPain ! Hopefully you’re home now and still feeling ok.

Thanks seriously & mindbody.

My post from surgery day makes me see that I was quite high from all the opiates I’d been given, hahaha.

I’m post op day 4 now.
Tolerating fluids well, following just dieticians protocol for 50mls of protein shake hourly between 8am and 9pm, and trying to get 1000mls of other fluids in, have tried bovril, coffee and squash.

I don’t think I could feel a restriction in my first few days, but now certainly, I get a sensation of being too full, and having a burp stuck somewhere that I just can’t get out, which I think is probably what full feels like now.

Has my first post op poo yesterday, which was hair raising, but is done now, thankfully.

I seem to feel a bit better every day. I am able cough almost normally (although still wouldn’t want to take on a bout of covid) and it’s much easier to get up out of chairs and change position in bed.

I seem to have lost my extra surgery/fluid weight and a further KG since Monday too.

Ha the pain relief is amazing- I was up making my bed in hospital the nurses told me off! You sound like your doing great so far! The burp is always a sign of fullness for me- the restriction really kicks in on solids though- the sight of chicken makes me feel full!

So glad to hear you’re doing well @QueenOfPain.

I’m one week post op today! Have lost 5.6kg since surgery day and 14.1kg in total since the start of the LRD.

Fluids and protein so much easier now that my internal swelling is reducing.

How is everyone else?

That's brilliant @QueenofPain you are doing so well!

I've lost almost half my excess weight since last October and just LOVE not feeling hungry any more