Bariatric surgery no.2 thread

[Seriouslyconfused3]

For everyone following from the last thread...

If you’re new please feel free to join in and share your experiences

Thanks Ralphthemouth (love it ) and Mindbodychocolate that's very helpful x

@Jubliate I had a sleeve last October and I've lost almost 8.5 stone and still going strong.

You can lose lots of weight with a sleeve - it's the best thing I've ever done and has changed my life. It would have been worth it at twice the price. Go for it!

Hi @NaughtyNell sorry just seen your message- I’ve pm’d you

@Jubilate I had the sleeve and have lost over 75% excess weight in 6 months. It’s been great for me personally

I had 8 stone excess weight (ie 8 stone over a BMI of 25 - 19 stone to 11 stone) and opted for a sleeve. My loss has been slower than some but I am confident I will lose at least 6.5 stone and will probably get close to the full 8 stone off. I think this will take me more than a year, maybe closer to 18 months.

I haven’t regretted having a sleeve at all. I like the feeling of fullness you get from small portions but I also like not having to worry about dumping (I know some do dump with a sleeve but I understand it’s a lot more common with a bypass).

I did consider a mini bypass but having researched both a lot I felt I didn’t need the extra effects of malabsorption and I didn’t want that surgery to my digestive system. I also didn’t have a sweet tooth so I didn’t need the ‘threat’ of dumping.

Only thing with a sleeve is the risk of reflux - I’ve never had reflux so didn’t consider this a big risk.

Good luck with your decision.

Seriously confused thanks I have replied

Hello, I've just been given by first appointment for weight loss surgery on the NHS. Can anyone give me any advice for the 1st appointment - its with the weight loss team at Imperial in London. Any help gratefully received.

Hi everyone.

Just joined and I will be reading through this evening.

Just had my first GP appointment for weightloss being referred to weightloss services NHS. Hoping to get bariatric surgery.

I know it will be a long process via NHS but I can't go private.

Good luck to anyone just starting their journey now, it'll be worth it in the end :)

@ScabberPig I saw you mention Turkey in the other thread, that's where I went. Lots of people have gone this route as private here is so expensive. I am really happy I did it now, I did have a few worries during and after it but thankfully all went well.

Hi all 👋 good luck to everyone starting out this journey.

My milk/soup diet starts tomorrow so then I’m on the 2 week countdown to surgery. I’ve told work about needing the time off - I just said ‘keyhole surgery’ and no questions were asked, so that was a relief. I’ve organised someone to look after the children. It’s all in place.

So why am I starting to question myself? Is surgery the right thing? I’ve been eating fairly normally (for me) this week, I wondered if I’d want to eat (overeat) all my favourite foods as a last hurrah, but I don’t and I literally feel like I can’t be bothered to think about it. I just want to get to the point where I don’t care about food any more.

I feel desperate to have the surgery - it will change my life. So why am I questioning having it. Why haven’t I been to buy the soup I need for tomorrow? Why am I trying to sabotage this?

Genuinely scared that I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and just eat normal food and not start the pre-op diet.

Sorry, self-indulged post this morning.

Morning @MananaForever, I felt exactly the same and it seems to be really common, I think I posted on here a very similar message.

Realistically you’re having the operation because you’ve gone down every other avenue and even if you are eating well at the moment, the likelihood is that you won’t stick to that.

I’m the other side, 7 weeks post op and not regretting a thing, 3 stone down too. It’s not easy, but I feel like for once, food is not my focus and that is a real weight (!) off my shoulders.

@MananaForever I felt similar too - thought I would binge the week before but I didn't. Once you get started on the LRD you will focus.

It will be life-changing - it has been for me. I had my surgery 6 months ago and I've lost 8.5 stone and my BMI has dropped from morbidly obese to overweight, also dropping my risk of severe Covid symptoms massively.

I don't know if I will get to a 'healthy' bmi but the dietitian is v chilled about bmi and says not to focus on it- it's more about getting to a weight I can maintain.

Thanks @RalphtheMouth and @CoronaCurls I am going to go back to the first thread and re-read!

Weirdly, I decided to start my LRD today, a day early. I can’t explain why but I had soup for breakfast. I have a feeling of needing it to start now, so that I don’t stay in this limbo for another day, with these ‘what if’ feelings. Starting today means it’s happening, I’m doing it. I don’t need or want a ‘last supper’ I just want my life back. I want to go horse riding with my daughter. I haven’t ridden for years, because I’ve been over the 14st weight limit. I want to go fishing with my son in the small sailing boat they hire locally, that I’m too scared to go in because I feel so huge I’m convinced it will tip. 3 years ago I learnt to sail and I loved it. The 4 stone I’ve put on since then has taken that away. I’ve got so much that I want to do.

I’m so grateful for this thread and having somewhere to offload. I’m at work and I feel so emotional, thinking about this change and what it will mean for the future.

@MananaForever I'm so glad you started your LRD! I lost loads in that fortnight, and, although it was difficult at the beginning, the weight loss got me off to such a good start.

I totally know what you mean about sailing etc - there were so many things I stopped doing due to my size. I didn't realise how much it had affected my mental health, and am delighted with how much it has improved.

Reading through both threads is a great idea - I have received so much help and support here and lots of good suggestions.

Good luck @MananaForever! You’ve got this! Lrd is a tough slog at first but it gets so much easier

Well done @MananaForever! You’ll be fine now you’ve started. Keep in mind horse riding and sailing.

@MananaForever good luck!

Well I booked my surgery for the end of June. Hopefully I can get there!

Good luck @MananaForever.

I'm hopefully not far behind your @ScabberPig. Waiting for the psychologist and a date. Still no decision on which surgery to opt for! My husband did point out that once I've made the decision there is no way of knowing how the other would have played out, so there isn't a 'wrong' decision. Which helped a bit. I think!

@Jubilate that’s a really good way of looking at it, there being no wrong decision.

I’m now on day 5 of the LRD and it’s got much easier. I’m not hungry any more (very low carb does that to me) and the awful headache has gone. I’ve stuck to soup, yogurt and milk. I have had one stick of celery each day, when I’ve felt desperate to chew something! This is technically not allowed, but I’m hoping it’ll be ok 😬

10 days to go.

Keep going @MananaForever - the stick of celery sounds perfectly ok!! :) Not chewing is quite weird - after the op I really wanted something crunchy. the early stages go pretty fast though, so it's not too long to wait.

Well done @ScabberPig for booking.

It is so strange @MindBodyChocolate my teeth have felt weird since I started the LRD, almost a bit achey. I just needed to have something to chew! Just realised I’m having my surgery the same place you had yours (streamline, Harrow, dr A) 😊

Oh sorry, ignore me @MindBodyChocolate I’ve just realised it’s a different surgeon to the one you had!

How’s it going for those starting out? What are your surgery dates?

Mine is 30th June in Turkey but obviously waiting to see if I can go