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

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor

Has anyone done a lot of research and have any recommendations of private companies that offer the surgery? I don’t think I quite qualify under NHS guidelines.

I did a lot of research before making a decision.

I decided on Healthier Weight and so far, my entire experience has been very positive.

I would suggest that you read this thread and the one before this as there are several providers and surgeons mentioned, including providers overseas.

Hello everyone- just to let you know that loose skin is not inevitable.

I had a sleeve just over a year ago, and have lost 9.5 stone. I have a wee pouch on my tummy from my children, but no loose skin anywhere else.

I have taken collagen every day, and use bio oil head to toe every morning.

I also exercise on a vibration plate every day, which I think has really helped.

I really don't want to have more surgery for skin removal, so I have done everything suggested to help, and it has worked.

@GraceMelbury

Hello everyone- just to let you know that loose skin is not inevitable.

I had a sleeve just over a year ago, and have lost 9.5 stone. I have a wee pouch on my tummy from my children, but no loose skin anywhere else.

I have taken collagen every day, and use bio oil head to toe every morning.

I also exercise on a vibration plate every day, which I think has really helped.

I really don't want to have more surgery for skin removal, so I have done everything suggested to help, and it has worked.

Hi. Do you by any chance have a link for the vibration plate you used? I'm thinking of asking for one for Xmas! I had my op on 2/11 and am very worried about saggy skin!!

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07LGN21BY/ref=cm_sw_r_apanp_GRxuvH5ywgPuE

@GraceMelbury thank you! ☺️

@Teaandtonic I'm worried about a lifetime of restricted eating too, but its got to be better than a lifetime of disordered eating.

Ah @pcosstruggler that's so good to hear. The psychologist wasn't convinced it was the right idea for me actually, but said there wasn't enough reason for me not to have it either! I'm 7 weeks out now. Things are getting much easier! What consultant are you under?

@Jubilate

Ah *@pcosstruggler* that's so good to hear. The psychologist wasn't convinced it was the right idea for me actually, but said there wasn't enough reason for me not to have it either! I'm 7 weeks out now. Things are getting much easier! What consultant are you under?

So glad to hear that things are getting easier!

I'm with Mr Kirk! Who did you have?
He was saying he works with pancreatic tumours the rest of the day and loves doing bariatrics as it's giving people back their lives instead of watching them live their final days!

I have Mr Kirk too! Small world.

@Jubilate

I have Mr Kirk too! Small world.

Aww super 😁

@RevisionSurgeryQ thank you 😊
can I ask what made you choose them? I have no idea what to look for.

[quote WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor]@RevisionSurgeryQ thank you 😊
can I ask what made you choose them? I have no idea what to look for.[/quote]
I had a gastric band 10 years ago, it needed to come out as it was causing me problems, so my primary search was around revision surgery.

Initially, I thought the revision would be to a sleeve, but my research led to learning that a sleeve was not a good option due to potential scar tissue/thinning of tissue from the band which can cause leaks in sleeve patients.

After weeks and weeks of intense reading, including medical research papers, I narrowed providers down to two and booked a consultation with both.

The first one said everything that went against medical research and his focus was 'awry' (about an unrelated health problem) leaving me with serious doubts about him. He also evaded questions when I asked about his surgery figures around revision surgery.

The second consultation with Mr Rishi Singhal, Healthier Weight was completely the opposite. He was fabulous, everything he said was backed up by medical research and he sent me his own medical paper about revision from band to bypass, showing why a band to bypass was a much better option than band to sleeve. Mr Singhal also provided me with his surgery figures, as requested. I can't fault him, he's a fantastic surgeon. The pre and follow up care from Healthier Weight has been excellent too.

It was also really important to me not to travel too far. Having had the gastric band done fairly locally, I knew how I felt travelling home after that and I did not want to spend hours in a car following this surgery which was a much bigger operation.

What surgery are you considering? Sleeve? Bypass?

Happy for you to PM me if you want

So the countdown has begun - just under a month until surgery day!
What can I do in order to help prepare myself in the next few weeks?

I'm planning to try doing a bit of meal prep and freeze in small portions over the next couple of weeks ready for post surgery, as I know once the LRD starts the smell of lovely home cooked food will drive me crazy.

I managed to give up fizzy drink a month ago now as they were something which I was drinking all the time, everyday and I knew I needed to get my head around it before surgery.

Apart from getting all my Christmas prep done before hand, is there anything practical I can do to help myself? Or anything to help myself mentally prepare?

massively useful post @GraceMelbury, thanks so much! vibration plate's going on my Xmas list too.

i started a trial LRD two weeks ago. surgery in 4 weeks, so I've just stuck to it (but with slightly increased calories). slightly unsettled by how easy I've found it - I think probably because I know there's an end point!

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor I chose Healthier Weight too, for very similar reasons to those already mentioned. different surgeon, but very close to my home, with excellent surgical outcomes.

nbsr.e-dendrite.com/#search is brilliant if you want to see how many / which procedures a surgeon performs, what types of patient etc etc

Thank you. I’ve decided to probably go with spire. I’ve booked in a consultation with Mr Shlok Balupuri. I’m not sure what the numbers on the graphs mean. Does he have good outcomes?

Hi all! It’s been a while since I was on here! Hi to all the new folk! Good luck where ever you are with your wls. I’m now just over 5 weeks post surgery. I’m well healed and learning daily what will and won’t work in my new stomach. I still have to remind myself I’ve had the surgery regularly! I’m not hungry and have little interest in food but as wife mum and as my job I’m around food all day!! So I need to stay aware a lot. I’m still on tiny portions no more than 3 tablespoons at a time over 20 minutes ( still a strange feeling eating so slow!!) so I’m relying on protein shakes to get my levels up. But I’m assured this will improve! My weight loss is slower than I’d hoped down to around 2lb a week but I’m hoping when I get my 6 week sign off by surgeon I can start hitting the gym to boost this. All in all 2st 4lbs off in 7 weeks (including LRD) I’m so pleased I did this. Just wish I could have a glass of wine to celebrate! 🥂

Today I’m 2 weeks post surgery with a gastric sleeve done in Turkey and am 2stone 4.5lbs down!

I’m well aware that this speed is due to the huge amount I need to lose, but it feels good to finally be in control of eating.
Already I’m noticing a difference in how I feel physically, even tying my shoelaces is easier as there isn’t quite so much belly in the way. Mentally I feel better than I have in years-I have a long and dark history of depression, but for the first time in a long time I feel that I actually have a future to look forward to!
I’ve told a few people I’ve had it done and they’ve been totally supportive about it. I’m not keeping it a secret, nor am I shouting about it, but I just didn’t need to wish any negative opinions before I went to have it done !

Hey

Where in turkey? I’m 11 days post op, had my sleeve in Ekol Hospital on the 8/11 and everything has been great so far. Around 1st 10lbs down so far. Fluctuating bad this week as have my period but so glad I have done this.

All the best in your journey!

I'm nearly 8 weeks post op and I've lost 2 stone 2lbs not including the LRD as I'm not sure what I weighed prior to then. I have 4.5 stone left I'm gutted to be honest it's slow I falsely assumed I would lose the weight quickly like everybody else seems too on the groups I'm in. It just seems ridiculous when I'm eating a quarter of what I used too and the stalls make me upset.

I eat 60-80 grams of protein per day I don't drink enough but I'm working on it.

@Veeveeoxox I'm coming up to 3 weeks post-op and my weight loss feels very slow too, and I was feeling a bit disheartened after seeing so many really dramatic initial weight losses in other people. Including the 2 week LRD I have lost exactly 2 stone.

However, I'm coming to think this might not be a bad thing. I definitely feel hunger when it's coming up to meal times, I'm not struggling to eat or drink like lots of people seem to, and not experiencing nausea or weakness/shakiness. I literally just feel like my normal self but with a hugely reduced appetite and I get full very quickly.

I guess we have to focus on the long game - over the course of a year all these small losses will add up

I agree. We have to look long term. Mine is also slow but I’m focusing on building a better relationship with food so beyond this phase I don’t go backwards. I’m also increasing my activity with hitting my 10000 steps as a minimum and restarted my jogging. And while I’ll never be an athlete I feel so much better in myself and I’m finally noticing a difference in my clothes! Always a benefit.

@Veeveeoxox I am just over 8 weeks out and have lost a little bit more than you BUT that includes my LRD. I don't weigh myself that often and I'd say I feel like I've lost more than the scales say. Remember that everyone starts from a different point. I remember being disappointed I only lost 11 pounds on my LRD - others I saw on SM dropped 2 stone. I do still see people really restrict their calories and fat content after surgery. Crikey, I've done enough of that. If that means I lose more slowly, so be it.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/4409464-bariatric-surgery-thread-3

Hoping this works 🙏