Bariatric surgery thread 3

[HotSteppa]

Relocating to shiny new thread for all those going through or considering weightless surgery in all its forms.

Hey all , just thought I would go ahead and make a new thread as I have certainly got alot from the last ones!

I'm day 5 now post sleeve surgery. Feeling pretty good all things considered. Still pretty tender and sore and can't bend over to pick stuff up or tie shoe laces. If I drop something on the floor and theres no one else around it pretty much stays there , kind of like when I was 9m pregnant! Also reminiscent of child birth have had my first post surgery poo! I was a bit worried as nothing for 5 days but not eating much and lots of strong pain killers it's to be expected. But yep another first out of the way!

I'm managing to eat without to much drama. I had some very very milky porridge this morning, the instant type so the oats are small. I've had a mug of soup and some yoghurt too and I'm feeling like I might have some more soup before bed. I'm craving lots of salt in my food at the moment. Also I'm managing to drink water a bit more normally not just the tiny sips. Hurray!

Thanks for starting thread number 3 @HotSteppa

It sounds as though you're doing really well considering you're only 5 days post op

Thanks @HotSteppa yes I really get a lot from this thread so thank you for starting a new thread! And it really does sound like you are getting on great!
I had my 6 week check with surgeon and he’s very happy with my recovery and weight loss. So it’s very reassuring. Apparently I had the lowest BMI of the others who had surgery in the same week and I have comparable weight loss.

Thanks all, I did make the error of stepping on the scales this morning and was a bit gutted to see I'm the same weight I was morning of the op 🙄 I'm trying not to take it to heart. I know its not all about numbers but seriously?! I was saying to my husband I feel a bit like I will be the person that this just doesn't work for and people will assume I'm sat at home liquidating Mars bars as the stories go ! I dunno maybe its the starvation mode that people talk about when your dieting, today was the most I've eaten I think and can't have been more than 500-600 cals. That's nearly 3 weeks of 800 cals or less and 5 kg off total. Anyway, lesson learned. Stay off the scales! And probably drink more water!

Thanks for the new thread @HotSteppa

Be kind to yourself! It's so soon after surgery. My weight stayed the same the first week so I know how you feel; it is disheartening but slow losses will gradually add up to big ones.

I'm now 3 weeks post op and feeling fine apart from the fact that 2 of my incisions have opened up and become a bit infected. The other 4 look completely healed now! I've just finished a course of antibiotics. Going back on Thursday for a dressing change and desperately hoping that they'll be looking better

@silverotter Outch! Hope they are healing up well. Mine look OK so far, can't wait to be properly healed as I do love having a bath! It's my number one recreational activity 😂

So are you in the exciting world of purees now? My friend brought me some home made pumpkin soup which was delicious but I tried to have it without thinning it right down and it just sat like a lump in my chest. It was still very much liquid and could have been drunk through a straw , admittedly with quite a bit of effort. So yeah back down to milk like consistency!

@HotSteppa I'm dying to go swimming! Feeling very frustrated at the moment.

Yes I'm on purée and quite enjoying it. I've made things like cottage pie, curry, chilli, casserole etc and just blended them up. It feels so good to not have to drink soups and shakes!!

I've only had one incident where I made myself feel really ill. On Sunday I ate too big a portion of dinner and then the kids had these little chocolate covered honeycomb drops which I stole a few of. They melted in my mouth and went down so easily and didn't make me feel any fuller, but oh my god....the nausea that started up afterwards was unreal!! I thought I was going to die and have definitely learned my lesson😂

@HotSteppa I found the first few days after surgery very, very hard. Could never finish a cup of coffee, and only managed tiny amounts of soup etc. It does get better!

You sound like both well on your journey!

I’m 2 weeks post op and doing great. Managing to get some mushy food and some soft foods in now. Learned my lesson with salmon last night 🙈

Need to up my fluids again I’m slacking a bit bit down 2 stone in 2 weeks but I’m delighted with but so had a high BMI to begin with.

Expecting the dreaded stall soon but gonna judge it with clothes fitting.

thanks for starting a new thread @HotSteppa - i've found this so helpful.

everyone seems to be doing so well!

had my pre-op phone assessment with Healthier Weight today, and that seems to have kicked off the irrational worries.

so forgive my daft questions, haven't been in hospital since I was 4...

do you have to walk down to theatre? if someone fancies giving me a blow-by-blow account of how it all happens (op aside, I've done my research there!) i would be massively grateful.

and, will I have to remove the piercing i've had in place for 20+ years?

thanks!

Had a sleeve in May, in Egypt. I'm 8lbs away from being at my target - a healthy BMI woo!

@vitriolaa

thanks for starting a new thread *@HotSteppa* - i've found this so helpful.

everyone seems to be doing so well!

had my pre-op phone assessment with Healthier Weight today, and that seems to have kicked off the irrational worries.

so forgive my daft questions, haven't been in hospital since I was 4...

do you have to walk down to theatre? if someone fancies giving me a blow-by-blow account of how it all happens (op aside, I've done my research there!) i would be massively grateful.

and, will I have to remove the piercing i've had in place for 20+ years?

thanks!

I had my surgery with Healthier Weight 2 months ago.

Initially, my admission time was 8am, but they changed that a few days prior and I then had to be at the hospital for 11am.

On arrival, I reported to reception and was greeted in a very friendly, warm and professional manner. The ward manager came down to take me to my room almost immediately. I was shown into the (lovely) room, shown how to control the bed, the lighting, how the shower works etc by the ward manager and then I was assigned a designated nurse who went through a medical questionnaire, measured my calves for compression stockings and gave me the estimated time of my surgery. I was then given a bottle of water and told that I could drink a small measured amount prior to surgery (sorry, I can't remember the specific amount).

The nurse was lovely, very calm and reassuring that I was in good hands. She informed me that my surgeon and the anaesthetist would be round soon. She then left me to read/relax/watch TV if I wished.

My surgeon came in first. He asked a few questions, I asked him questions, the whole interaction was really easy going and put me at ease. Ditto the anaesthetist.

The nurse then popped in to bring a theatre gown, which she helped with, and also assisted with putting on the stockings. About 20 minutes later, she came to collect me for the walk to theatre where another member of theatre staff also accompanied me. They were chatting about every day stuff as a distraction and it worked. I was taken into a small pre-theatre room where the anaesthetist and the assistant anaesthetist talked me through what they were going to do. A cannula was painlessly put in place, the door was opened and I walked into the main theatre where they settled me onto the theatre bed and told me, with big happy smiley faces, to think happy thoughts as that will really help my recovery. Their faces were so happy and open making me really comfortable about being in safe hands.

And then I went to sleep

On waking/coming round, the anaesthetist was the one with me the whole time in recovery. He was so wonderful, calm and reassuring ensuring that I was given adequate pain relief. I don't remember how long I was in recovery for, but I can assure you that this experience was WAY better than any other surgery I've had and I have had quite a few GA's in my life!

So far, my experience with Healthier Weight has been extremely positive and if you want to PM me for more info, that's fine.

I really hope that it all goes well for you @vitriolaa and I hope I've posted enough info.

Hi everyone, I posted a bit towards the end of the last thread, so I'm joining back in here.

My news is that I have my surgery date! The 21st Jan with Prof Pring at Streamline.

It is 8 weeks today. I feel pretty nervous and excited about it all.

@SilverOtter how did your incisions look when you had them checked?

@Brindille that's exciting you have a date! You'll be joining us on the losers bench soon

My wounds aren't great. I've got six incisions, four of which are now perfectly healed. The other two as you know, I've been struggling with.

Well I ended up in A&E late on Wednesday night, because after I'd put the kids to bed I realised the dressing had burst off the wound on my lower left abdomen. It was a gaping hole that looked black inside and nasty-smelling stuff was coming out. So I freaked out and rang 111, and they told me to go to A&E.

Long story short, I now have to have dressings changed three times a week until they heal, which apparently is going to take a long time😩

I don't want to freak anyone out - I don't think I've helped myself by trying to do too much too soon physically. The worst wound is in a place where it pulls when I turn over in bed (and I'm a really restless sleeper so I think that's done a lot of the damage). I also had to tack up our pony on Thursday and was carrying heavy leather tack, and I think that might have directly contributed to it bursting later that night. I've now been told I'm not allowed to even vacuum!!

I do feel amazing though - the weight is coming off slowly and steadily and I've got bags of energy. I would do it all over again (but if I could turn back time I'd definitely rest more and be much more careful with my wounds).

Hi everyone! Jumping in for the first time after following the end of the last thread I'm almost 9 weeks post op but I actually had a resleeve done in Turkey.
I was previously sleeved in 2018 by the NHS and never got the results I wanted, was always hungry, no issues with any food and had no where near the restriction I thought I should have to the point I was battling with regain only 7 months post op and no where near target. Long story short, my Turkish surgeon found my sleeve was much bigger than it should have been and most of the hunger producing hormone part of the stomach was still in place....!!

I now have a nice small sleeve, almost 3 stone down in 9 weeks and this experience is totally different to my last.

Hi Guys,

Firstly, Congratulations to everyone on there weight loss journey. I’m very new to this. I am currently awaiting to have Bariatric surgery. I’m currently under Luton and Dunstable team, I’ve been with them since 2018, I’m finally going to meet the surgeon soon, which hopefully means I’ll will get a surgery date soon and I can’t start my journey properly. I don’t really k ow what to expect and I’m super nervous

thanks so much @RevisionSurgeryQ, really appreciate you taking the time to write that in such detail!

My bmi is currently 48 and I have advanced chronic kidney disease - I am likely to be on dialysis in about 18months. To be eligible for a transplant my bmi has to be a maximum of 35 and 30 would be better! So I am looking at having surgery and am in the process of arranging a consultation with Chris Pring.
My preference would be to have a sleeve (shorter operation and I already have to take supplements for vitamin d and calcium so feel that I do not want the reduced absorption you get with a bypass).
But my GP was very negative that I will be able to find a surgeon to operate on me.
Has anyone else had the operation with significantly reduced kidney function?

@Brindille

Hi everyone, I posted a bit towards the end of the last thread, so I'm joining back in here.

My news is that I have my surgery date! The 21st Jan with Prof Pring at Streamline.

It is 8 weeks today. I feel pretty nervous and excited about it all.

@SilverOtter how did your incisions look when you had them checked?

Which hospital will you be having your operation at? I am pencilled in for 11 Feb at Guildford Nuffield.

@BeginningBridge

My bmi is currently 48 and I have advanced chronic kidney disease - I am likely to be on dialysis in about 18months. To be eligible for a transplant my bmi has to be a maximum of 35 and 30 would be better! So I am looking at having surgery and am in the process of arranging a consultation with Chris Pring. My preference would be to have a sleeve (shorter operation and I already have to take supplements for vitamin d and calcium so feel that I do not want the reduced absorption you get with a bypass). But my GP was very negative that I will be able to find a surgeon to operate on me. Has anyone else had the operation with significantly reduced kidney function?

Hi and welcome.

It's sad that your GP is being so negative without first knowing the facts from your potential surgeon.

I don't have any personal experience of kidney disease and weight loss surgery; however, I sincerely hope that you're able to proceed with surgery to better enable you to achieve a suitable BMI for a transplant.

Oh no @SilverOtter. I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time of it. Sending you lots of gentle healing vibes. I do hope you heal up soon. I'm glad that you're actually feeling so well otherwise though - that's really great news!

Hi @BeginningBridge. I am having my surgery at Nuffield Guildford too, so we're on a similar pathway. It is a shame your GP has been so unhelpful.

@Brindille - yes we are (hopefully in my case) on a very similar pathway. Do let me know how you get on. Are you planning to have a bypass or the sleeve?

I've got my fingers crossed for you @BeginningBridge! I am having the sleeve. I had actually been thinking I wanted to have the bypass but Chris Pring was quite clear that he felt in my situation, a sleeve would be more appropriate. When is your consultation with him?

@Brindille I am waiting for confirmation that my consultation with Chris Pring will be on Thursday. My preference is for the sleeve too.

My renal consultant was very positive about me having the surgery and so my GP will support the request as long as he receives written confirmation of support from my renal consultant first.

Hello..long time lurker here. Thanks for the new thread. I've just had my second meeting with the NHS service at Aintree so am working towards the waiting list. I'm from out of area so my options are surgery or nothing at the end of this process, and I am struggling a bit with that. They've been lovely and supportive to date but the thought of the surgery scares me silly. Thank you to everyone who is sharing their progress. It really helps.