Bariatric surgery thread 3

[HotSteppa]

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

I’m 8 weeks post op (sleeve) and I thought I would add some of my thoughts here for anyone who would like an insight into the first couple of months and a summary of my thoughts about all the research etc I did before.
For most people the surgery itself is hard for a couple of days and then it’s okay for a few weeks then you feel good after that. Some rare people find it much harder and are sick for weeks but overwhelmingly people do not regret getting the surgery and border on Evangelical about it once the weight comes off.
If you are getting the surgery to lose a healthy amount of weight you will almost certainly get the result you want. If you are wanting to feel happier, have higher self esteem or be a size 8 you may not get this from surgery. If you feel terrible about your massive stomach you might feel terrible about your wrinkly saggy one too. Being thinner isn’t the answer to everything.
8 weeks down the line I enjoy most food but just eat a lot less. For me I don’t get the same cravings as I used to. Most days I will eat - a protein shake, a small bowl of lentil stew, a small portion of fish and vegetables. For snacks I might have a cracker bread with Philadelphia, a small piece of cheese or a yogurt. I still get hungry if I haven’t eaten but it’s not like before. I could quite easily not eat TBH. Im still obese so I’m not feeling the full benefits but I already feel like I’ve made the best decision I could have in my circumstances. I haven’t told anyone outside of my family and have eaten out a lot. I get sharing plates or just don’t eat a lot. I even went to the pub at the weekend and had a couple of drinks. It’s not a magic pill I could still eat the wrong foods and put on weight if I really tried but it makes it a million times easier.
If your on the fence be honest with yourself about what your likely to get put of surgery, you probably won’t look like Kate Moss but you will be slimmer and healthier.

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor thank you. Wonderful insight.

Less than a week until my surgery. Have my covid test at the weekend which I managed to book near home to save me travelling an hour and a half to where my surgery is.

My LRD going well, the first 13 days I lost 10.4 lb and am hoping for a stone before surgery. I am doing the final week on shakes. Not easy but getting there. Have everything sorted for the surgery and 2 night stay in hospital. I know it will be hard after but I am really hoping this helps and it will help me to lose the weight. I know it isn’t an easy fix but it will give me the chance to change my life for the better and I am looking forward to how I am further down the line.

Hope everyone else getting on ok.

@MagentaRocks

Only two nights in a hospital, I had the drain out on day 3 then day 4 was a hotel for 3 days.

Steady on the shakes, because that's all you can have for the first 2 weeks, then mushy food, you crave lumps 🤣

@MrMrsJones

Thank you. It might have been one night if I lived closer to the hospital but they said as I am an hour and a half away it will be 2. It would be nice if everything went so well they let me home after 1, but I doubt it as my surgery is in the afternoon.

It does feel weird knowing that I won’t be having food that you chew for a while. But it will be worth it in the end.

@MagentaRocks the liquid bit is difficult but I can eat anything I want now (2 months PO) although if I do eat bread or pasta I feel a bit ‘blergh’ not sick exactly but it’s not nice so it puts me off having more than a bite. I’ve lost lots of weight before with VLCD’s and even the liquid stage is much much easier than a normal diet. I’ve had about 300 calories today and I can’t be arsed to go and sort myself anything else. If I was on a diet I’d be watching the clock till I was ‘allowed’ something else. If fact at the moment it hard to get enough calories.

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor thank you. That does help. I do want to be able to eat normal food eventually and be able to go out etc but not too often. I am struggling to get all my calories in each day on the liquid diet but managing it.

I’ve been eating out loads. I moved house recently into a doer upper so the kitchen isn’t great. I just eat soup or fish and veg when I’m out. Same with take away. I’ll have fish and chips and just eat a small portion of the fish and leave the batter. I don’t feel like I’m missing out now at all. I even had a couple of slim line tonics and gin the other night. I just stirred the bubbles out. Because I have to eat slowly now it takes me longer than it would have normally taken me to gulp a huge meal.

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor

I’ve been eating out loads. I moved house recently into a doer upper so the kitchen isn’t great. I just eat soup or fish and veg when I’m out. Same with take away. I’ll have fish and chips and just eat a small portion of the fish and leave the batter. I don’t feel like I’m missing out now at all. I even had a couple of slim line tonics and gin the other night. I just stirred the bubbles out. Because I have to eat slowly now it takes me longer than it would have normally taken me to gulp a huge meal.

I am hosting a party six and a half weeks after my op. Normally I would get very drunk - I don’t drink often but when I do I really do - but I won’t be able to drink quickly like I normally do so I am hoping I can have a couple of drinks, without getting totally drunk, but just enough to feel a little bit tipsy. My info pack says avoid alcohol for 4 weeks so hoping I will be fine. I never really eat when I am hosting either so I should be fine, I will just make sure I eat a little something before it all starts.

Thank you for telling me your experiences. It is really helping.

[quote WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor]@MagentaRocks the liquid bit is difficult but I can eat anything I want now (2 months PO) although if I do eat bread or pasta I feel a bit ‘blergh’ not sick exactly but it’s not nice so it puts me off having more than a bite. I’ve lost lots of weight before with VLCD’s and even the liquid stage is much much easier than a normal diet. I’ve had about 300 calories today and I can’t be arsed to go and sort myself anything else. If I was on a diet I’d be watching the clock till I was ‘allowed’ something else. If fact at the moment it hard to get enough calories.[/quote]
Your not supposed to eat bread or pasta as they can swell in your stomach and block.

You need 60g protein per day
Nutrient rich foods
Don't eat empty calories

I'm on 500 cals per day
Plenty of fluids

You can't lift more than 6kg for 3month
No alcohol for 6months

I guess each surgeon has different rules. My info pack said not to go to.the gym for 6 weeks but the surgeon said 3 - 4 weeks for things like static bike. The alcohol is 4 weeks.

Might be different between UK and abroad too.

Also can eat what you want after things have settled but be aware of what you can and can't tolerate. Eat protein first, the veg, then carbs.

@MagentaRocks

Also can eat what you want after things have settled but be aware of what you can and can't tolerate. Eat protein first, the veg, then carbs.

Yes that makes sense

Hi all, I've had an initial telephone appointment with a clinic today and my head is swirling with the pros and cons, practicalities and what ifs, worries and excitement. How did you know that you were making the right decision?

@DoINeedToDoThis

Hi all, I've had an initial telephone appointment with a clinic today and my head is swirling with the pros and cons, practicalities and what ifs, worries and excitement. How did you know that you were making the right decision?

I just knew. Initially I didn’t want surgery so considered the gastric balloon. After my consultation I just knew it wasn’t for me, once I started thinking about the sleeve and spoke to hem again I didn’t have any doubts. Of course I am nervous, especially as my surgery is tomorrow but I feel that it is the right decision for me and the cons of having it are not as big as the cons of staying as I am.

Good luck @MagentaRocks

Will think of you tomorrow x

@MrMrsJones

Good luck *@MagentaRocks*

Will think of you tomorrow x

Thank you. Very nervous now.

See you on the losers bench

three months later... have found post-bypass life leaves me very little mental space for anything else. feel like i really have to concentrate in the short term to make all the necessary adjustments.

i've been lucky and had no issues at all - recovery was good, minimal pain, steady weightloss, have only dumped twice.

this week however has been dreadful. feels like the first weeks post-op but worse, struggling to eat EVERYTHING. including foods i've had no problems with previously. feels like i'm on the verge of dumping after most meals, had a lot of the painfully empty tummy feeling. curious. hoping it's a phase similar to the two weeks when the scales didn't budge. or a bug.

surgery's definitely not the easy option, but still no regrets. losing this much weight is such a foreign concept to me (overweight for my entire living memory) it feels like proper magic.

solidarity to everyone on the journey!

Hey @Keepthefocus @pcosstruggler I see you are both NI based like me. Could I please ask what price roughly each of your surgery's cost (sorry if you don't want to share that it's no problem) it's just am considering making a phone call to both UIC and Dublin but need to know a rough figure in my head before I do to see if I can make it work financially. This thread has been amazing, as has thread one and two and it's so good hearing it from real people. Thank you in advance and thank you all for sharing your journeys xxx

Hey there! It cost me £14k for bypass. I had a BMI over 50 so had to pay £1.5k more!
Have to say, everyone has been amazing so far and they're just a phonecall away of I'm ever stuck! That includes 2 years support afterwards :) Good luck on your journey! If you need any more info, let me know

Hi I paid £12500 at Auralia Dublin. Honestly I could fault the surgery at all and the team were great but there is no aftercare at all. They say they offer a lot but I haven’t had any support since week 6 despite requesting it. So sadly I’d have to say I don’t recommend them even though it’s the best thing I’ve done!! My surgeon also works through a UK hospital and tbh I wish I’d gone there but it was in midst of covid so a week isolation in a hotel just didn’t work at the time. I’d absolutely recommend my surgeon he was fantastic. Dr Hewin.

@MagentaRocks hope you are feeling okay today. I felt pretty grim those first few days. Sipping warm juice and asking for more drugs and more IV fluids helped loads.

Thank you both so much. I'm really sorry to hear the aftercare isn't there for you @Keepthefocus are are you doing now?
@pcosstruggler was it the Ulster you went with? I think I would def need to pay extra then as I've just worked out my bmi and it is 60.2? Over double what it should be for my height. How are you keeping now after your surgery? I think I'm going to have to see about finance or else save for another 18 months but 18months scares me where I will be by then xxx