Gastric Sleeve

[WishIdDoneItYearsAgo]

Last Friday was the first year anniversary of my gastric sleeve. I can’t believe how well I feel and how healthy I feel and how much happier I am with myself. I kick myself that I didn’t do it years ago but I always thought I wasn’t big enough or that I’d eventually lose it by myself whereas in reality I was slowly putting on half a stone to a stone each year.

I wasn’t ‘that’ big in that I was a size 14-16 and weighed in around 14stone 10lbs. I’m 5ft6. I now weigh 9st 5 and I’m a size 10. I just feel great-so healthy and so much more confident. I’m 52 and multiple pregnancies and age means I’m never going to have a stunning beach body but I feel great and look better and I have so much more energy. I also go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week so no loose skin other than a small tummy overhang which is more pregnancy related I’d say and sits nicely inside midi knickers.

Just to add: It did take me 6-9mths to stop the semi regular vomiting (once or twice a week) I can eat pretty much everything other than pasta or white bread just in smaller portions. I can drink alcohol but not too much as I get drunk very easily.

As I said, I wish I’d done it years ago! If you’re considering it and can afford it, go for it! I had mine done in the UK at a large national private hospital. Any questions, ask away!

Wow, well done.

Thank you @SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun! Are you considering the sleeve?
My post probably reads like and advertisement which I didn’t intend. If it comes across as evangelical it’s just because I feel healthier than I’ve felt for 20yrs. I do miss buttered toast though, especially in this weather.

No - I am going down the Ozempic route. I would be worried about how permanent the surgery is. I have read about how it works in why we eat (too much) and can see it being life changing. I imagined you would need a higher bmi than you did to be allowed it - amazing how much you have lost. 🙂

What happens if you eat bread or pasta? What was the vomiting like?

My BMI was 34, so definitely classed as obese. My surgeon said he was part of a research project which concluded that having the surgery when ‘just’ obese rather than morbidly obese had huge health benefits to patients and caught people like me who was putting on weight year upon year before our organs came under too much strain. It made sense to me. I had previously tried Saxenda and then a gastric balloon neither of which worked. In fact, I put on weight with the balloon. 🫣
It is absolutely life changing but for me I needed that. I could successfully diet and lose 2 or 3 stone but as soon as I stopped being so restrictive I put it all back on again. The constant yo-yo nature of it was tough both physically and emotionally. Now, although I still crave bad stuff a little it’s nothing like before and I can have half a chocolate bar and I’m done or just one choc digestive instead of 6. It’s only now, 1yr out that I’m starting to get mild hunger back too as at first you need to be reminded to eat as you lose all concept of hunger.
Re the sickness, it’s not like previous vomiting in the sense that it happens before stuff reaches the stomach. So it’s stuff that can’t fit down and it sitting above do it comes back up looking like it did. At first I couldn’t eat anything then a few bites then a tiny portion and now a small meal which, according to my surgeon, is the optimum place to be. So I’m back to eating with family and friends etc but I don’t over indulge and I don’t miss over indulging either. If I eat white bread products of pasta I get very full very quickly and feel extremely uncomfortable and bloated. It’s horrible so I avoid. My carb intake has dropped dramatically and I think I’m healthier for it. It’s absolutely not for everyone but it’s been very freeing for me as my so much of my thoughts no longer consumed by thinking about food and eating. The sleeve is a far less drastic option than the bypass which can cause lots of long term issues. I effectively now just have a smaller stomach pouch and take a daily multivitamin to ensure I’m getting enough nutrients. At my last set of bloods they said I no longer needed the iron or calcium or vit D tabs as bloods all good. So whilst it is a big step, it’s nothing like the major surgery that a bypass is as everything still works the same.
Good luck with Ozempic and I hope you see great results. Obviously I’d rather have not needed the sleeve but whilst everything else worked for a little while, nothing else ever freed me from food obsessing like this. I just couldn’t keep it up and I was miserable and getting fatter every year.

Thank you for your information. Could you please let me know what hospital you have done your surgery?
Thank you

It sounds life changing (in a positive way) for you. What clinic was this ?

I was not far off that weight and my doctor wouldn't do the surgery. I wasn't big enough :(

I had my op at Spire Solihull. I really wanted to go with a surgeon who specialised in gastroenterology so knew as much as possible about how to ensure my new stomach was as good as can be.

@FunnyWorldWeLiveIn, did you look at Spire? I think their lowest cut off is BMI 32.

@FunnyWorldWeLiveIn sorry, didn’t tag properly above

Hi, thanks for this thread, I’m really in 2 minds at the moment.

how is it eating at a restaurant for you now?

can you drink wine with a meal?

did your hair fall out much?

do you feel self conscious eating with other people?

sorry if that’s too many questions!

thanks

@SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun can I ask how do you get Ozempic? Is it on prescription or do you buy privately?

I desperately need to do something as now a size 20.

I have a colleague who had a gastric band some years ago and lost a lot of weight (she looks great) but the long term health issues directly related to the band are significant. Perhaps the technology has changed since then or maybe she's unlucky (she has also suffered with eating disorders for years) but now she's 52 and she's going to have to have a colostomy bag because she shits herself regularly with no prior notice and the doctors have said she has a lot of internal scarring so an operation isn't possible. I'm overweight and can understand the temptation but if you can possibly deal with emotional eating without medical intervention I would go down that route first.

@KickHimInTheCrotch you do realise that a gastric band is way different from a sleeve, and is not generally recommended nowadays?

@WishIdDoneItYearsAgo high 5 from
me and my sleeve too! I had a MUCH higher starting weight than you, was sleeved 14 months ago and like you it’s been life changing. I now weigh less than half my starting weight and life’s brilliant!

I get the Ozempic privately over the internet. There are lots of us on the ‘I started Ozempic last night’ threads. Do have a read to see lots of different experiences. Once Wegovy is available in the UK - (maybe this year) then some people will be able to get it on the NHS I think.

@FallopianTubeTrain
ok,
-I regularly eat in restaurants. It was tricky for the first 3-4mths then I had to really think it through carefully for another few but now, at a year out, I’m absolutely fine. I tend to order fish and veg but then I often had that before. It’s just that now, I eat less of the potatoes. I can also eat a light pudding afterwards such as cheesecake or mouse but since the op I’ve lost most of my interest in anything sweet.
-I can sip drinks but can’t drink a lot or quickly. Wine and water are ok but nothing fizzy or nothing like milkshake or I’d have no room for the food.
-Yes, I lost some hair over a period of about 3mths from month 3 to month 6. Some bigger clumps especially in the shower but never enough that anyone else noticed or that I could see a problem. I think it’s a lack of protein and there’s a 3mth lag from your lack of protein to your hair being affected. So my hair loss between months 3&6 was related to how little protein I managed right at the beginning in months 0-3.
-No, I don’t feel conscious eating with others. I lot of my problem before was stuffing my face with snacks in front of the tv each night or on my day off so it’s not as though friends ever saw me eat excessively. I haven’t told anyone I’ve had the op other than my husband and nobody has asked me anything or said anything but then I’ve been hitting the gym lots too and talk about that a lot so I think it’s likely they think I’ve lost weight due to that. I was only a size 14-16 and I’m now a 10 so although I’ve lots a lot, it’s not as significant as many others.

Anything else, ask away! It’s really important that people make an informed choice as it’s a big step.

@KickHimInTheCrotch, my surgeon told me that bands are not recommended these days as they can cause internal scarring and other issues. I’ve read a lot about those having it removed having lots of niggly problems afterwards plus gaining all the weight again. Usually you can’t have a sleeve after a band due to internal scar tissue so only option then is a bypass.

@Whatthediddlyfeck, high 5 right back! Well done on your amazing weight loss! It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s difficult to explain but as well as the obvious weight loss it’s the freedom of never needing to diet ever again because I simply never want to overeat.

Thanks @WishIdDoneItYearsAgo

I'm os at the moment :(

Sorry, I’m not sure what os means!

Why do they never post the costs?

@wizzywig, this is from the Spire website. I paid £9000 for mine.

Have you had any issues with addiction transference? I would def say I have a food addiction rather than just being greedy so I’m concerned about that.

I haven’t…and Id say I had an addiction too. That being said I’ve never been much of a drinker (I think this is where most transferrance lands)

Oh this is so bloody timely and amazing to read, as I’m lying here on my hospital bed having been sleeved 24 hrs ago! I’m feeling okay, mostly uncomfortable rather than in pain, and even sipping fluid is causing discomfort, but I’ve been assured that will pass within two weeks.

We sound pretty similar, OP, in that my BMI was ‘only’ 33, but I saw the writing on the wall after decades of yo yo dieting and the effect my weight was having on my health, and decided to do it now rather than later.

A PP asked about costs: mine cost me just over £10k via Tonic.

@petridishmystery, I thankfully haven’t had addiction transference. However, like @Whatthediddlyfeck I was never much of a drinker anyway. I still enjoy a glass of wine but it’s common to get drunk much easier following a sleeve and I definitely notice I’m squiffy after just one glass.

@eldorado02, we’ll done for taking the plunge. Discomfort or even manageable pain is normal at your stage. I couldn’t keep down water at that stage and I was very worried but the nurse offered me sugar free squash and bizarrely it was fine and I could tolerate it. So maybe try that. When I got home I moved onto blackcurrant squash. I could have this hot too which really helped with gas pain during those first 3 or 4 days. It’s a big decision especially if, like us, your BMI isn’t that high but you’re absolutely right, facing a future of steady weight gain and yo-yo dieting and knowing what that will do to your health is the biggest incentive to have this done. It certainly was for me.