TwoStepsBack

Wow guys. I am totally overwhelmed by the number of lovely comments. At home with tonsilitis today and feeling a bit rough, so you've totally made my day. Thank you!!!! xx

Thank you SO much everyone. I am genuinely pleased if this has inspired you to go the distance, it is so worth it. I think I might take on a new motto, instead of TGIF I'll say TGFS, thank God for my Sleeve! xx

I love being able to go out walking on a hot day without my thighs rubbing together and getting a rash! Going on holiday was the worst if I was wearing a skirt, it used to get red raw. Not any more!

You look awesome Irene! Such a transformation! xxx

Hi Everyone, I was all dressed up for a night out last night, and felt amazing. I am so close to goal, I can smell it! The sleeve is the best gift I have ever given myself. Life is so different now. Here is my before pic (I know some of you have seen it already), and one from last night. Keep it up everyone!!! This surgery really works, against all odds. I hope you can all share your successes with us very soon too! xxxxxxx Loads of hugs to my sleeve brothers and sisters xxxxxxxx

Wowowow You look beautiful! And years younger too!

Hi Petunia, Ketosis is very common during weight loss. I know that a lot of WLS patients experience it, especially at the start when they are on a high Protein diet. There is plenty of info about it on the net, but it is basically an elevated level of ketones as the body metabolises fat. Once the body's food and glycogen reserves are used up, fat starts being broken down for energy. One of the ketones produced, acetone, cannot be used by the body and is excreted through the skin, urine and breath as waste. If you want to know for certain that this is what is causing the smell, then you can get small strips of paper called "Ketostix" which you can wave under your urine stream and they turn purple if you have acetone present (ie if you are in Ketosis) It is nothing to worry about, it is a sign that things are working and you are using your fat reserves which will result in weight loss. I found that sugar free mints helped with my breath, but unfortunately there is not much you can do for the body odour other than washing regularly. Hope this helps x

Hi Jinin. I have always enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine per week, and had my first glass on my birthday approx 4 weeks after surgery. I took it very slowly and listened to my body. Everything was fine, though I felt the effects quicker than normal. I had a bad experience about 3 months post op where I got a bit carried away and boy did I suffer for it! Only had about 1/3 of the amount I would have had pre-op, and ended up on the bathroom floor at the Christmas party!! So just be cautious and don't overdo it. Have a fun party!

Yep that has DEFINITELY happened to me a few times. Although I figured it was something to do with blood sugar it is great to hear exactly how it works. Thanks a lot for the info x

Hi Christina, I wish I could reassure you but I can honestly say that my drain site cleared up right away and I don't think I ever had any pain there. It was only the largest incision on the right side which felt bruised and tender for a few weeks afterwards. I am sure that it depends on the person and the surgeon though, so I would wait for some other replies before worrying about it If it is very painful then I would certainly contact your surgeon/doctor to have them check it over and make sure all is ok. Hope it feels better soon! x

Wow, maybe that's my popcorn issue explained too. You guys are full of useful info as always! I also have to point out that when I came to "reply" to this message and it put all the HTML formatting in, your response read like this... "Popcorn was my enemy during that time. It went right through me and caused some rather "loud disturbances" if you know what I mean. <"BR><"BR> Which made me laugh very loud indeed!

That's good info re: the insurance, thanks! I could ask my Dr to suggest that they may have formed before surgery... then my health insurance might be willing to cover it.

Hmmm no. It doesn't feel like pressure. More like waves of spasm or stabbing pain under my bra line/just below. It is always after eating lunch at work, and I have to sit on the floor in the toilet crying and deep breathing before it becomes bearable because I am scared I might faint. I don't like being dramatic but I've never experienced such intense pain. It goes away after about 20 mins (it might be even shorter than that, but it feels like forever!) And each time I think "ok it's been too long this time, it isn't going away.. something is really really wrong here.. 30 seconds more and I'm calling out for someone in case I pass out"... then it goes away quite quickly.

Hey Huni! That must be it, usually when I have a coffee from a take-away place I have a shot of cinnamon syrup in it so that sounds like it's the problem! I'll be avoiding that from now on for sure. Not TMI, lol, don't worry. Good to know I'm not the only one CONGRATS on 11months Wednesday!!! x

Gosh, how scary! My GP said that if it gets any worse or more frequent, then to get back to them right away and they will try and move things along quicker. Maybe when I get the appointment card I will call and ask them to put me on the waiting list in case of any cancellations?

I was a self pay, and my health insurance have stated they will not cover anything to do with weight loss surgery so I don't think they would cover it... unless I ask my doctor to say it could have happened anyway and is not necessarily caused by the WLS :\ Not sure. I wonder how much having my GB removed would cost, if it is necessary!?

I'm 11 months out now and a typical day is as follows: Breakfast: Small slice of wholemeal toast with Peanut Butter and sugar free jelly Snack (one of the following): Apple / yoghurt / babybell cheese / pepperami / sometimes something naughty! Lunch: Goats cheese and couscous salad / baked Beans with cheese (small tin) / smoked salmon and cream cheese parcels Snack: as above Dinner: Low fat ready meal (can usually only eat about two thirds) / cheese omelette (1 egg) with some vegetables / salmon fishcakes with a little ketchup / slow cooker pork or chicken (one small chop/breast) with a little rice I try and avoid an evening snack but occasionally have a glass of wine! drinks througout the day are plenty of Water with s/f cordial, milky decaf coffee, roibos tea It sounds and feels like quite a lot compared to what I was having before, but I am still dropping about 1lb per month and nearing goal.

I spend most of my time looking at, and somtimes buying, lovely small clothes which finally fit me!

Thanks all. I went to my GP today and she has arranged for me to have an ultrasound. She warned that it might be a couple of weeks as they can get very busy, but it should be in time for the results to be with my surgeon by my 1 year check up at end of August. So glad I asked you all for your input, otherwise I would just have put up with it for another month at least!

So is this something which you can take medication for to correct the problem? Or is further surgery the only answer? Is it something you can leave if it is only causing you occasion pain, rather than having more surgery? Or is it bound to get worse over time? Thanks for the feedback again. x

Thanks so much everyone. I will go and have a read up about gall stones now and see if the symptoms fit, then I'll make a doc appointment asap. Really appreciate the feedback! x

Hey Everyone! So it's coming up to my surgiversary, and I'm 6lb from goal. Very happy with my loss and how everything is starting to tone up with my new excercise regime. There are just a couple of issues I have which are ongoing and I wondered if anyone else has the same problems this far out... I get diarrhea regularly (at least once a week). Sometimes I can pin it down to certain foods, sometimes I don't know what caused it. Problem foods seem to be: milky coffees, popcorn, chocolate, seafood... presuming popcorn is because it is hard to digest, and maybe the coffee flushes me out because I don't have as much food in my system to soak it up? Chocolate seems to give me a "dumping syndrome" type reaction. I have also had about four occasions in the past few months where I get a terrible pain in my stomach, which starts gradually and escalates to being so bad I've been doubled over crying and seriously freaked out my colleagues at work. I almost called an ambulance once it got so bad. I now recognise that after ten minutes of deep breathing it eventually goes away but it is very scary indeed. I haven't been able to identify what caused it, and it is definitely a pain in the actual stomach itself, rather than in the bowel or acid indigestion etc. Does anyone know what this could be? I have my one year follow up soon, so I will ask my surgeon then. xxx

Hi! I was never given a goal weight, but I just said "I remember being pretty happy with my figure when I was approx 147lb" so I am shooting for that. But having seen my surgeon and looked at some charts I think I should be aiming lower. I am only 5ft 3, so it looks like I should be aiming for about 126... which seems awfully low to me. I'm worried I would end up with no chest and looking scrawny around my ribs and neck... But my legs are still pretty heavy so I if only I could choose where to lose the weight from!

A lot of things have changed in my attitude since surgery actually. I hadn't really thought about it, but reading your post has brought them to light. Before my op I used to see people I hadn't seen in years and feel like I wanted to run and hide before they spotted me. I also felt angry and bitter towards my friends who didn't have weight problems. Although they were never mean in any way, and understood how hard it was for me, a little part of me HATED them. I remember a friend of mine talking about some modelling work she was doing and I just told her to "shut the **** up cos I don't want to hear about it!!" Now I don't feel angry. I still feel a twinge of jealousy if I see a particularly pretty girl on the tv or whatever, but now it is to be more about her hair, face or clothes than her weight. One bad thing though... I sometimes now find myself seeing people who are a bit bigger than I am now, (but definitely slimmer than I used to be!) and thinking "God, she shouldn't be wearing that at her size!" .... Or seeing a celebrity and thinking "Gosh, she's put on some weight!". In the past I would have done anything to look like those people, even at their heaviest! I don't think I could ever turn into one of those "mean skinny" people, but my attitude is different for sure.