Indigo1991

This brought tears to my eyes... Fantastic and you are looking great! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, I appreciate your support :-)

Thank you! Good luck to you too, will update things as I go....

Congratulations! Everyone's recovery and story is slightly different so don't worry about what you read - may not happen to you. But the site is great for answering questions and getting support from the people who have gone before you. Hope you continue to recover well - you sound pretty organised! Jac

Well, have done my first injection without also taking Methotrexate, which I had been taking for more than 7 years prior to the sleeve. Surprised myself by bursting into tears! Been a big couple of weeks and I know that the respite from taking this med may only be temporary. But I can dream....

Congratulations! U r doing so well, keep sipping the Water :-) Hope all is good once you are up on ur feet. Am two weeks post op tomorrow and, despite a bit of a sticky start, have no regrets. Like you, I am excited at starting a new life, just started eating blended foods today. Last week, I didn't think I would ever eat again, lol. But time passes quicker than u think.... So good luck, hope u r not bored for too long!

It would be fantastic if she got some respite as an unexpected side effect of her sleeve. AS is terrible. My arthritis started at 22 years old but I simply ignored it until my mid 40s when it was making life difficult coping using NSAIDs. No one here can explain why this is happening and I am trying to stay calm... but I will let you know how things progress. Wish your wife well from me x

It is a chance I never expected to get! You are right, the feeling of being back in control is exciting :-))))

I undertook this surgery primarily because 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It is a terrible disease and I managed it through diet and exercise although I was told that, in time, I would need meds despite my efforts. I could have coped with that if I had one chronic illness. But I had been fighting severe inflammatory arthritis for the previous 7 years that saw me taking the maximum dose of Methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug, and injecting Enbrel, a biological therapy, just to keep the arthritis in check and to allow me to live a relatively normal life for as long as possible. But the combo of two chronic conditions meant that, by the start of this year, I was crumbling with month after month of bloods for checking liver and kidneys, feet checks, eye checks, sugar levels ... I felt that I had been branded as being a sick person when I feel anything but and had fought so hard to get on with life and accept my lot. A gastric sleeve seemed to be the option to tackle my diabetes, so I went for it. Two weeks out, all is looking well on that front. But a huge surprise to me, my rheumatologist and my surgical team is that my arthritis is still in remission, a month after stopping my meds. I have now been cleared to restart taking them but my rheumy has suggested restarting the injections only to see if we can keep the arthritis in check before it comes back with any force. I can't explain how I feel - the prospect of this surgery giving me a chance to stop the Methotrexate - even if only for a few months - is truly life changing. Keep ur fingers crossed!!!!

That's a great weight loss! Life must be very different for you...but you will have worked hard to achieve that. Have come to realise that a sleeve is not an easy answer and it seems to be more a partnership between you and it - you get back what you put in. So altho I didn't undertake this lightly, was still slightly taken aback to have the "what have I done?" conversation with myself. But as you said, it passes. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I may take you up on your kind offer of answering questions - I have a way to go yet. We probably have the same team at Spire Edinburgh. They have been great but nothing beats hearing from someone who's had the op and is travel the same road, albeit firther ahead. Had a good day, feeling confident I can do this. Thanks for inspiring me :-)))) J x

Tomorrow is day 11 post op. Doing ok, can't wait to get past liquid stage :-) Few moments where I have questioned what I have done, few tears but feel like the corner has been turned as I get stronger and drinking the Water gets easier :-))))) Just wondered how other Edinburgh/Scotland sleevers are doing on their journeys? All encouragement gratefully accepted! Jac x

Thanks -and to you too!!!

Today marks my first week of being sleeved. It has been a roller coaster ride but I can see light at the end of the tunnel - and, finally, it doesn't feel as if the light is coming from a train heading towards me :-) What has made the difference is this site and all of you. With every new issue that has arisen, I have come here and found answers to my questions because you have taken the time to share your experiences. From nausea to sleeping positions, I have found reassurance, advice and, most important, learned that we all experience this life changing event differently. But we are all on the same road. And that helps big time. I may be doing this my way but I feel I am not alone whatever lies ahead. Thank you :-) Jacqui x

You put your finger on it - we are doing this for a better life... Am going to chant this every time I feel down :-)

Am a couple of days behind you and sympathize completely. I want to vomit at the thought of milk or Protein Shakes. However, spoke to my nurse this morning, who said I was trying too hard to get the Protein in. She suggested milky coffee, creamy soup (no bits and you can add milk without actually tasting it), yogurt, Water, frozen yogurt, sugar free lollies (Popsicles). Have tried this and now feel as if I am back in control and that I can survive this phase. Hang in there, never has the phrase "this too will pass" been truer! Ps I could kill for a piece of roast beef, something I wouldn't have thought about pre-op, lol

I'm with u on the retraining.... Spoke to my nurse today and she said I was trying too hard and needed to ease back on forcing down liquids. So am being more relaxed and I have to say I feel better, less of a failure. As a result, have had some soup, Water and tea so am now peeing properly which is progress, lol. I am in Edinburgh so we take our pain relief in tablet form from day 1 so don't have any probs with the meds. But this isn't an easy option, as you say, it's hard and support is crucial. My 21 year old son, who has been a star, has been a bit apprehensive about eating around me. Looking at his lamb, potatoes and mushrooms, I try to remember there will be a day when I can eat that again - although not in the same portion size as I used to. Day by day, we will get there. It's early days and you need to be kind to yourself too. Hope today is a better day form you. And my name is Jacqui :-)

Had my surgery 4 days ago, so this my first post too! Had a rough first couple of days due to a bad reaction to the anaesthetic - I was fainting every time they got me out of bed. But persevered and got home yesterday. Was going to post about heightened sense of smell when I saw your comment Kaila. For me, it's not pleasant, everything has a strange smell that's making me feel nauseous. Not sure if this is normal and hope it passes :-) I have been commenting too on how much there is on tv about food -ads, cooking programmes, diet shows, you can't get away from food! Good luck, hopefully we are just having the hard first week people talk about. I worry about how much liquid I am drinking but I can't drink any more. I am also nauseous with shakes. But onwards and upwards, others have been here before us and succeeded - we are not alone :-))))