Lissa_S

Happy Sleeversary to me I can't believe that it has been 12 months since I had the surgery. For those of you who don't know me here are my stats: Starting weight was 173kg/ 382 Pounds and my current weight is 87kg/ 190 Pounds. Before surgery I hadn't slept lying down in a bed (comfortably) in over 7 years. I had chronic asthma, everything hurt all of the time (although I denied it back then) and it was just a struggle to move around. I had the surgery on September 3 2012. Things went badly. I got a leak. It took several surgeries and many months in ICU/ Surgical Ward before I could get the all clear to leave. That was November 2012. I didn't go back to work full time until the end of January 2013. Since then, well heck, things have just been getting better and better. The weight loss has been amazing. I've lost 86 kg/ 189.5 pounds - so tantalisingly close to half way lol. No fudging though - pesky 0.5kg The NSV's have been even better - the CLOTHES, shoes, movement, I am a "runner" now (on week 3 of the Couch to 5 K and am running in a 5K obstacle course at the end of the year), energy, clarity in thinking, enjoyment in life, exciting opportunities, flying without the embarrassment of asking for an extension seat belt, people looking you in the eye, not being "invisible" anymore, shop assistants are helpful and attentive, men FLIRT (okay, so maybe I do too - just a little), I've had a significant promotion, looking to travel OS next year, am planning for a future THAT I WANT not just settling for what I think I can have. For anyone considering this surgery know that there are real risks involved. For a while, the first few months in fact, I had really thought I had stuffed up and ruined my life by having the surgery. This was due to the complications and difficult recovery that I had during this time. Looking back now, whilst I would never want to be back in that place, I am so grateful for where I am now that I truly believe this to be the most wonderful, life changing – life SAVING – thing I could have done for me, for my family and to secure my future. Where to from here? Well I want to lose about 14kg more which will mean an overall loss of 100kg and my weight will be around 73kg. I am quite tall so I would look quite thin at this weight. Not sure if I will get there or will want to, but at the least, I would like to lose another 10kg hopefully by Christmas. I am loving my new active life, the way that food has become fuel and though still enjoyable, it’s no longer the driving force in my life. I wish you all the same happiness and success in your own journey’s! I have put in some comparison photo's for you guy's to see the transformation Best wishes to you all! Cheers, Liss

Thanks Dana - I can't believe it myself most of the time

Thanks I am pretty tall which helps and I get that quite often which is nice!!

Hello fellow sleevers, Well tomorrow will be six months since my surgery. Wow, what a ride. For those that haven't read my other blogs, in summary, I had my surgery on 03.09.2012 and my start weight was 173kg (382 pounds). Two days after the surgery, I had emergency surgery due to sepsis from a leak. I was in ICU on a ventillator and later transferred to the surgical ward where I remained (bumping back and forwards from short stays in the ICU) for the next two months. I came home in November 2012 and have been home ever since. I haven't had to go back to hospital but have to admit that it's only now that I no longer freak out completely (there is still a little freaking out) when I get a twinge in my tummy. I am back at full time work. I recently applied for and was awarded a pretty significant promotion at work. I am far more active socially now then I was previously and certainly have more energy. So how have things changed? Well, I now care about how I look. I don't just look in the mirror and keep going. I stop, have a proper look lol. I have more confidence - I would never have considered applying for this promotion previously. I also feel much more confident when I go out. Not dating (yet lol) but it's at least an option now where as before I totally would have rejected as even a possibility. I move quicker and more easily now - I work with kids and I can run, chase and play on the floor. With my own little fellow, I can do things with him. Go swimming. We're actually going on a holiday to the Gold Coast soon and I bought swimmers to wear whilst I am away! I hate saying this because before surgery I would have totally denied that I was unhappy, but I AM happier now than I was before. How can I not be? It is easier to move, it doesn't hurt to do things. I can easily get in the bath tub and enjoy myself without being squished in and worry I won't be able to haul my butt outta there. My start with the sleeve sucked and I caution anyone who is thinking about this surgery to really understand what will happen if things go wrong. Take precautions. Make sure that you have things sorted out financially if you can't work for several months. I'll get off my soap box now and share some before and after picks. So to recap, my start weight was 173kg (382 pounds) and my current weight is 110kg (242 pounds). I still have a lot of weight left to lose (another 38 pounds or 17kg to get to my surgeon's goal and 35 kilos or 76 pounds) to get to my goal. Hope you're all going well! Cheers, Lila

OMG I so relate to this. My story is a little different though - I made home made spaghetti just like I used to (from scratch the whole shebang) - from beginning to end, it took hours. I used to do it all the time and it was the first time I had done it since the surgery. Now, this would be okay if I didn't LIVE ALONE lol. So I cook this feast, eat a few forkfuls and am full. But do I stop? Hell no. I decide to have "just one more bite..." - cut to me puking my guts up for the next 30 minutes. I kept heaving long after I had gotten rid of all of the content from my stomach. As you can imagine, it has cured me of my sketti cravings. For good

I was quite big to start with and I think that it helps promote big weight loss initially. But it has also been a lot of trial and error. I don't deny myself anything but am always thinking about the nutritional value - so for example, if I have that piece of cake will I be able to eat what I NEED to eat that day? It helps me to think like that however some days you just really want that piece of cake!! The other best advice I got was to eat regularly. Some days it can be every few hours. Today it's really hot here (I live in Australia), so I haven't really eaten all day just drinking all the time. It's a balance. I think that I am coping better with this the longer I have the sleeve. When I first started it freaked me out. Now I realise I need to listen to my body. If it needs fluids, I give it fluids. It'll let me know soon enough when it needs food! Best of luck to you on your journey!!

Thanks Karen

Hello fellow sleevers, Well it's been three months since my initial surgery, a little more actually and I am finally doing pretty well. Though I was in hospital for two months with a leak, I am finally starting to feel a little normal. I am back at work (part time admittedly) and getting around to christmas parties etc. I usually love this time of the year - I am loving it a little less this year. I am not sure if it's because I was sick and the whole Christmas thing is (frankly) exhausting or if part of my love of this time of year was food related (and since that's off the books, then my enjoyment is somewhat dimmed)...but I am generally feeling pretty good. My stamina still sucks but I have an exercise program that I will start after Christmas that I am hoping will help with all of that. What news? Well, I am eating everything now - well most things lol. I am finding that many things do not suit me anymore. Carbs is one of them - bread, pasta and rice are really hard to eat so I avoid them. I hate protein shakes and powders so am focusing on consuming all of my protein through my diet. This means that I prioritise protein over everything else. Basically it's protein, veggies, fruit, dairy, carbs. It's working because as of today, I have lost 98 pounds. I have another 97 to go lol but I've lost it. It now means that my ticker will show double digits to lose rather than triple digits. It's a small milestone but it's mine, okay?? As we use the metric system here in Aus, double digits means anything under 99kg (about 218 pounds) so it will be a while before I get there. But at least my "to lose" pounds are now in the double digits, hey! I hope you are all well and enjoying your sleeves. Thank you for all your support and kind wishes during the past few months! I look forward to hearing of your successes and sharing mine along the way! Merry Christmas! Cheers, Lila

Hello fellow sleevers. I am now three months out since all of my surgeries, both planned and emergency following my leak. When I was discharged from hospital at the end of October, the leak test had showed the leak had healed but I was always worried that something would happen and it would come back. I had my three month consult with my surgeon today and she said that given my overall improving health, fitness, weight loss etc that she is convinced the leak is totally healed and best of all, she has NEVER heard of someone getting another leak, particularly after three months. Which is the greatest!! It has given me such a confidence boost, and just what I needed!!! The thought of getting sick again and going back to hospital really bothered me. Now, I feel like I am going to be right and my Dr's confirmed it for me. I am just so damn happy! Oh, and I lost another two kilos this week. Now I am in the clear I can start exercising, so I am going to start heading to the gym soon! I hope it will help tone up and let the weight loss continue. Not that losing weight's been an issue so far, but after 40+kg (about 90 pounds so far), I figure it's going to slow down or even stop soon...just seems to be what other's experience. Thanks again to all of those who have supported me and who have sent kind messages on this blog. I really appreciate it!! Cheers, Lila

Hi Indigo Thanks for your response! That was why I wrote this blog - not to encourage bad habits but to say it's okay to make mistakes if we're learning from them (which I hope I finally am!)... With regards to the leak, I had quite intense pain following the surgery. Pain meds didn't seem to touch it. I couldn't stand up straight. I was cold but sweating so badly that it was dripping off the end of my nose and running down my face. I was really pale. I couldn't even walk down the hallway of the hospital. My heart rate was about 160 beats per minute and I had an irregular heart beat. This all happened within two days of the surgery. I think you can ask for a leak test to check before you leave which may give you peace of mind. It's hard to do (tastes gross) but you can clearly see if there is a leak or not. They did one after emergency surgery for me (a few days later) and you could clearly see the leak. They redid the test 8 weeks later and it was healed *yay*. Good luck with your surgery and I am sure you will be fine. Be cautious in your recover but don't panic - my experience was the exception not the rule...Cheers, Lila

Thanks Pinky Sounds like these might be American brands - I am in Australia and I haven't heard of these but thanks for the suggestions I do have yoghurt fairly regularly and love raspberry too. My dr has me cleared for all foods now so I can get away with the little seeds. Best of luck to you!!

Wow that felt super judgemental. Firstly while I was in hospital, the dr and NUT had me having ginger ale and lemonade to help with very low blood sugar and nausea. They were okay with this therefore, so was I, in theory. And I am sure that there are other people that have had "wobbles" post surgery to old habits. I have lost 40kg in three months so obviously I am doing something correct. I was hoping to share this so that other people that experienced similar "wobbles" wouldn't feel so bad or so judged.

Hello fellow sleevers, I hope this blog finds you all well. I am almost 7 weeks out since my leak was confirmed to have healed. Yay. I should get clearance from my surgeon soon to start going to the gym which I think will help with my over fitness (or more to the point, lack thereof). Generally things continue to improve. I still struggle (some days more than others) with a faintly sick feeling and a gurgling in my tummy. This usually means I am not eating quite enough or regularly enough. The less I eat at a meal, the more frequently I have to eat - and that depends on the day. So this blog is about the stupid things I have done, repeatedly, since going back on normal foods. In no particular order (I decided not to rank my stupidity as these are all, quite frankly, ridiculous) are: Drinking soft drinks (soda): Okay so this is mostly my several attempts to drink soda water. I've had a little lemonade and coke but it's so sweet I only did this a few times before deciding it wasn't worth it. What I have been slower in giving up is soda water (sparkling water). I keep stupidly thinking something would change and it would be okay to drink soda water but I've finally realised (after several uncomfortable and frankly painful experiences) that I should leave it well enough alone. Duh. Eating Bread (of any kind): So being the genius that I am, I decided to try bread. I always feel kinda ill afterwards. And yet I continued to try it. White, multigrain, soft grains, wholemeal, sourdough...always left with the same feeling of discomfort and just generally a bit yuck. Thank goodness I have finally decided to LEAVE IT ALONE. Eggs: Oh little eggies, how I loved you before surgery. I could have eaten half a dozen of you little buggers preferably poached, although I wasn't all that choosy. Now you have turned on me and make me very VERY ill. I no longer try to come to some kind of understanding with you...sometimes when you love something, you must set it free. Bye little eggies...you will be missed. Milk: Another before surgery love. Now, to highlight my stupidity, I need to give a teensy bit of background - I am Lactose Intolerant. Have been for years. And depsite this, I would guzzle a 750mL Iced Coffee three times a day. Yes I'd get the runs. Yes, I'd feel pretty darn sick. But I'd still do it. Post-surgery, I am lucky to be able to have the lactose free milk on my cereal for breakfast. Milk (of any kind) makes me sick. As does icecream which is just wrong. No more yummy iced coffee's or frappe's. Gone for good... Although it is taking me a while to work out what my sleeve needs, I feel I am making progress. It's slow. But I am learning to listen to what my body is telling me. Quick weight update - I am 40 kg down from my surgery weight And this Monday (03.12.12) is offically 3 months since the initial surgery date. I am really happy with my weight loss so far and hope to lose another 5kg before Christmas. Hope this finds you all well, sleevers! Talk soon, Lila

Wow I can't imagine going through this as a teen. And then having complications on top of it. I hope you are well now and enjoying your new life with the sleeve!

Thank you so much!!

Hello fellow sleevers. So I am now officially six weeks out from the test that confirmed the leak had healed. In reality, we think that perhaps it had healed a fortnight earlier (they'd done a dye test and it didn't come out of the drains so it was probably healed then). So it's possible it is 8 weeks out since I was healed. It's been a rough ride. I really struggled when i first had to eat and drink for myself. I am pleased to say it's gotten easier. I am slowly learning what is better for me to have these days and what I feel better eating. For example, bread, pasta, sugar - the belly no longer loves It makes me feel sick and sluggish. I do much better when I avoid these things. Don't get me wrong, I still have carbs. I have between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup of cereal with dried fruit for breakfast and I lurve crackers with cheese and tomato. Mostly I do better when I can get my protein in. This is mainly lean mince and fish. Cheese, yoghurt and a half cup of milk per day is the other sources of protein. A friend of mine (who was sleeved two years ago) said to me just after I got home to focus on PROTEIN. Ever second word she said that was advice contained "PROTEIN" in the sentence. And she was right. Friends, if I was arrogant enough to offer advice to those getting sleeved it would be to focus on PROTEIN in the first couple of months. It's hard but totally worth it. I am still loosing weight...I have lost (depending on the scales) between 38 and 41 kg. One set of scales even had me down an extra 10 kg but decided that they were stuffed lol. But it was AWESOME seeing the numbers around 115kg. I don't think I have been that weight since the millenium hahahahahahaha. I always take the worst score for my weight because then if it's less then I will be surprised, so it's possible I am a little lighter than I am presenting here My hair is still falling out. I am not bald or anything but I hate how much I am loosing. I hope this settles down as my nutrition improves. The best thing has been going to the hair dresser (who's a mate) and she puts in a conditioning treatment for me. I am getting this done weekly at the moment to improve my hair's condition which was terrible following all of my surgeries and it seems to be getting a little better. I am also having my first facial and pedicure tomorrow since the surgery. It should be lovely. So does life get better after a leak? Yep. But it is a SLOW and LONG road back. It has been three months since my first surgery and OMG I am not even close to being back to where I was in terms of energy or fitness. But I am getting a little closer all of the time. I still worry about the leak coming back but I am trying to let this go. Worrying about it won't make it any more or less likely. And honestly it is holding up my recovery to keep worrying about it. I hope this blog finds you all well Talk soon! Lila

HI everyone, Well next Tuesday marks the official six week mark since I was tested and the leak was shown to have healed. It's been an up and down couple of weeks - I mistook pulled muscles in my tummy for a leak (and stopped eating and drinking for three days - whoops), have started very light exercise and have gone back to work part time. It seems like a really slow recovery - I keep forgetting that less than 3 months ago I was in ICU on a ventillator fighting for my life I am really having to remind myself of how far I have come. I am actually going out for the first time with friends tonight to a charity dinner. It's a bit nerve wracking - mostly worried about the food and eating something that makes me sick. But I am also aware that unless I get out there, I will keep putting it off for ages. I have been cleared to eat normally as of last Monday so I am sure it will be fine. I am not sure what I weigh - haven't used the scales for two weeks. I don't even own scales myself so I have to use to one's at work I deliberately haven't bought scales as I know if I did, I would be on the damn thing twice a day So it's best for me to have a little forced restraint. I am preoccupied with my health though and freak out everytime I get a sore stomach. I have one at the moment, probably just pulled muscles but it makes me so anxious that I find it hard to eat which really doesn't help me at all. I will have an appointment with my surgeon in mid-December so hopefully I will get the all clear to start back at the gym which I think I need to get some strength back... Hope this blog finds you all well! Cheers, Lila

Hello fellow sleevers. It's been two months since my last entry and this is because I am one of the unlucky few that got a leak post surgery. I was still in hospital when it happened and was rushed into emergency surgery two days after my original operation. I had a brief stint in ICU and then a two month stay on the surgery ward at my local hospital. I can't describe how awful this time has been. There were several complications in addition to the leak (although I had no indicators of being high risk prior to surgery) so it wasn't just the leak but without the leak they wouldn't have happened. For anyone considering this surgery, I don't want to put you off or to scare you. But even though I was aware that this could happen to me I had no idea what it would mean. So I just wanted to break it down a little - for me it was: Intense pain following the surgery; Heart rate over 150 beats per minute Two central lines inserted in my neck Inability to breathe properly 6 hour emergency surgery Two stomach drains Drips Being fed through drips for 7 weeks Pneumonia Collapsed lung two drains inserted through my back to move the fluid from my lung so it would reinflate Inability to sleep lying down for two months due to drains and drips etc No privacy Inability to see to my basic needs without help Depression Anxiety countless tests Know what you are getting into. Even though I am now home, I am not sure that I would have gone through with the surgery had I known. I hope that over time I will feel better about that . Anyway, I hope that anyone going into the surgery has a better idea of the risks and that you make an informed decision. I have to note that my surgeon and her team were amazing!! They kept me alive and got me home and for that I will be forever grateful!

Thank you so much Can't wait - so close now...

So today is Friday, finally. Just the weekend to go before my surgery and I can't wait. I've made no attempt to hide how hard the pre-op diet was for me but like most people reported (though when I was at the worst of it, I thought everyone lied to me lol), it did get better. Today isn't such a good day but it's not really the diet. It's me not doing the diet properly and being faced with a LOT of temptation. The story is that my wisdom tooth decided it was a really good time (one week before the op) to come up. My mouth is so sore at the moment I can't really chew anything even on the other side as I can't clench my teeth together as the gum is swollen. Now on the upside, I know it's going down. And I anticipate it will be a lot better by Monday morning. But right now, today, it sucks So I am drinking a LOT of iced water but can't eat the protein. Since it's my son's birthday today, I had to make and decorate 24 cupcakes to take to the school for his birthday celebration. That wasn't good temptation because kids, icing doesn't need to be chewed. It dissolves on your tongue so very nicely...I managed to resist but barely I am planning on having a little skim milk smoothie soon with LOTS of ice in it - hoping it will reduce the swelling and improve my recovery. Stupid tooth First time the damn thing's come up in such a painful way. Looks like after the sleeve, I am going to have to consider getting the damn things out... On the upside...holy fat-pants batman, I've lost a heap of weight. I can really tell just by looking at my stomach. According to the scales at work I've lost 7 kilos and I still have two-ish days before surgery. I am waiting on my "official" weigh in on Monday but my goal was to be under 160 kg before surgery which I think I will do!! I even ordered a cute shirt (from an awesome show Firefly that was retired before it's time) in a women's extra large. Now there is no chance I will fit into this any time soon, but it's a cute shirt I would never have been able to even think about getting before. It was such a nice feeling when I ordered it thinking...in time, I will be able to wear that! It hasn't arrived so I don't know how big an XL is from this store but usually they are a small make. It will be such an exciting milestone to be able to wear it with a pair of cute shorts (which I will now also be able to wear because I've lost weight - not now but you know what I mean lol)... Generally folks, things are good. My time is growing nearer and I look forward to the changes to come. Hope things are going well for you out there I will no doubt have something more to add before surgery! Cheers, Lila

I have surgery in 3 days and I am in the same boat - I can't even imagine what I'll look like thin Looking forward to finding out though!!!!

Wow you look fantastic. Congratulations!

Yeah it is quite the little trial but do try to remember that it does get better! I kept reminding myself of that (and it wasn't helping lol) but then I got to day 5 and it was a bit of a relief I hope things go well for you and you have an easier time of it than me!!