summerseeker

I had the surgery privately in 2021. I am now 67. I started at 330lbs and am happy to be around 185lbs. I was so disabled with the weight. I wished I had done this sooner but never had enough money and my doctors would never entertain the idea, all they said was go to a dietician. I could loose weight and put it back on in the blink of an eye. I went to Spire Hospitals. They were wonderful and will forever have my gratitude. The surgery wasn,t an issue for me, I have had loads. It was the 8 months I had to wait for it to happen that killed me. I lack patience. I had to do a pre op, liver shrink diet for 3 weeks before surgery that was brutal. I woke after surgery to a new happy me. This me had the runs, bad. I had a swollen internal new stomach. It was hard to drink for a while and they looked after me well.. I had to stay with them a few more days than was the norm. Would I go through it all again if needed , yes in a heart beat. I am now the person I always wanted to be. I travel all over the world and never have people look at me anymore with disgusted eyes. I love my new self, baggy skin yes but come winter no one will know.

Depends on how much you intend to loose and age. I lost a lot and I am old. I knew I would have extra skin. I look good in clothes..... I am not going down the surgery route. If you are young and have skin elasticity, you might get lucky and not need any surgery. If you havent too much to loose then you may find exercise will help . Nothing else works unfortunately.

In the UK a lot of Doctors dont believe in Protein shakes. My Surgeon was the same, he had me on milk. I made my own shakes with PB powder and banana. You can add extra protein with yogurt or powdered milk.

I get mine on prescription from my GP. They are called Calci- D in the UK. They are huge. I found them impossible to take for the first 3 months but I just about tolerate them now. I reward myself with my vitamin berry gummies afterwards.

I am still taking the calcium tablets. I still hate them. The texture is wrong. I reward myself for taking them with my vitamin gummies. My torso is also like a road atlas. I got a 12 inch scare down my middle by a butcher of a surgeon when I was 17. When I got my first glimpse I wailed. Over the years my collection has been added too but never scarred me mentally like my initial one. I can barely see my bariatric surgery scars now. I am thankful for that. If you are bothered by yours then you could have more surgery to remove them but then you will be left with one more scars ! Catch 22. You will be so happy once you progress onto food. The hard part is almost over.

Contact your team if its getting too much they will have some alternate foods for you. Hopefully you will soon be on to real foods and then you can feel better, BTW you are smashing the protein.

You are at a very overwhelming time in your recovery. We all wondered if we had done the right thing. It gets better, just breathe. I found the surgery made my body feel like it was pregnant. As we loose fat, the body releases hormones in a massive hit. This is why you are feeling blue. Your insides are chopped and are not functioning like they should or will. You are in the hardest phase. Just do what your team asks to the best of your ability. Did I get my protein quota in ? No and I survived. If I had managed I would have felt better but I was so very nauseous. My internal swelling was so bad, I struggled to eat and drink. It passed. I survived. When you are able to move onto solids things will improve I promise. Some people are nauseated by the whey protein in the protein shakes and needed to find a different type. Research on here in the back pages. When your stomach heals at about 8 weeks you will begin to get the correct hunger signals. Until then it cant function correctly. Its been chopped in two and its it doesnt know what has hit it. This is a kind, helpful group but quiet at the moment. The owner did a update of the page and we have found it to be difficult to get used to and people have unfortunately dropped off. I have heard that other groups are somewhat judgemental and bitchy but I have never used them myself. I hope you can get the feedback you need. Its all in the back pages here. It happened to most of us. We survived and are happy eating whatever we want but in tiny portions.

Hi John, Another Brit here. Life is all ups and downs and sometimes the downs are a doozy. Coping is the hardest part isnt it. My hunger hormones finally kicked in and like you I began to gain. Worryingly I cant seem to drop the half stone I gain. If I eat over 1500 cals a day I gain and to loose I need to drop 500 cals a day. If I dont eat enough I faint, its catch 22 I asked my doc too. They have never ever helped with my weight. I self paid for my surgery. Am I angry ? Oh yes. Also pre diabetic, Back on blood presure meds and statins. No help either. No referal. I bought Wegovy from a reputable chemist. It has taken me 4 months to loose 6 lbs on low dose Wegovy but I think I will always have to return to this. I am unsure if I will stay on a small dose ?? I have yet to tail off.

What did your team tell you ? We all have differt regimes to stick to, with different drinks and foods. I was allowed coffee and tea. Others are banned for life...... I think my quota was 2 litres a day but I forget.

Everyone going into this surgery is anxious. Its a whole new world on the other side of surgery and that is scary. We would be robots if we didnt worry over major changes. One thing that I can assure you is that you will not regret the surgery or the work you put in after. Deal with what you can now. Prep what you can but dont over buy protein shakes because oh boy do your tastes/ likes change. All the new regimes that are scary now are quite easy once you begin. So if you heard that water drinking takes forever, straight after surgery it does. Drink as much as you can. It helps with nausea. Tablets and vitamins seem a minefield ? After the internal swelling recedes they slot in pretty quickly . Your new stomach has to be treated like a new born baby. Time on liquid, then mush, then start introducing foods litttle by little. Dont rush do what your team say. Foods you can research beforehand but we are all given different regimes and its difficult to advice you. Things to pre buy are sugar free lollies { I'm English !} Bonebroth, A few different protein shakes. Your recomended vitamins and pain meds. You wont need much until you get mobile again. If you have a recliner in your lounge, you will find it better than your bed for the first week after surgery. Its easier to get out of. I didnt and had a little step by my bed and a wedge pillow to prop me up. Biotin mouth spray is good because after surgery we can get dry mouths. A thermos cup to keep your everlasting drink warm or cold. If on the day of surgery you bail, its not your time. You will regret it. You will return and be in a better place. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Yes I think we all did this. Very very few get turned away. Occasionally the odd one has medical needs that need treating initially.

Good luck, not long now

Time crawls towards the surgery, or so it seems. We spent so long deliberating over the surgery that we feel like a petulant child awaiting christmas. My wait was 8 long months. This and my 3 week brute of a pre op diet made sure of my commitment. I swear I ran to the operating theatre with a smile on my face. Good luck going forward and dont be afraid to ask questions. Your new you and your new obesity free life is just around the corner and its a wonderous thing.

That is really good to get in that head space. BUT, keep your inner circle small. Their opinions will hurt the most.

Wow thats a story. I am so glad that your awful pain has gone. Fingers crossed for you. x Ps I learned a new word too.

Lots of people have zero side effects. They seldom post, so all people see on social media is help wanted posts for side effects. Some people can take a tummy ache with a hot water bottle and others think they are dying and need pain meds. You are you and dont fear something that may save you.

It took me two years to get where I was happy with my weight and size. Don't give up hope yet. Occasionally people have had to lower their expecations of goal weight but lots of us have smashed it. Keep your nerve and carry on, you have this.

So happy to see you have some improvement. Its miserable when it gets really bad. Try and keep on top of things and you will be fine.

A few dates every day do it for me. They help with a sugar craving too.

This was huge for me too. Congratulations

Congrats on doing so well and so soon.

Temptation should be my middle name. What happened to my super power that could say - no thank you, not today.

How are you doing ? Still going well ? x

Oh so well done, You look amazing x

We dont change our mind set just because we had this surgery, the girl wants what she wants after all. I keep myself in check with a daily diet diary. I stick rigidly most of the time to my protein goal. I still have 5 small meals a day. I dont buy icecream unless its a special occasion. I buy better for me snacks, so nuts, dates, plenty of fruit, some good cheese. If I crave chocolate I buy small dark chocolate bars because if I bought a large bar I would still eat the lot in one go and know it will make me vomit. I buy low calorie ice lollies and low calorie snacks in small bags. Our super markets sell lots of variety under 100 calories. I get by. I am skinny. I walk in a better place but some days its damn hard. Find your middle ground. I hope its not a battlefield.