Shrink&Grow

Ahh congratulations! Very weird time to be going into hospital for the first time, I was a bag of nervous energy for the 2 weeks before! I had RNY 4 weeks ago today, and it has been easier than I feared. I read and absorbed every horror story imaginable, and even walking down to theatre was thinking "am I mad.."! My main advice for pre-surgery is DEEP CLEAN YOUR HOUSE! If you live alone book visitors, and recruit them to do stuff like hang out a load of washing or take the recycling out or walk the dog.. move any soups, protein shakes etc to a place you can reach easily, you won't want to be stretching or scrabbling about in the back of a cupboard. If you're thinking about getting an online food shop in the first couple weeks, make sure someone is there to help you unpack it and put it away! Ask friends for film and telly recommendations to add to your Netflix/Amazon list so you can just stick stuff on and doze once your back home. Take some measurements if you've got a tape measure handy (I did my bra line, narrowest bit of waist, belly button line, widest part of hips, bicep and thigh). Post-surgery, my life is WALKING, FLUIDS, PROTEIN, PILLS. Those are your essentials from day one, at first it's slow and difficult but it gets a teeny bit better every day. Don't get obsessed with the scales!! Be kind to yourself, and when it all gets a bit overwhelming, remember 'this too shall pass' and then jump on here to find a whole world of people who've been through it. I liked that there's loads of people in America on here, because they're awake if you can't sleep with nerves/excitement/or anything else..

Ps: I told one person. This topic can really divide the community, but personally I needed to do this myself without judgement or questions. I told my boss and colleagues I was having a procedure, fit note from GP just said "post op". Told my family I was having a hiatus hernia repair (as I was at the same time so not total lie!) which helpfully also means you have to stick to a puree/soft diet for a few weeks so I could be open about that. It has come up in discussion with friends that I am doing a lot more walking and my meals are very protein focused, and I don't feel one bit that I have cheated because at the end of the day, bariatric surgery is a tool and I'm putting in a hell of a lot of work. Your body and your health is noone else's business, unless you choose to tell them! There can of course be power in sharing your story and distigmatising WLS, and you might have some very understanding and supportive people around you 🙂

I really enjoy My Level 10 Life on YouTube, Erin really helpfully answers loads of questions about surgery, diet etc and generally seems like she's been through a lot of **** and remains upbeat. Sugar free ice lollies/ice pops were really helpful that first couple weeks out. Good luck for Tuesday squidgy.

Hi Mel, have you heard any more about a September date? I've not heard of Phoenix before, don't think we have them in the North East! Good luck

*Headphones* for sure!! I also got an *eyemask* off Amazon that was sort of moulded so didn't touch my eyelashes like the regular fabric ones? Imagine a little face bra 🤣 it was fab for getting rest in the day. *Meditation app* really helped when I was nervous waiting to be taken down and when I woke in the night (I like Insight Timer, and listen to lots of Glenda Cedarleaf relaxation.. find someone's voice that works for you!) Also really glad I took my own *small pillow/cushion* from home in a super soft pillow case - nice to have an extra one, and was such a comfort to hold against my front on the car ride home. *Lip balm* helped a lot, and I was glad of a *second nightshirt* to feel a bit "fresher" the second day in hospital. Once home, I liked my *wedge cushion* for sitting up watching TV and dozing, and couldn't have survived those first couple weeks without a *blender* and a *pill cutter*. If you've got cash to splash, get yourself some nice *little bowls* and a *water bottle* that you enjoy drinking from! You'll be doing a lot of that.. depending what your hospital recommend, you might also want to have a look at *clear protein drinks* too. I made a box like a little christmas hamper with some of the first foods I could have, nail polish, nice hand cream, which sat on the kitchen side ready for me to come home so I didn't have to look for them! Good luck all of you July crowd!! I had an RNY on June 15th and am doing great. It can be nervewracking but this community is great for answering questions and offering support.

Aw I needed this today - was having a wobble about my newly wired body and having to wait between drinking and eating feels a full time job. After a few weeks of low pain, my fibromyalgia has flared up a little (weird weather pressure and lots of stormy rain in the UK this week) and I've got the grumps.. but really I have done SO MUCH WALKING this last week. So much. No wonder I'm a bit tired haha. Really appreciate your positive reminder 😊

Oh my goodness, that sounds really tough. I hope you're back on your meds now? Going through all that must be incredibly draining, thinking of you and hoping you feel better very soon. It seems a lot of people, even those who haven't had the tricky time that you have, feel sad or regretful in the first couple of weeks. I really believe a lot of the emotional crap does get better, every day sees a huge improvement! I'm looking into getting a therapist who understands this stuff, as it can be a really lonely and confusing time.

It was my first time having surgery too, I was so scared about going under general anesthesia I didn't sleep the night before.. but as soon as I met my surgeon in the morning I was totally at ease (and too knackered to run haha). Totally agree the gas pain was the worst, getting up and walking about helped loads, as did doing very light tapping on my upper chest with clenched fists. My first walk was to the door of my room, with a healthcare assistant, about 5 or 6 hours after I got back to my room, but they said I was pretty woozy still. They were great with providing pain relief, don't be afraid to ask. Staying mobile definitely helps the gas pain. I was really grateful for this site as I could report in or read others' stories when I didn't want to have to explain to friends and family what I was experiencing.

Hi em, such an exciting time! What guidelines have Ramsay Health given you? I had my bypass on 15th June, did a 10 day pre-op diet. Spire Healthcare gave me 2 options, one was loads of milk, yogurt, fruit and a serving of home made vegetable soup and the other was more food based. I mostly stuck to the milk one, but had a bit of fish with veg instead of the soup some days.. I think the constant chugging of milk stopped me feeling hungry, protein is pretty fab for that. Have you met with your dietitian to discuss it? I kept myself busy and distracted during that time doing a deep clean of the house and getting everything ready for when I would be feeling delicate after surgery, and I am so glad I did!

Thank you Aliyah - I need to update my profile! Enjoyed your video, I look forward to seeing your progress.

Good luck!!😊

Glad to hear you're getting on okay, I know what you mean about feeling like you're constantly eating or drinking! I haven't quite got my head around the baritastic app yet - what main functions do you use it for? I think my phone blocks the reminders (really helpful!). I am 2 weeks out today, gone from HW 246 SW 235 to CW 226. Have settled on 3 meals a day now with protein water in between, am hit and miss with my water goal (MUST IMPROVE!!) but doing well with protein.

Thanks again for this advice. After your message I haven't touched the stuff again and so far have been feeling ok! 2 weeks out tomorrow, down 7.5lbs from morning of surgery, 18.5lbs since beginning of June. Why is it I still feel frustrated when this is a HUGE amount of weight to lose in 4 weeks, got to keep reminding myself that. Tried taking the dog for a walk by myself tonight and I think it was a bit soon. Just so excited to move my body.

So so much better today, thank you ☺️ Guess it's all part of the experimenting stage, little spoons is the key! I think I'm going to have to watch out for any sneaky fats, and remember I'm not even a week out so need to be patient and keep things simple!

My hospital had me eating a yogurt within 30 hours of surgery and was then sent home with instructions to eat pureed food for 4 weeks - no clear liquid stage. First few days I tolerated things well but today I am feeling quite poorly after, think I've started eating too quickly/too much. Starting to question the lack of liquid stage but like you, I trust my experienced surgeon knows what he's doing!