FifiLux

Well done on your success and the new mindset, and body

Does it actually help with fluid build up? I have heard about it before and I suffer from bad lymphedema in my legs and ankles and would love something that maybe helped, even a tiny bit. I have tried lymphatic drainage massage a number of times and saw no benefit so stopped as it was too expensive and sore. At this stage I feel sure what would another capsule be to add to my daily intake

I am a stubborn b**ch so I used that strength to get me through on the days I knew what was going on but a lot of the time I had no idea how sick I was. It was only afterwards I found out how bad I was and how worried all my family and friends were. I didn't mention it above but I also had a blood infection and then an allergic reaction to one of the medications - basically anything that could go wrong/happen did. They couldn't do the feeding tube via my arms as my arms got infected and the veins collapsed, I think I had 8 different IVs in my ams over the months, they just kept switching from left to right until all veins had collapsed. I ended up having to have blood draws from my foot at one point and had my IV in my neck. I actually thought I was going to be physically ill when the first told me they had to put the IV in my neck and had to be given a xanex to calm down and go to the the procedure room but it was actually ok then afterwards and so much easier than my arms. I know what you mean about the health anxiety side of things, I was worried about everything when I came home finally, it was a shock to my system to suddenly be without the constant checks from nurses and doctors and not know if a little twinge or cough etc was a bad sign or just normal. I had to take my blood pressure during the day and do temperature checks to make sure I was at a normal range. I was also afraid to go for a walk of a few minutes in case I then didn't have the strength to get back home so I just walked the bus route on my road as figured if I could walk to the end of the road and get stuck I would just get the bus back. Now I can do 1.5km or so around the block at a steady pace. I am not sure where you are in the food reintroduction phase but once you are able to eat more protein it should also help with the energy levels but I do think rest is key. Once I got into a decent sleeping pattern again, took a few months at home after the nurses rounds at 11pm 4am 7am etc., I really saw the improvements in my energy. That is great that you got the appointment for next week. Just keep asking them to check everything and be honest with them about your fears so they can discuss with you. Just give it time and let your body recover, it has been through a shock to the system with the weight loss and then the infection on top. I figure my horror show can only help others to not feel as bad if they are struggling a bit. It has taken me a long time to start to feel better and more positive but I think I have turned a corner in the last couple of weeks.

Sorry to hear what you have gone through and are still going through. I know exactly how you feel about wondering if the surgery has been worth it, I wondered the same for many months after mine but I can now say 10 months later that I see the light and know I could not have lost the weight I have done so far without the surgery and I can now finally feel the benefits. I have posted about it before on the forum but a recap to show you how s**t things can go..... I had my surgery 4th July 2023 and suffered severe pancreatitis brought on by the surgery (iatrogenic according to the medical reports) which resulted in me having a drainage tube fitted to my belly area and being hospitalised for one month. Three days after being released I collapsed at home and had to return to hospital via ambulance. There it was discovered that I had a leak in the stomach where the sutures hadn't sealed. I spent a further two weeks in hospital where I had to get clips put in to close the hole/leak. I then lasted 13 days at home before becoming ill again. I went in for a gastroscopy to check on the clips and turned out the clips did not do their job and I had leak back plus two abscesses (1 on stomach, 1 on pancreas). Spent a further three weeks in hospital on a feeding tube before getting all clear to go home after another round of clips were put in and passed their tests. Next time I lasted 15 days at home before having to be readmitted for another month! I never felt fully better but wasn't sure if that was just me recovering from all the trauma or still symptoms. I had a blood test one morning and that afternoon got a call to say I was to come back to the hospital immediately as my CRP was 180. Turned out the hole had opened again and I had an infection. Was put on a feeding tube again for the month and had a drainage tube fitted to my back, had so many different medications, a transfusion, tests etc it was exhausting. I was then sent to a hospital in Belgium to have a tube/coil like thing inserted in my stomach help the hole heal. I was finally released from hospital November 1st 2023. Like you I couldn't do things, I couldn't even stand at the kitchen counter to chop veg without feeling like I was going to collapse. The effort of having a shower and getting dressed some days was too much for me and it took me many months to get to my energy up to more than being able to something small each day. It is really only since mid-February that I can say my energy improved. My weight loss was also slow when in hospital as they were pumping me full of nutrition (via the feeding tubes) but it sped up once I was at home. I had the tube in my stomach removed three weeks ago and had another round of tests to make sure that the hole had healed and I have passed with flying colours. So far so good, no pain or discomfort which is such an improvement. The only thing I suffer with now is a bit of reflux and occasional terrible exhaustion. I was out for dinner on Sunday night and almost collapsed at the table the exhaustion came on so suddenly but I was ok a while later. I don't let it stop me, I have so much more energy than pre-op but I just know I have to pace myself and rest when I can. Basically, I just want to let you know that after all of the above that I have been through I now feel the relief of the surgery and the weight loss. I am now at the weight target the surgeon set for me, 75kg, though I will aim for a bit more and I no longer cry myself to sleep with pain or stress or the fear to make plans for the future. It has taken 10 months for me to get here, I am at the stage now that probably those who have a successful surgery would have been at months ago with their recovery from the op and getting back to a 'normal' life. I am going to see a psychologist through my hospital service for the medical trauma which has helped me as well. Do make sure that you go to the hospital if your symptoms worsen, or don't improve, and ask the doctors to check your levels just to be sure that there is no infection still there etc. Rest when you can, I don't know your situation but if you don't have to get up and go out during the day for work/kids/shopping etc. then don't, just take the time to heal and recover. Also ask for help if and when you need it and also say no to things that you may not want to do if you don't feel up for it - being a control freak these are things I am trying to learn to do.

Hi all, Has anyone tried TrimFit by Yu and if so did you feel or see any benefits and how soon after the surgery did you start taking it? I have seen it mentioned on some blogs but by people being paid to advertise so I would like honest, unpaid for, opinions. Thanks

I have bad knees, no cartilage in either, which I have been told will need to be replaced in the years to come. I see you don't have a pool close by that is not cheap but I do aqua aerobics once a week and feel the benefit of it so if you could even afford a class once a week it might do you the world of good. I am lucky that my hospital run the class so I just have to pay about €100 by way of membership for the year and the classes are 50 weeks of the year. I also have an exercise bike that I go would go slowly on for about 20 minutes three times a week. Now that I have lost more weight and the weather is improving I find I can do short walks of about 20 minutes/1.5km. My knees do ache afterwards at night but not as bad as before when I was heavier so I feel it is worth it, put a bit of gel on them and it helps me sleep easier. I now also do the Svelte 'One and Done' exercise program, just the beginner level, three days a week. There are some exercises I can't do as they require knee movements I can't do but from what I have seen so far there is always an alternative exercise shown if movement is not possible. You could always check out their YouTube site as they have plenty of exercises that you don't have to pay for. Even though my weight loss has slowed down I can see where I am still losing cm's.

How do you keep your carbs so low? I am kind of in awe of you right now 😄 The bean stew I made for meals is 30g carbs per serving alone (but only 180 calories and 12g protein). I am hitting between 900 and 1,100 calories, 30g fat and +/-70g protein a day. My guidance was to have +/- 60g protein a day and make good choices for food and eat small portions - no set calories etc. From reading others posts and feedback on the forum I have already decided to give my regular banana as it is too high in carbs (just two more left to eat!) and I have stopped taking a morning drink of honey, lemon, pepper and cinnamon as the honey made the carbs too high also. I am a bit freaked out now as my weight loss has slowed down the last three months and I have only lost a couple of pounds.

I think you have enough food on the plate without having to 'switch' from potato to the fish sticks. I don't eat fish so not sure how that works as a carb replacement if that is what you meant to do by going from the chips to sticks. For a complex carb maybe some quinoa, brown rice, or sweet potato (if you can take it without reacting). A boiled egg can be fine for a snack between meals but based on the above you have them in two meals not as a snack. For a snack I usually have a few almonds or a banana. When was your last hospital appointment, would it help to ask for another with them soon so you can get the support you want?

Personally I would think cheese only once a day (if even) and no need for both chicken and fish on the same plate/meal in those portion sizes anyway for twice a day. I would think the size of the chicken breast alone would be sufficient with just some veg and a carb. Having the same for lunch and dinner of that style plate is just repeating too much of things that are not necessarily doing you any good. Also maybe vary it a bit with possibly a high protein yogurt and some fruit for breakfast? Chicken or fish, maybe with some green beans or cauliflower and no eggs other than at breakfast? If this is how your plates are looking - size and mix of food I think maybe you should reach out to a local dietician to go on a reset, back to the basics for a while if you can stomach it. Also, don't always listen to what others tell you about how you look - you didn't do the operation for them, you did it for you and you need to be happy with yourself.

I had beef mince bolognese for a lot of the pureed stage and just diced the little bit of carrot and onion up really small so I almost didn't have to bite anything. I also had lentil soup and dhals.

I thought the same and my doctor told me that for the first few months he would be happier for me to take the pills to be sure until I was through the food phases etc. that I was getting enough vitamins. At times he sounds like a sales rep for the bariatric branded vitamins, which I don't get through him so makes no difference to him, but of course they are about three times the price here of non-bariatric ones. My blood tests so far have all show high vitamin levels (other than K) so now I am just down to one multi vit a day plus calcium & D2, then I add in a cod liver one as I can't eat fish. It's exhausting remembering to take them all on top of a daily reflux pill plus HRT!

Do you mean for pre or post op? Post op I think, and your medical team can confirm with you, that you need the pills as they absorb better and are more potent into the system when it is needed most.

Hi Rose, Are you actually getting an operation? I see you ask a lot of questions but without the details, the way most of us put in our profile, it is not always clear what is the best answer for you. I do not see life after surgery as a diet and I don't think that would be the most healthy way to look at life. For me now it is just about making sensible and tasty choices since I can only fit a small amount of food into my stomach.

Thanks for the clarification as to me it came across in an accusatory way but I see now in your later posts where you are coming from. I just read it that you were accusing anyone who even had an infrequent drink as to be ashamed of themselves and I think in life being on the larger size we have probably had enough shame thrown at us. Anyway, as I already said, we are all adults and the choices we make are on ourselves. Everyone has different levels of likes, dislikes and tolerances. I can't stand the taste of rum on its own but that goes back to it being the first drink I ever had that I got drunk on at 13yrs of age - a mistake where I was given my mothers rum and coke drink at a party multiple times during the day instead of just my own coke as the barman thought I was being a good child and getting drinks for my mum! Yuck, I still remember being so ill that evening - I was the same green colour as my parents lovely avocado coloured bathroom 😂 Personally I have gone through a lot with this surgery that there is no way I am messing it up by drinking to the extent I would have before (just a good social life or bottle of wine at home, no mad benders etc). I will just have the occasional drink when out socially, like Friday I had 2/3 of one glass of red wine and that took two hours to drink and was enough for me.

I hope I don't come across as rude when I write this but everyone has different likes or dislikes and you clearly say you have never liked alcohol from the outset so good for you but the post does come across as judgmental. If someone likes to have a drink it is up to them as adults to do as they wish, be it too many calories etc. It is everyone's choice to make if they would like to have a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and deal with the consequences, if there are any like weight gain, reflux, dumping etc. Do you like eggs? I don't like the smell or taste of them so why do you eat them? Just making the point!

If you have the space in the freezer to store everything then yes you could try to mix it up a bit. I would recommend having something available as a back up just in case, this is where I went wrong one day by thinking the soup I had made would be good for my meals that day only to taste it and it was disgusting, shops were closed and I had no back-up food and had to go to have a protein shake instead. If you are on the pureed/soft stage you could try minced turkey or chicken, bolognese (I had/have this a lot) and then I made a slightly different version as well that I found here - https://www.bariatricfoodcoach.com/lasagna-stew/ I used to put a generous amount of red wine in my bologneses previously, obviously had to cut that out for now 😁

I got a handout from my clinic to say what foods I could eat in each stage and how long I was to stay in each stage for, did you not get similar from yours? I found that I ate the same things for a lot of the meals, and still do, because as you say the portions are small when cooking something from scratch. If you have a lot of the same food left and it is staying down comfortably maybe you could even mix it up a bit by adding a different spice or something to change the dish a bit. I have a new found love for spices and herbs now that I add to everything.

I don't like soda water but years ago I used to drink vodka and coke zero, then I figured the coke was ruining the vodka so I switched to lemon vodka with water or regular vodka with lemon water so I think I may try that again soon. I have a bottle of lemon vodka in the freezer waiting for when I am in maintenance mode. I know it is not recommended anyway but my own rule will be to stay away from anything bubbly/carbonated. I have to set myself some ground rules as pre-op I would drink a lot and built up a good tolerance which was bad in that it meant I drank too much too regularly so just like with my food I am going to need rules with my drinking.

I discussed it with my surgeon at an appointment a few weeks ago and he said it could have been movement of the tube I had fitted but I was to go to the hospital the next time it happened and he then also scheduled the removal of the tube as it was only to be in for five to six months. I spent last week in hospital to get the tube, put in my stomach five months ago to help close the leak, removed. Since then I have had no painful episodes and the tests show that the leak appears to have closed up. It is just a week and a half since the removal so I guess time will tell.

Hi all, I did a search through the forum but couldn't find a situation that was similar as already got my gall bladder removed years ago and not a recent post-op. Is it 'normal' to suffer frequent, as in every few days for a few hours at a time, abdominal pain even 8 months after surgery? I get it on both sides at times, other times just one side. It was so bad last night on my right side that I couldn't lie on my stomach, which is my preferred way to fall asleep, as it was uncomfortable. I am not sure if it is usual or a side effect of all the issues I had post-op (leak, pancreatitis, infection, abscesses, allergic reaction to meds). I didn't want to go to the hospital if it is a normal occurrence following sleeve surgery that I just am expected to take a painkiller for, also I am terrified of being kept in hospital again.

I had my surgery in July last year and waited until Christmas to have a few drinks over the holiday period, albeit I was in hospital until Nov so not even able to contemplate drinking sooner. My surgeon said to stay away from champagne (except a few sips if toasting something) as the bubbles would not be good for my reflux but I was ok with a glass of wine etc, I had was drooling over the thought of having a glass of red wine after my Christmas dinner and sadly hated the taste after a couple of sips. I was assured the wine had not gone bad, others drank same bottle, but I just couldn't face it and was so disappointed. I then tried a Baileys instead and it was no problem I had a couple of Baileys over the holidays but it was just one each time as I took my time to enjoy the drinks plus having to wait 30 mins each side of eating meant I couldn't go mad. 😂 Since then I have gone out with friends and had a glass or two of red wine, thankfully all tasted fine. I used to drink wine at home which then became a slipply slope as I always found a reason to open a bottle so now I am just trying to stick to a rule of not drinking at home unless it is a special occasion.

Congratulations

Walking as I was told it was better for my knees by two orthopedic surgeons as I no cartilage left in either knee and will likely need replacing in years to come. I did a bit of long distance running many years ago in school and enjoyed it but that was it, never went further with it. A few years ago in an effort to improve my fitness and health I joined a running group which helped you learn to run, a bit like the couch 2 5k, but I didn't really enjoy it and felt it didn't really cater to those who weren't already super thin and fit. I now like to walk but usually I have to mentally to have a purpose to it, like yesterday 20 minutes around the block to go post a letter, earlier this week I spent four days in hospital so during the days I walked the corridors and stairs (an hour each day in total) to not go out of my mind with boredom. Even a walk around town and the shops I turn into a speed walk. I also do aqua aerobics once a week and recommend something like that if you have access to a pool and such classes.

I am similar timeframe and similar stall so to read the two above posts is reassuring. I am still only eating about 900 calories a day which is about 90g carbs and 70-100g protein. I do aqua aerobics once a week and light training three days a week plus try to get a 20 minute walk in most days and I have been stuck at the 78/77kg (171/169 lb) for a few weeks now. I am going to give it a bit more time as I think I have another follow up appointment with my surgery team in a month and can discuss then, especially as the surgeon told me in January that he would be happy with me getting to 75kg this year - I just didn't think it would take this long to get there.

I would think your medical team is the best sourced to give you advice on this, especially for the first few months after surgery.