Hi everyone .... anyone

Not sure if anyone is still using this forum as I haven't seen any posts here since 2014.

I'm booked in for GB on 13 July 2015 and have read some scary stories which is making me doubt my decision to go ahead with this procedure.

Would love to hear from anybody pre or post op

Hi,

I am 11 months post op and can say that it is the best decision I ever made - only regret is that I didn't do it earlier!. I have lost 80kg in 12 months, and am feeling fabulous.

I had my surgery in Sydney, not sure where you are, but I had an excellent recovery. Was in very little pain and was feeling back to normal with in a couple of days. I very strictly followed the protocols regarding what to eat and when, made sure not to try and get back to "normal" food to quickly.

Aside from a few initial problems with vomiting after meals, which wasn't all the time and was related to a sinus issue. I have had no side effects whatsoever.

I still find it difficult to eat bread, or Pasta as I find it too filling and makes me feel too full. That isn't to say you can't have any bread or pasta, just that you should only have a very small amount, half a slice to nibble on rather than a whole sandwich. I still don't really eat things like pizza. However, I consider that to be a very small price to pay!

I also don't each highly sugary foods as this can make you feel very sick (the dumping syndrome they refer to in the literature), if i am going to have desert or cake i just have 2-3 spoonfuls and then give it to someone else... luckily my family is usually happy to help out :-)

I would have to say that I haven't experienced any side effects or problems that I wasn't fully aware of pre-surgery. If you do your research and inform yourself you will be fine - and checking out sites like this one help! but be aware that there are always horror stories out there and that these are the one off cases not the norm.

Let me know if you want any other details - I really feel that this could be the best step you could take, certainly was for me!

Thank you ElizabethA for coming back to me so quickly.

One of the main scary things I've heard is the gas and associated pain when you move to solid foods. Some say that it is socially debilitating and that they don't eat with friends anymore, won't go to interviews for new roles and no longer sleep in the same room with their husband/wife because it is uncontrollable, and the smell evacuates the room. Some say they have eliminated carbs, sugar, dairy, take digestive enzymes and acidophilus but nothing works. What's the point of being thinner and looking great if you are a social outcast that no one wants to be around? I work in a small office with many closed door meetings and the thought of this occurring terrifies me

Have you experienced any of this?

Hi,

I have not had any issue with gas or pain since the surgery, in fact have probably had less gas than i did pre-surgery. I have experienced constipation due to the high Protein / low fibre diet, but nothing that hasn't been controllable with OTC medication.

I am not sure if gas is a common side effect, it isn't something I have read anything about or experienced.

Thanks again. That's reassuring

My surgeon tells me that the greatest benefit for me having this surgery is that I have a really big chance of not having to take insulin anymore. For me this is huge!! No more having to get up in the middle of the night or leave in the middle of meetings to bring my sugar up to normal levels. No more having to eat when you are not hungry just so I don't have a hypo. I'm told that not taking insulin will take 10 - 15kgs off so that in itself will certainly help in the weight loss journey.

AAARRRGGGHHH - I think I just have to stop thinking of the negatives and focus on the positives

Focussing on the positives is a good start - you do need to be realistic and understand the complications that could arise, but don't let these overwhelm you.

I was a type 2 diabetic prior to the surgery - wasn't on insulin yet, had only just been diagnosed, but my sugar levels were back to normal before I left hospital and haven't gotten up since.

I also had very very bad gastric reflux that i was on prescription medication for, and sleep apnoea. The gastric reflux was completely resolved by the time I left hospital and the sleep apnoea resolved within a few weeks as well.

I was in the morbidly obese range prior to surgery and am now just plain overweight - you wouldn't believe how much being told I was "overweight" thrilled me!

If you are like me and suffer from other complications from being overweight I think that it is very sensible to be considering surgery as an option. I just could not have gotten this weight off any other way.