gastric bypass newbie looking for advice and friends

[nefernefruaten]

hi stacey alison and ruth, welcome!!! its gr8 to have u here!! and help and advice is what this is all about isnt it??!!
we all know how depressing being big is, how it disrupts your life etc... i tried and failed at every diet known to man!!! the gastric bypass has given me my life back and made me a happier person!! i go out with my mates!! i drink wine!! its improved my social life cos im more confident!! after being over 22 stone 3 months ago im overjoyed at seeing the scale below 18 stone for the first time in over 5 years!!! i worry a little about skin but id rather have a bit of skin than carry around all that extra weight!! the younger you are and the more u excersise the less problems ul have with skin and 24 is still a baby ahhhhh
god i remember those 1st few weeks of liquids how tired and drained i felt, i had a diet sheet that said 1500 calories would keep me feeling well but on liquid only its hard to take in any more than 800!!! so i do sympathise!! i supplimented my energy with runny icecream and low fat custard and milky hot chocolate drinks. my surgeon reccommended purees after two weeks and when you start eating more substantial stuff your energy does improve.
i have a desk job and planned to go bk after 2 weeks but realistically i just didnt have the energy!!! i went bk after nearly 4 weeks. u have to remember uv had a major operation and your body needs time to recover and adjust!!! i was on purees from week 2 and im fine and still losing weight so the odd spoonfull of mash potato aint gonna hurt you!!! and after all that liquid tastes wonderful!!!
it does get better! i had my op on the 1st of feb and im eating quite normal food now!! life is getting back to normal the scars are small, the weightloss is wonderful and food doesnt rule my life anymore!!!
any specific questions u wanna ask please feel free!!!
luv Donna xxxx

 

[nefernefruaten]

hi nessa, im a believer in positive thought. i visualised myself after the op well and happy and losing weight! i didnt dwell on any of the negatives theres really no point!!! just believe all will be well and it will!!! your making a brave decision that will change ur life for the better!!! when is ur op???
Dxxx

 

[alison65]

i am geting really frustrated it will be two weeks post op tomorrow and i haven't lost any weight, also i don't feel full even after 1 weetabix or 250ml of chocalate slim fast drink
did he really make my pouch too big.
alison

 

[Jakethepeg]

Hiya everyone.

I had a gastric bypass ( keyhole ) 11 days ago in Manchester and I've already lost a stone!
I can't believe how well it has all gone. My only concern is I seem to be getting away with cheating with only mild discomfort so I'm waiting for a nasty surprise!

Jackie

 

[Lyn8124]

Hey Jackie, well done!

Alison, omg can you eat weetabix after only two weeks? I thought it was liquids only for 6 weeks. I suppose people are different. When is your first follow up?

 

[alison65]

my first follow up is wednesday 9th april at leeds, yes i have either hot weetabix, cornflakes or porridge for breakfast.

 

[Goingforgold]

Hi Alison

I am the same as you. I have been on liquids only for the past 3 weeks and am getting to the point where i can not stand it any more.I made some soup yesterday and blended it, but i could still eat loads of it and this morning i thought i would have a weetabix, even though i am not allowed it yet, well i thought i would just have half of it but i ended up eating the whole thing and didnt feel stuffed!! I am thinking my pouch isn't small enough. Im also eating crackerbread with cream low fat cheese on, but nothing really fills me up. I think once we start on solid food it should fill us more as there will be more bulk.

Be interesting to see what happens now.... i have lost about 22lbs since i had the op, but these last 3-4 days i have lost nothing.

Keep up the good work

 

[alison65]

i am just starting my week 3 and will be introducing corned beef stewed steak and instant mash all slopped up with gravy yum can't wait.
my weight loss has suddenly kicked in and am 1 stone down at last.
disappointed with my healing my two belly button wounds are being stubborn still weeping slightly.

 

[Lyn8124]

Oh that's excellent Alison, well done. Hopefully your wounds will be fine in another week or two.

 

[TKDBEAuty]

hi all...... im a newbie too. it will be 4 weeks on thursday.... and so far i have 30 lbs off...... started back to gym this morning too..... am introducing solids to my diet... but its not easy...... sometimes i think i should have more off, or that i have eaten too much... i use to lovecooking... now i couldcare less about cooking... my poor hubby is even making his own lunch..... just dont havethe same zest for food as i use too..... would love to hear more about other wls peeps... and how they are coping..... some days i think thats all the weight i will lose.. that i wont lose anymore. i only hope im doing the right things... still waiting for my first post op appt with doc... then hopefully i will know if im on right track. thanks for letting me share with you all

 

[wannabeminime]

Hi all, can i just ask a quick question of all you bypassers? How long was it before you returned to work?? How did you feel? Were you able to put in a full day?

How long was it before you felt happy lifting things and bending?

The reason i ask is that i am contemplating surgery, but my main concern is getting back to work quickly. I am self employed, so no work= no income. I do alot of bending and carrying around of heavy(ish) bags (Chiropodist; home visits). Also i am a single mum, and need to be in good shape for my kids.

Thanks all!

 

[TKDBEAuty]

hi becky,
i was back to work within the week. i am a hairdresser and alon manager for a major retail/ salon company. the first few days took time to sit a bit, and did no lifting... just now starting the lifting... but gradually and slowly. ithink for everyone its different as to when they go back to work... im a go getter... hate sitting around and really enjoy my work, so i thought the sooner i get back to work.. the beterfor me. the only issue i have is taking my time to eat ... still struggling there.. and im paying for it. but my first week back to work..... i did 57 hours which is really mental... but had no choice....but thank god... i feel good still. and tomorrrow i go for my first b12 injection, that should give me a boost. hope i was able to help you....

 

[wannabeminime]

hi becky,
i was back to work within the week. i am a hairdresser and alon manager for a major retail/ salon company. the first few days took time to sit a bit, and did no lifting... just now starting the lifting... but gradually and slowly. ithink for everyone its different as to when they go back to work... im a go getter... hate sitting around and really enjoy my work, so i thought the sooner i get back to work.. the beterfor me. the only issue i have is taking my time to eat ... still struggling there.. and im paying for it. but my first week back to work..... i did 57 hours which is really mental... but had no choice....but thank god... i feel good still. and tomorrrow i go for my first b12 injection, that should give me a boost. hope i was able to help you....

Excellent, i am so glad that a quick recovery is possible! 57 hours, gulp!

Anyone else's experiences would be useful too!

 

[Goingforgold]

I felt fine after 2 weeks and felt I could have gone back to work no problem. But im a student nurse and at uni at the moment so dont go back on to the wards until May (i planned the surgery that way). As for lifting, i was told by my surgeon to not try to lift anything heavy for about 6 months as this is how long it can take for your insides to heal.....my next placement is acute care of the elderly...now if thats not hard and heavy work then i dont know what it!!!!! i will just be careful and try not to lift to heavy.

Hope this helps and good luck on your weightloss journey...it has a rollercoaster of emotions, but i believe it will be the best descion you make.

Ruth x x

 

[nefernefruaten]

hi all... firstly alison one of the girls who had the op the same time as me was the same as u, didnt lose much weight in the first two weeks but after that it dropped off wer all different so dont worry!!!!
lynn i was only on liquids for 2 weeks then puress for 2 weeks then more solid food for 2 weeks then normal food!!!!!!
Donna xxx

 

[donkey]

hi lyn donkey here are you paying for your op if so howmuch or if on nhs what weight do you have to be im from ni too and im 14 6 and would love to have it lol

 

[TKDBEAuty]

donkey...... tkdbeauty here... im from northern ireland and my op was covered on nhs. im just over 4 weeks post op and have 33lbs off. on solid foods now.... i think every individial case is different under nhs. but the consultant in the rvh is barry clemments. best advice i can give is have your gp write a refferal letter to him... then wait and see what he says. i was 21 stone when i got the op, or in pounds i was 362 lbs day before op. best thing i ever done was get the surgery, but the past couple days has been frustrating as foods i had trid a few days before, just all of a sudden are not agreeing with me....... it is trial and error when you get on solids, but its a small price to pay for the many benefits you get from having the surgery. i even was able to get into a pair of combats i've had for over a year, with price tags still on them, and they loooked fantastic on me... i was near in tears seeing as my hubby had bought them for me as a gift a long time ago. good luck in your journey with weight loss surgery... tis definately worth it. even my sis back in the states is now looking into the same surgery as she too is tred of the diet roller coaster......... everyone should have an oppurtunity to have a better chance at a healthier life.

 

[Lyn8124]

Ok, I'm confused. I was told by Mr Kennedy that NHS funding had been withdrawn here 6 months ago. I spoke to someone else on another forum and she said she went for consultation with this Dr Clements on 18 March, thinking she was NHS to be told same as me. I have never heard of Dr Clements until then. Are they telling different people different things? £8000 is a lot of money to me.

Hello and welcome to the both of you. This is a great thread, isn't it?

 

[TKDBEAuty]

lynn,
i dont know about fundingbeing pulled..... i had my surgery 6.03.08 covered under nhs. i am going back for my post op check up with mr. clemments in may.... i will pick his brain and see what he says. i hope the funding is still there as its able to save the nhs millions by providing wls now to avoid further health problems in future that comes with being over weight. will let you know what he says when i see him.

 

[Lyn8124]

Cheers TKD. I'll be quizzing Mr K when I see him on the 28th lol. I feel as if my GP would rather add to my ever growing list of meds rather than recommend me for bypass on NHS. He basically has been useless, says I'm the first of his patients to be having WLS so I'm like a guinea pig for them.....I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said on my last visit he thought I was doing well on Xenical. Yes so well that I am now heavier than ever! I wish I could afford to go private.