NickyD

Have messages you! Hope that works! Xx

Hee hee. That's ok! I was in hospital for 2 nights! Worst pain in early days was sever pain in chest and shoulder! This was hard at first and came few times in the first 2 weeks but is normal-like gas pain! Nothing else was sore really! All went well for me-first 2 weeks a bit of a range of emotions-felt regretful around day 4 as even small sips felt very odd going down! drinks at room temperature were easier as cold drinks you could 'feel' going into new stomach! Then suddenly drinking was easy and could take a few gulps at a time! After this things were much better!! My surgeon was really relaxed and confident which helped so I moved through the liquids to purees to soft foods quite well! Sweet things made me feel bit funny-like racing heart after a horlicks! And tried scramble egg too early so felt really sick but had it a few days after and was fine! Did about 12 days in each phase! Now I eat anything really and feel totally normal! So I have no regrets at all! I think the US have a lot more rules and guidelines than we do here! There is nothing I can't have-I drink diet coke in small amounts and have had evenings out with wine etc! I did this to finally escape dieting and feel I have achieved exactly that! It's great! I make better choices about what I eat as I feel since I can't eat that much I want what I do it to be good quality and good for me etc! I don't count Protein or calories or anything-generally choose other things instead of some carbs but just eat a healthy balance and I still have bad days when I have some chocolate but-that's life and we only live once! PM me if you want any more details! You're welcome to keep in touch! I had someone who had been through it to text when I was in hospital and for first few weeks so was good to keep asking if things were normal etc!! Stock up on fybogel! Had to drink it in 2 doses but was really needed!! Bowels were a pain!! Hope that helps! What's your age and BMI etc (if you don't mind me asking!?) Xx

Surrey! Hope all goes well for you! Keep us posted and if you want to ask any questions feel free! Xxx

Hey good luck! I'm from uk too! Where are you having ur surgery? Milk diet not too hard!! I was sleeved on July 26th and so far so good- over 3 1/2 stone and dropped from size 20 now just fitting into 14s. Bet decision I ever made! Hope you enjoy the journey! Xxxx

Iggy-whilst I can see you have been through hell-I would still argue that you yourself have in some if your previous posts said you are one of the rarer cases!! It was the single line statement previous to my post to which I was referring. This is in no way a reflection upon you and what you've been through but a lot of people here make sweeping comments that can scare the hell out people who are looking here for support not scare tactics. Is it now your intention to write your story on every post to direct us to your rare case? I shouldn't think so as I am sure you are sensible enough to know-your leak was not a result Of a mouthful of scrambled egg before your doctor said you should! I stand by why I said-if that really were the case this operation wouldn't even happen! This is no personal dig at you at all-but there was no need for you to comment on my 'easy journey' when you know nothing of what lead me to surgery. All doctors give different advice-this we all know! So it is best to avoid making harsh comments such as "eat=leak=death" or things along those lines. As I said-my words were nothing to do with you or your story! I hope now you are home things improve for you. To the OP-hope you are still doing well and managed to get through your cravings! Again-it will be worth it in the end! Xx

I too was sleeved on 26th July! Down 40 lbs now! Trying to see how long ican hold off buying any new clothes as I still want to lose another 50 or so!! Going good though!

As I sit out in my garden on a beautiful sunny morning (in UK) I am thinking about my 6 weeks post-op check yesterday! From reading so many posts on this forum I had a list of questions and expected to come home with a whole load of 'dos' and 'don'ts' - but there was none of that. So I wanted to share the following..... I think I've already said in previous posts that I have been lucky with an easy recovery-pain for no more than a week, moved through liquids, puréed food, sifts and now onto solids all pretty easily! I feel too full occasionally but am learning my limits still and have lost just over 35lbs! But I think about all the people on this forum-the obsession with amount of Proteins vs amounts of Liquids! How to eat, what not to eat etc.... The questions and concerns it seems are endless BUT I discussed all this with my surgeon who is a leader in the field in this country and I have come to the conclusion IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!! I am doing this the easy way-he told me- I am a normal person, the same as before but I have a smaller stomach! And I wanted to remind some of you out there of this! It's upto me what I put in my mouth! I have a balanced diet which includes bread, rice, fruit etc. if I get constipated I can take a bit of laxatives but should remember to drink a bit more! It doesn't have to be just water-I like tea and coffee and fruit juice! I even managed to have some diet coke yesterday and it was really refreshing! I had this op to escape the crazy world of dieting- and that's exactly what I am doing! I'm finally living life without the worry and it's great! Yes I am mostly sensible-but have had a couple of glasses of wine and a bit of cake and the difference is I can now stop myself going overboard! My concerned friends are now smiling and feeling relieved when they see me eat a balanced meal or share in a nibble of something naughty! So I just want to show you-there is an easy way here! So stop worrying and start living! You can do it! I have! :-) P.S - just want to point out that I said at the start-I know I am lucky! I know it will not be this easy for all-but this may help relieve some people's fears and concerns! Xxx

I'm from Surrey in the UK. Had my surgery in Wimbledon! Where are you? Good luck and it'll be well worth it!!!

Glad people here are brave and happy enough to agree and see this post for what it was intended to be! Put it also in the general sleeve section and didn't receive such positive thoughts! Each to their own was my point - and I am happy to be one of the successful ones! Thanks to my sleeve I have my life back and it's going the way I want it too!! Long live sensible eating and healthy being!! :-) x

It's very interesting how people read and interpret posts in different ways! As I said at the end of my post-yes I am lucky! I paid privately for my surgery-wasn't heavy enough to have it done in the NHS but was still in need of it! I understand that for some fighting the food habit is hard! What I hoped to achieve by my post was a little peace of mind for people in a similar position to myself! At no point did I encourage people not to eat sensibly-was merely saying my diet is not purely protein! And sharing that my day does not revolve around how many grams of Protein I eat or litres of water! I drink lots of liquid-and was saying that tea, coffee and fruit juice all count as your liquid intake! Indeed everyone has different advise and limitations! Surely it goes without saying that everyone should stick to what is good for them personally or the advise of their own surgeon! This forum is about sharing our own experiences! But thank you for pointing out the obvious and snide remarks telling me to ask people who haven't had enough liquids what it does to their internal organs! Really! Thank god I'm not a slave to my sleeve or my life before! BUT that's just me!! I say again-I know I am one of the lucky ones!!

As I sit out in my garden on a beautiful sunny morning (in UK) I am thinking about my 6 weeks post-op check yesterday! From reading so many posts on this forum I had a list of questions and expected to come home with a whole load of 'dos' and 'don'ts' - but there was none of that. So I wanted to share the following..... I think I've already said in previous posts that I have been lucky with an easy recovery-pain for no more than a week, moved through liquids, puréed food, sifts and now onto solids all pretty easily! I feel too full occasionally but am learning my limits still and have lost just over 35lbs! But I think about all the people on this forum-the obsession with amount of Proteins vs amounts of Liquids! How to eat, what not to eat etc.... The questions and concerns it seems are endless BUT I discussed all this with my surgeon who is a leader in the field in this country and I have come to the conclusion IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!! I am doing this the easy way-he told me- I am a normal person, the same as before but I have a smaller stomach! And I wanted to remind some of you out there of this! It's upto me what I put in my mouth! I have a balanced diet which includes bread, rice, fruit etc. if I get constipated I can take a bit of laxatives but should remember to drink a bit more! It doesn't have to be just water-I like tea and coffee and fruit juice! I even managed to have some diet coke yesterday and it was really refreshing! I had this op to escape the crazy world of dieting- and that's exactly what I am doing! I'm finally living life without the worry and it's great! Yes I am mostly sensible-but have had a couple of glasses of wine and a bit of cake and the difference is I can now stop myself going overboard! My concerned friends are now smiling and feeling relieved when they see me eat a balanced meal or share in a nibble of something naughty! So I just want to show you-there is an easy way here! So stop worrying and start living! You can do it! I have! :-) P.S - just want to point out that I said at the start-I know I am lucky! I know it will not be this easy for all-but this may help relieve some people's fears and concerns! Xxx

I hope this helps your mind to settle:- I am 31 and I lost my mother to cancer the day after my 30th birthday! My whole family is devastated by this loss. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2010 and it's so hard to hear as of course she smoked! I immediately felt the strain of my weight-I have 2 young daughters and I would feel so so guilty if I became I'll because of being obese so god know how my mother felt about her illness. I immediately started Lighter Life diet and lost 4 stone-but when my mum died in the May, I just couldn't maintain not eating and feeling miserable about it. I put on all the weight loss and more and my weight rose to over 17 stone! Then I was lucky enough that my Aunt offered me the money to have surgery! I dived in straight away so I didn't have time to think too much and I ignored everyone's concerns or thoughts of it being too drastic my BMI was around 37-38 so did not qualify for free treatment! I ignored everyone who thought I was irresponsible doing it with young kids and now I know I was right to! All I could think was how much I wanted to do this for my kids to make sure I was healthy for them!! I'm about 5 weeks post-op and don't have a single regret! I'm down to under 15 stone, 2 dress sizes smaller and feel healthier and happier an know that I have kicked into touch my fears about becoming ill from my weight and leaving my beautiful girls to suffer without me as I now suffer without my mum! Sure-as you say-could get hit by a bus tomorrow-but I know I am doing everything in my power to be a healthy mum who will be there as long as possible for my kids!! Yes the first week was hard-yes I thought it might be better to just be fat-but each day gets so much easier and food is no longer my life or my emotional guidance buddy-it's something I eat to be healthy in small amounts and nutritious ways! Best decision I ever made for me and my girls! Only wish my mum could have had an operation years ago to take away her smoking addiction so I could still have her with me now! Good luck what ever you decide! I was fit and no health problems at the start I this journey and have been lucky not to be that <1% who run into trouble! Nicky xxx

Sounds to me like everyone is doing great! These first few weeks have really been about adjusting and building on the textures of food and drink before we can settle onto a better higher Protein diet! I'm pretty happy with how things are going-had surgery on 26th July, lost 5lb pre-op and have lost 18 since. Not really counting calories or carbs at the moment-only on purée stage so know its more about getting something down me and some nutrients etc in. Looking forward to getting onto normal food and then sticking to a healthy diet and exercise! Then the long-term fun really starts I guess! Good luck all! :-) xxx

Dear all - just felt like sharing something totally positive: Today I am 17 days post-op. I've lost 23 lbs so far and I'm feeling good. I took my daughters to the beach (Cornwall in the UK) and swam in the sea with my 5yr old and taught her how to Bodyboard! I had porridge and banana for Breakfast, scrambled egg for lunch and salmon and veg for dinner (about 3 spoons of each as purée style at moment and tiny amounts fill me up). This is for those who may be struggling or scared about surgery - there are great success stories out there and for me: so far so good and fingers crossed I'll get to where I want to be and keep living my life to the full for as long as possible! Thanks for listening-and happy thoughts for all :-) xxx

Hiya! I'm from the UK too! Surrey! I had my sleeve done on 26th July. So I am now 2 weeks post-op and just moving onto some puréed food! I found the pre-op diet pretty hard (I too have 2 children and outings etc at start of the summer holidays were just too tempting) but now I can honestly say I am really pleased with my decision to have the op. The first few days were weird - a lot of pain in my left shoulder (known as referred pain or gas related) but the op itself was fine and incision sites are no problem with plasters off a week after! The hardest thing at first was to keep drinking but I kept sipping Water all day and after about day 5 I could no longer feel every mouthful and drinking became much more normal. Apple juice (cloudy) went down well too! I took anti-sickness tablets for a few days (was able to swallow tablets whole with water) which really helped although knocked me out! Lots of paracetamol although have stopped that now as have no pain at all! I can even now sleep on my front! I did feel regretful around day 4 as i just felt low and lacking in energy with shoulder pain and quite nausious but then things just got better each day and now I feel fine! I have been eating Soups, yogurts and slim fast mainly! Even able to go out with family for pub lunch and i shared a home made tomatoe Soup with my cery supportive aunty (she has the bread and most of soup but i had enough to feel full) have also been putting some philadelphia really light into my soup to up Protein intake and make some more interesting! Was so looking forward to scrambled eggs today but was surprised when it made me feel very sick so did not have that much. Had puréed roast chicken dinner tonight which went down much better! Amounts wise - in the first week it was 3-10 mouthfuls of things! This week I can eat a decent bowl of soup or half a yogurt (muller light) and I can drink a whole Glass of liquid quite normally! My purée tonight was about 3-4 tbs! I take fybogel twice a day but am not going to loo (no2) regularly and it is a struggle when I do go but manageable! I have been walking places, shopping and feel fine to do normal daily activities now although I am still careful not to pick up my 2 1/2 year old! I lost 6lb on pre-op diet (not a lot and you'd lose much more if you do it right) and have lost 15lb since surgery so am really pleased! Trousers are now baggy and I got into a size smaller today! Hope this is helpful to know and helps some of your fears!?! Please feel free to ask any other questions or voice concerns. I still like the thought of eating what everyone else is having but I do not feel hungry for it at all so it is much easier not to have those things! And I don't feel grumpy like I am missing out like I used to on various diets etc! It will be so worth it! Keep in touch if you want to! Don't be scared-be excited!! :-) Nicky Xx

6 days post-op and all is going well. Feeling good and coping with liquids well! But I have a couple of questions: 1) my tongue is really furry-you know coated with white fur! Any ideas on this? (thinking just result of all the meds in the last week???) 2) what happens to all the staples? Will the row of metal staples be there forever? My surgeon gave me a DVD of my op and so I saw exactly what it all looked like in there and my brother watched it too-and he asked me if the staples stay or disintegrate and I have no idea? Thanks all Xxx

Thanks all. Yes, gave the tongue a good brush to***ht-yuk! As for the staples- I guess all I can say is "welcome to me!" Xx

Hi all. Well, I had my op on Thursday so am now 2 days post-op! Feeling so delicate and tired and sick! I know it will get better but can anyone tell me how their first week or so went cos right now I'd rather have my old stomach back!! I'm getting quite a bit of Fluid in which is ok but just can't seem to shake the headache! Any advise out there at all?? Nicky Xx

Thanks all! Hoping for a good nights sleep tonight and an even better day tomorrow! Happy recovery everyone!!!! Xxxx

Thanks all for your reassuring words! Today I have managed a 6 hr car journey and arrived at my aunts where I am staying for the next 3 weeks to get my strength back etc. I feel much better today and have been impressed with how much liquid I have been able to cope with-although feel very full up and sloshy about all the time! It's great to hear others stories and also other people who feel a bit overwhelmed too! No doubt we will all reach our goals and look back on this difficult time and smile at how worth it this process really is! Fingers crossed hey!! Xxxx

I all. My surgery is day after tomorrow (thurs) and I have been totally hopeless with the pre-op diet! Feel like my surgeon opened a gateway by telling me that since I'm not that heavy then I should stick to it roughly but not worry too much. My BMI is about 37. Has anyone else been in a similar position? Will I be ok for surgery! Feel really cross with myself that I've been so rubbish!

Hi all. I'm new here and am so excited about starting this journey. I am 2 days into the pre-op diet and have my surgery next Thursday (26th July). It's currently all I can think about (in between running around looking after my 2 young girls, the dog and cats etc) and I am just wondering - feeling like I am obsessed with food right now-what ican eat and what I can't- and I ind that really exhausting! Can anyone tell me-does this obsession stop and does life become easier at all after the gastric sleeve?? Really hoping so!! Nicky Xx

Thanks guys! Feeling a bit better about it today anyway-I do remember being told first few days of the preop diet can be the worst!! You both look amazing btw! Looking forward to feeling better over the months to come! Xx