Bella

Hi, I'm going home for 2 weeks to Australia in March next year and am wondering what sort of Protein milk drinks that are available there? Here in the UK I drink Slim Fast shakes. I'd prefer them to be chocolate flavour, low fat and have essential Vitamins and minerals in them if possible. If anyone could give me an idea of what is available and where, I'd really appreciate it. Cheers B

Hi Everyone I'm starting a new thread so we UK sleevers can share our progress. For me, it will be 3 months since my surgery next week. I weighed myself this morning, and worked out that I've now lost 5 stone 2.8lbs! The difference it has made to my life has been incredible. I was in a size 30, I'm now in a size 24/26. I seem to be losing about a stone a month now. My hair isn't falling out at all at the moment but I am quite careful about taking in Protein. I had my first piece of chocolate the other day and it was nice, but I don't feel like I need to eat lots of it anymore. I get compliments left, right and centre about how much I'm changing and my friends tell me how nice I look. Something that didn't happen much before! Things are pretty good so far. I don't regret having the surgery. I've only been sick a couple of times and that was from gulping Water. I even had my first alcoholic drink the other night. Granted, I sipped it slowly, but it was nice to be out and about being 'normal'. I'd love to hear your stories about how you are doing, so please do share them. All the best Bella

Wow, everyone is doing so well. Don't worry about letting the side down or not losing as much as the next person. We're all different! I was massive to begin with (154kgs) which is why I think I've lost so much so quickly. I too am having a stall. I've been the same weight since 2 weeks before Christmas when all the holiday guests arrived. The last one is leaving on Sunday so it shoudl be back to normal then. I've just started at the gym too. What was most shocking wasn't that I was much more able with all the cardio work, it was how weak I was in the arms and shoulders. I couldn't even bench press 10kg!! My husband thinks I may have a bit of muscle wastage from the weight loss. To be honest, I don't care what it is, I just need to get pumping Iron at the gym to build up my strength... Happy New Year ! Bella x

Thanks for getting back to me. That's great news. I don't know what I'd do without slimfast! All the best B

I'm definitely doing better with getting around, although I'm still getting very tired and finding myself needing to sit down. I'll keep plodding along, I'm sure it will get better!

Hi Everyone It is 6 weeks today since my surgery and I thought I'd give you an update. I'm doing really well. I've lost a whopping 21kg (3 stone 4.3lbs) and I'm very happy I went through with the operation. Bella

Just a thought but when I was in hospital another lady's blood results came back as low in potassium. The doctors put her on a potassium-rich IV line. The reason for this is because if your body lacks potassium it can induce heart attacks. It probably isn't related to what you are experiencing, but it is always the best policy to seek medical advice for this sort of thing. Hope you're ok.

Hi. I had my sleeve done last Tuesday and was told that I should be off work for 4 to 6 weeks. The doctor stressed that it was important to give yourself at least 4 weeks to rest up to reduce the risk of damage to the stomach, hernias and also light headedness, fatigue and a lack of concentration. Hope that helps.

Hi Everyone I'm back from hospital. I was in for 7 days and it all went well apart from a couple of days of being constantly sick and some reflux from swelling at the top of the stomach. I seem to be producing a lot of stomach acid and that was making me sick, but with the anti-acid medication, and some gavascon liquid just before bed, I'm doing fine now. I didn't end up following the pre-op diet as you suggested as my surgeon is very well respected and prefers his patients not to diet prior to the surgery as it can inhibit the healing process. I've had some trouble swallowing my previous medications but have now figured out I can do it if I take it with a glass of milk. Otherwise it burns my stomach and makes me ill. The anti-sickness tablets help too. I'm not taking pain killers at the moment, I don't have any real pain unless I move too quickly, lift anything or try to pick anything up from the ground (so I don't). I don't have much energy but that is no surprise. I'm just taking it easy, chilling out and doing very little. Overall, the operation was both harder and easier than I thought, but I can only praise the high quality of care I have received so far from the excellent surgeons, doctors, nurses and nutritionists alike. The NHS may be slow, but it is good. I guess it I can say that so far it has been a success.

Hi Everyone I'm having my operation on Tuesday on the NHS in London. I'm a little nervous, but mainly because I have another health condition and I'm not sure how I'll go with taking my medication after the surgery. I really appreciate you all sharing your stories. I haven' thad to do a pre-op diet, despite my BMI being 53, so I had no idea what the diet would be like until I visiting this thread. I've been told that I'll need to inject warfarin post-surgery in case of blood clots. Is that something pretty standard? I'm a little worried too about not being able to drink enough Water. I drink between 4 and 6 litres a day at the moment. I'm not diabetic. One thing I would ask is the best places to find high Protein supplements. Is it just Holland and Barrett? Or are there other places too? Wish me luck! Bella