Kermit

What are you eating now? What about your energy levels? It's so limiting to feel so tired., I feel guilty looking round my house, watching becoming dustier and ....well, you know! My husband is wonderful but it's really growing on me now.

OK, Thank you for your input. I'm type 1 diabetic on the insulin pump. Had my op on 16.07.11. Generally speaking I'm doing well, I think. I lost 17,5 pounds so far The problem is I feel soooo tired all the time. After completing a simple task I'm shattered! Need a nap to pull myself together. Can't eat a lot. I'm now on mushes and tiny bits of vegges and chicken. Lots of fruit smoothies. Looks like I don't have enough of carbs. I'll try to change that.

I think that you're doing FANTASTICLY well. I'm in to my 4th week post surgery. Down 17,5 pounds so far. I'm type 1 diabetic on the insulin pump. Because I'm type 1, pump and the diabetes will stay with me for ever. Constipation, yes... It' a sensitive point for me, too. I find that amounts of liquids I'm drinking are directly related. The better I'm with my intake the smaller this problem becomes. Eating lots of fruits- smoothies, helps, too. How are your levels of energy? Mine are very low. I feel soooo.. tired all the time.

It'll get better, I promise... I used little sponges on sticks to help me with this cotton mouth thing. Dip it in water and suck, baby. Next day after my surgery I had my first shower. What a bliss! Thinking of you...

Hello there! Just came from my first post op meeting in my diabetic clinic. I'm type 1 on a insulin pump. Since 16.07.11 I lost 17,5 pounds. That's 8 kg, about 2 kg a week. I'm on constant high! I'm slowly changing my food, too. Less of a baby smooth mushes, more small bits included. I'm feeling very good. One thing, I tire very quickly, no reserves I think. Anyone else with this problem?

Hello, Good luck with your op! Don't worry about your post op diet. General rule is: first 2 weeks Clear liquids, than on to mushes for 4 or more, depends how your new stomach is doing. There's lots of information on the forum. If you're a mum cast your memory to early days of your child, when milk diet was not enough any more. I had my surgery at King's in Denmark Hill on 16.07.11. We didn't have any classes to prepare us for things to come. One or two consultations with a surgeon and a long wait with no contact before your admission to the ward. Couldn't make any plans without knowing, even approximately, date of my big day. I had less than a week to ready myself for my Saturday event. Quite a shock after 6 months of silence! Most of my support and information came from people on this site and USA one. Let us know when you're back from hospital.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear that your meeting with a surgeon wasn't very helpful. I suppose some of them are better communicators than others. I must say, from my own experience, that King's doesn't "spoils" its patients with an overflow of instructions and information before surgery Most of my knowledge came from pages of this and US forum. Just read as much as you can. You'll be surprised how much information you'll find! To answer your questions: I spend 3 days in hospital. My op was on 16.07.11 Saturday. I was home by 18.07.11 Monday evening. I was released with a bag full of medications, provided by a hospital pharmacy. 2 letters containing information from your surgeon about operation and drugs he prescribed for you. I made copies of those documents at home (don't worry if you can't, staff in the surgery can do that for you) and took them to my GP surgery during my first visit there. The communication between hospital administration and local GP's are, at best, very slow. You'll need your doctor's support after 2 weeks, when your meds from hospital will finish. Those 2 covering letters will provide grounds for writing a new prescription for you. Transport home: I was picked up by my husband in a car. My room mate booked a taxi to take her home. There's a possibility of arranging hospital transport home, but you have to ask for it quite early. I would speak about it with a nurse on your admission to the ward. Do you have any friends or neighbors who could offer you this service? You could always offer them to return cost of petrol, we all know how expensive it is today!!! Traveling home by train could be very stressful and painful Debs. I would advice against it.

Hello Debs! I'm from Kent, Meopham. My sleeve op took place on 16.07.11 at King's in Denmark Hill. I'm now 3 weeks after surgery, eating mushes and feeling good. I was a patient of Mr.Patel. Don't worry about not having to go on special diet. Team in King's wants us in a good form and strong to recover quickly after surgery. I you have any questions just ask and I'll try to answer. Try not to worry. I'll tell you one thing: the high after surgery, when you start loosing weight is incredible! There's nothing like it!!!

Only on the second day post-op for about 24 hours. Mr Patel prescribed meds and it stopped.

Hey, I still love food! Even now at my "baby food" stage. Quantities are different and size of my food intake is dramatically smaller, of course. So far I don't feel hunger. It doesn't bother me watching others eat, too. Hair? I'm going to watch my protein intake, which seems to be the key to this problem. Heartburn? I was given by my surgeon an antacid meds. So far so good..... Leaving my family alone? I put my trust in the hands of my surgeon. Before you think that was a bit naive of me, I researched him on the Internet and asked around, too. After all crossing a street is a risk, too.

Hello! I know that taking this final step can be very frightening. I went through this process myself after all. I started with an idea of having a band fitted. Band is so widely popular and well publicised today. Fern from "This morning" and now medium Sally from "Psychic Sally: On the Road" (Sky Living) to just mention a few. All those photographs before and after... For most of my life I struggled with my size and my self image. All those hours I spend in the sport club, 3-4 times a week for 2 hours a go. All those classes I took jumping about, continuously looking at others comparing my size and theirs... Sometimes I was successful more often I wasn't. At 32 I become a diabetic Type1 ( first ever in my family, I was size 14 at that time) and 10 years later I developed Hypothyroidism. I was told that my immune system doesn't like me a lot and it's turning against me. More pills, more side effects caused by taking different medications. Years of taking slimming pills, bought on the Internet or from dubious "medical" clinics. Years of yo-yo syndrome: on pills- weight down, off pills up. 6 years ago I started using an insulin pump. Great help in keeping my sugar levels down but with growing problem of insulin resistance pounds were piling again. You can see, I hope, why I decided to do what I did. I'm now in to my second week after surgery. I feel better every day. My insulin doses are down from 100u- 140u a day to 30u-35u a day. I stopped taking Metformin SR 1500g a day and no more Statins, 40g a day. ....and this is only the beginning! I have no regrets, I don't second guess my decision, either. It feels GOOD, it feels RIGHT for me. I wish you all the best and I hope you make a right decision for you!

One more note from me on that subject. I went to a Chinese medicine practitioner shop and bought from it a small bag of loose sienna leaves. No tablets, extracts or potions! On shelves they have big jars, full of different, dry herbs which are being used by a practitioner to blend individual teas tailored to fit needs of particular client. The tea has a very pleasant, mild taste. Effect is as close to normal as you can expect in our situation, I paid £1 for a gram or 2.

I'm REALLY getting fed up with my baby food. Everything seems to taste the same! Yesterday my hubby made 2 beautiful curry's. chicken and mushroom, too early for me to even try it. Potatoes, onions and spinach, quite spicy. I smelled the aroma and decided to experiment: - 1 "Beef Stock Pot" by Knorr ( pots full of concentrated stock, no additives, very tasty), greek yogurt, 1-2 table spoons of spinach curry. Blasted in the blender (life would be impossible without it) and .... I had the most delicious with a defined taste, cup of soup! Life is already looking better.

Nice to know that I'm not the only one! It's 6th day after my surgery and my back is the biggest source of PAIN. All muscles feel like being continuously held in the state of continuous cramping. I hope it will get better soon.

Wow! I'm speechless!! All this food and you're still loosing weight. OK, there's life after a surgery. How long ago was your sleeve done? It'll give me something to look forward to....

Hello, Can I join in? I had my sleeve done in King's Hospital in Denmark Hill ( London ) on 16.07.11 by Mr.Patel. I'm back home for 4 days now. Still a bit fragile, my right side is quite sore, my back is making me very miserable and sleeping at night in my bed is a bit of an issue! I keep alternating between my bed and my armchair all night long. It's all to do with the ability to turn, which in my case is still very limited. I'm NOT complaining, just saying how it is. My husband is providing a fabulous support, which helps a lot. My first 2 days after surgery were a bit tender and pain control provided by hospital was very good. During that time I was encouraged to take sips of Water as often as I could. Bit of a struggle there on the second day. Problem with nausea, helped by meds. On the 3rd day I was given a cup of chicken Soup and a cup of tea. Miam, miam.... I'll never forget taste of this first cup of soup. Best in the world, EVER. I came home to a collection of: Soup in the Cup, Soups in tins, whey powder Protein and yogurts. After my first day on that menu I decided to do some experimenting. - 2-3 carrots ( roasted, to keep nutrients in), few green beans(boiled), some chicken stock, black pepper and some dry dill. Blasted in the food processor and heat it for 2-3 min in the microwave. - Cup in the Soup-mushroom flavor (mixed with water), few mushrooms (slightly fried), 2-3 wild dry mushrooms (soaked in a mug of hot water for 2-4 hours). Salt and black pepper to taste, 1 tea spoon of Greek, plain yogurt to finish. Blast it in the mixer, microwave for 2-3 min. Miam, miam... You get the idea I hope. If the mixture is too thick, add some milk or water. I believe that your stomach very quickly will let you know if your diet is good or bad for you. I'm eating very small quantities and quite often. Lots of cups of camomile tea (suppose to help with a digestion). One thing I truly hate to take is FYBOGEL, but without it nothing happens in the loo! So I drink it, slowly. Orange flavor helps I'm diabetic type1 on the insulin pump. Protein only diet is not really an option for me. Need some carbs to survive. That's me so far.

Hi, I had been sleeved on16.07.11. Returned home only 4 days ago to a collection of whey Protein powders, Soups ( cup in the Soup type), soups in tins and yogurts. As you can see nothing very exiting! After my 1st day on that menu I decided to go back to days of my son's infancy. Simple things: - take 2-3 carrots (roasted-keeps nutrients in) and some green (boiled) green Beans, add chicken stock, beef or veg. Blast it in the food processor, spice it ( I used dill, black pepper and Magge ). - few mushrooms, 1/4 of roasted or slightly fried onion, mix a Soup in the Coup- mushroom flavor with Water, blend it in the food processor and heat it in the microwave for 2 min. OK, I think by now you get an idea about my cuisine. I'm experimenting all the time. Sometimes I'll add different spices:chili, paprika, and on... After taking my first sip my stomach is very quick in letting me know the answer. I imagine next week I'll start experimenting with many more different ingredients. Adding slowly foods with more substance. I'm trying to eat about 50g of protein a day plus some carbs, especially that I'm type 1 diabetic on the insulin pump Good Luck!

Hello, I had my op on 16,07,11 at King's. All went well. No complications so far. Feeling very sore and moving about rather slowly. Yesterday, that's 2 days after surgery, I had my first cup of chicken soup! Guys it was THE BEST I've ever tasted. I'm a bit woblly and shaky but that will soon past, I hope. Wind is a bit of a problem. Trick is siping tiny amounts and very, very slowly. Talk to you soon, Kermit

Hello, I'm so happy to see a UK forum! I came across USA site in January and only later on I realized that UK has it's own page! I'm a diabetic, type 1 for over 20 years. User of a Medtronic insulin pump for 7 years, under care of a Diabetic Clinic in King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill. I applied for a bariatric surgery at the beginning of 2010. My application was accepted 7 months later by my local Hospital Trust in Kent. I elected to have my surgery at King's for obvious reasons. I had 2 meetings with my surgeon, at that time it was Mr Ali Hallal, to discuss all available surgical procedures. Originally I was interested in a band but, as a result of my consultations I changed my decision to VSG. 6 months later,just when I thought I was totally forgotten, I received a call from hospital administration asking me to come for a pre-assessment on 12.07.11. Wow!!! I think all went well and I was OK-ed for a surgery. Apparently I even lost some weight, down to 110 kg. Well, it's still size 26-28 ( I'm very top heavy ). Today I'm waiting for a call confirming availability of a hospital bed for tomorrow. Admission after 18.00 on 15.07.11, surgery on Saturday 16.07.11 if its a green light ?! I'm a bit shell - shocked! Nothing was happening for such a long time and suddenly - Ca-boom!!! I spend all my free time, since my return from hospital, reading your storeys. Printing your advice, especially about taking drugs and supplements. Thank you to Jane, Yorkshire pudding, Cherrydrop, Bornagainbabe and Snowcrystal - I think we're sharing the same surgeon- Mr. Patel. Thank you to Lynnette43 for sharing her post-op experiences about her pump. I tried desperately to get in touch with my diabetic specialist but so far with no success. Time is a serious problem, from 0 activity to full speed! Not enough to make contact with people! Shell I panic? :bolt: . -

I'm very interested in your story. I'm 54 years old, type 1 diabetic for over 20 years and a user of a Medtronic Pump for over 5 years. Similar to you my doses of insulin are between 80u to 140u a day. My weight is creeping up steadily in the last 4 years. Maybe it's my age but I'm very tired of fighting a loosing battle of the bulge. I have a long history of using slimming tablets. Years! Of course as soon as I stop taking pills my weight goes up like a balloon. You know, a yo yo syndrome. I'm a UK resident and my medical care is provided by NHS (National Health Service). 2 months ago I received a founding for a bariatric surgery. The BIG question is: what type? My first choice was to have a band fitted. I had a consultation with a surgeon 2 weeks ago and for the first time we discussed a possibility of VSG( it's been here around for 10 years and is still regarded by some as a new kid on the bloc) Just a possibility... Since than my head is spinning. I'm spending hours on Internet trying to find and absorb enough knowledge to make an informed decision. You're the first diabetic type 1 and a pump user with VSG. Help!!! How was it post op? Some of the stories are quite off putting! Did you have a lot of trouble with adjusting your basal rates? Did you have to change them at all? - a very stressed Kermit