Indigo1991

Practise sipping in advance - it's what will get you through the first few weeks with your liquids. I thought I knew how to do that but when it came to it, I hadn't appreciated how little a sip is until I had a tiny stomach

Yes, this too shall pass! That's been my mantra through this whole process and it is true. You are doing well for just a few days out and these are the toughest. There may be other challenges ahead but these don't usually happen against the backdrop of major surgery Stick with sipping your fluids, the pain will ease and the fog will clear. Your health will improve and your weight loss will kick in. You are at the start of an exciting journey - I had a few weepy moments in the early days but five months out I wouldn't change any of it. Good luck !!!

The awkwardness will decrease but do what you are comfortable with. I tell some people but not others. Not out of embarrassment or shame but because I wouldn't share any other personal info with them - so why this? There's no right or wrong way to tackle this - only you know what's best for you. What works for one person doesn't always work for others. You've taken charge of your life having surgery, what you say about it is up to you and you alone. Congratulations on your weight loss... Time to relax and enjoy the compliments heading your way!

You are doing great for three days post op! More of the same and keep trying to get your Water in - maybe add a little dash of something to it to make it go down easier - neat water is actually hard to drink with a new stomach. I'm not in the US, so other posters will be able to tell you what they used. But hang in there, it does get better :-) - and congratulations

At the moment, might help more to focus on your Protein and Fluid intake as both can affect the rate you lose weight. When my weight loss stalled, I kept doing what I was doing and on alternate days ate more protein and drank more fluid, eventually my stall broke. Since I was sleeved, I haven't counted a calorie. For me, that's the old behaviour that got me into trouble. I now look at eating the right amount of good quality protein every day, as advised by my nut, and drinking the right amount of fluid. Sounds boring - but that works for me. Calories only tell you the calorific value of the food you eat - they don't tell you if it is the right kind of food... Just my view.... :-)

Ps if there was a way to avoid hair loss after surgery there would be products on the market for it. There aren't any, just things to cover up the loss and help the hair as it regrows. Please be realistic about hair loss - it may not happen to you, it may be slight or it may be significant. But it isn't your fault whichever way it pans out, so don't beat yourself up...

It's the surgery that causes it and you can't avoid it, although the amount people lose ranges from negligible to a fair amount. But good food and Vitamins mean that when your hair starts coming back in, it's strong and healthy. Mine's been falling out for a couple of months now. Yes, I don't like it but there's no such thing as a free lunch - if my hair has to be sacrificed for the greater good, so be it :-) This may sound a bit odd, but I thank the hairs as they go down the plug every time I shampoo... Makes me feel a bit more positive rather than sad... You can laugh now I have been using Toppick, which is a very fine keratin powder (order on line from the company). You can buy a puffer to put it in and then you puff it into the areas of hair you think look thin. Won't blow out or get affected by rain. It has made me feel normal again because if I can't see where my hair is a bit thinner, neither can anyone else. As ever, this too will pass - and anyway, stressing will just make it worse so I just keep breathing and focusing on the bigger picture. Good luck all!

Feeling the bones my backside if I sit too long!!,

If you think this is bad, weight til you lose weight! I am now at the "OMG, how much have you lost?" stage and when I tell them the number and how I did it, the number of people who go all goggle eyed and do the "you can't have lost all that/ you couldn't possibly have needed to lose all that/ where did you hide it/ eek surgery!!!" So not telling them now gives you breathing space but the opinionated will catch up with you in the end. By then you will be so healthy and fabulous, you won't care :-)))) For now, just smile and say thanks for their input - then ignore every last one of them This is your life and your business - and you know what's best for you...

So, so sorry to hear this :-(((((( I recognise all the emotions and yes, you need to get over it and move on - but, as you tell others, cut yourself some slack today. You have every right to rage at the unfairness of it all. I could never explain to others my anger at my body constantly letting me down when it was in pain and for making me suffer, when I felt perfectly well otherwise. But you and your body need to make up and hang together - it's the RA that's the villain, your body doesn't want it any more than you do. Be kind to yourself, this isn't your fault. Then tomorrow, get back on the horse and focus on how well you are doing post sleeve in terms of your weight becuase long term, that will help the arthritis. I will keep everything crossed that it is a flare rather than anything more xxx

Do what's best for you. True friends will understand why this matters to you, they will see the struggle you have had and will want to help you find a way forward. "Friends" who are full of great ideas - eat less, eat healthy and take your drugs" - have probably never been in your shoes. At the end of the day, it's you who wakes up in the morning to deal with your weight and related issues and you who goes to sleep at night still thinking about them. So whilst everyone can have an opinion, there's only one that truly matters - yours. Everyone on here has had a problem with food, we all got here in different ways and although we have the same surgery, we all deal with it our way (or at least the way our doc tells us to!!). If you feel your addiction can best be dealt with through therapy, go for it. The important thing is that you want to change your your mindset post-op and that's important too in how successful you will be. Good luck, if I had dealt with my weight at 25, I could have saved myself years of problems. You are not pathetic, you are brave to face up to things so decisively at a relatively young age. Remember that :-)))))

Then say yes to yourself - after all, yours is the most important opinion :-))))

Are you conflicted? If everyone round you had said yes, would you be firing ahead and donating your eggs? If so, then there is no conflict, you want to do this. However, you also want the approval of those who are around you. That's where the conflict lies. I understand that, it's comforting when people agree with our decisions. But this is your decision. The money raised is for you to finish a process you started. As you said, you worked hard to get healthy - so why hesitate now? How will you feel if you let others views stop you? I think you already know the answer and just want someone to tell you to go for it. But you have to be brave and make this decision for yourself. We can only live our life - no one else can do it for us, not even our friends who, no matter how close, have never walked a mile in our shoes... Good luck!

Thanks! I love my new look but I love my much improved health even more :-))) Miss Mac, the 24th will be here before you know it - and then the adventure begins.... Sounds as if you are from a bunch of intrepid explorers - your surgery is the modern day equivalent lol!

I had this surgery first and foremost to resolve my diabetes. I became diabetic after receiving huge doses of steroids closely followed by medication that had diabetes as a side effect. I had no pre diabetic period, I went from nothing to diabetic in the course of a few weeks after starting the new drug. The drug was to help with my arthritis. I was given the choice of stopping the drug and the diabetes would go. But I needed the drug to remain mobile so I didn't have a choice. But diabetes on top of my existing condition that needed additional management just pushed me towards depression. So I spent a year looking into the sleeve as a way of putting my diabetes into remission - that was my hope. But after my last tests, I have now been told that my doc wants to take me off the diabetic register completely (we have one in Scotland, where every health professional knows about your condition). My numbers have been consistently low and, as she told me, my random sugars are lower that most people's including hers! So apart from putting my arthritis into remission and losing weight since being sleeved, I have now achieved my health goal of no diabetes. Heard yesterday but been a bit dazed - can't quite believe it but am sooooo happy :-)))

MissMac, my family also have connections with Co Antrim - half of them come from there! It's a small world! Hope all is well with you :-)

You may find that your surgeon will give you a lot of info that answers your questions - but unlikely he will offer anything around q4 you will need to ask! I wanted to know about pain relief post op, how long stitches took to dissolve, how long before exercise, driving etc, risk of leak or any other potential problems/complications, how much weight he believed I would lose, what would the impact be on existing conditions/meds.. I could go on - and there were other questions that arose as a result of stuff he said on the day. You are right to prepare - good luck with the consultation.

I was 60/30 and now it's 30/30. My nut says eventually I may be able to eat and drink but I have got into the habit of not drinking around mealtimes, so might stick with it. Used to drink with my food and am convinced that's why I ate more than I needed.

Aggie1234, he was my surgeon too. He's excellent, you are in good hands :-)

Arts137, just burst out laughing and scared the people round me - great description!!,

Woo hoo, almost there! You must be so pleased - and if it has been tough of late, this must feel even sweeter. Enjoy it, you deserve it after losing a serious amount of weight in only 9 months....

It's a good sign - you are burning fat! It does settle down and get better....

It really is up to you who you tell and what you say. I told very few people in advance because I didn't want their opinions.likewise, I didn't want to have to keep reassuring them it would be ok when I was pretty apprehensive myself, lol! However, once I started losing weight and people started asking why, I shocked myself by telling them the whole story!!! I certainly wasn't ashamed at any stage, that's not why I didn't speak up sooner. But you know the people in your life and how they will react - my attitude was that I didn't want to invite opinions I knew wouldn't be positive. Do what you want, this is your journey and theres no right or wrong thing to do. But keep an open mind - you may want to tell others as time goes by. Good luck :-)

Like many things, it's each to their own. I told few people in advance cos I didn't want their opinions or to have to allay their fears when I was dealing with my own. Post op, it was only when I had lost a fair chunk of weight that people starting commenting. At that point I started to tell everyone and anyone who'd listen, lol!!! I have shocked myself at how open I have been but I am very happy explaining it. The majority get why I had the surgery; most are blown away by me being "brave" doing it and at the results. No judgement. But as I say, there's no right or wrong way. I wasn't ashamed when I didn't tell, it was right for me then, in the way that it is right for me now to tell all.... Good luck, bet you look fab in the photo shoot with the new look :-)))))