willow13

Congrats, not long to wait.

I would say stick to it now but tell your surgeon about your little blip so he is aware. So sorry to hear you have been messed about like that.

Sorry to hear of your embarrasment but well done on the weight loss and loosing enough to loose your skirt lol.

I have not been able to tolerate the protein drinks they make me vomit and I refused to even try with them after the first week of being sick everytime I tried them. My dietician has given me the all clear to start trying minced beef, turkey and chicken in order to get protein in and its going great. I am having a poached egg for breakfast, soup or a little deli ham for lunch (just chew really really well) and a little minced beef or chicken in gravy with a tiny bit of potato for my evening meal, I am having half a banana for a snack and I feel so much better. Check with your surgeon or dietician before jumping ahead to eating soft foods as some surgeons want you to stay on fluids or pureed food longer than others.

I know I am only just 3 and a bit weeks out but apart from head hunger in the second week I have never felt hungry yet either and have to remind myself too eat.

That does change and you will go back to sleeping through, I was the same and it lasted about 10 days. I was sleeved on the 3rd March, the first week was sheer hell, I came round from the op in complete agony and then I took an infection in the largest of the incisions and had to be put on strong antibiotics to clear it. I struggled like crazy for the first week to get fluids in, tea tasted disgusting, Water was horrid, and I was miserable and wondering what the hell I had done to myself. Week 2 was not much better, I was still sore from the infection and got hit with horrible head hunger, I ended up crying over my husband making himself toast of all things. By half way through the second week I was feeling so much better and had got a grip on the head hunger and the fluids and was reaching targets easily through swapping to sugar free squash. I was even able to start enjoying a cuppa again. I still can not tolerate Protein drinks or powders, they are the one thing that makes me sick, so this week my dietician gave me the all clear to start eating soft meats like minced beef, turkey and chicken in gravy and deli ham etc in order to get protein in and so far so good, I am feeling so much better and being able to eat more normal foods is great. So to anyone struggling it does get easier and goes get so much better.

Some surgeons will state you should not drink any alcohol as it is empty calories. My surgeon states this but as I dont drink it never bothered me.

Oh wow, I thought the 3 hour drive for me to see my surgeon was bad enough but at least I don't have to get the ferry etc. I hope when you see the anaesthetist on the 11th they have good news for you and can give you a date for your surgery. I am really annoyed with my GP today. My surgeon told me I would need to arrange to have a B12 injection so spoke to one GP at the surgery who gave me a prescription for the jabs and told me to make the appointments with the nurse to start having them, got my first on tuesday, went to have my second today to be told oh one of the other GPs has said you have not to have them so I am not allowed to give you the second. I wouldnt mind but the GP who stopped the jabs doesnt even know what the operation was and was convinced it was a band I had. I also just realised I had thought my weight loss was quite slow until it dawned on me that we deal in KG here where its LBs for the americans so my slow weight loss is no were near as bad as I had thought lol. I am doing so much better and feel great, I had to get a couple of stitches cut out today as they just were not disolving and were not healing properly because of the stitches sticking out but now that they are out the wounds feels so much better and will hopefully heal properly now. I am eating more and more "proper" foods, I am sick of soups and after speaking to the dietician she gave me the go ahead to try things like ham and chicken for lunches in order to get more protein in as I have been tolerating the minced beef really well. Oh the satchets of soups I mentioned.....I tried the chicken and vegetable one yesterday and OMG it was disgusting. The tomoto one is really nice and goes down really well.

Stop being so hard on yourself, you stuck to the pre-op since your blow out so you should be just fine. It is a scary prospect, although I wasn't nervous about the op it was the being in hospital I dreaded lol. The first week can be hell but it does get so much easier, well done on looking out for yourself hun, I think we all need to do that more often. Good luck for friday and will be thinking off you.

I was thinking my op had been over 4 weeks ago but just realised when I did my ticker that I am infact only just over 3 weeks out since surgery, In those 3 weeks I have lost on average about 5lb a week with the first being almost double that so I guess its not as bad as I had originally thought.

I was told no abdominal straining/exercise for 3 months to give everything a chance to heal properly.

Hi Dairy Fairy, how are you feeling about your surgery? I assume you are self funding and that is why you are going to Belgium. How long have you given yourself between surgery and travelling home? I tried the tescos upbeat and couldn't drink it, I found it way too sweet. What is your pre op diet like? I was lucky with mine, I was allowed 125grams of deli meat or chicken or turkey and unlimited salad and veg just really low carbs. I was so glad because I do not like shakes etc and have really struggled with protein in these early days.

My husband and youngest son who still lives at home know and they are the only ones I told. The family never asked why I gained weight or what was behind it so why tell them about how and what I am doing to loose it.

I am really picky with food, there are only a few soups I will eat. I love knorr chicken noodle soup so was lucky with that as the broth is really thin but tasty, I just strained the noodles out of it to begin with, now I eat some of them. I also love homemade soups so made a lot of that and froze it into smaller portions. My biggest issue was when went out, finding something to eat was a bit of a nightmare. One restaurant we went into only had potato and leek soup, something I can't stand and got quite offended when we said not to bother with the order as we were leaving as there was nothing on the menu I could adapt with it being so early on. Another only offered carrot or minestrone soup something again I can't stand lol, so it was another we left so for now we have decided not to even try eating out and to make sure we are home although now I have found Heinz soups that you add boiling Water too and they are actually quite nice, they are sachets I got them from Asda and are handy for taking out with you. My hubby had suggested a flask but I do not do anything out of flasks lol. (Another of my quirks lol) I found something my stomach didnt like yesterday lol. I was making a pulled pork roast with maple marinade for my hubby and kid, took it out the oven and it smelled so good so I took a tiny piece of it...........I will not do that again for a while. It was obviously too rich for me and I discovered what they mean by slimes. It was a tiny bit too so I didn't think it would cause any issues as the pork is that well cooked it melts in your mouth. Oh well lesson learned.

Hi, I was sleeved on the same day as you and have also had pain on my left side below any wounds. My doctor has told me it is pain from the muscles being pierced while doing the surgery and simply trauma to them, he said there may be a few little nerves playing up causing it too. I assume yours is the same problem.

I am 3 weeks out and doing great, the first week was horrendeous and I did think several times what the hell have I done, I was in a lot of pain, then took an infection in largest of the wounds, I struggled with fluids and generally felt crap. Now I feel so much better and things have settled and I am looking forward to my new life.

Thanks again Lucky, I feel great apart from the wind and reflux but I am hoping that will settle in time. I have not weighed myself this week as I have decided I am going to weigh myself on a monday to see how things are going. I know some weigh daily but I am not going that route. As for eating I have not found anything so far that my stomach doesn't like. I have had mince and a bit of chicken in gravy and both went down well and caused no issues. I still refuse to blend meat........I just cant stomach the thought of that so I take tiny pieces and chew it really really well. I had some peached in their own juice yesterday as a snack and they were lovely. I really enjoyed them. I still really crave bread and really wanted a bacon butty yesterday but I resisted lol. I sometimes forget its only 3 weeks since my op because I do feel so well.

I am only 3 weeks out but the burping is already driving me mad so really feel for you. I hope it does settle for you.

I pulled muscles in the lower part of my abdomin at about 9-10 days out, I was just bending too much, take it easy on the bending.

Thanks Lucky. I am doing great, if it were not for this reflux and still being a bit tender I would be on top form. I feel so much better. I did indeed have some minced beed with a tiny bit of mash and thoroughly enjoyed it, last night I had a tiny bit of chicken in gravy with a tiny bit of mash and enjoyed that too and my stomach has not minded it what so ever. I have found if I get hungry, I dont feel hungry which is weird saying if I get hungry I pass a lot of wind and burp like crazy, I really hope that passes as it is so loud and I get no warning just a huge burp. I am having a cup of tea first thing, then ready brek for breakfast, for lunch I have soup then for dinner its either more soup or if I am making my hubby and kid something I can have I will have that. I am not pushing things and will stick to the soft foods for a couple of weeks but I am looking forward to being able to eat "proper" foods I want a bit of steak lol. Well done on starting your water workout classes, be careful with the chest infection though, I know full well how much they drain you of energy and leave you feeling weak. Sounds like your doing great as well.

Ever since I was operated on I have suffered from acid reflux and wind, I burp like crazy and its driving me mad. I had hoped this would clear and it would be just trapped wind from the op but 3 weeks on and I am still doing it and the reflux is still really bad. Has anyone else had this problem? If so how did you get rid of it? My drs have given me meds to help with the reflux but I am still suffering.

Hi Lucky, I had my days wrong and actually had my appointment with the dietician yesterday. Since I last saw her 3 weeks prior to my operation to discuss the pre-op diet I have lost 8.7kg so she is over the moon. I told her about the bit of ham I had and she said so long as I chewed the living daylights out of it there was nothing wrong as my teeth would have basically pureed it lol. She has said I can try a little bit of mince or minced turkey in a gravy with a bit of mash to see how I get on. Its a bit quicker than she would normally recommend but she said as I have never been sick with anything and I am doing so well I can try, if there is any issues I have to go back to the soups. As for ready brek, I can't stand weetabix or things like that so it was the lesser of all evils lol, I actually thought I would hate it but have been enjoying it. I did learn one lesson yesterday..............DON'T drink within half an hour minimum of eating. I had my breakfast and without thinking had made tea and took a big swig of it only to feel it at the bottom of my chest.........it took a few seconds to clear but I will not do that again. Word of mouth is the best way to go with tattoo shops, can't wait to hear what you get.

Thanks for sharing your story. My surgery date was the 3rd March and I came round from the surgery in agony, I had had previous abdominal surgery although not on my stomach and had sailed through it so I assumed this would be the same, how wrong was I, I was in agony from the gas and felt like something was sticking and then ripping in my stomach. The slightest movement was leaving me in agony. I ended up bruised at the bottom of my belly and they dont know why. I am a couple of weeks out and the pain has mostly subsided and I feel so much better. Moving is no longer sore and I am able to drink "normally" I am getting sick of cream soups now though lol. I still can not tolerate protein shakes they are the only thing that makes me vomit so I see the nutritionalist tomorrow and will see what she suggests. I have been craving meat this week lol but will stick to the diet and to what they say.

I would contact your surgeon as I am 12 days out and although I really struggled the first week this week I have found things so much easier I am drinking fine and although mainly on liquids such as soups etc I have eaten a tiny bit of ham and a bit of chicken in the last 2 days, (they were tiny pieces).

Good luck to you all who have surgery tomorrow. I am 2 weeks out from my surgery and know how hard the pre op diet is but stick with it you dont want to ruin everything on the last day before your surgery.