daats

You are not alone. The entire two weeks before my surgery, while trying desperately to stay on the pre-op diet set for me by my surgeon, I had a little voice in my head that kept saying, "You know, this could be your last chance to ever have ? Surely just one won't hurt." I managed to ignore that voice about 50% of the time. By the time I got to my surgery date I felt like hell. I was angry with myself and thought for sure they were just going to send me straight back home for being a weak willed moron. It's now almost 14 months later and I've lost almost 150lbs, am 25lbs from goal, and have never been happier in my whole life. Let's face it, most of us got to the point of needing surgery because we lacked the self-control necessary to do it on our own and needed help. Don't beat yourself up. Be aware of the feelings you're having right now. Try your best to do what you need to do to get where you want to go, but recognise that it's hard and none of us are perfect. If you slip, pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward. Good luck on your journey.

Wow! That's amazing. Thank you for posting that.

That is very reassuring. Thank you both. I'm still waiting for the quote from his office, but the more I research the better I feel and the more excited I am to get started. [emoji4]

I just booked my first consultation for plastic surgery for July 31st. I'm feeling a bit scared and confused by the whole idea of this but I know I'm never going to be truly happy with the new me until I do this. I could really use some advice on what sort of questions I should be asking the surgeon at the consult from some of you that have already been down this road. A little background on my journey so far: I'm 47 years old and I had a gastric bypass on July 2nd 2016. My highest weight was 326 and surgery weight was 320. Everything went well and I've had no complications. Since then I have lost a total of 144lbs and my current weight is 176. My goal weight is 140 so I only have 36lbs to go. I go to the gym 5 days a week and walk several miles a day on top of that most days. I'm overjoyed at finally having my life back and I'm determined to make the most of it. I am completely self funding the plastic surgery part of this journey, though the bypass was done on the NHS (I'm American but I've lived in the UK for 18 years), so I can't afford to get it wrong. The procedures I'm looking into having are neck, arms, tummy tuck, and breast lift. I would be really grateful for any advice or suggestions anyone can offer as I get ready to cross the finish line. Thanks.

I met with the surgeon and it went very well. I was able to ask the questions I had prepared thanks to you two. It was only supposed to be a 15 minute mini consult but he took the time to explain everything to me in detail and it ended up being nearer 40 minutes. This surgeon actually specialises in working with bariatric surgery patients and he seemed to think I could get everything I want done into two surgeries spaced a few months apart. I'm just waiting for his office to come back to me with a quote for the cost. One final question if anyone would like to weigh in with an opinion. Would it be stupid of me to go with the first surgeon I've met even though it was such a positive experience? Or would it be smarter to meet with one or two more for comparison?

I had my surgery on a Saturday and was sent home on the Monday. I took off the rest of that week and then worked from home for three weeks until I was cleared to travel. I work in IT so this was easy for me to work from my bed. If it's an option for you do it.

I'm just over a year out after RNY and have used Imodium frequently for IBS symptoms since not long after surgery with no problems. If you're worried try starting with just half a dose and see how it goes.

I add a teaspoon of inulin powder to my protein shake in the morning, but it can also be used as a sugar substitute in hot drinks. It's a good way to bump up your daily fiber, but has other useful health benefits as well. http://www.myprotein.com/thezone/supplements/what-is-inulin-benefits-dosage-side-effects/

Thanks so much for telling me about your experience. My first consultation is tomorrow morning and I must admit I'm starting to feel a bit nervous about the whole thing. I'm not afraid of the surgeries. I've had enough of those over the years to know what to expect. It's the "What if it all goes wrong and I mess up what was essentially just a saggy body?" thoughts that keep going through my head. It helps to hear from people who've done it and report how much happier it made them. If I can get through the panic attack stage I'll be fine. :-D

Hi Scamp, thanks very much for the reply. That link looks very helpful, I'll have a good read through it and make some notes. I'm in South East London and the consultation I've booked is at the Spire hospital in Cheam where I had my bypass. The staff and bariatric surgeon there were wonderful so I thought it would be a good place to start. I'm always open to suggestions or recommendations though. I've been to the website for the surgeon I'm seeing at the consult, but I hadn't thought about googling his name to see what sort of independent information there might be out there. I'll do that, thanks.