mohairbears

I'm over 1 year post op. And yes it hit me like a brick at first but yes it does ease and eventually go away . I was prescribed lansaprazole and took it regulary . But like anything if you eat to much. Eat not often enough. Or consume too many acid trigger foods you can still get acid, if you are someone who is prone to it. The best thing to do is keep a diary. Educate yourself about GORD. Try to isolate what causes your acid. In my case it's simply fatty foods high sugar carbs. So eliminating those and keeping them as occasional treats only helps by keeping me acid free. And maintains my weight loss. Wishing you the best xox

Your life is in your hands. We all have these issues. It's very easy to lose control. It takes an extreme amount of effort to eat properly and have control. You need to start from the beginning go back to basics concentrate on the quality and amount of what you are consuming. If food is an issue drink high quality protein shakes and introduce solids slowly as mush to begin with. Make sure you take a calcium B12 and two multi vitamins with iron daily . And follow up all your doctors appointments . Ultimately your life is in your hands. I'm one year out 7 stone down and believe me I wouldn't go back even with the issues I've encountered. Life is so much better now. Food definitely is not the be all and end all of life!

You will find it's not actually 100% hunger it's caused by trapped wind and indigestion. I'm 1 year out and I still have to think carefully am "I really hungry"? Your stomach is now so small it can hardly hold a fistful of food. Over the next year you will learn you do not need much food at all to survive. It's all about healthy choices one year out. I've lost 7 stone and have my life back . Believe me It's worth every effort you put in now to change...

I'm just over a year post op. Nausea has been a problem since day 1. You will find it is caused by mostly trapped wind in the early days and also lack of energy. I found sipping a warm cup of tea and sucking mints and moving about helped me . Now it is mostly caused by eating too quickly. The best advice I can give is try your very best to learn new eating habits. Drink as much as you can slowly and constantly during the day. And eat slowly and chew everything into a pulp before swallowing. If you are waking feeling sick get up move about and make yourself a warm drink it helps. Then get back into bed. I year out and I've lost 7 stone. Even with all the odd issues I've had along the way. This op has given me control and my life back. I can now eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast . A small sandwich for lunch and a small meal for tea. I can eat most things. I year out and it's about making healthy choices. If I don't I simply gain weight. I wish you all the best. It's not easy but worth every bit of effort you use to make changes.

I initially empathised with the situation myself being a few weeks in. But the more I read the more I question why ? I don't like seeing false accusations of bullying... Know one here is bullying anyone. However there are many caring posts trying to point out and correct various under thought careless inaccurate statements that have been made. And how ridiculous some seem to them. Everyone has an opinion and is entitled to it. I don't think anyone is obsessed by this thread. Unfortunately anyone posting will get follow up emails pointing new posts out. Most logical people seem infuriated that the gastric sleeve is being portrayed as useless. When if weight loss occurs it is working. It is only useless if given to someone who carelessly made their medical team believe it would work for them. This can be done by someone portraying themselves as medically and mentally fit to cope with having the operation. I have just read a statement referencing mental instability and the use of counselling. No councillor worth their weight would sit reading this thread with a client laughing! It is blatantly clear to everyone with any intelligence that we all individually have to ultimately take responsibility for our own actions and decisions. If we have had the gastric sleeve and regret it that is our own personal problem. The gastric sleeve is nothing more than a simple operation where you have your stomach made smaller. With one aim to lose weight and control it. There is nothing that can go wrong unless you unfortunately get a leak. This is avoided by following all your post op directions given to everyone who has the operation here in the UK. Nothing in your body changes. The only difference is everyone having the operation has to take responsibility for changing their habits of a lifetime and learn to eat properly again. This process is difficult but not impossible. It takes support and mental stability to overcome . Newborn babies suffer colic, wind diarrhoea, allergies and numerous health issues while their bodies adjust to food. If a baby can do it I'm sure so can we. It will tell you anywhere that six weeks is not long enough to fully recover from any major surgery. We have all just had major surgery ! I hate my sleeve! What an admission but it's a very personal one. How awful it would be to have to admit that made made a ridiculously wrong decision for myself. If I was unstable I'd try to blame everyone but me. Probably because I was upset and couldn't cope with the thought I was wrong id want to pass the misery into other folks too. If I was stable I'd tell people I was a fool and if they where considering having the operation to make sure they researched and researched. It wasn't right for me but it does work for many . We must think very logically before complaining the gastric sleeve was not right for us only a few months after the operation. Our bodies minds and diets need a long time to adjust. There is no way in a few months this can happen. Any intelligent adult would wait and make sure they have made a full recovery. We can't make a fully informed decision like this until at least 1-3 years post surgery because everyone is different. By that time we will have reached already our lowest possible weight. We will be healed. We may be gaining again . But hopefully because of personal decisions you will have either succeeded or failed at your initial goal to lose weight and learn to control it. If the gastric sleeve isn't working and there were no post op complications it is a personal problem. We need to ask our support team for help, question what am I doing wrong. If we we are not able to cope with the decision and what we have done. The operation can effect some people mentally. Ask for help. We need to question ourselves why can't I cope ? What can I do to help myself and to make it work? I've just read a statement somewhere on this thread 'I didn't know anything about it ' SERIOUSLY! Come on pull the other one that's Impossible . We all have access to a team of support and the Internet. At any pre-op initial NHS consultation for bariatric surgery we will have been verbally informed exactly what any operation entailed. We are also evaluated and asked what our personal lifestyle and eating habits are like. Know one is just granted this operation thoughtlessly. A lot of people are turned away. If granted the operation on the NHS it's because they consider our obesity to be of serious threat to our health. Having internet access at home anyone with any intelligence making the decision to have a gastric sleeve would start researching. If we didn't do this it only goes prove we don't care about our health. If we don't care why should anyone else care about us ? This type of person is a danger to themselves and yes they should not be given the operation. If? the UKs NHS is actually at fault and have a case to answer too! Here in the UK there is a simple complaints protocol in place that anyone can follow to forward complaint too. The NHS has recently had many major shake ups of hospitals and protocols and It is now more than their jobs worth to treat any complaint with distaste. Their is no fear involved in complaining. They will now bend over backwards to help. I have already read a reference to PALS. http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1082.aspx?CategoryID=68 If? I had a genuine case For malpractice I would not sit on a forum chanting to the world with 'oh woe is me' stamped on my head. I'd pick up the phone and action my concerns today. There are also many medical claims companies that will pursue a claim for anyone. If you can prove you actually have something to complain about. Heres a good link. http://www.patientclaimline.com/?utm_source=PPC&utm_medium=dynamicsa&utm_campaign=medicalnegligence&gclid=CI6ftv6W684CFWUo0wodc-YO5g When given a house moving date by the council, or housing association you have to make a choice do I move? Or don't I ? Know one forces your hand. It's a case again take personal responsibility for our own decisions. We are in control of your own destiny always be logical think what is best for me? If someone is critically ill no healthcare or social team would move you. It would be a case where the candidate would have to prove they where well enough and had enough personal family support to make it possible. CDIFF is nothing to do with the gastric sleeve operation. It is an illness anyone can pick up or carry in our bodies it is sometimes transmitted by poor personal hygiene, and in rare instances during any major surgery. It can generally be caused by over use of antibiotics and a very low immunity due to poor health. CDIFF is highly contagious. If actually diagnosed it would never go untreated! If it is contracted in serious form it can ulcerate the bowel and cause a tear. This need monitoring. In a real emergency symptoms would be high fever and serious illness you would be immediately hospitalised. CDIFF is not caught from dirty living and housing conditions. It can only be caught by poor personal hygiene. This is why hospitals use anti bac everywhere and surgeons scrub up prior to operating. C. difficile bacteria and their spores are found in feces. People can get infected if they touch surfaces contaminated with feces and CDIFF spores and then touch their mouth. Healthcare workers can spread the bacteria to their patients if their hands are contaminated. Can CDIFF be treated?Yes, there are antibiotics that can be used to treat CDIFF. If you have a mild case you are given these antibiotics and advised to carefully self care. In severe cases, a person might have to have surgery to remove the infected part of the intestine. This surgery is needed in only 1 or 2 out of every 100 persons with CDIFF. We all know here in the UK the NHS is funded by our tax contributions however we do not pay enough it is severely underfunded. That is why there are hospitals closing and we have a general shortage of doctors and nurses. Limited care and pay disputes... I have also read references to this. You would have paid nearly £10000 for this op privately. I was too was immobile on heavy medication this all contributed to my problems. However more importantly I stopped exercising. I also ate more calories in a day than I needed. Hence the weight gain. It is a scientific fact. This is why we become over weight. Hospital operation appointments are not rushed. They always ask you have you got any questions. You sign pre- op consent form to say you are happy to have the operation. We must take responsibility for our own decisions. If they are uninformed it is our own fault. Operations are definitely not rushed at all. I have now just read quote "in the pre-op stream people think surgeries should stop for now, while the team concentrate on treating veterans that are sick" My opinion here is this actually an activist statement. It could be instigated by people who dislike the NHS paying to help the obese ? Is this a deliberate attempt to undermine those who have had or are thinking of bariatric surgery? Bariatric surgery is done by a bariatric specialist, they cant mend hearts, age related problems or broken legs? If I said I was losing too much weight and I didn't like it. Folks would laugh at me. Considering the reason I had a gastric sleeve was to lose weight. in the first few months the weight loss is faster . It does slow down. Eventually we learn to control what we lose by how much we consume in a day. It's part of the learning curve. No point in me having a lazy attitude I've got to learn to take responsibility and help myself. Again it's down to being mentally stable intelligent and choosing to do the right thing. Firstly by ringing your support team, group , doctor and getting proper advice . But only we can action that. This site gives you all the information you need. The only thing it can't help you with is your own personal journey... http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/bariatric-treatment.html We definitely don't lose the support of your bariatric team only three months after having the operation. We all get follow up appointments. A few weeks months in its all still very very early days. We all need to make sure we get the right help we need. We need to be honest and let the proper people know we need help if we are not coping and struggling. This is a hard journey for any of us to make. But the health improve the that can be made by losing weight would make anyone's life more bearable. I was disabled and on crutches at Christmas. This morning I ran down the stairs to answer the door to the postman. Need I say more... Given time things will get better. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Your feet have 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, ligaments, and muscles that support your whole body. Being obese seriously damages your feet. Having a gastric sleeve does not cause foot pain. After having gastric surgery you will lose a lot of weight. Some of this weight lost will be muscle, because at first we can't eat properly. This can also have a bad effect your tendons. This is why everyone should be taking the very best care of themselves with strengthening exercises, good footwear, and a heathy diet. I can only suggest anyone and everyone with foot pain visit their doctor or podiatrist.

Lol... Love you too Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It might not actually be hunger you are feeling because they have removed the biggest part of your stomach the part that produces the hunger inducing hormone ghrelin. Wind can cause a hollow hunger like feeling in your abdomen. It could be you are thirsty. It could even be head hunger missing food. Drink as much Fluid as you can preferably those containing my milk this will help. Have sugar in tea that will help too. Your surgeon and support team should have given you a guide on what diet to follow if they haven't ask them . You should stay on fluids meaning liquids Protein shakes and liquids Soups. For a week post op then gradually start to introduce puréed foods. Protein first, aim 65g a day. Keeps you healthy, keeps you full, helps boost weight loss. Aim to 1.7quarts 2 litres of fluid daily Take b12 and a good liquid multi Vitamin mineral supplement. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Your surgeon and support team should have given you full dietary instructions for the puréed stage. If they haven't ask for help! It consists of Greek yoghurts thicker Soups mashed foods. Not all will be tolerated. Remember always eat Protein first aim for 65g a day. Aim for least 1.7 quarts 2 litres of Fluid. If you can't eat the Protein Drink it in protein Water or milk shakes. Also take soluble b12 and get a good liquid multi Vitamin and mineral solution. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

No way I'm five weeks out and still on soft puréed foods. The most important thing you should be thinking of consuming is Protein. Aiming for at least 65g a day. This helps keep you healthy and boosts weight loss. You don't need empty calories foods anymore. Weight loss is better wen consuming nutrient rich foods. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I hope if you ask you will be given anti sickness medication I was and it works. I also took in some mints and sucked those it really helped. Get out of bed and walk as soon as you are able and ask the physio to show you exercises that help shift wind. I'm 5 weeks out, its been an up and down journey, as it is for most folks. No regrets! My weight loss including pre op diet is now 3 stone I'm not house bound and and can walk pain free again . Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes add milk and purée . You may find them difficult . Eat very slowly . They are an excellent Protein . Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Feeling years younger... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well done. What a dramatic difference Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Calories in vs calories out . Exercise boots your metabolism and burns calories. It's time to pick up the pace and do more... Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm five weeks out and still not getting enough . I'm not worried I just keep trying to have a little more. I know I will get there eventually I've found ice pops and iced Water is best . Also warm cups of tea . Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Everyone is different . I'm post five weeks. Two days in hospital a few wind pains and soreness. Very thirsty but found it difficult to consume very much at all for two days . Then found warm drinks much better than cold. Very tired. When I came out of hospital. Kept drinking and consumed liquid broth Soups . Didn't feel hungry. Sucked mints to help with the wind. Took lansaprazole to help heal stomach and protect from acid paracetamol for the pain . Things really do get better week by week . Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

No the calories consumed are still much to low to make you gain weight. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's normal, everyone I've spoke to days this has happened to them . Eventually over time you will feel betta. I'm five/ six weeks out and exhausted. I still can't consume much. So the energy in is not enough to balance the energy out. I've just made an improvement to my energy levels and to how I feel generally by taking soluble B12 and also a liquid Multivitamin and mineral. Make sure you drink as much as you can too I've also been told dehydration causes fatigue. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Call your support team. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Your also very dehydrated sip Water or you favourite drink constantly. Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Don't worry about it . Everyone's different . Don't force yourself to consume out of fear. The targets are to aim for not as an immediate goal. I'm five weeks post and still have to go slow things are getting better day by day . Make sure you get a good liquid multi Vitamin and mineral complex daily and drink as much fluids as you can. You can only do this by constantly sipping. Fluid is more important than food . Best wishes xox Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Early on in this thread I did empathise. However after now reading all the posts which I must say do come from a very narrow minded point of view I've seriously had my eyes opened. Seriously folks if you are planning bariatric surgery please don't pay heed to this viciously over exaggerated and very negative thread. I'm now five weeks in and although it can be a struggle at times, it's really life changing worth every once of hard work needed to gain success. Like this lady pre-op I suffered from many of the same illnesses fibromyalgia, crippling Arthritis, irritable bowel, lumber spondylosis, just to name a few. I took a large cocktail of drugs that the side effects from made me very ill and yes I was one was lyrica too. I was virtually housebound for a year. Since Xmas I've lost 3 stone. One and a half stone lost since the op Only five weeks ago. I no longer take any medication apart from paracetamols and lansoprazole which protects our stomach while it's healing. I no longer need crutches and am vitally pain free. I live in the UK and did extensive research on bariatric surgery prior to my op . I know the NHS offer an amazing comprehensive service for those lucky enough to live in a district that can fund bariatric surgery free in the UK. You get free pre counselling Good free pre op care Good post op care including medication and follow up diet all prescribed free. Free follow up appointments with your bariatric surgeon. A free post op support group And free care from a doctor if you need it. If you live in the right district her in the UK the Gastric Sleeve operation on the NHS will cost you nothing. I know people here on the UK who would jump at the chance to have this life saving and changing operation but their district has not got the funds to offer it. I hasten to add I could have gone through the NHS but chose to pay nearly £10000 for my op because I could afford it, I got the op performed within four weeks privately my decision because health was so bad and I was virtually housebound. I don't regret it at all. I now have use of private telephone support. But I also have access to a regular NHS support group where I meet people who support each other. ...................... I've just read about not knowing about the effects of bariatric surgery. This is impossible ! Everyone has a consultation with your surgeon before making the decision to have the operation . Everyone has a pre op consultation with a team of nurses. Before surgery everyone meets with their surgeon and anaesthetic consultant. Everyone has to read and sign a pre-op agreement outlining exactly what could go wrong during and after their operation. The surgeons have to be so careful. They need to know you understand all the risks. From all the frequent posts above full of drama you would think the care here on our NHS is non existent. This is not true! What worries me and many other people is a narrow minded point of view we are reading can scare monger and ruin other people's chances. I also find it extremely disturbing to read there was no understanding to what the operation entailed or what would be happening after the op. However someones pointed out a membership on this forum of ten years prior to surgery. A ten years membership here would make an expert of anyone! ...................... I've now read of another side effect from the operation is Clostridium difficile. This can be carried in the body and could be caught after any operation. Unfortunately it had to be another drama and turn into a further more serious complication. I've just read the support for this condition is also poor with no proper treatment and no doctor support. The NHS in the UK take this infection very seriously. Granted there is a massive shortage of doctors in the UK it can regularly take weeks to see one . However you can get phone call appointment and readily get nurse appointments. Also emergency appointments instantly if deemed necessary. I can't believe I've just read that while so critically ill with gastric sleeve problems and CDiff a house move have been planned actioned and is taking place... If things were so bad this would be Impossible! A house moved is deemed as one of the most stressful events we can have in our life. This can also effect our digestion and bowels. Let's look at... Clostridium difficile: What is the treatment for Clostridium difficile infection? The decision to treat C. difficile infection and on the type of treatment depends on the severity of the illness. No treatment is needed if you have no symptoms but are known to carry the germs (bacteria) in your gut. However, if symptoms develop, some of the treatments below may be needed. If you are not already in hospital, people who have mild infection can often be treated at home. However, if the infection is more severe, you will usually be admitted to hospital so that you can be treated and closely monitored. ...................... Pseudomembranous colitis signs and symptoms: Diarrhea that can be watery or even bloody. Abdominal cramps, pain or tenderness. Fever. Pus or mucus in your stool. Nausea. Dehydration. Pseudomembranous colitis self-management: To cope with the diarrhea and dehydration that can occur with pseudomembranous colitis, try to: Drink plenty of fluids. Water is best, but fluids with added sodium and potassium (electrolytes) also may be beneficial. Avoid beverages that are high in sugar or contain alcohol or caffeine, such as coffee, tea and colas, which can aggravate your symptoms. Choose soft, easy-to-digest foods. These include applesauce, bananas and rice. Avoid high-fiber foods, such as beans, nuts and vegetables. If you feel your symptoms are improving, slowly add high-fiber foods back to your diet. Eat several small meals, rather than a few large meals. Space the smaller meals throughout the day. Avoid irritating foods. Stay away from spicy, fatty or fried foods, and any other foods that cause you problems. ...................... If suffering this illness, it seems having the gastric sleeve which limits the intake of all the irritating types of foods that can make the current problem worse is really a very good thing! That is if following a gastric sleeve diet properly. That means reading all the paperwork and diet advice everyone undertaking this operation is given prior to leaving hospital. The gastric sleeve operation will help anyone recover faster. Doctors medication advice. Sensible foods, lots of liquids and don't forget your soluble or liquid vitamins ... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

BRAVO!I won't bore everyone with repeats of previous posts as people here love a reason to argue and it will start drama. I reply when I can because I believe it is polite and respectful. If someone takes the time to comment, I was raised to reply and be nice. I am American, and have been living in the UK for over 30 years now. I understand the high emotions, obesity problems and excess that the massive population there has. I personally didn't have a weight problem until I became disabled with diagnosed illnesses that meant that I was bedbound. So I have not had a long term weight issue, or food issue etc. I was not desperate nor incapable of losing weight either. The medications piled on lbs on too of needing to sleep 12 hours a day, not moving etc. I didn't have a myriad of obesity related diseases. I just got fat from not moving and not being well enough to shop, cook and eat sensibly. I was advised by consultants to have this surgery. I was told to take my Lyrica and accept my fate. And I did. My health condition has been dramatically worsened by this surgery. An impact that may take a fecal transplant, and months in a hospital hours away from my home to recover from. If I can fight hard enough for a referral. My colon appears to have damage (pseudomembranous colitis) because of the C Diff infection. This could lead to a colostomy. Being thinner is great, being unhealthy is not. I also appear to have developed a stricture but am not allowed in a clinical public setting until this course of antibiotics has finished. I am not beating myself up. I made a decision. It was mine to make. If the best surgeons here were wrong, why should I get upset with myself for being mistaken? Because I was so ill, I had to detox from diet drinks, medications, carbohydrates, caffeine, gluten, wheat, dairy etc. That is what can and will help me eventually. I have nothing to forgive myself for. Try to see this intellectually, without emotional words like forgiveness, beating myself up, or romanticising the issue. For some people, this surgery is a life saver. For me, it has been life threatening. I don't have the strength and immunity to fight off this C Diff. It kills thousands of people all over the world. And right now, I have no medical support to treat it. Just two weeks antibiotics and isolation. And I am moving house. Thank you for applauding that old post, but you don't have a clue! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App