Pippa1703

So, I just but the bullet, (like 8 minutes ago!) and sent the deposit for my surgery. I’ll be heading off on the 16th for surgery on the 18th I’ve got a couple of trips away between now and then that my husband has been looking forward to for months and I didn’t want him to miss out otherwise I’d have booked for an earlier date, but hopefully those trips will make the time speed up a bit. Bring it on

My surgery isnt until mid June, but when I enquired about a pre-op diet, they just said to lower my carbs a week or 2 before the day. (Getting surgery Europe). My BMI is around 36 if that has any bearing?

I dont think 2 weeks ingrain a habit at all. I've stucks to plenty of 1000cal diets before for more than 2 weeks, as I'm sure a lot of us have, and they've never stuck, hence the surgery. I'm going to try and stick to 1000 calories anyway, I'm presuming I've not been given a pre OP diet because I'm on the lower BMI scale than a lot of people getting surgery but I'd like to feel better prepared

Steve. Steve the sleeve. Done

Mine is the 18th, I’m going privately to turkey. I’ve been told to lower my carbs the week before but as far as prep goes, that’s it. There’s not a lot else they do. They do all pre-op tests, scans etc there, the day before (they have a lab on sight so can get results pretty much immediately) i’m going to go meet my GP before I go to let them know I’m doing the surgery, if anything, it can’t hurt to have it on record and I was considering asking about being referred for some kind of food therapy. Bad relationships with food, control and compulsive eating got me where I am and i’d Feel better knowing I’m working on those things too

I could've done it this month but I had a trip to Rome last weekend as a final foodie hoorah and My husband is really looking forward to a weekend away at the beginning of June so I'm going the following week I have a fitbit tracker and I do have my fitness pal app, it's remembering and motivating myself to use it!

Just thought I'd bump this, I can't be the only one?? I'm struggling more than ever with watching what I eat right now. I really need to start getting in the habit of recording what I eat . I'm having my surgery abroad so I'm going to take it upon myself so seek some therapeutic help to deal with my food addiction issues...If that's what I have. All I know is, I've lost and gained the same 6 stone for 18years and I need to break the cycle!

Where I'm going, the bypass is more expensive than the sleeve, which I dont mind, I said I'd be fine with either and had my concerns about sleeve revision but also dont want to need to visit my doctor every few months for b12 injections. Ive settled on the sleeve . My BMI is 36, i have no weight related illnesses other than earlty arthritis so my surgeon is confident that I'm a more suitable sleeve candidate. Especially as i quite enjoy exericise classes and am happy to be active when ive been at a lower weights, he's confident that I can do what is needed to maintain any losses and after speaking with him, I'm happy too

Both my mother and grandmother had gastric bands, my.nan is now underweight after losing over 10 stone. Unfortunately my mom got pneumonia after the op and had to have it removed , she's still easily 150lbs overweight. All the men in my family are 6 foot+ beanpoles. My husband is an ex professional athlete and fortunately, it looks like my boy is carrying the care free male torch! My husband doesn't really want me to go through with my sleeve op, but he's still supportive because he sees how unhappy i am

I’ve been looking into erdem and irmet hospitals

By nature, I'm a fairly impulsive person. I decided to look into bariatric surgery after seeing the gastric balloon on Instagram about 3 days ago, from there I went down a rabbit hole of research and decided if it went down a bariatric road, then the sleeve seemed to suit me most. I'm now looking at clinics and checking procedures, reviews, surgeons etc it's only been a few days and I'm fairly sure I've made up my mind I want this done. (I'd dismissed it the past as my best friend, sister-in-law, mom and nan all had problems with lap band surgeries, now I know the differences between surgeries) How long did you research WLS before you decided you were definitely going to go for it? Are there any specifics you'd suggest really looking in to?

This sounds exactly how I came to looking into bariatric surgery, I had never really thought of it as an option before

As it seems to be the topic of a few videos I've watched during my research, I thought I'd ask if there was anything you've learned since the operation you chose to have, that you wish you'd been told about before hand and weren't? Good or bad

Oh god. I'm already the girl with heater in in June 😕

Thanks everyone, this is all really helpful

This is my first post so here’s little history...I’m 5’9, I weigh 235-240 lbs, I’m hoping to be anywhere between 140 & 160 lbs. I come from a long line of morbidly obese women, both my mother and grandmother have had weight loss surgery, although my mother had a failed lap band and has now developed diabetes, while my Nan has lost 9 stone and her diabetes is practically cured-so as you can see, my genes don’t help. I’ve lost 2-5 stone a few times, only to end up right back where I am now, I always thought surgery was out of my reach, financially, but now I realise, I need to do everything I can to enjoy my life and as much a hate admitting it, my happiness always seems directly correlated with my weight. Over the last couple of days I’ve been to the ends of the internet doing research into different surgery types and I feel like I’ve settled onthe sleeve procedure ( be happy for a surgeon to offer alternatives if they believe they’d suit me better) Once I decided on that, I then had to research prices, care packages, reviews and which country to travel to. For me, the expense of having it done here just isn’t possible. (It’s £8-12,000 here, vs £4-7000 in other parts of Europe) and I wouldn’t qualify for it on the NHS. FINALLY, MY QUESTION, where have you brits, or other Europeans, travelled for your surgeries? What kind of costs were there? Any surprise costs? How was your experience? Do you feel you were supported enough throughout the entire procedure? Did you need to take a partner with you? Is it possible to go on your own if you’d rather? Did the hospital arrange hotels/flights etc? I’d love any feedback and stories, many thanks

I feel like I’ve just been told off! Being smart before you let someone cut out your vital organs is a bit of an obvious point, but granted, you don’t know me, I COULD be an idiot ,so thanks? However, I assure you, i’m not. In your defence,i don’t think I was very clear, the 2-3 weeks timeline is AFTER you’ve provided all your Medical history and had evaluations. It not just cut and cheque and a cut a stomach. They have told me the barrage of tests he’d need to do first, including blood test, group blood test and rh factor, biochemistry analysis, (ALAT,ASAT, bilirubin, cholesterol,HDLP,LDLP, triglycerides, INR, APTL, prothrombin, urea, creatinine, (Na+,K+,CL-, HCO3, Ca2+), TTH, glucose, total serum protein, chest x Ray, fibrogastroduodenosvopy with anaesthetic, heliocobacter pylori test, ultrasound, ECG and Hep C . A lot of which would be performed at the clinic, if you’re not suitable for surgery when you get there, they return your funds minus a deposit to cover the travel/accommodation of getting you there. I think your own experience has made perhaps made you a tad prejudice to other processes. Irresponsible and reckless are strong words. I understand the process is different in the US but when you’re paying private for anything, things move quicker, there are fewer stages and hoops to jump because you’re not costing anyone else anything. If someone want to claim a major surgery on their insurance, obviously the insurance company isn’t going to make it half as easy for you as they would a private paying client. This why I need to make sure I’m doing as much research as possible to know I’m making an informed decision. Including the advice they give you for preparing before a surgery. As as per the water comment, I meant with meals-I didn’t specify that, so my bad. I’m not the biggest drinker in all honesty though, but I’m aware of the requirements and I’ve done plenty of keto diets before that require a LOT more than the recommended 1.9litres a day that I’ve seen and managed just fine. Someone pointed out protein water as an option too, because I struggle with the texture of shakes, so that’s an extra incentive to drink. i know I’m out of other optoins. “One last attempt to do it myself” for me, was at least 2 or 3 attempts ago. I don’t need a huge diet before surgery , just need to eat healthily for health’s sake because my BMI is 35.8 which isn’t far from their minimum requirements as it is. I’d say i’ve made my mind up to be honest. I’m going to follow the clinic over the next month, there’s a few more people that I’m speaking to that are going for surgery this week and they’re going to be journaling their experiences over the next 2-4 weeks and if i’m Still happy with the regimen , i’m Hoping to call and book this summer

Wowsers, 1.5hrs! I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs by then! I liken trapped wind pain to labour pains. When I was in labour, that’s the only way I could describe it, like having the WORST trapped wind. But it’s all for the greater good 😕

Thanks that’s very kind of you to offer but I think I’ve found somewhere that i’ve really warmed up to. I was looking mostly Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia but it was weightlossRiga in Latvia that has caught my attention, they’re extremely upfront about everything. They seem to have a lot more avenues to social media where you can find real reviews and daily journals of people that are there right now, I been quizzing a lady about the staff and facilities all day while she’s waiting to be discharged after the sleeve surgery she had 36 hours ago! Also, upon enquiry, they sent me a TONNE more information than the other (8?) clinics i’ve Emailed, including a fully detailed eating plan, vitamin plan and they include a free session with a nutritionist back in the UK once you can eat solid food. Their price covers literally everything from the minute you land to the minute you get back to the airport, hotels, transport etc They outline a typical day-to-day itinerary of how each day would play out and things to expect throughout the duration along with links to their private Facebook page with access to speak with dozens of their own pre and post op patients. I must say, I’m hugely impressed by what I’ve found so far. I emailed 2 uk companies in London out of curiosity too and got the most matter-of-fact robotic responses that still didn’t answer the questions I asked...which Is good, because I detest going to London!

@Everythinganna that’s great. I’m really not a fan of shakes at all, I hate the consistency of them so knowing there’s a clear water option is a winner (especially if it’s flavoured because I’m rubbish at drinking water too!)

Thanks i’M not a huge coffee addict, I don’t mind decaf so this is worth knowing

Most of family is eastern European (hungarian) I dont buy into the paranoia of those countries being out to get a quick buck. The care standards are often better than those in British hospitals, the reasons for then being cheaper are practical ones. Wages and cost of living is significantly less, taxes and equipment costs a fraction over there. That's why we have so many eastern Europeans working in the UK. They get their qualifications in their home country and can do the same job here while getting paid over twice the wage. I'm sorry that member had a bad experience, and i hope theyre ok now, but that's sounds more like poor research, rather than the fact they were cheap/ Eastern European. Pre and post op care will be fundamental factors in choosing any hospital and I'd want those details outlined before choosing anywhere, home or abroad. Counselling will be something I expect to seek out myself anyway as it's not generally offered in the uk as a private funded option. also to add, the clinics ive been looking at have uk based post-op nutritionists and surgical reps , which is reassuring

I've not looked into failure rates or revision posibities yet so I'll hit the studies for that. Thanks

I've never been slim. I come from a line of morbidly obese women, been on diets since I was 13. I've lost and gained the same 3-6stone countless times for 15 years. Slimming world, weight watchers, cabbage soup, cider vinegar, slim fast, Cambridge, slim and save, keto, lchf, starving, fasting, bulimia, fad diet pills, -you name it, in the last 20 years, ive tried it!!! 🤣 Last year I've stuck religiously to slimming world and the gym only to maintain, I'm defeated. 😞 @Xapphirea I hate fizzy drinks and struggle to drink much throughout the day so the fact that those are a necessity is actually a bit of a relief! I'm in the UK so woukd have to pay for my surgery. I've found a clinic that really stands out to me, in Latvia. I just looked and from the moment they ok you, and see if you're suitable, they aim to get you over within 2-3 weeks! Fortunately, I still need to save a big chunk of money before i can commit to anything anyway so itd be a good few months before i could book. I feel mostly excited about the prospect of doing this. Id do it tomorrow lol but I need to sir with the idea and broach the subject with my husband. I'm going to Rome with a budget airline on March 31st, I think squeezing my backside into those plane seats will make my mind up so thay gives me a month to process.

I'm alreasy anticipating that. I'm in the UK so we don't get anything through insurance. We have the NHS and it's fantastic for emergencies , but anything remotely cosmetic or bariatric isn't covered by them unless you're practically dead...and even then you need to wait up to 5 years. I will have to go abroad for surgery because a sleeve operation here costs £10,000, twice the price it is in European cup tried like Latvia or Lithuania and it's not down to the quality being any better, it comes down to wages and infrastructure and tax etc, it's crazy. And it's the same price for a tummy truck...which I'm pretty sure I could do with now, so I'll DEFINITELY need one if I drop 80+ lbs! Better get saving 😕