Kia kaha

Hi all. I’m pre op, and I love to be well informed, from good, verified sources, and I would like to share a book title that I have downloaded on my ereader….who knew there were books on bariatric surgery?! It such a great resource and compliments the advice I’m getting from the psych and the dietician. The book is called “Living with Bariatric Surgery. Managing your mind and your weight” by Denise Ratcliffe. Published on 2018, so all up to date. I really recommend it, it’s been helpful in my decision making process so far. Any other really great resources that people can recommend? Particularly for after surgery, both short and long term. P.S I have no connection or interest in the book, just thought it would be good to share

I’m only one month post surgery, and I thought I was ‘doing well’ then eat too much 2 days ago and had what must have been dumping, such awful cramps etc (I won’t give you tmi but you can guess). So I have gone back to tiny amounts of purees again because my gut just feels sore and upset. So I guess that my ‘forgetting’ I have had the surgery has had horrible consequences. Re. the getting hungry…I have that as well, but so much of it is ‘head hunger’, I want something sweet after dinner, that’s a habit, and ‘mouth hunger’ I crave crunchy, salty food. It’s not real hunger. My brain is saying ‘but you are eating so little, how can you possibly not be starving hungry’ but if I ignore those messages the ‘hunger’ passes (specially if I drink some liquid. A cup of tea, or a Miso soup help my 4pm crash. Really, really listening to your body, stopping before you are full is the way to go. I haven’t really been doing that, and the consequences were grim! Anyway hope that helps….I’ve got to deal with this myself, so any ‘advice’ is just my thoughts…I’m not sure there is a magic answer!

Teh vitamin thing is difficult isn’t it! My surgeon prescribed some enormous non chewable ones, well I can just about take them now and I’m nearly 3 weeks out. I got some vit c powder lemon flavoured powder that can be dissolved into water, some chewable vit d and some B12 drops, I’ve got some gummies (I had them from before) that the dietician said don’t bother with because they have a bit of sugar in and low levels of vits, but I figured they were better than nothing that first awful week. Second week I had some chewables that tasted gross (I’ve still got them sitting on the kitchen bench!!) and now I’ve just about transitioned to swallowing a whole tablet. So….al in all…I probably didn’t have quite enough to start with but I kind of got there eventually! The first week is tough and a bit miserable tbh, but for me, it got better really quickly. I’m 2 days off 3 weeks now and feel relatively normal.

Hiya, you had surgery same day as me I think, April 11. How’s it going? I’m losing weight but really slowly, I’m still feeling a bit tired but really looking forward to starting ‘soft foods’ in a week. My incisions are healing, though the big one on my left side is slower than the others, it was pretty bruised. Would love to know how you are going at this stage 😊

The first week sucked for me as well. It’s rough there’s no doubt about that! My tummy dislikes anything cold, I couldn’t deal with a popsicle! I’m starting to feel more myself now, it’s one week tomorrow. Hang in there, each day is a bit better than the one before 😄

I have a really weird eating plan. I was given yoghurt and jelly while still in hospital,( I eat about 1 ml!) My plan is smooth puree food from 2 days to a week after surgery. No period of clear liquids or liquid food. Suggestions are just revolting,tinned tuna mixed with cottage cheese,🤢 chop chop chicken (I have no words to describe this foul tinned white blobs) mixed with cottage cheese, 🤮scrambled egg, weetbix breakfast cereal mixed up with milk. I can’t stomach anything that isn’t really liquid, like watery soup texture. So I’m kind of doing my own thing and following a plan I found online from a UK based bariatric specialist dietician. My dietician is properly qualified over here (NZ) but as far as I know not a bariatric specialist, the surgery is very rare over here really, I don’t know how experienced she is. Not sure what to do really as I feel i’ll be onto the puree food in about a week anyway, just not yet 🤷‍♀️Any suggestions?

4 days since surgery. I’m still so tired. The focus of my whole day is trying to get enough liquid down my throat. I went for a decent walk in the sun today that exhausted me, it was great to get outside. But on the upside no regrets, (except for a horrible panic in the-night on day 2 when I had a very different, migraine type of headache and I panicked that i’d have a headache for the rest of my life) and the weight is falling off me, 2 kg since surgery. So looking forward to feeling fitter and healthier.

The hiatal hernia was where the oesophagus passes through the diaphram, your stomach is supposed to be below your diaphram (google will explain it better). I have had my op, when the surgeon was in there he spotted a hernia, a ‘bit of a gap’ he said, and put a stitch in the gap to repair the hernia before he did the sleeve. Weirdly I have photos taken during the procedure that show the stitch near the top of my newly sleeved, stapled stomach.

I loved the blow up socks, they were so soothing afterwards!

my surgery was on the 11th. Yep the pain from the gas was pretty extreme at times. Just super tired now. I’ve just been looking at the before and after pics on this forum, they are very inspiring! Keep your eye on the prize my daughter said! Never look back!

So good to be home. Feeling tired and a bit dehydrated but finding that tepid very weak chi tea goes down well! I am allowed to start puree food on day 2, but still only fancy jelly and yoghurt really. Having a very quiet day, snoozing, sipping, walking and reading! Just an aside…I’m reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig…if you want a book that makes you feel at peace with the decisions you make in life (like having bariatric surgery lol) this book is incredibly wonderful! Anyone else read it?

Yes, I was told to do the extra push to get the cover over the needle whilst it was in…really sore. The instructions with the packets said to cover the needle after it’s withdrawn…maybe that was why I got no bruise today!

Yes, I have 5 days of anti clotting injections. I couldn’t believe that I was being asked to inject myself, but I did, and felt very proud! Two of the injections have bruised me, though the one this morning hasn’t. The most painful one was the one the nurse gave me in my thigh, hurt like a b***** and left a decent bruise. Because they are blood thinners I guess that the bruising is pretty inevitable, but I guess asking your doc at the post op would be a plan….do share if he tells you anything interesting!

Wow, nothing to feel shame about. You are entitled to change your mind. It obviously was the right decision, better than feeling regretful afterwards.

Hiya, I had a hernia repair done at yhe same time as my sleeve. My surgeon thought i might have and just put a stitch in while he was in there.

How did it go Dtrappy?

Surgery yesterday. Pretty tough day. Still got a lot of pain and feeling so tired. The dry mouth was just awful. Walking and sipping are the most important things right now. I can’t wait to get back to my own bed! I am home now, still feeling pretty bleh! The gas pains in my shoulder were severe on the drive home, my poor husband driving while I was moaning and groaning.This is a tough gig! Getting enough fluid down is a concern. I’m eating yoghurt and protein shake, about 30 ml and i’m full. I’ve put alarms on my phone to remind myself to stop drinking half an hour before eating. Having an early night now. Hopefully feeling better tomorrow!

Mine too! Emotions are a bit all over the show. I’ve been a hangry witch this week on the liquid diet, i’ve stuck to it pretty well, weight has gone down. Because of Covid here there are NO visitors at the hospital, husband has to drop me at the door and pick me up at the door the following day, so that sucks!

Good luck, you seem a really patient person. Thanks for sharing, I hope the cpap helps! Good advice to start sipping early, my surgeon said that the reason most people are readmitted is because of dehydration. I was wondering how to get enough liquid down me!

Mine too! Emotions are a bit all over the show. I’ve been a hangry witch this week on the liquid diet, i’ve stuck to it pretty well, weight has gone down. Because of Covid here there are NO visitors at the hospital, husband has to drop me at the door and pick me up at the door the following day, so that sucks!

Feeling suicidal is a huge red flag that you need to find someone to talk to VERY urgently. Imagine if it was your best friend saying what you have just said…how would you help them? What would you say? Be your own best friend and seek help, be kind to yourself. It makes me so sad to read your post. I suspect you are going through a very real grief process, being angry is part of it….you will reach acceptance if you allow yourself to go through the process. It’s Ok to not feel Ok sometimes you know. It’s normal. You aren’t alone, you have reached out with your feelings and it’s a privilege to be able to ‘talk’. You will be Ok eventually you know, but it will take time, courage, talking and acceptance. xxx

Yes, me too, my surgery is on 11th but I’m going crazy trying to get my domestic jobs all done so that I can relax afterwards!

Hiya, no need to feel blue 😊we are all here for each other in a variety of ways! I love reading everyone’s different stories about their experiences, we are all so different (and yet the same)😊

You guys are all SO great! It’s genuinely making me feel better just reading everyone’s thoughts and advice. I didn’t sleep well last night, I woke up hungry 😪, BUT the scales are down, i’ve lost 2.8 kg on the pre op diet. Surgery is on 11th, I can’t wait now!

Anyone else cranky on the pre op diet? I’m SO hungry and tired, I cheated (a bit) and had an omelette with veg, that helped. I don’t mind the taste of the shakes etc but it doesn’t feel enough to keep me going through the day.