MrsFitz

Yay! You got it!!

It’s great to get your thoughts down as it gives you something to look back on. I bet it’s overwhelming sometimes to see how quickly the changes occur so you will need time to catch your breath and revel in your successes. Well done with the gym, I can’t wait to go again myself 🏋️‍♀️ As for swimming - try to get a new swimming costume that makes you feel positive and just go for it. Don’t worry about anyone or anything else, just concentrate on yourself and remember that you’re doing a great job of looking after your body and your mind. That can be difficult to get used to when we haven’t really paid positive attentions to ourselves for a long time. Keep up the great work 👏👏👏

How confusing re your bloods! I have quarterly bloods taken which have some overlap with those requested by the Bariatric team. I queried this and all they did was take one lot of bloods, put all the results on the system and alert both requesting consultants. I certainly didn’t want 2 separate lots of blood being drawn that say the same thing 😬 Isn’t it annoying when either you do as they ask and they tell you off or they haven’t told you to do something but should have and then tell you off for not knowing?? At least it seems that you have a grip on things, are able to keep on doing what’s best for you knowing that things are moving forward for you. Well done on your success so far. I hope your stall breaks sooner rather than later!

It’s been one of *those* days and it’s all been because of various medical people (not WLS-related) and I’m completely fed up. Hospital and meds delivery people not talking to one another so no idea if I will receive my delivery in time for my next jab this coming Monday. I mean, it’s only for my Rheumatoid Arthritis so not important, obviously. Then there’s the absolute joy of dealing with my doctors surgery when chasing up a prescription for pain relief that was requested last week. Rang my pharmacy - no prescription received. Rang Drs - oh, it was refused because you need to have yet another meds review (already having one on 27th for unrelated meds) No pain meds and no one thought to contact me to tell me (the wonder of doing everything online) Staff at surgery doesn’t think that the reviewing clinician can fit a 3rd med in to the upcoming review, so yet another review booked for Saturday. This will mean I’m without pain meds for a week by the time it gets put through and delivered 😤 I am just so 😖😖😖 I know we all make mistakes but today has just been a Micky-take from start to finish. I’ve put a complaint in with the Drs for the lack of communication and care, hospital already miffed with the meds delivery company so I’ve left that in their hands to deal with. The only thing going through my head now is what if the surgery is as crap when it comes to issuing meds post Bariatric surgery?? I’ve no confidence in them dealing with requests in a timely manner generally so I’m dreading how much they screw up when I have to go to them for all the Bariatric stuff. Sorry, I just needed to get it off my chest. Hubby is dealing with some work issues at the moment that’s stressing him out so I don’t want to add to that right now. 🙁

Hubby takes similar meds to you @SleeveToBypass2023 - Gabapentin, Baclofen plus others such as Morphine due to nerve damage in his lower back, and the pain and spasms he has as a result. He also has issues getting his meds but thankfully they get resolved after chasing so it’s not too much of a negative impact. Still ridiculous of course that this has to be done 🙄

@SleeveToBypass2023 Please, always ask if I there’s something I have put that you don’t understand. I will never take offence. I like being on a forum that has users from different countries as it’s a shared learning experience 😊 @Arabesque Lots of shared heritage to go at! Our system is ridiculous isn’t it? I’m glad it’s not just me! As for your meds not being returned - it’s just such poor service. As if you would be happy writing off $150 because of they couldn’t be bothered delivering your meds?? And it is exactly as you said - YOU are made to feel like you’re inconveniencing THEM, even though it’s their screw up that’s caused this in the first place 🤬 Like our expectations are unreasonable! Mentioning having your gall bladder out has reminded me that I need to tell the nurses etc that I’m allergic to the sticky stuff that they use on their dressings - I had a bad reaction when I had mine out, I had red plaster marks all over my stomach where my skin had reacted so I need the hypoallergenic stuff instead. Must make a note!

They are called ‘ring-sizing beads’ if that helps?

Nicely explained! And yes, we do have some very weird sayings, especially if they are local sayings and things 😉

Sorry, I was trying not to swear! Micky-take - taking the piss but not in a good way and whinging is just complaining generally, not specifically at a person or organisation. A bit like little kids do when they’re tired and bad-tempered. As for not understanding the NHS or the UK med delivery system - it’s OK because I don’t understand it half the time either!

Never been an earl grey kind of tea person, I’m more the ‘builders’ tea type person! Obviously I could be worrying over tea when in fact I could hate it post-surgery so trying any of it would then become a redundant issue 🙃

A much better week than last week with a 7.5lb loss to show for it 😊 16.5lbs lost so far on this ‘try to eat healthier’ plan I have begun. It would be lovely to think that I could carry on like this, just losing weight quite happily and give the WLS a swerve but past history tells me that I will eventually pile weight back on (and more) so why set myself up for failure? I also know that I have a stall coming up, sometime between week 3 and week 7 if past experience is anything to go by. I just tell myself that it’s my body having a sulk because I’ve taken its goodies away, so it’s try to get me to give in by being stubborn. Huh…I have a 4 year old granddaughter who is the epitome of stubborn at times and if I can deal with her then this should hopefully be OK 😉 I had hubby take photos after my 1 stone loss, just so I can compare against the 1st photos. Oddly enough, I could see a teeny bit of difference, so that was a real positive sign. I’m looking forward to ‘shopping in my wardrobe’ once again - trying on all those clothes that are too small for me at present, and just generally getting some wear out of them. I just need to remind myself to try things on regularly, especially as I seem to have several sizes to go at! I read through all the information on my hospitals Bariatric area of their website yesterday, things like dietary advice, example menus, info regarding vitamins etc. From what I have read, it will be a couple of days of liquids, then 6 weeks of purée post-op before moving on to mashed foods for 4 weeks and then hopefully reintroducing normal foods. I now understand why bread, over-cooked rice and pasta are to be avoided but still not sure about caffeine? I am a tea junky so I will have to find a decent decaf to try. Any recommendations UK people? Anyway, the next couple of months are busy, taken up with both physio appointments and, much more excitingly, the bariatric-related appointments. This week is Oximetry so hopefully that goes well. I hope everyone has a fantastic week. Onwards and downwards!

Thank you for the reassurance and encouragement! I suppose it’s good that these things are happening now so that I can raise these concerns with the Bariatric team when the time comes. Hopefully my complaint will be addressed and I will be able to discuss my concerns with the surgery without losing my rag (hair-trigger at times - thanks menopause!)

Re hospital meds - apparently a change in brand name caused the whole system to grind to a halt for my delivery. How ridiculous in this day and age?? These meds can only be delivered via whichever service the hospital uses due to the nature of them (injections) so it’s not as though I can have a say in that. It just means a lot of chasing when it goes wrong. The rules around the NHS dispensing meds in the UK changed some time ago for some reason. I think it was to stop stockpiling and for patients to only request meds they will use instead of just getting them automatically and then wasting then potentially 🙄 It doesn’t seem to matter what repeat medication I request, the pharmacist at the Drs makes the decision when he authorises the script. For example, a couple of weeks ago I requested 2 months of Ibuprofen 400mg as it was difficult to source to buy over the counter - I got 2 weeks. My HRT gel I get 3 bottles at a time (1 bottle a month) but the tablets I get are only issued as 2 monthly scripts so they never marry up. It’s just so annoying when you need to order repeat prescriptions! Sorry, I know I’m whinging but it’s things like this that drives me insane 🤯

When I had lost weight many moons ago, my jeweller put 2 balls of white gold inside my platinum bands to reduce the size and it worked perfectly. No damage to my rings, easy to remove if needed 🙂

Thanks for that @ShoppGirl I just couldn’t find the relevant info. I can certainly understand why they would want you to avoid the diuretic effect but didn’t know about it affecting healing. Will just have to see what the hospital advises but hopefully tea wont be banned for too long!

To quote the man himself “do it for Yorkshire” (love a bit of Sean Bean!) That is SUCH good news regarding the tea! I hope my hospital has the same approach. I had read the Yorkshire Tea Decaf was actually the best and tasted like actual tea so I will get a little box and try it. I only ever drink coffee if I’m out so that’s not so much of a loss for me 😉 Well done on your loss too…how are you finding things post-op?

Maybe a 7 day breakfast/lunch/dinner challenge (pick one) where participants have to have a different breakfast etc every day for 7 days, posting pics and recipes (if applicable) I find I can get in to a rut when trying to eat healthier, eating the same things over and over again. This would challenge users and also give others new ideas to try. Also a ‘wear something different’ challenge when you have to wear something outside of your normal comfort zone, say a skirt instead of trousers, or a different colour to your usual palette, different hair, make-up etc etc. Users can post a pic of their usual look and then their different look. Getting supportive feedback from others can be a great help in boosting confidence. Again, it’s trying to get people to try something different to open up their choices.

Check the salt content with the peri peri salt and the fish sticks. Salt can cause water retention and hinder weight loss.

Well done @Bypass2Freedom @JennyBeez and @NickelChipon your successes so far. I am watching all your journeys with interest 🙃 I’m SO looking forward to getting back to the gym. I find it a massive boost to my mental wellbeing as well as my fitness. Great tip re checking blood pressure, I never even thought of that. I hope your hormones settle down for you Jenny, they can be impossible to deal with at time! Embrace all your wins - weight loss, different foods, exercises, swimsuits 🏆

Thank you @SleeveToBypass2023 @Bypass2Freedom and @JennyBeez for your kind, supportive comments. All are very much appreciated 😄 @SleeveToBypass2023 I know my carbs are a little high but they are around half of what they were a couple of weeks ago! I’m trying to reduce the amount slowly but surely. I have to be careful as I did high protein/low carb around 12 years ago and lost 8.5 stones. Unfortunately this wasn’t sustainable for me which resulted in gaining back the loss and a couple of extra stones, just because I could 🙄 I need to try and find a balance between carbs and protein so it’s a constant work in progress at the moment. @Bypass2Freedom 💜 @JennyBeez oh, it’s definitely a learning experience! I’m happy that I didn’t end up sabotaging myself by listening to that little voice saying ‘it’s not working, have a pizza/chocolate bar/bag of crisps to make you feel better’. These small wins will all add up to something more substantial, I know they will. Salt is a sneaky little thing but it will remind me to be more aware. I will be glad to have my dietitian appointment in August, just to discuss everything. I’m weighing and recording everything that goes in my mouth on the Nutracheck app. I’ve changed how my nutrient choices are recorded so it shows my salt intake now, as well as carb, protein and calories so I can make adjustments as and when I need to. I would love to be someone who doesn’t have to think about food!

It’s been a really frustrating week. It took me right back to the feelings I had when trying yet another weight loss regime and getting nowhere 😡 I have been trying new things this week plus sticking to my eating plan. However my weight has been all over the place, even though my calories have averaged 1400 per day, my protein intake around 100g and my carbs between 100 - 140g. I’d forgotten a couple of basic things - my body doesn’t do well losing weight when I’m throwing down a handful of pain killers 3 times a day and I didn’t check my salt intake. I retain water like mad when I have high salt foods which a couple of the new things I’d tried this week had (looking at you low fat sausages 👀) But, lesson learned with that, especially as I had bookmarked these sausages when I had to complete the liver reduction diet (allowed on my NHS trusts plan) Better to know now and not later when I know it would have sent my in to a proper flap! Overall, a whole 1lb down this week. Not a roaring success by any means but I did stick to plan and I didn’t fall headfirst into things I shouldn’t! Plus I am at a lower weight now than my initial reported weight to the clinic by the GP so that’s a positive 😊 Onwards and Downwards!

It was a mix of everything for me - holiday last year where I could barely move due to ridiculous pains in my knees that wouldn’t stop. I thought it was a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare initially but nope, just Osteoarthritis because I’m fat. I was so miserable. The holiday was ruined and hubby was really worried. Had physio and steroid injections when we got back home but nothing worked. I was 55 but felt 85. It felt like I had nothing to look forward to, life seemed very small as I didn’t leave the house. Pain is constant, nothing touches it, sleep is continually disturbed and I just felt unhappy generally. I wasn’t depressed but it was a very fine line I was walking, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to tip me over into depression. I’ve always been able to see the positives in pretty much any situation but I couldn’t this time. Hubby has his own mobility problems due to nerve damage in his lower back from an op that went wrong, and all that kept going through my head was how were we going to manage with everything? I was the one who had kept everything ticking over but I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated my body, never let hubby see me naked, couldn’t play with my granddaughter, clothes were chosen just because they fit not because I actually liked them etc etc. I spoke to a female GP about HRT as I had just started it but had to change how I took it because of my weight. I was having a major panic because HRT was the only thing stopping me from acting like a crazed homicidal manic! My GP was fantastic, I actually felt listened to for the first time. It was then that I asked about what I could so about my weight as I’d had enough and nothing was working. Every time I dieted, I put it all back plus more. I’d had Orlistat that didn’t work and had looked at the jabs but couldn’t afford £250 a month. My GP didn’t hesitate and talked me through my options, saying she would support me. She referred me that week and, after a bit of hoop-jumping, I’m now on the WLS pathway. I already feel better about things and I’m excited for the future 😊

This really resonates with me 🤔 Thank you for putt In to words what I would like to eventually achieve!

I had to order my plate from Amazon US because it was the only place that had the portions in the right proportion (1/2 protein, 1/4 each veg and carbs) It arrived in the UK quickly though so that was 👍

A lovely, positive read especially for those of us who are just starting out on our WLS journeys 😊 Many congratulations on your ongoing success 🏆