NeonRaven8919

I wanted to post a quick update. I had my birthday and definitely didn't follow my plan and the next day was my friends wedding so that day wasn't much better.

But I've regained my focus and I'm back to what I should be eating. I'm still losing weight and major slip ups aside. I'm not going backwards.

3 hours ago, summerseeker said:

Happy Birthday @NeonRaven8919

May I say your surgeon is a pig to have you on such a regime. That's brutal. Kudos to you for not complaining or venting about it.

You have your head in just the right place. New nails and a Comedy club sounds amazing, enjoy. Next time your birthday comes around you will be super slinky and feel like a million dollars.

Thank you!

On 3/13/2024 at 5:10 PM, tinyforks said:

I love this story! Yes, it's funny how "off" my eyes can be sometimes. Just yesterday I was shocked when I fit into new pants that looked WAY too small. This is such a fun process, especially since for so long it was the other way around (not fitting into clothes that looked huge).

Yes, weight is definitely about perception. We get so used to looking big that losing weight you think "this isn't me". I lost a good 30lbs (13kg) once that was the most I ever lost in one new fad diet and once I gained it all back and more, I thought i was back to looking how I'm supposed to. I realise this is going to be a big obstacle once I have the sugery

On 3/13/2024 at 12:30 AM, BeanitoDiego said:

And @SarahByNumbers, your kitty has great taste in music!

Yes! I second this!

I'm also in the "what to do for the birthday Struggle Club!

My surgery is 7th of October and my birthday is tomorrow 25th July.

My dr put me on a 12 week milk diet (1.5litres of milk with semi-skimmed milk and 1 salty drink a day) to quickly lose weight before my surgery.

So I don't want to jeopardise that and have my usual slices of cake from my favourite bakery. It's also my friend's wedding on Saturday. I can't avoid the wedding are ask people to do something that isn't food related. But I can control my birthday and avoid temptation.

I made the decision to go out and get my nails done and go to a comedy club instead! I'm not much of a drinker so the club won't be a temptation and I can't eat while getting my nails done!

Next year, I'll be thinner and probably more in the mood to Celebrate anyway.

3 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

How long have you been doing it? I guess it’s been about a year for me now. I belong to a group that meets weekly with people who knit and crochet with a lot more experience. They all say that I will want to try knitting at some point and most of them do both. I actually picked up the hooks for Tunesian Crochet but haven’t done anything with them. Maybe I will give that a go during recovery. It may be a better distraction since it’s new and will take more focus.

Does anyone else have any cool hobbies they plan to use when they need a distraction in this process?

I've been knitting since 2010 and crocheting off and on for about the same time. I started while I was university since I couldn't afford my tv licence and I needed something do.

I did much better in my exams the year I took up knitting. I think it was because it involved my hand-eye coordination rather than just watching tv

I was told I can't have anything even Water after midnight the night before my surgery. But, I'm scheduled to be admitted at 7 am which is about 7 hours so maybe it's not that odd?

I would ask the doctor or surgeon that question just to be sure.

On 7/3/2024 at 7:42 AM, ShoppGirl said:

@Singingbarista lots Of people

lurk here for a while before they post. Congrats on your decision to do surgery. The local support groups are great too. I keep saying I’m going to get started back but life always gives me an excuse. Post op no more excuses for me though. Have you found any good recipes or shakes you can recommend? I am an anxious person so I totally get the over preparing as a coping mechanism. As long as you aren’t creating a financial hardship you’re not hurting anyone (thatS what I tell myself). As far as craft suggestions go I love to crochet. It’s easy to pick up the basics and you can make things with only knowing the most basic stitch then learn a ones whenever your heart desires. It can be a cheap hobby if you shop the sales and don’t become what we refer to as yarn snob. I actually started it because the mindless counting of stitches is very meditative And helps With anxiety. I have brought my crochet with me for many big tests and procedures. Most libraries have groups that meet weekly too so you get to meet other people that knit and crochet. You can usually find crochet hooks at thrift store even and the red heart yarn at Walmart is good enough to get you started.check out some you tube videos Or your libraries website to see when the next class is if you are interested

Yes! Crochet and knitting for me!

I'm going to the US in November to see my family. I haven't been home in 20 years so I will see my sisters fir the first time in 20 years (Yay!) And my dad and step-mother (ugh). My stepmother was always overweight. Larger than my mother was, but she made a point of telling me specifically how big I was getting and my dad would constantly tell me I was getting so big I was starting to look like my mother. (who again, was smaller than his wife) and they made me eat differently than everyone else and bought me clothes two sizes bigger to make look better.

Apparently step-mother lost a lot of weight about 10 years ago. (i don't know if that's really true, I haven't spoken to either one in about 15 years. I will have my surgery before then and I'm certain I'll get more comments about having had the surgery so I'm just not going to tell them.

The worst comments always come from those closest to us. Family really stinks sometimes.

2 hours ago, MrsFitz said:

I also think that all the stages reiterate how serious this kind of surgery is too. It certainly isn’t for the faint hearted or those wanting the loss thinking this is the easy way.

My first group session sounds very similar to yours. The nurses said right at the very beginning that jabs like Ozempic or Wegovy were not available and you could see that some were disappointed. My next group session is in August so it will be interesting to hear from others at that session. We were given a lot of reading matter to familiarise ourselves with the whole process and encouraged to contact the Bariatric department if we had any questions or concerns, which I found reassuring.

My next group session is in August too! Just curious if your hospital is UCLH?

7 minutes ago, MrsFitz said:

For surgery on the NHS, it has to be shown that the patient is fully aware that the surgery is only a tool and that the patient has realistic expectations of life post-surgery. We have to show and understand that we are prepared to put in all the necessary work (daily Vitamins and regular blood tests, to adhere to the rules of eating both immediately after surgery while we heal and then the lifelong commitment required to maintain their losses)

I’m glad that my NHS Trust has hoops to jump through if I’m honest, as it inspires confidence for me. Would I love surgery now? Of course! I’m I mentally prepared for it? No, I don’t think I am. The past couple of weeks have shown me that I do respond to emotional situations by trying to soothe myself with food. Will I be able to do that post-op? Very, very doubtful as I would be worried about undoing both the surgery and the psychological readiness I know I need to undergo said surgery.

I do read some posts on various forums that do give cause for concern as a pre-op patient, just as Tek identified above. I’m in no position to advise but it is comforting that the more experienced posters do their utmost to give advice and guide the user in contacting their surgeon, doctor etc or to re-read the advice they should have been given 🙂

I'm an NHS patient as well. I can fully understand needing hoops to jump through before spending public money. I think the thing for is I had to stop and think at each stage if it all was really worth it so each barrier gave me time to re-evaluate. My first group session, you could tell there were a lot of people who weren't suitable yet, because they wanted the "magic wand solution" and were disappointed this isn't it. And then about a third just wanted Ozempic because they thought it meant they didn't need to do any work. Every stage made me sure I am ready to put the work in now.

I chose the sleeve. My mother had the bypass back in 2008 and had a lot of problems. She couldn't keep anything down for months after the sugery and the had to operate again and they made a mistake. So she basically couldn't really eat anything at all and suffered for years. She had a bowel perforation due to clot in April of 2023 that they couldn't diagnose until a month later and they couldn't repair because of what went wrong with her bypass surgery and she died in May of 2023. So I'm too afraid of having the same kind of problems. It's not the same hospital or the same surgeon, but I'm still scared.

I did wonder if I should even consider any type of surgery at all, but my mother did lose weight and it did extend her life.

On 5/11/2024 at 12:26 AM, Zazu_89 said:

Hi from UK, Ive been booked in for surgery in July and was told to go on 12 week diet. I thought that's excessive as I've seen heavier people only do 2-3 weeks max. I have to do 9 weeks on milk and jelly, then 3 weeks on weight watchers Soup and Muller. For example I've started today and I'm at weight I should be on 20th if I have like healthy Protein based meal once a day in the 9 weeks that should be fine isn't it? I had boneless chicken today and weight didn't fluctuate thankfully so one meal a week for 9 weeks should be fine? Sorry if I'm rambling

I'm in the exact same situation. (Also in the UK). I'm going through the NHS. I wasn't expecting to have to start the diet so soon either. I was hoping to at least get my birthday and my friend's wedding out of the way before having to be restricted. I wasted a lot of food as I just bought groceries before my appointment. I'm not sure if the whole 12 weeks is the liver shrinking diet or just the last three weeks. I did mess up in a moment of feeling like I was starving and I had 4 slices of toast.

If the whole 12 weeks is to shrink the liver, I wouldn't risk eating anything not on the list if it can be avoided. If just the last three weeks is the liver shrinking diet, maybe one "proper meal" a week is fine?

14 hours ago, Mandapanda@ said:

Tomorrow is my surgery and I’m packing my hospital bag. Did you guys wear specific clothing for way home??? I will have 5 keyhole type incisions and I’m thinking I’m not gonna want a waist band?

Good Luck with everything tomorrow!

I live in London and there's a lot of great things to do! You will definitely enjoy it!

On 6/5/2024 at 11:27 PM, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

Exactly, would they ask someone who's putting weight on?

Yes, some people would.

On 2/12/2024 at 9:54 AM, Bypass2Freedom said:

Hey everyone,

I was on here talking before about some comments that my partner's family member made, and how it kind of upset me.

Yet again, now more comments are being made but this time from my own Grandma. I had a dessert with my sister whilst we were out and she proceeded to call us 'piggies'.

I know this is just a phrase that a lot of people make, but for some reason it just got to me a bit.

I struggle a lot with being perceived in public, always worrying that I am taking up too much space, or if someone is looking at me, thinking it is for a negative reason around my weight.

It is a really destructive pattern of thinking, I am aware, and I am trying to change it. I just feel really heavy with it all at the moment.

But I think I just needed to rant about it. I am just feeling quite low about a lot of things, and unfortunately, unless you have struggled with your weight, I think it is hard for people to understand the why.

x

I hate eating in restaurants sometimes because I worried that people are watching me eat and thinking "of course the fat girl would be eating that". It's really hard not to see myself that way.

The old expression "If you knew how little they thought of you, you wouldn't care how little they thought of you." is true, but it's hard to remember.

On 7/9/2024 at 7:37 AM, ShoppGirl said:

This isn’t really a rant or a rave. More just a topic that I am curious to hear others thoughts on. I had my psyc eval this morning and it got me to thinking….a lot. On one hand I was extremely irritated that I feel like we are being discriminated agains to have to do a psyc eval to begin with while on the other hand I question whether a one time appointment is enough and we should be required to do more.

First let me say that when I say that it should be required for us to do anything I do not believe that insurance companies should be the ones dictating ANY of this. I think that doctors should be making medial decisions, period. With that being said they are involved so should they be allowed to require a psyc eval for one surgery and not another? Not ANY others as far as I know. I mean all the hoops that are required for weight loss surgery, I haven’t done anything like this for any other surgery It really feels like discrimination. How is it that in this day and age they are still getting away with it.?

On the other hand are they on to something and is the evaluation really enough? For those of us who have been through it all would you have benefitted from ongoing therapy to deal with all the life changes and some professional help to change the disordered eating behaviors that most of us have to some degree? Should this be a requirement? Or perhaps they should just have to educate us about therapy and provide access to it for those who choose it. Or instead of the evaluation beforehand require one visit post surgery just so we could see what therapy is like and we can decide if it worth it. Maybe the surgeons should be required to have a therapist on staff that can handled their patient load. Should the doctors step up and require more of their patients than the insurance company does (if they believe it’s beneficial)? Is that even allowed? or should all of this be the patients decision?

Just something to think about

I see your point, but I think the psych eval is necessary. Weight loss surgery outcomes are much better when used along side pysch evals, dietician visits etc. This is all documented and confirmed by the medical community. I think if I was an insurance company, I would prefer to pay out for a surgery that it likely to be successful because the patient is using all the tools in their tool belt and is more likely to be successful. I would also think that more than one appointment with a psychologist should be the norm. You can sometimes do more harm than good with only one therapy session.

I don't see it as discrimination because ultimately, it's an elective surgery. We can live (albeit less well) if we are overweight. There are also other surgeries that require psychiatric evaluation too, for example gender surgeries. It's not really discriminatory to require that the person getting certain surgery is likely to have a successful outcome because the require life changes to be successful.

However, I definitely agree that it shouldn't be down to the insurance companies to determine the requirements, it should be medial professionals. Insurers should never get the final say in what procedures a patient can or can't get if the doctor disagrees with the insurance company. I also don't think a tick box appointment should be enough to get approved for a major surgery which is what insurance requires.

I'm pre-op and my surgery is much sooner along than I expected. I was expecting to have a few weeks to try and ease into the liver shrinking diet and buy foods that I can have on hand, but it was just sprung on me that I would need 12 weeks of liquids. No easing into it, no chance to have my favourite foods one last time (which isn't a bad thing really, but it feels like it. I lost control and cheated and I had 4 slices of toast and then felt so bad. Knowing it's only another 11 weeks to go is a short time, but it feels like years. I just got really upset at the idea that I won't be able to eat solid foods until December. It makes cravings so bad.

I love MyProtein for powders.

For shakes, I also like Ufit, Grenade and For Goodness Shakes.

I hate Protein Bars. I've never found a good one.

On 3/8/2024 at 8:31 AM, Bypass2Freedom said:

It is quite a shame that we have to fund it ourselves if we don't want to be waiting 5+ years! But as you say, in the long run it is worth it, and I know I will feel that way too. I agree with you on that - I don't see how the NHS will be able to improve, given that they aren't getting anymore funding any time soon... 😅 But thank you, selling my house was going to happen regardless, but now I have a purpose for some of the money which I will be grateful eternally for!

Oooo you have given me things I need to add! Chinese is right up there! A full English too yes! You went for it, rightly so!!

I'm actually getting my surgery on the NHS. To be honest, I feel like I won the lottery because I was approved for surgery in May 2024 and I'm getting it in October 2024. The surgeon said to me it was extremely unlikely it would happen before next year! But I guess the downside is they gave me the option of sleeve or bypass and those were the only options.

I would love a last fry up, but sadly, I'm on milk diet for 12 weeks until surgery and then after that, I don't suppose I'll really want food for at least a month.

Sorry to hear you've had to go through this. My surgery is in October and I'm a bundle of nerves. I've been put on a 12 week liquid diet, and I couldn't imagine going through all this and then having to reschedule. Good Luck to you!

Fantastic! Well done! You look amazing!

On 6/21/2024 at 1:23 AM, Ididit4myself said:

Hello. My surgery is scheduled for Sept 11. I am both excited and anxious at the same time. Any advice for me before my surgery date?

Mine is scheduled for October 7th! It seems like ages away, but too soon, but not soon enough! I know what you mean about being excited and anxious at the same time! There's a million emotions.

Since I'm getting my surgery done on the National Health Service, I didn't really get a choice in surgeries or times. I was given the choice of bypass of sleeve and then an assessment that told me the doctor was going to do a sleeve.

Thanks! I'm definitely focusing on protein! I'm going to see how it goes until my follow up appointment in two weeks and discuss with the doctor.