Jane_J

Hi Tiffykins, Posh is formal dress up, I think it stands for Port Out Starboard Home, the people who could afford the best side of the boat on cruises, ie rich. Cheers, Jane

Tiffykins, You look wonderful in that dress. I hope you enjoy your Ball Cinders :-) I am going to a posh do this weekend so will post my dress pic when I get it sorted. It's such fun dressing up, it's been so many years since I have enjoyed clothes I am like a kid in sweet shop (probably not a very good analogy considering why we are all here!). And the best thing is we are all going on the same journey so we can share it with our friends here on the forum and enjoy their successes too. Love and encouragement to all. Jane

Brialliant loss. And you are now on the home stretch so to speak. Well done you!!

Thanks everone. It's where you all will be thanks to the brilliant Sleeve.

To all of you doing the hard part of your journey I hope these 2 pictures encourage you to keep on. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/members/jane_j-albums-progress.html Loads of love to you all. Jane:thumbup:

Thanks all, it was hard to post the before picture, sometimes you don't want to see where you were before but I hope it helps keep motivation. Now I have to maintain and understand I am myself again but now 20 years older. Thats quite a shock, somehow you expect to go back to year zero.

Yes thats why I went to the Czech Republic and they were terrific. Keep an open and informed mind I reckon.

Hi Bookleen, you are very welcome here, we are close neighbours after all on these little western European islands after all My anti acid is a PPI, proton pump inhibitor, called Lansoprazole. I started on 30mg a day, now I take 1 15mg a day, still trying to wean myself off. When you reduce the acid in your stomach it means that you can get deficient in Calcium so you need to take a supplement, and it has to be as calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. I take Solgar Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D, 240 tablets for ?23.29 from The UK Health Store :: Providing Top Quality Nutrition supplements to Enhance Your Total Health and Well-being I also take Milk Thistle 3000mg 360 for ?17.99 and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) 1000mg 120 for ?16.99 both from Quality Glucosamine, Omega 3, Cod Liver Oil and Vitamins - Simply Supplements The milk thistle is because I drink alcohol and was told to take it before my op to improve my liver, so I decided to keep that one up afterwards, and the CLA because its supposed to help you maintain muscle mass rather than fat at the dosage of 4000mg a day. Apart from that I take a Boots own brand A-Z one a day Multivitamin just to be on the safe side. And I nearly forgot, I take 1200mg of Collagen plus from Quality Glucosamine, Omega 3, Cod Liver Oil and Vitamins - Simply Supplements at bed time when I remember, to try to prop up my aging skin as it struggles to re-adjust to the new frame size. I chose this one as it is totally marine sourced, I didn't fancy the BSE possibilities of cattle skin sourced collagen. I don't take anything to prevent gall stones and I did experience some pain attacks which I thought were stones but ultrasound showed nothing there and they have stopped now. I am feeling very well actually. But I am now 11 months out so the real hard work of healing and losing fast is behind me and I can now concentrate on enjoying the rest of my life, thank God. Re post op, get the Protein shakes in, remember scrambled eggs are nice mushy food options and don't expect to be eating very much at all for the 1st few weeks. You won't feel hungry so it won't be hard. be nice to yourself in other ways, like treat yourself to good films, books, skin creams etc, as you will be saving shed loads on the food bills. Expect to feel wiped out by the op as its a full general anaesthetic and the effects can persist for a month. I hope this helps you. Do you have a date yet and where are you getting it done? I have a friend, Ken, who is looking at getting this done too. So he and I would be interested in feedback regarding the UK options as he will do his via the NHS. So far I have identified these surgeons and hospitals from previous post:- Roger Ackroyd at Sheffield Mr Ahmed at Charing Cross Hospital (London and Charing Cross Hospital is the home of Imperial Weight Centre UK's first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) and the largest trust in the country) Mr Ammori at Manchester Mr Cheruvu at University Hospital North Staffordshire Mr Jain at Luton hospital Perhaps we can add to this list and get feedback and backgrounds on these surgeons regarding their experience, number of staple lines, leak rates etc? All the best to all, Jane

Jen, I am so sorry you are having a bad time at the moment. I hope you get better soon. Hugs from the UK x

I agree 100%, I always say exactly how I did it because I remember how freaking bad I felt when I was getting fatter and other people were losing weight by 'will power'. I think it's more helpful to others to understand that people have this surgery and it works. I couldn't give a flying wottsit if they think I have taken an easy way out, but most people are very supportive in my experience. So be loud and proud people!! :scared0::thumbup::sad0:

But the VSG does not really hep with alcohol, it just passes through if you do it before eating, and then you fall over very fast. Cheap though. Very hard to judge and easy to over cook it so to speak. (from experience!!)

VSG should be good for hungry volume eaters. That was me, no off switch. Now I am better than great!!

Hi Mini, I have been where you are now. It's hard to deal with how bad it was I think. I cringe when I see the old photos. Please hang on in there, it will all be OK in the next year. Loads o love Jane

Alex name the barstewards please so they can be avoided. I got accused of promoting my surgeon which I did innocently on these boards because I did not understand these US/Mexican wars that are going on. Name the manipulators so we can be armed with this knowledge, so we can use that pinch of salt when we see their claims. I am pleased that Europe seems to not be involved but if it is please let us know so we can give them hell from here. Jane:thumbup1:

Hi Bookleen, I don't know where there are any web sites for us eauros. It all seems to be very US centric, possibly because they are more used to buying health care where as we are more used to socialised medicine. All I can say is I was very happy with my choice. All the Brits i have met via heer have been done via the NHS which i did not consider because I had ?5K and I wanted to get it donewithout having to justify to some unqualified management jobsworth. I was happy with the very comprehensive medical and psychiatric assessment I got the Czech Republic, and they obviously thought I was sane which was nice!!

Hi, I think your hair will shed due to the body shock whatever you do. If you take basic good vits and keep a high protein diet it all sorts itself out anyway. Thats what happened to me, so save your money.

Hi Bookleen, Its been a good year actually, very exciting for me. When you start to see the weight coming off and know you cannot volume eat and muck it up it's great. I made sure I had loads of protein and vitamins, and I bought all my clothes on eBay or charity shops to make it more affordable. You can get some good quality interesting gear that way, I will probably continue buying this way. Being able to walk properly again has been fab, we go for a long trudge on Sundays and then to a pub for a roast dinner, for me this is as much roast beef as I can fit in plus a some yorkshire pudding, and a few pints of bitter. Its all good really. Will be scuba diving in Barbados in a months time, I am really looking forward to that. I had to stop diving because when I was overweight it used to cause me to vomit on the ascent, which can be very dangerous. Oh, and wearing high heels again is such fun!! Thats enough rambling from me :-) All the best to you and whatever you decide to do. Cheers, Jane

Hi Bookleen, Welcome. I was in Eire a few weeks ago, whistle stop tour of Cork and Dublin. Still have the hangover!! I had my sleeve done in Czech Republic with Dr Cierny via CosmeticBliss. I give this service an 11/10. They were excellent. I am planning to go back and have the excess skin etc removed by them later this year if funds allow. My op cost just over ?5,000. I just wish I had been able to do this when I was younger, but there's still some life left in this old dog Jane

Hi Kara, If I were you I would do the sleeve. I had mine last May and I am now a normal weight and having a ball, buying clothes, walking, looking forward to going on holiday. Life is 1000% better. Lets face it, if you could do it by will power and exercise you would have by now. Good luck, Jane

I got called the Incredible Disappearing Woman at work yesterday!!! I have bought my entire wardrobe from eBay and charity shops for the weight loss year, and I must say I really enjoy the experience. It means you have a look all of your own, and I don't mean bag lady! I have bought River Island skinny jeans for ?5 and kitten heel leather boots for ?8, bras for ?4 etc etc and a beautiful wool and cashmere balck coat from the hospice shop recently for ?10. I don't think I will go back to 'normal' shopping when I stabilise my weight. Apart from anything I work at a computer for my job so I can take sneaky breaks and see whats on sale.

Pamela, Please don't worry too much. I have been very lax regarding drinking while eating and I have still succeeded. Maybe it would have been faster if I hadn't but I have been very happy. I have lost over 7 stone from my preop diet to now so you should be Ok. Just keep it to the minimum you can. All the very best to you, Jane

Finally I have achieved a BMI of 25, I am officially normal!! Thats a loss of 101 lbs since my heaviest pre op weight. I would like to thank all the people here for their support during this journey. And it aint over yet;-) A year ago I would never have thought that I would be here, able to wear nice clothes and looking forward to booking a holiday with a shared pool because i don't need to hide away any more. I am so happy and I wish this happiness and success to you all. With this sleeve tool it is possible for us all to sort our lives out on the weight front at least. Jane xxxxx :thumbup1:

Hi Mini Me it will be Barbados and scuba diving all washed down with cocktails and fish bakes

Hi JeepChick, I understand exactly what you mean the the weight belt thing. Problem is when you get skinny you will need a wet suit, as you will have lost your inbuilt one! So you will still need weights. :thumbup1: