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That really is pretty consistent every month! There's a slight tapering off toward the end, but nothing like the "average" curve I've seen with massive losses in the beginning followed by very slow loss later.

That's so smart - I have been trying to get my house in order this week, too - this sounds like great motivation to me because I TOTALLY would be doing the same thing; you're right - going crazy about everything I see that needs done at the worst possible time to deal with it! I hope your EKG is good as well! I'm sure it will be *crosses fingers* I go in on Monday for my Pre-Admission Testing; I'm not sure if they'll do an EKG or not but I'm glad you mentioned it! I was just reviewing my paperwork and it says that "You will have non-fasting labs drawn at this appt. and may have other testing done." so I guess it's possible; I hadn't even thought of it. I'm sure they mentioned it and I lost it in the overwhelming amount of information I've been trying to process. It really is a LOT to keep track of. I lucked into hearing about that app I mentioned, Finch, from another friend who also had WLS. (Weight Loss Surgery - it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that abbreviation! ) She had the sleeve, and another friend of mine had the Roux-y about a year and a half ago done by the same surgeon I'm using. I've watched her recovery, and it's been rocky. I think doing a 'virgin SADI' as you called it will be way better for me. She's already got an ulcer due to continuing to use NSAIDs and drinking way too much coffee. She also went back to smoking cigarettes. It's been quite the motivator to do this right, I'll say that much! I start Colace and the Liquid Diet on 7/29, so we'll be on about the same track! I've got the one week pre-op diet, and then surgery on Aug. 5th as long as I get the insurance and other clearance! Best of luck!

i say just keep doing what you are doing, if it feels good and natural to you. i can almost guarantee you that you will NOT wither away and die. so long as you are not in any danger zones (based on labs and your doc's opinion), then you should be golden. just ride the ride and see where you end up. you will most likely gain a bit after you hit bottom, so a cushion is always good. the fear of losing too much weight is a very, very common feeling in our demographic. very, very few actually prove that their worries were warranted long term. i've only known of exactly 1 person (if any!) on this forum for the almost 6 years i've been on here that had an almost-serious issue with ongoing weight loss..but i suspect it was mostly mental vs. physical. i myself had a mini panic for a month or so after reaching goal. and like everyone else, it eventually became a non-issue. i weigh less now that at that time when i was panicking, and in no way do i think i am too skinny today...nor do the people who told me i was waaaaaay to skinny at 127 lbs. now they tell me i'm super hot at 118 lbs. 🤷🏻‍♀️ good luck!

@RonHall908 Wow, what a difference in your face! That is just a night and day transformation. Well done! I've pretty much been stalled the past couple of weeks. Down 1/2 lb, up 1/2 lb. Infuriating. An interesting thing to note is that I'm right at the weight I managed to hit about 7 years ago during my last really serious successful attempt at weight loss. Going back over my records, the lowest I hit was 203.8 after about 9 months of nutrition counseling and regular daily exercise. After that, it was a long plateau and a slow and steady climb back up. Lo and behold, I am at 203.8 again. It makes me wonder if my body has some reason it wants to stall out at this weight, which hopefully the surgery will eventually win out over. Or the universe just wants to mess with me because I'm an ounce away from lowest weight in over 20 years, 1 lb away from my half-way weight loss goal milestone, and 3.9 lbs away from onederland. So what a great time to stall and stew! I almost kicked my scale this morning.

@Greekmom4 that bean recipe sounds good. Is salsa considered a purée though? I guess you can purée it a little more. I’m gonna order some now and try to use my little hand blender with it and see what happens. You have to tell me how exactly you went about making purée chicken salad. Was it totally mush? I am allowed canned chicken and tuna and a little low fat Mayo but that seems like a big jump from liquid to me. @Hiddenroses i haven't experienced that but have heard of lots of weird physical aches and pains, especially back pain that occurs as we lose because our posture changes so quickly. And lots of people do end up needing a cushion when they sit after a while. I’m gonna guess it is the loss. Your first NSV!! Needing extra butt cushion 🎉 @Onemealplan are you allowed the egg substitute? I had never tried them until my pre op diet and they are surprisingly good. The first ingredient is egg whites but they add some stuff to make them taste a whole lot more like regular eggs which is great for me because I really don’t care for egg whites. They are also super soft and moist which is good for us right now. @Hiddenroses I am editing this post to add that now that I am paying attention I am feeling a bit of tingling in my butt cheek. I am lying in an adjustable bed watching tv and I’m actually not in a very comfortable position at all but I swear I just noticed some tingling in the right side and shifted my weight. 🤣 I guess if it happened before I just didn’t pay much attention. I’m lucky that I haven’t had to do any desk chair sitting this week. That just got me to thinking about when will be the best time to get a new mattress. One thing I do remember with the sleeve was that the mattress seemed uncomfortable after I lost a significant ***** of weight. I think it’s because I was not sleeping in my same dented in spot with the posture changes. I flipped the mattress a few times and then ended up switching mattresses with my husband who is tiny because he can sleep on anything and that worked last time but I don’t remember if they have been replaced since then. I’m thinking not so I’m going to have to for sure this time at some point.

Good morning everyone! I have to say, all the extreme pain and unforeseen issues with surgery makes me nervous hahaha. I know it’s not the “norm”, but it makes you think. Singingbarista and Hiddenroses (i can’t figure out how to tag people hahaha), I totally know what you mean about not telling people. I have only told my sister and my mother and that’s because they’ve both had procedures similar to this. I agree, in my head there’s a fear of judgment that I’m taking the “easy way out”… even if I know that’s not true… this has got to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. This is a tool to aid us in loosing the excess weight that keeps us down for a number of reasons. I’m an Accountant, and fortunately I get to work remotely now so I’m not in the public eye, but when I fly down to see my family next year they’ll definitely see a big difference and I’ll have to be prepared for questions. I don’t like to lie so I’ll just have to prepare myself to tell the truth. If they judge me, that’s on them. I was given a choice on my procedures but was heavily advised to go with RNY because of the success rate with weight loss. My doctor told me that a lot of people he’s performed the Gastric Sleeve on have come back to get the RNY because of the weight gain back. My surgery is coming up on Wednesday and I’m honestly ready to get it over with. My food cravings and hunger pains are terrible. Maybe I’m not drinking enough water? I hear a lot of people say by this time it wasn’t so bad for them… ummm am I doing something wrong? Hahaha. How is everyone doing on the last days of the liquid diet? I have 4 days and counting… @Singingbarista, you have 3 days right? By the way, side note… i asked the doctor not to give me anything that’s a narcotic for pain meds (family history of severe pill addiction), does anyone think I can recover on Tramadol or Tylenol alone? Is there anyone who’s gone through that? Good luck to all, and for those of you who just went through the surgery, I really hope your pain goes away soon.

Hey everyone, it’s me again. I woke up early this morning feeling pretty good and refreshed. I think I’m still proud of myself for doing my walk last night. I told my husband that I was proud and I know that it’s not really that big of a deal but it feels huge to me and he reminded me that after my sleeve I never exercised so it is a big deal. When he would mention it I would just tell him what my surgeon said that it’s really a pretty small part of weight loss. I left out the part where he said that it is still important for physical and mental health though. So I guess the fact that I am less that a month out this time and trying a different approach already is a pretty good thing. I went to do my grocery pickup this morning and got my supplies for my first week of soft foods which I get to start tomorrow 🎉 I ordered a lot more that I need for sure. The guy just kept adding bags to the trunk and my fridge has never been so full. I got out my book that my Dr gave me and it doesn’t mention a portion size for soft foods. The handout the hospital gave me says 1/2 to 3/4 cup though so I guess I will stick to 1/2 cup to start and make sure that’s okay. I just took a little nap since I woke up early and plan to walk again tonight. I have been scouring the Internet for a solution to my shorts riding up. The best thing I can find is to put a boning in the seam so I think I may order some and give that a try. I guess I have to drag out my sewing machine and relearn how to thread it and all that so I’m not sure how long I will procrastinate before I do it. I did order a pair of inexpensive yoga shorts to wear in the mean time and good news is when I measured my waist and hips to get the right size I realized that I have lost two inches in both. My only concern I have now is that one incision that’s dented in still. Everyone says that they think It will be fine but i just don’t know I think it’s going to stay like that honestly and worry that when I lost and it’s extra skin it’s going to look even worse. I guess no one but my husband will ever see it but I really wish it would just flatten out I hope everyone else is having a wonderful holiday weekend and feeling better and better each day. I know that I am.

OK so I have no experience with this because I have no interest at all in skin removal. WLS was, for me, all about the health benefits and way less about the aesthetic benefits but I totally get people who want both (and OMG see the photos on the before and after threads for detail and inspiration)! From what I have gleaned in my 2.5 years here people's weight loss is in the single pounds category after skin removal surgery. Unless you started off in the 60s or 70s of BMI? The point isn't the added pounds of loss but more the making their bodies feel more comfortable to them. I am also a huge believer in the concept of a new 'set weight' after surgery. Our bodies just seem to decide where to settle. Pushing beyond that is tricky. I would have been happy 15 or 20lbs above where I am at the minute. I didn't particularly push myself to get beyond that. But it feels like my set weight was decided by my body. I know that sounds strange. You talk about feeling happy at your current weight plus or minus the weight you might be after removal of skin and whether losing a few pounds more might cause sag that you would have to address at a later point. Honestly I don't really understand that but I guess others will be along soon who might. It might be worth discussing in detail with your surgeon what your desired end point is. Congratulations on your loss, it's amazing.

I had VSG in 2017 and found myself pregnant with my first! I have not taken vitamins as I was supposed to post op. But I have been taking prenatal vitamins since finding out. I lost a total of 150lbs since surgery, and this last year another 20 due to stress. I’m concerned the weight loss will continue (I know I’m just stressing more, it’s kind of my thing) For you bariatric mommies, were you able to hold enough food for you and the baby?

Super helpful to know! Maintaining will be just as difficult (if not more so) than the initial loss then. I so hope I can do it.

Some of us just need the “extra help” that bariatric surgery can give us. I was a total food addict. Always thinking about my next meal, feeling cheated if I did not have heaping portions and eating until I felt sick. Some of us are just wired like that. It’s not just “push the plate away” or having “will power” I believe it just how we are wired, an addiction. This surgery does change your brain, I’m serious, I don’t plan my day around food and I easily choose healthy foods. I don’t crave junk and sweets. The hair loss is no joke but I knew that was going to happen. I’m 7mo post op and it has slowed down. As far as vitamins .. I take 2 chewy multivitamins and 2 calcium chews per day and a b12 every other week because my b12 level was really high. All other blood work was good. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. I wish you the best of luck on whatever journey you decide to take.

While I was losing I didn’t cheat. In saying that as I got close to my goal & then when trying to maintain, I stated developing a way of eating that would allow me to enjoy the foods I wanted to, enjoy my life & how I wanted to live it, and still maintain my weight. Actually I don’t like the word ‘cheating’ in regards to eating. Too negative much like the word ‘diet’. To me they mean failure, weakness & punishment. However or whatever you chose to eat now or in the future must be sustainable. It must complement your lifestyle and support your weight loss & long term maintenance. If you choose to eat in a restrictive way that means you can’t participate in social activities or makes you feel you’re missing out, it’s destined to fail. Especially if you are defining any diversions off that path as cheating. But if you adopt a way of eating that is flexible, means you can have pizza with your family or friends, or have birthday cake, or whatever & you accept this as just how you eat in your life, it will be sustainable and lead to long term success. You’ll have to consider portion size, frequency, alternative ingredients or cooking styles but it certainly isn’t cheating in my thinking. Well that’s what I believe.

I can't even ... I am literally half the woman I used to be...262lbs-131lbs in a year. My goal was 140, but I kept loosing despite the increase in calories. I know a bounce back is coming and appreciate the cushion. My body composition test showed I went from 50% body fat to 18% with no new loss of fat free body mass since month 3. When they showed the pounds of fat vs fat free mass, I only had 24lbs of fat, which is good because some fat is healthy. I'm thrilled with the results. My first bikini in who knows how long (my daughter bought it for me for Mother's Day). I seriously do not recognize myself and I love being healthy. *Don't mind my red face. I started micro needling.

Congrats on the surgery and taking a huge step forward in improving your health! Also, welcome to the post-op malaise phase of the process, haha! I was there a few months ago, and I think its a rite of passage to be like "What have I done?!!" somewhere in the first 6 weeks. It does get better gradually, but the first month is the roughest. You will be able to eat "normal" foods again soon. I think I was able to eat most things again around the 3 month mark (mostly excluding carbonated drinks and alcohol). Just take your time and listen to your body. Some things will fight back, and if they do, just wait 3-5 days before trying again. I had a lot of trouble with green veggies initially, but was able to handle them around week 6. Also remember the weight loss pattern will resemble stairs and not a straight line. You'll have periods of weight loss, followed by a couple/few weeks of stalling and slight regain. This is just your body recalibrating itself after a large loss to ensure its safe to continue letting go of fat reserves, because it mistakenly thinks you're in a survival event and doesn't want you to starve to death. Just remember this is part of the process, and its not a failure. This really got me down initially and compounded that regret feeling, but after a long stall I'm making progress again. Also, Cipro is very likely the culprit in making you feel sick. it's a very strong antibiotic, and good at its job, but the side effects can be harsh. I've developed some partial hearing loss because of it after years of taking it for recurring Diverticulitis. Ask your doctor if there is another antibiotic that can do the job, but with fewer side effects. Good luck, and I wish you luck on your journey!

I completely agree with what everyone has said so far. I will add, there are many people on this forum who hesitated & deferred their surgery for many reasons (influence of family or friends, own fear & doubt, etc.) all say after they do have surgery, they wish they had done it the first time. I hate people, who have never had the surgery, say it’s the easy way out & that they care about you. If they cared about you & your health they would support you wanting to do something to benefit & improve your health. And, importantly, it’s not easy. You have to watch every thing you eat & doing some form of activity is recommended but unlike any usual weight loss diet & exercise program you have to do a lot of head work. The head is where many of the issues that drive excessive eating (addictions, emotional issues, etc.) originate. The psychological aspect of the surgical program is great & a vital aspect of continued success. I can’t stress this enough. The other thing is that the programs get you to examine & change how & what you eat which any traditional diet doesn’t. It’s why traditional diets fail - we all go back to eating the same way we always did. However, the whole process does get easier as you progress and get to the point of maintaining your lower weight. Many of your new learned eating behaviours & food choices become imbedded and second nature. New habits are formed. Less liked foods become favourites. You’ll discover & enjoy new cooking styles & ingredients. You’ll learn what you can & can’t eat to maintain your weight & how much & how often of some other things you can eat (like those old favourites). And you work out a way to eat that is sustainable and doesn’t feel like you are missing out or punishing yourself like a traditional diet does. If you decide to explore the surgical option again, maybe don’t tell anyone until you are completely certain about your decision and won’t be swayed by people who don’t understand or respect your opinions, intelligence, decision making abilities & have never walked in your shoes through your life. All the best which ever path you chose.

nah, i get it, i'm a numbers gal myself, and i LIVE for tracking and data and spreadsheets! ok,so if i were to respond to this specific statement then, my surgeon made his calculations with my weight when i first got accepted into the program...which was 2+ YEARS BEFORE my actual surgery (long story, but i backed out twice before i finally went through it). granted, for ME, it didn't really make a difference because i was the same weight on my acceptance date in 2016, as i was 2 weeks prior to my surgery date in 2018. but im sure many others could not say the same if they were to use the same barometer. long story short, "excess weight" is arbitrary, and the calculations are different depending on who you ask. your best measure of success and progress in the endeavour of weight loss is yourself. is your weight loss graph trending down? yes? then YAY! again, you are doing great...but you don't need me (or anyone else) to validate that, you can see it yourself in your numbers and hard work ❤️ .

I'm not taking any weight loss pills after giving it some thought .I have gained about a stone , but I'm not unhappy with that .I'm almost done with my dietitian and almost at the 2 year mark .I plan to exercise more and watch what I eat .It's still been worth it for me .

Two mos post op 4/29. I feel like the loss is slowing down. Since surgery Im down 33 lbs. I weigh weekly and in the beginning it was 5 lbs down,etc. Now its 1.5 down or sometimes just the same. Im taking in anywhere from 750-950 calories a day, usually toward the lower side, eating 100 grams sometimes more protein and being very careful, I always prioritize protein. Also Im walking 30 min 4/5x a week. Any advice? Just keep on and trust the process?

I feel like most of us have mental health issues prior to WLS -- related to the weight gain in the first place, and the body dysmorphia that so easily comes along with life as a 'non-standard' size. I'm not surprised at all that many of us continue to struggle with both things during/after weight loss. People that haven't had a similar life might struggle to understand. Anyone who tells someone to "just get over it" or "just get passed it" in regards to any mental health issue is flat out not helping -- whether that's because they can't empathize with the struggle directly, or something else. I've been doing a lot of personal work on 'boundaries' lately. Just want to remind everyone that it's okay to remind someone that what they're saying is not very compassionate. It doesn't have to be a fight or an attack against them, even a simple "Yeah, that's really not a helpful thing to say but thanks for the effort, I guess?" might have them re-think their own words. They don't owe us support -- nobody owes anybody, really -- but we're all humans and deserve basic compassion rather than dismissal.

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!

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!

Hello and welcome! Also -- congratulations!! How exciting it must be to be at that stage of seeing the weight peel off, and past the point of initial recovery, and past the point of choosing which surgery to get. I noticed that you chose to go with the sleeve as opposed to the Roux-y surgery. I think that's where I'm likely to begin, myself. I have bounced around, investigating what they call a SADI-s / Loop / SIPS surgery which has an extra component with the intestine beneath the sleeve, often done as a revision of the sleeve for those who regain weight or aren't satisfied with their results. It SEEMS to have fewer side effects than the Roux-y (full gastric) but I just don't know. I've also been given a fair amount of advice suggesting I try to find an expert to do the duodenal switch (DS) due to my BMI being in the high 50s/low 60s. I'm certainly willing to try to go that route but as someone else said -- there is usually a LOT of back and forth before committing to surgery and I'm almost 7 months into the program I'm at with my current surgeon. How long would it take me, realistically, to get this far again? WLS is such a difficult and scary commitment, and then getting on here BEFORE having a surgery has filled my brain with so many more complicated options. Its kind of hard for me to commit to big decisions and sometimes I wonder if learning more and more is making matters harder for me. I love to feel in control of what's happening with my body and try to inspect EVERY detail such as to avoid any regrets -- but sometimes staring at the water for too long makes one less likely to jump in, doesn't it? But you've DONE it! I think the sleeve is a great option and respect your choice, and am so happy that it has gone smoothly thus far. It could just be my perception, but most of the men I've seen post about their surgeries seem to indeed have a bit more gentle recovery, with fewer complications. I've seen a lot of folks caution me (this forum and others) about whether I'd be satisfied with the degree of weight loss if I were to go with a base sleeve, Roux-y, or SADI-s. This makes me really appreciate where you talked about that dark spiral and maxing out at 407. I say this as someone who feels like I understand pretty dang well what you're talking about because my max weight was 435! Being 'down' to 366 feels a heck of a lot better by comparison, and I got this far by myself, so maybe I don't need to be as concerned about satisfaction with the numbers as I do making sure I'm comfortable with the process of surgery to help me continue my weight loss journey. Please keep us in the loop as you continue on to your goal! Also - congratulations to the rest of you posting here who are inches from your goal weight or have already made it there!! No matter what surgery (or surgeries) helped you get there, you DID IT! Definitely an inspirational group of people here!

I share this story in hopes that it may help someone to never pick up a drink after VSG or to at least be hyper-vigilant about the dangers of drinking post weight loss surgery. I was sleeved in August of 2015 @ 310 lbs. Quickly lost most of the weight needed and began running 5k. Not really setting the world on fire, but it was really good for me. Prior to surgery, I had always enjoyed drinking with friends. Typical guy stuff - couple beers @ a football game or watching the game on Sunday, meeting for drinks after work, etc. Never an issue or problem. Never anything that i had to have. My doctor warned me against alcohol, sodas, and transfer addictions, but I thought "never me". WOW, was I wrong. I remember the first couple times I had a beer after the surgery (I waited 6 months), it was very fizzy and uncomfortable. I convinced myself that it would get easier, and unfortunately it did. Next came the rum and coke zero. Wow, that tastes great, and I get a buzz very quickly. That fast buzz turned into getting very drunk, very quickly. Our new bodies absorb the alcohol in 1/2 the time that a normal internal system would. Over the last couple yeaars there have been many episodes of drinking way to much, blacking out, and not remembering what happened. I have had to apologize for my behavior more than once after a night of drinking. I even started drinking every day. I would make a drink as soon as I got home each day. 1 turns into 2 or 3. Just like lays potato chips you can not have just 1. Alcohol consumed my every thought. When can I have a drink? How can I make sure I can get a drink? It amazed me how I was able to justify that if creamer was good in my morning coffee, how great would Rumchatta be (it's damn good, by the way). I am living proof that transfer addiction is a real thing. I am now in counseling for my alcohol addiction. Transfer addiction is definitely a real thing. Prior to VSG surgery I was over 300 pounds because I had an addiction to food, and all the wrong kinds of food. My new addiction is alcohol and it's best friend is food addiction. what goes with beer = chicken wings, or nuts and pretzels, what goes with a margarita = tacos, etc. Alcohol also makes it impossible to lose weight. So if you are really dedicated to clean eating but you drink, your weight may stay the same, but it surely will not go down. I have packed on 60 lbs of the 120 that I lost. And, I am slowly changing behaviors to get back to where I want to be. It is a journey,, but I am worth it. I will overcome. Addiction is sacrificing everything for that one thing ! Recovery is sacrificing that 1 thing to have everything !

Do you have any idea of the kinds of temperatures you could be looking at so you can plan around that? We generally go to Cyprus in mid September and the temps can be mid-40s. Have a look at Superdrug for Lanacane anti-chafing gel https://www.superdrug.com/health/medicated-skin/medicated-skin-treatments/lanacane-anti-chafing-gel-28g/p/687900 I would also have a look for some mozzie repellent too as you don’t want to be bitten to death! Lots of stores are having a sale now, especially as our summer has been a complete washout. Have a look at Roman - 60% off sale plus use the code EPIC for a further 15% off everything (got to love a discount code 😉) The Next sale began at the weekend, Tu has up to 50% off brands, George (Asda) have their sale on plus Debenhams always have some sort of sale on! Thin, floaty things are always a winner as already mentioned by others. Thin tops and loose shorts are good for daytime, just be careful on sitting on hot, plastic seating outside cafes etc as you can end up leaving the skin off the back of your thighs behind (definitely speaking from experience with that one 🙄) A hat is a must as well as some high factor sun cream to begin with. Tescos dry oil is pretty good - you don’t end up feeling horribly sticky with it; Boots have sun cream and after sun that has insect repellent already in and doesn’t stink. A pack of one a day over the counter antihistamines are really useful if you suffer from prickly heat (or if you don’t normally but start with it on holiday) Take it with you as it’s generally expensive abroad, same with paracetamol. More importantly, have a totally wonderful time and revel in your fantastic weight loss to date!

I am so sorry that this has happened, it must be so traumatic. Lots of us get the ' was it worth it feeling' with out the issues you have had to get through. When you feel more in charge of your pain and more sure of the process, you may feel it really was worth it. I did. The rapid weight loss and anaesthetic also makes you feel weak and tired. As you eat a little more you will regain your strength and start surging ahead hopefully. Good luck and good healing