My Sleeve Op

[nervousbutdetermined]

Hi Brian, I am new to these forums and just starting my journey. I am opting for a sleeve op like you, and I have to say, your posts are a true inspiration. I hope you keep posting and I will keep checking back. At the start, I am wondering am I doing the right thing? but reading your posts, i am now more determined than ever to get this done and get my life back!!

 

[BrianT]

Hi Brian, I am new to these forums and just starting my journey. I am opting for a sleeve op like you, and I have to say, your posts are a true inspiration. I hope you keep posting and I will keep checking back. At the start, I am wondering am I doing the right thing? but reading your posts, i am now more determined than ever to get this done and get my life back!!

Glad it's been of help
I still maintain it's one of the best things I've ever done with the worst thing being letting it get so bad in the first place!
Whichever route you take providing you follow the directions given to you by your team then you WILL get your life back and it will therefore be the right thing to do. You do need to make sure that you are fully aware of the risks though and the changes to your life style that you are going to have to make. There is a lot of press at the moment that the NHS are not always giving the patient all the information and aftercare that they need. For me that wasn't the case and on the odd occasion that I was uncertain about anything, then coming on here always gave me the help and advice I needed. Make a list and make sure you ask your surgeon everything you are unsure about.
It has changed my life and I don't regret a single moment, but it's not an easy fix, you still have to work at it and when you get close to goal it will get harder.
Good luck with your choices and I hope you get a quick date (sometimes the wait is the hardest bit)

 

[highspirit]

well done x

 

[rickysmrs]

WOW thank you so much for such inspirational diary and of course for your link so I could "Read All About It" as the tabloids would say. Congrats andyou look great in your photos really pleased for you.x

 

[BrianT]

WOW thank you so much for such inspirational diary and of course for your link so I could "Read All About It" as the tabloids would say. Congrats andyou look great in your photos really pleased for you.x

and you never had to hack my phone

 

[BrianT]

As today is month 13 post op I should add to my diary. The only significant thing for me is that I've broken onto the 17's as it were. I've been stuck at 18 stone for weeks now and finally this week I've dropped to 17 stone 12 pound so that put a smile on my face. Coccyx pain has now gone another smile on my face
I've actually started to use the exercise bike now instead of just talking about it and I do 6 miles in 12 minutes 3 nights per week, as the months go by I'll gradually increase that until I'm ready for the next Olympics....maybe not!
For those noobs that have been reading this and can't make up their mind whether to go sleeve or bypass....well I, on occasion when the weight loss had slowed from the initial mass drop have thought I wish I'd had the bypass (not that it was offered) but when I look closely the reason the weight loss had slowed was down to me eating the wrong stuff.....AGAIN.
So top tip for this month have the sleeve by all means but make sure you stick to the rules otherwise you could end up being disappointed. There are enough of us on here that have had the sleeve to prove that it can and does work but don't for one minute think that you haven't got to work at it because you do (and it's all good for you anyway!)
SYNM

 

[highspirit]

great news hip hip hooray .17 s amazing x

 

[Lush121]

Well done, reading your story is so useful!

 

[nervousbutdetermined]

Glad it's been of help
I still maintain it's one of the best things I've ever done with the worst thing being letting it get so bad in the first place!
Whichever route you take providing you follow the directions given to you by your team then you WILL get your life back and it will therefore be the right thing to do. You do need to make sure that you are fully aware of the risks though and the changes to your life style that you are going to have to make. There is a lot of press at the moment that the NHS are not always giving the patient all the information and aftercare that they need. For me that wasn't the case and on the odd occasion that I was uncertain about anything, then coming on here always gave me the help and advice I needed. Make a list and make sure you ask your surgeon everything you are unsure about.
It has changed my life and I don't regret a single moment, but it's not an easy fix, you still have to work at it and when you get close to goal it will get harder.
Good luck with your choices and I hope you get a quick date (sometimes the wait is the hardest bit)

Thank you for your kind words Brian! I got my date for my consultant appointment yesterday, its 23/01/2013, this is to discuss the options and to decide whether I will get the funding. Not long to wait now!

 

[BrianT]

Morning all.
Well month 14 has brought no new WLS surprises. After a fairly lengthy stall and a re-examining of my eating habit's it's moving again 4lb loss this week after a 2oz gain last week. I'm not that close to goal yet to worry too much about the odd ounce here and there and so I've just seen it as a 6lb loss over the last 3 weeks (2lb off the week before).
I've always drummed into my own head and that of family and friends that the initial stone a month would ease up into something more realistic which it has, and as has been said by many wise old heads on here "Now the hard work really starts"
I set myself a realistic target of getting down to 15 stone (from 29 originally) and my surgeon agreed that that was an achievable target, I now have less than 50lb to loose but have no doubts that it will be the hardest to shift.
No aches and pains including the coccyx There has been more rumblings from the internal plumbing than I'm used to but that's usually a good sign that things are working in there.
Well that's it for another month good luck to all that are about to join the bench and keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep loosing to those of us that have been "done"

 

[Lee 77]

Well done bud

 

[BrianT]

:553: Well here we are 2 years down the line today :553: and it's about time I added an update.
I'm struggling to realise where the last 2 years have gone as they've flown by but I have to say that my life has changed dramatically for the better as a result of the surgery.
The last year has been tough though, nothing to do with the surgery but I lost my job that I'd been at for 25 years and I've gone back to working nights and shifts and in June I thought I was going to lose my 85 year old Dad to Pneumonia (although thankfully he's now made a full recovery), neither of which did anything to help me keep on the straight and narrow where food is concerned.
No excuses though the only person who can keep me heading downwards on the weight front is me and I do worry that I could slip back into my old ways.
I started by saying that my life has changed dramatically as a result of the surgery and it has. My confidence in me is back and I'm no longer looking at my reflection in shop windows in disgust. My outlook on life is much better and I'm able to do so many things that I've not been able to do for the best part of 20 years.
2 years ago I was 27 stone, I'm now 17.5 stone, it's still too much and I need to reverse the last few months of weight gain (11 pound). But I will get to my goal of 15 stone....Just not yet
For those who are just embarking on WLS or are contemplating it I have had no regrets whatsoever. Maybe I've been fortunate but I had no complications with the surgery and getting used to the "new regime" wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but you DO need to be strong as you get further down the line and resist the temptation to eat the things that WILL put the pounds back on.
Good luck to you all

 

[SleeveGirl]

Happy 2nd Surgiversary!!

 

[Sharonimo]

The last year has been tough though, nothing to do with the surgery but I lost my job that I'd been at for 25 years and I've gone back to working nights and shifts and in June I thought I was going to lose my 85 year old Dad to Pneumonia (although thankfully he's now made a full recovery), neither of which did anything to help me keep on the straight and narrow where food is concerned.

Hi Brian,

Nice to see an update from you again. Sorry to hear you have had these life difficulties upset your journey. I know the feeling. 2 weeks after my sleeve I was made redundant (or took voluntary redundancy) and since then I have moved 5 times and changed jobs several times in my attempts to return to a proper full time well paid job. Am now in one but working up to 12 hours a day. All these life stresses do not help us stay on the straight and narrow.

I don't post too often here any more but do pop back now and then to see how people who I got to know (online) at the beginning of my journey are still doing.

Congrats on your 2nd surgiversary.

Best wishes,
Sharon

 

[Yvessa]

Well done Brian and congrats on your 2nd surgiversary. I'm sure you will beat your gain we're always around if you need some support!

 

[BrianT]

Hi Brian,

Nice to see an update from you again. Sorry to hear you have had these life difficulties upset your journey. I know the feeling. 2 weeks after my sleeve I was made redundant (or took voluntary redundancy) and since then I have moved 5 times and changed jobs several times in my attempts to return to a proper full time well paid job. Am now in one but working up to 12 hours a day. All these life stresses do not help us stay on the straight and narrow.

I don't post too often here any more but do pop back now and then to see how people who I got to know (online) at the beginning of my journey are still doing.

Congrats on your 2nd surgiversary.

Best wishes,
Sharon

It does seem sometimes that when one door closes another slams you straight in the face!

 

[BrianT]

Well done Brian and congrats on your 2nd surgiversary. I'm sure you will beat your gain we're always around if you need some support!

There's no way I want to go back to the bad old me so it's a question of getting it stopped now and stop with the "I'll do it tomorrow disease!"

Thanks Yvessa and Sharonimo nice to see some of the old faces back on here

 

[TwinkleTwinkle]

There's no way I want to go back to the bad old me so it's a question of getting it stopped now and stop with the "I'll do it tomorrow disease!"

Thanks Yvessa and Sharonimo nice to see some of the old faces back on here

Evening Brian, honey I am rarely on here anymore but love to see posts from the people who helped me along the way You will get there eventually, darlin ... you didn't gain the weight in 2 years so no reason to expect it to melt away in 2 years either. I have hit goal but didn't like it so have purposely regained a stone ... guess old skin is less forgiving than younger skin. Happy now though Take care, mwah xxx

 

[BrianT]

Evening Brian, honey I am rarely on here anymore but love to see posts from the people who helped me along the way You will get there eventually, darlin ... you didn't gain the weight in 2 years so no reason to expect it to melt away in 2 years either. I have hit goal but didn't like it so have purposely regained a stone ... guess old skin is less forgiving than younger skin. Happy now though Take care, mwah xxx

Thanks Denise, I still check in everyday but rarely post unless there is something I can add to. I'm not unhappy at the weight I'm at but know I need to do more, although everyone tells me I'll be scrawny if I lose anymore never thought I'd here anybody say that. I hear ya with the skin thing though.
Glad to hear your doing well and happy with your lot. If you see/hear Caren give her my best. XXX

 

[Sharonimo]

If you see/hear Caren give her my best. XXX

Hi Brian,

Just to let you know Caren is a super skinny sleever who made it to goal some time ago. I see her occasionally in some of the "other" sleever groups on other places online (not here) with her incredibly slim new profile photo !!

I think she's too busy off out enjoying her slender new life to post so much now !!!

I am one of those like you who still has a few stone to go, so probably need to pop back on here a bit more often for my own accountability.

Best wishes,
Sharon