Thinking about surgery

[htpink]

I had a gastric band fitted in France in 2000. I have posted about this before (on DH and i think on an Anne Diamond thread on here).

I lost 8.5 stone - very quickly once i had the sweet spot fill. It is not a pleasant way to lose weight. It involved for me (and it seems for others too) a lot of throwing up and varying degrees of discomfort. I have regained half the weight after having it deflated as it became too difficult to live with.

The thing about the band is it only treats the result of your overeating - it doesn't teach you to be hungry and deal with it, or anything about your relationship with food. You are unable to eat a healthy balanced diet, unable to get more than about half a litre of water down a day and you are always eating as much as you possibly can - albeit because of the physical restriction not very much. Then of course as soon as you have thre restriction lifted you carry on doing the same thing and regain.

I asked the lady who did my fills if she knew of anyone who had lost the weight and kept if off when unfilled - she knew of 1 - and she filled a lot off people. I also heard some awful stories of ports slipping etc and experienced myself being overfilled and unable to eat or drink or even swallow my own spit - sitting in hospitals and doctors surgeries desparately trying to fiind someone willing to "unfill" me.

I was desparate at the time i had the op and wonder that if i had had counselling to work out my addiction to food and exercised all through my loss i may have been more successful with it.

Have you tried a VLCD? Any questions i'd be happy to answer!

 

[Happe]

Wow forgot I had ever posted a thread on here before. Now 11 years later, many many stones lost and regained, hundreds if not thousands spent on slimming clubs and products and here I am close to my heaviest and still wanting surgery.
My life is different to back then. Between 2006 and 2010 I lost everything, I finally after so many unhappy years I left my husband leaving my home behind and moving into a too small place for me and my kids. I slept on a sofa for nearly 3 years so they could have the bedrooms. My mum had passed in 2006 and my dad very shortly after Id ended my marriage. The stress of all this and my job as a teacher proved too much and I became ill with stress and depression and I walked away from my career. Times were very hard for a while but you cant keep a good girl down for long. I dragged myself kicking and screaming off the pills and sofa and into court. It took me 2 and a 1/2 years but I got my home back in the divorce. I took a job in the local ASDA, paid my bills and cleared my debts.
My kids are now grown and saving to leave home and i bought my exs share of my house last year. My rock through all this is my man Alan. Life is soooo much happier now.
BUT I still have to tackle this weight. My GP has fobbed me off for years, decades infact and so after much discussion and thought I am going to pay privately for a bypass.
Ive been to a support meeting at my local Spire hospital and as soon as I have the money coming from a property sale Ill be booking my date. Im aiming for July.
Hopefully by this time next year Ill be the person ive always wanted to be xx

 

[I can do!]

Hi, just wanted to say good look, you sound so positive and determined. I had my bypass 6 weeks ago at Leeds Nuffield, I think it's the best thing I've ever done. I've lost just over 3 stone but many more to go!!! After years of talking myself out of surgery I took the bull by the horns and booked and paid for my bypass, then spent a week or two trying to pluck up courage to tell my husband, I told him a few days before the op took place! Let's just say he accepted it! My decision, my money, my health and my body. Good luck and keep us updated on your journey xx

 

[_Victoria_]

Good luck Happe! I hope everything goes well for you and I'm glad that life is a lot happier for you now. People do always say that nothing worth having comes easy and you seem to have worked your ass off so you'll get everything you want in the end Xx

 

[Happe]

1. AW thank you for the messages ladies. I really appreciate the support xx

 

[Happe]

So a bit later in the year than I wanted but I am finally having my surgery next Saturday 21 October. I am having a Banded Bypass at Spire Wellesley in Southend on Sea.
I am excited, nervous, scared, excited, did I say i was excited lol. Off out the weekend to buy my vitamins and protein shakes. New body here i come xx

 

[TiaLi]

Banded bypass?

 

[Happe]

Yes Tia. Its a bypass with a fobi ring around the pouch. The fobi stops the eventual stretching of the pouch and so should virtually guarantee very limited regain in the future. After 40 years of yo yoing I really want this to be my last "diet". Speaking to friend who has had the op, she says when she pushed her boundaries she could feel the band giving her that extra restriction. It cost an extra £500 but my thoughts were "in for a penny, in for a pound"

 

[TiaLi]

Ah yes I know what a fobi ring is. Just never heard it referred to as a banded bypass before, and a bit surprised to hear it being done as a first step rather than revision?

 

[Maria61]

Yes Tia. Its a bypass with a fobi ring around the pouch. The fobi stops the eventual stretching of the pouch and so should virtually guarantee very limited regain in the future. After 40 years of yo yoing I really want this to be my last "diet". Speaking to friend who has had the op, she says when she pushed her boundaries she could feel the band giving her that extra restriction. It cost an extra £500 but my thoughts were "in for a penny, in for a pound"

Wow what a story, I wish you all the best and hope to see pictures of the new slim you soon xxxx

 

[Happe]

All pre op and blood tests done, work finished so just packing my bag left to do. Im booked in for 7am Saturday morning. Trying not be scared but am feeling quite emotional. So much I want to say to my kids incase it all goes wrong. I just hope they know how much love them and how immensely proud of them I am xx

 

[Maria61]

All pre op and blood tests done, work finished so just packing my bag left to do. Im booked in for 7am Saturday morning. Trying not be scared but am feeling quite emotional. So much I want to say to my kids incase it all goes wrong. I just hope they know how much love them and how immensely proud of them I am xx

Good luck x

 

[Happe]

I had my surgery on Saturday. I arrived at the hospital at 6.45 and spent an hour going through paperwork and blood checks. I then got gowned up and spent an hilarious 15minutes with my man trying to get the compression stockings on until the nurse came back and showed us a trick with putting the plastic bag over my feet and the stockings slid easily over.
It all seemed to happen so quickly once i was called down. I was wheeled into a room next to theatre and a canula put in my hand. I then walked to the table and was told how to lay. I remember them saying they were just going to give me some oxygen and thats it, I woke up in recovery.
I have to be honest and say I seriously underestimated the pain immediately after surgery. I stupidly was expecting a bit of a dull ache, it was far more intense than that but a few shots of morphine soon took the edge off.
I spent the rest of the day and night dosing in between observations and by Sunday was up walking about the corridors.
Im home now, a bit overwhelmed with all the drugs, a bit tender but oh so glad ive finally gotten it done xx

 

[Hannah2]

Welcome to the losers bench! Follow your providers guidelines, keep sip sip sipping your fluids and keep your protein intake up.

Drinking will gradually get easier.

Rest and take it easy, lots of healing going on inside!

 

[Happe]

Im doing ok I think. Yesterday I felt more bruised and battered than bloated so i took it easy on myself. Ive gotten myself into a little routine and my confidence is growing.
Im not deviating from my hospitals plan although i can see how easy it would be to go a different way. There are many versions of post op plans, it would be simple to convince yourself that one of the less strict ones is somehow better. Some of the Americans advocate puree/soft food almost immediately post op. I believe our poor tummies need to heal first.
Im going to try going for a walk around the park later, mind you looking at the weather here id best find my winter coat first xxx

 

[Maria61]

Im doing ok I think. Yesterday I felt more bruised and battered than bloated so i took it easy on myself. Ive gotten myself into a little routine and my confidence is growing.
Im not deviating from my hospitals plan although i can see how easy it would be to go a different way. There are many versions of post op plans, it would be simple to convince yourself that one of the less strict ones is somehow better. Some of the Americans advocate puree/soft food almost immediately post op. I believe our poor tummies need to heal first.
Im going to try going for a walk around the park later, mind you looking at the weather here id best find my winter coat first xxx

Glad you are getting on so well xx

 

[Bling Babe]

Welcome back to the forum you’ve certainly had a busy and emotional few years, so glad you very happy in your relationship now and good luck with you weight loss journey following your recent surgery xx

 

[Happe]

Thank you xxx im eating some soup now and my surgeon told me on Saturday to have some milky porridge for breakfast which has been lovely. Had a lovely bracing walk up Southend seafront certainly cleared some cobwebs. x

 

[Happe]

Im doing ok, ready to start puree/soft foods this week. I thought Id be on liquids for a while yet but my surgeon and nurse say to get on with it lol.
Im a little surprised at how weak I still am. My Les and tummy are fine but my shoulders feel like Ive been holding weights above my head all morning. Also yesterday and this morning I felt quite unsteady and my vision was blurry. I had to go sit down and let poor Alan finish the ASDA shop. I think its my blood prressure dropping. Im on 3 pills a day for high blood pressure. Ill go into the doctors on Monday and see what they say. Will be great to be ale to reduce my medication so soon x
Oh and Ive lost 20lbs in 2 weeks x

 

[Happe]

so 3 weeks post bypass now. Im down 23lbs and feeling stronger every day. I went to the doctor about my blood pressure and she has stopidped my meds for now. I have to monitor at home then go back and see what they think. Will be amazing not to need them anymore, ive been taking them for years.
Im getting fluid up more all the time, I find im thirsty quite a lot and Im so happy to still enjoy a cup of tea. The puree hasnt been too bad. Ive made broccoli and cauliflower cheese with 0% quark as the sauce base. The dish had a massive 42g of protein in it. Ok it took me 3 meals to eat but still a good boost. One more week of puree, i can do this x