Gastric bypass in less than 4weeks. Help/support/advice
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi. I'm having a gastric bypass next month! Scared and excited at the same time. I'd really appreciate any advice. 
thank you
0 likes, 11 replies
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Notes on Gastric bypass in less than 4weeks. Help/support/advice
kate03990 jemz
Posted
Fantastic .... it's reasonable to be a bit scared. I'm about 15 weeks post op, best decision of my life. Some things were a bit of a challenge, so I'll work with those:
Liver shrinkage diet, make sure that you choose the easiest solution to be flexible, depending on your lifestyle. I chose slimfast. whatever you do make sure that you carry enough to 'eat' if you get caught out... literally.
post op... move around... walk as soon as you can .... you'll minimise the wind pain from being pumped with air
drink ... sip ... drink ... it's hard at first but you will get there. be careful not to get dehydrated. I was advised to have milk and protein shakes because I didn't consume enough. get a couple and keep them handy.
loose pyjamas .... the elastic seems to be right on the wounds.
Remember, this process is unique to you. get ideas from others, but you might find different things that work for you.
I hope that you have the support from the hospital that I did from the Homerton.
Good luck. imagine, by Christmas you'll be feeling fab.
K
jemz kate03990
Posted
Hi Kate
Thank you so much for replying. I'm pretty much on my own with this. The only people that know is my my partner and brother.
I have to be on the liver shrinkage diet for 4weeks as I have a liver problem which could make liver shrinkage harder, so better to be safe than sorry. I've chosen (with the advice of the dietician) to do 2 meal replacement shakes a day and a main meal, eg chicken salad. Then for the final 2 weeks change that to 3 meal replacement shakes.
I am going privately so luckily (and rightly so haha) I am getting amazing support from the hospital.
I think I will find the drinking hard as I drink so much anyway and I'm not used to sipping. Although I'm trying to sip the amount of water I drink now so I won't find it a problem after surgery. Same with properly chewing food etc I'm doing that now.
I know everyone is different but if you don't mind me asking how much weight did you loose in the first 3months?
I'm used to pain, I suffer daily with pain and on a lot of medications. But I am really worried about the pain post op. Is it bad?
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me
kate03990 jemz
Posted
I lost about a stone a month. It's slowed now though
clare2412 kate03990
Posted
Hi Kate03990
I've just joined this blog & read your post & noticed that you had your bypass at Homerton.
I'm booked to have my bypass in 2 weeks time & I'm so scared. I'm on the verge of cancelling. I've been reading some absolute horror stories of people being really ill after the surgery. I know everyone's story is different, but would you say that the Homerton are good before & after surgery? How long did you stay in for ?
kate03990 clare2412
Posted
Oh Clare, I'm so sorry that you are so anxious.
You know, mine went amazingly well, I actually went home the next day. I do only live about 2 miles from Homerton so if there had been any problems it was easy for me to get there. But honestly once I woke up properly I went to the look myself, got myself washed etc.
My only problem was my blood pressure was very low, but that isn't very unusual, and the staff were phenominal. I was given lots of fluids to get it back up.
I was warned that there is often shoulder pain because you are pumped with air, I didn't have that, but if you do it is important to walk it off.
Have you been to the support group? it takes place on the 3rd Thursday of the month. You get to speak to people who have been through it.
I can't tell you what you should decide, I can only tell you that 6 months on I still have had no problems.
I believe that Homerton has the highest safety record in UK when it comes to bariatric surgery.
Do you live nearby?
Kate
clare2412 kate03990
Posted
Hi Kate
Thank you for replying, you have reassured me. I haven't attended the support groups as I live quite far away now & I will be staying with my mum after surgery as she lives quite near.
I'm going to try & keep a positive mind as I know this will hopefully be the best thing I've ever done as I cannot stay like this.
Thank you
Clare
kate03990 clare2412
Posted
I tell you this Clare, you would not be normal if you didn't have anxieties and fears.
This will change everything in your life, not just weight, but how you control what you eat, your health, your mindset, your confidence, how you socialise. For me, within 4 weeks I noticed the pain in the bones in my feet had all but gone. but, it's not easy, it's not a magic bullet. You have to work with it.
Good luck Clare, and I hope that you feel as good as I do in a few months
Kay
x
renee83384 jemz
Posted
Dear Jennz
I had a Biliarypancreatic Diversion which is similar to the bypass and I haven't had much success as far as weightloss goes. I did lose 30 kilos but since then nothing substantial. I did get rid of my type 2 diabetes but gained terrible gas and malabsorption issues. I can eat just about anything without problems and portions are still an issue. I also suffered a gastic blockage for which I had to be hospitalised. What the doctors don't tell you is that you need to re-train your brain as you will still be able to eat anything. I don't understand what my surgery was for as I still need to diet conciously so that makes all the other issues a pain in the neck for or should I say ass???!!! I wish you luck and hope you have more success than I have had
Bandid jemz
Posted
wgt loss surgery is not a magic wand but a tool to aid wgt loss and something you must work with so follow all the dietary advice you will be supplied with by your bariatric team and take things slowly when you are newly post op as it takes a while for the healing to take place completely - remember Rome was not built in a day so you will hit plateaus but just carry on regardless and keep chipping away at it - its only natural to be a bit apprehensive along with excited as you are entering a different phase of your life - joining a support group might be a good idea then that way you can talk face to face with other RNYers and share tips and info - if your hosp where you are having your op does not have such a group you could try WLSinfo who run groups both online and locally - each hosp seems to have it's own version of the pre op diet and you may not be allowed to pick which one you want to do but whichever version you do the end result is the same and that is to shrink your liver in order to make the op easier and safer so follow it to the letter as it is your way of helping the surgeon and making the surgery as straight forward as possible - make sure you have every thing on that diet sheet and ring the changes and have as much variety as possible within the confines of the diet sheet in order to ward of boredom - good luck
jemz Bandid
Posted
Thank you
I am doing everything in my power to help myself before surgery. My pre op diet is 4 weeks as I have a liver issue which may take longer to shrink. 2 meal replacement shakes and a sensible meal(from list of foods) at the moment and the last 2 weeks will be 3 meal replacement shakes. At the moment I feel more comfortable online than I would do attending a local group but I'm sure this is something I'll overcome in time.
September can't come quick enough!
Steph_86 jemz
Posted
ooo i have mine booked for 21st Feb this year. i am SO scared and im worried as ive finished uni, just started a new job and now im going to have to have a while off work for this too. im so lucky to have been accepted by the NHS for it and have been waiting for 2 years, they even put it on hold for me until i finished university. i work in the operating theatre, so I see all sorts that can go wrong for any surgery (sometimes ignorance is bliss right) 😦
how is everyone doing that's had it done? I only know 3 people who have had it, 2 of that hate it and regret it and the other loves it. i just feel stuck and like I have no one to speak to about it.