SAHM was lucky enough to catch up with Angie from Gnomeangel to have a chat about the procedure, expectations and realities about Gastric Sleeve Surgery.I wanted a family. We had been trying for 4 years to start our family. I had been referred to a Fertility Specialist to assist with the process and she told me flat out on our first visit that if I wanted any chance I had to lose weight. I had been diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and one of the attributes of this syndrome is weight gain.  I had tried a range of diets and exercise routines since I was 17 in an attempt to lose weight and over the years I had let my weight get to the point where I no longer had to lose the stray 5kg; I had to lose 65kg. It was hard work coming to the decision, mentally and emotionally.  I had to finally admit the truth that I had been trying to fight for years; I wasn’t happy being overweight and I desperately wanted children. It took me a year to make the decision to contact a weight loss surgery clinic and then a year from that first information session to make the decision to have the procedure done.

This is a purely personal decision.  I went to the information session and listened to everything they had to say about both procedures.  The gentleman at the information session said that generally they used the sleeve as a procedure for those that had tried the band and, for whatever reasons, it hadn’t worked. I’m pretty honest with myself (most of the time) and I knew that the band wasn’t for me even before he mentioned the sleeve as an option.  Light Bulb Family Reading 4 Pics 1 Word When I made the appointment I had a full list of all the reasons why I was the perfect candidate for the sleeve. Laptop Pay Monthly No DepositOnce the surgeon had gone through my family and medical history combined with my dieting past he suggested the sleeve straight away. Khold T Shirt

Within 3 weeks of that appointment I’d had the surgery.A really close friend had had the lap band done a year before by the same surgeon and they recommended the clinic. I did some research through the internet and it reflected that the Clinic had a great reputation.  I also spoke to my GP and she recommended the Clinic as well. Ultimately I picked a surgeon that I felt comfortable with and that I felt I could talk to open and honestly about what I was experiencing, my expectations and fears. In the past 6 years I’ve had a lot of experience with doctors, specialists and surgeons and I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to pick someone who you can talk to and makes you feel comfortable.  It’s no use suffering through with someone who you don’t gel with just because they’re the “best”.  It will make everything ten times harder and you don’t need that. Sometimes it’s hard to walk away from a professional because you feel like you’re making a personal comment on them, but you’re not. 

You need to do what’s best for you.  You’ll be so much better for it in the end! The operation was a breeze; slept through the whole thing! You know what was painful? The two week fasting prior to the surgery. I was put on a strict fasting regime (they do this to shrink the size of your liver so you they can access your stomach for the operation) and it broke me.  I swear, it was like going through the worst kind of withdrawal.  To go from eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, to only having 3 meals of Optifast (either a shake, a health bar or soup) was torture. I had 5 days in hospital after the surgery and I had only mild discomfort. I was off pain medication within 24 hours of the surgery, but I am the exception to the rule.  I shared my room with someone who had also had the sleeve procedure on the same day and with the same surgeon.  They experienced a lot more pain and discomfort than I did. I don’t think there’s any way of knowing what your recovery will be like as it’s such a personal thing. 

I know that I did everything they recommended to assist with recovery.  Part of the surgery requires them to fill your chest cavity with gas to help them perform the procedure and so they recommend that you get up and walk around as soon as you can to try and move the gas out of your system.  I walked every hour for 15 minutes (doing laps of the ward) as soon as I could, regardless of what time it was. The process to get back to eating “properly” is a long one.  I had an 8 week graduated return to eating plan.  By the end of the 8 weeks I was eating one 200g jar of baby food and struggling to finish that.  Two years on and I can eat a recommended serving size of food in one sitting. Everyone is different when it comes to food consumption and I am worried about stretching my stomach back out from over eating so I try not to push myself to eat past full.  My surgeon said stretching can happen and that can lead to you gaining back weight and if that occurs I will need to have a gastric bypass.

The biggest shock is how far I’d let myself go.  I used to tell myself that I was fine and that I wasn’t missing out on anything, but it was a lie.  I have so much more energy now and I enjoy being active. I know in the early days I used to miss being able to finish a plate of food that I had ordered in a restaurant.   But that was more a mental barrier than anything else.  I needed my mind to catch up to my body and work out that I had a new “full” level. Also, I needed to overcome a lifetime of being told I had to finish what was on my plate.  It’s really strange to go from being able to eat a whole family pizza by yourself (and then follow it up with a heaving bowl of ice-cream) to not being able to finish a chicken and salad sandwich.Of course, if I was doing life over again I’d kind of be hoping I wouldn’t let myself get in to a position of needing to do it. In the first year of having it done I lost 55kg, and a year after that I was 3 months pregnant with my now 8 month old son.