JoJo Sleeve Success

Some photos from the Acropolis,

the motor museum (jaspers Choice but I loved it!)

more ice cream- apple pie flavour which wasn’t as good as the rest (obvs still ate it!)

Beautiful Graffiti that reminded me of crochet or patchwork

A rose I was given whilst enjoying a tulumba pastry (also delicious & actually bariatric sized 😂)

Sunset view from our hotel rooftop

Me at the statue of Athena

We’ve been quietly busy, making sure there is plenty of time to rest, refuel & hydrate ♥️

Athens definitely taking my mind off the withdrawals from my meds & all the stress & worry ❤️‍🩹 I am checking my heart rate a lot because I’m so sensitive to when it increases & that starts to panic me until I see it’s only risen a bit so I just have some water, cough (weird but it works!) & control my breathing. Being worn out is definitely helping with my sleep troubles too.

Basically, I’m taking it as any future health issues…i basically NEED to go on holiday lol 😉😂🙌

I’d booked to take Jasp to Athens this week as his mobility is good & his next surgery isn’t being scheduled till June, however with all my recent health stuff we’d resigned ourselves to not coming…then I was given the all clear to fly 28 hours before we left, whoop whoop!
Strict instructions to rest as much as possible, not do any exercise (so Jasper has had to wheel himself around- bliss!) & stay as stress free as possible & that a little holiday was a great idea to take my mind off things & keep me distracted though the meds withdrawals, so we decided F it, we’re coming!

We arrived late evening at our hotel & the first thing we saw was the stunning Acropolis lit up from our window 😍
Day one the plan was to explore & eat & we did lots of both!! The weather isn’t boiling which is perfect for us but there are glimpses of sun ☀️

1- Monastiraki Square

2- View of the Acropolis from our hotel

3- Jasp trying to befriend a cat whilst we wait for dinner, chicken kebab for him, chicken gyros for me (delicious!)

4- breakfast

5 - first taste of Greek ice cream, bueno for jasp, salted caramel for me (delicious!)

6 & 7 - Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa, Monasteraki Square

8-/9/10- Hadrians Library

11-some Greek music

12- Hadrians library

13- nap time!

14-music & dancing at dinner

15- Hadrians library at night

16- our pudding (incredible!)

17- the Acropolis from our hotel rooftop

18- soaking up the history

19- lift selfie!

20- some pretty graffiti

It feels quite raw here, the city is a mix of history, beauty & graffiti- there is so much to see & absorb! Greek people are sooo friendly, everyone is really kind, we’ve had multiple offers to help lift Jaspers wheelchair- the city tries really hard to be accessible but is obviously ancient so jasp is just getting in & out a lot but in general, it’s brilliant. We feel really safe & comfortable here & omg the FOOD is incredible!
Loving making these memories with my youngest ♥️ This whole trip is an NSV!!!

Had the scariest time last week.

I have a congenital heart condition it causes irregular heartbeats & means my heart can just decide to stop if it fancies it - tbh, I try not to think about it & follow the precautions I need to.

Last week I had 7 nights of awful arrhythmias, palpitations-my heart rate was crazy, struggling to breathe & crushing, tight pain in my chest- cue 4 nights in a&e, ambulance & drs saying it’s probably one of my V important meds…& we just have to hope I don’t go into cardiac arrest (& if I do, phone an ambulance…🤦‍♀️).

was dealing with it ok until Friday (after the worst attack the night before & thinking ‘I’m actually going to d1e right now’) when it all hit me & I spent the day begging for actual help. Ended back up in a&e & saw an amazing dr who said it IS my med - been on a high dose for 15 years & due to heart condition should have had constant monitoring…

He said I need to come off it straight away. I should spend a few months lowering the dose V slowly but due to the huge risk of cardiac arrest I need to stop immediately.

spent the next night doing everything to keep my heart rate low & skipped my meds…and no arrhythmias, palpitations, pains or breathing issues!!

But stopping this medication has some pretty awful withdrawal symptoms- I’m even colder than usual, constantly shivering, tremors, my mood is erratic & feels like my brain wants to switch off or is super excited, I’m exhausted but my sleep is awful (the meds had a sedative in), having bad nightmares & tummy issues…

But my heart is doing SO well ❤️‍🩹

Until I see consultant for a new med & cardiologist for urgent help been told to stay as stress free as possible, no exercise (can walk but need to monitor heart rate), very low caffeine/alcohol & to relax as much as I can ♥️

Life really comes into perspective when you are on the edge of losing it.

My kids have been incredible even when they’ve been scared & trying to help they’ve been so brave, and everyone else too. THANK YOU ♥️

Going to think about what I really want from life, & go GRAB it (gently 😂)

If you got this far, well done lol

I’m sharing this again, can’t believe it was 4 years ago! Forgot to share yesterday ♥️

This a is a bittersweet day for me.
Three years ago I went to my godsons birthday party at a local family parkland.

I was SO brave & strong going, I HATED how I looked & felt about myself. Lockdowns had made this already socially anxious person terrified- of leaving the house, of meeting people, of getting the virus of letting people see how much I’d ‘let myself go’.

Just before co**d hit I was doing pretty well at weight loss with SW, I’d gone down to about 14 stone…at this moment, anyway, so much so that I got rid of most of my ‘big clothes’ (which was also a way to FORCE me to lose weight, ridiculous I know) then I was unable to see my eldest child & also really struggled taking care of the youngest 3, so I ate. And ate and ate 🙈

So I’d braved coming to the park.

Then in the play bit was a man letting his dog run wild even though it was no dogs allowed & filled with little kids - my 2 yo godson included. I politely asked him to just put his dog on a lead & it led to him shouting really aggressively in my face:
‘You fat c**t. I should put you on a lead. You fu****g dog. You fat b***h’

it went on & on, & of all the insults he screamed at me- literally inches from my face - it was the ‘fat’ that hurt me the most. I know I’m not a b***h, a dog or a c**t (mostly 😉) but I WAS fat, & having someone yell that to you over & over, in front of everyone was SO hurtful & embarrassing.

I removed myself & the kids from the situation & then said to my children ’right, that’s it, I’m having the surgery’. They were a bit shocked as although I’d mentioned it to them I hadn’t been insistent, it was more like a dream thought.

I started looking in earnest that afternoon & 51 days later I had my surgery.

BEST DECISION EVER

So although I was ashamed with embarrassment at the incident, it encouraged my decision, I’d probably have faffed a while longer if this hadn’t happened so I wouldn’t be where I am today. Healthier, happier, more joyful, excited about life. So thanks small man, you actually did me a massive favour 😂
•

Absolutely crazy level unlocked- 9 stone loss!

A smidge over half my starting body weight lost 🤯

I don’t plan on losing more - or even staying this weight tbh - but I wanted it recorded that I hit this point!

Forever grateful to the combination of weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve/vsg) and weightloss injections (Ozempic/wegovy/semaglutide) for helping me get NINE STONE off & becoming a much healthier, happier & more confident woman ♥️

Happy birthday to my beautiful Bestie ♥️

Absolutely the best thing to come from having weight loss surgery & being in this community!

Thank you for always making me laugh, for being there when I cry, for our 30 minute voicenotes, for being the best auntie, for always having my back & for being the best friend everrrrrrrr

Here’s to a lifetime of friendship

‘Maybe our girlfriends are our real soulmates & guys are just people we have fun with’

LOVE YOU!!!!

Swipe to see my favourite stats!

This process isn’t just about your weight & how you look and feel (although they are obviously important & fun!) it’s about what’s going on inside you.

A few days before I had my gastric sleeve I watched a p0st m0rtem on a body like mine & I was SHOCKED at what I saw & heard. If i hadn’t had my weight loss surgery booked i would absolutely have done it after watching that - it was terrifying 😢

So whilst yes, feeling soooo much better about how I look & enjoying losing over half my body weight is brilliant, the changes that I’ve facilitated inside my body are brilliant ❤️‍🩹

Forever thankful for my VSG bariatric surgery & more recently weight loss injections for helping my health, happiness & confidence ♥️

Out for a few drinks for my Boys birthday 🎉

Kitty sorted through her clothes today & the one’s a size too big fit me…size SIX 🤯 (these jeans)

My recent shein order was all smalls (size 8) & extra smalls (size 6) 🤯

Wtaf??!! Size 22 to size 6 is crazy!!

Going to do some measurements tomorrow to compare!

Feeling happy, healthy, confident & Strong ❤️‍🩹

Gastric sleeve and Semaglutide (Ozempic/wegovy) are a winning combination for me!

I don’t always post on here because if I feel I don’t look ‘perfect’, or have the perfect caption, or the perfect background it’s just not good enough for people to see (stories are very different, there I’m just in the wild 😂) & after reading a quote about posting for ourselves, I’ve decided F it, I’m going to do that!

Not worry about perfection, or likes or anything except ‘do I like this &/or do I want this moment saved?’

So this is me out for dinner last night, feeling good & sharing simply so I remember this night, (which went absolutely wrong but was still fun 😂) & how happy I was about it being lighter…spring is coming 🥳🙌🫶

Allowed out with the young adults to celebrate Kittys friends birthday - when my kids want to include me it’s literally a 🤯 moment as pre weight loss surgery at 17st 6lb I was soooo worried my kids would be embarrassed to be seen with me 😢 (they weren’t, just my brain playing tricks).

Love making new memories with them ♥️

Signing off now before I fall asleep over my cocktail 😂🙈

Had the BEST night with these wonderful people ♥️

Never expected losing weight through my gastric sleeve would gain me all these lovely people in my life!