Hi again,
Well, I'm now halfway through my first week of mush! I went for my two week post-op check last Tuesday (3 September) and got the okay to go onto a mushy diet. Exciting! Seriously, after just over two weeks of liquids, it IS exciting...
I came home from the doctor's office and made myself scrambled egg. Mmmmmm, it sure tasted great. Surprisingly though, I wasn't able to eat it all - at least not all at once. This new tummy is going to take some getting used to. Mind you, that's the point isn't it? All the advice says to eat small mouthfuls and very slowly, but when you've had nothing but liquids for a while, its hard to follow that advice! Anyway, I've managed to have scrambled eggs, very milky Weet-bix and tuna with a lot of low-fat mayo to smooth it out. All delicious!
My weight loss though is another story. I don't seem to have lost anything since I weighed myself over a week ago! This is very depressing. I'm probably only averaging about 850-1000 calories a day, so surely the weight should be dropping off? On the gastric sleeve forums it seems this happens to a lot of people and everyone assures me that it will start to come off. Maybe the body is just hanging on in the hope I'll snap out of it!
However, even though my weight hasn't changed, my measurements have! So the only thing I can surmise is that it is re-distributing itself - just wondering where it's going?
Well, on the 17th September I will be able to go onto a normal diet - albeit one that is predominately protein - really looking forward to that!
Till then....
Friday, 6 September 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
One week since my surgery...
Well, here I am - back again. It's Monday 26 August and it's been a week since I toddled off to hospital to have my gastric sleeve. What a week it's been!
My surgergy happened at the end of the day (unfortunately) so there was a lot of waiting around in pre-op which just added to the growing nerves, but eventually I was wheeled into theatre and it all began.
I woke up in post-op to find the nurse asking me if I had hypertension! Apparently my blood pressure was very high and was causing them some concern. I was very groggy but managed to say no, no history of it. I was kept in post-op for about 3 hours because of it though - so my poor husband who was ringing the hospital to find out how I was, was just getting told that I had not come back to the ward yet - he was starting to worry that something was wrong.
Eventually I was taken to my room and I was able to ring home and let them know I was okay. I was very tired but not really in any sort of pain, just a bit uncomfortable.
I stayed in hospital for 3 days and came home last Thursday afternoon. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster since then - some days better than others. My doctor told me to try and have 3 Optifast shakes a day as well as 3 litres of water! Well, there's just no way I can do it. The Optifast started giving me diarrhoea which is not fun, so I knocked it down to one a day (and eventually none) and replaced it with home-made chicken broth, a bit of flavoured milk and lots of water. Amazingly I am not hungry, but smelling the family dinner being cooked is a bit hard to take.
This morning I was showering and discovered that I seem to have come out in hives! That's a bit of a concern, but I did try a liquid panadol yesterday which tasted disgusting and made me feel sick - so it may have been a reaction to that - just have to wait and see. The hives are not itchy - just red and ugly.
I also stepped on the dodgy bathroom scales this morning and am 6kg lighter than this time last week. So that's a bonus! Haven't taken any measurements though as I am quite weary and frankly, can't be bothered!
So until next time (hopefully next week).... take care.
My surgergy happened at the end of the day (unfortunately) so there was a lot of waiting around in pre-op which just added to the growing nerves, but eventually I was wheeled into theatre and it all began.
I woke up in post-op to find the nurse asking me if I had hypertension! Apparently my blood pressure was very high and was causing them some concern. I was very groggy but managed to say no, no history of it. I was kept in post-op for about 3 hours because of it though - so my poor husband who was ringing the hospital to find out how I was, was just getting told that I had not come back to the ward yet - he was starting to worry that something was wrong.
Eventually I was taken to my room and I was able to ring home and let them know I was okay. I was very tired but not really in any sort of pain, just a bit uncomfortable.
I stayed in hospital for 3 days and came home last Thursday afternoon. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster since then - some days better than others. My doctor told me to try and have 3 Optifast shakes a day as well as 3 litres of water! Well, there's just no way I can do it. The Optifast started giving me diarrhoea which is not fun, so I knocked it down to one a day (and eventually none) and replaced it with home-made chicken broth, a bit of flavoured milk and lots of water. Amazingly I am not hungry, but smelling the family dinner being cooked is a bit hard to take.
This morning I was showering and discovered that I seem to have come out in hives! That's a bit of a concern, but I did try a liquid panadol yesterday which tasted disgusting and made me feel sick - so it may have been a reaction to that - just have to wait and see. The hives are not itchy - just red and ugly.
I also stepped on the dodgy bathroom scales this morning and am 6kg lighter than this time last week. So that's a bonus! Haven't taken any measurements though as I am quite weary and frankly, can't be bothered!
So until next time (hopefully next week).... take care.
Monday, 19 August 2013
D-Day! Well, surgery day....
19 August 2013 - hopefully the day my life changes forever - in a good way!
I am due at the hospital at 12 noon. I was hoping to be first cab off the rank - but it was not to be.
For the past week I have been trying to replace breakfast with Optifast, and yesterday I was on liquids only. Today it's nil by mouth from 7am. Smelling the toast and coffee being consumed by other members of the household was a bit torturous this morning!
I weighed myself today and I've dropped about 2 kgs since my first blog post - so that's good. My measurements have gone down a bit too, but not all over. I experienced this sort of thing the first time around when I had the band, so it's not unexpected.
Well, fingers crossed it all goes well and I'm not too sore afterwards. That's the more frightening part, the recovery. The surgery is just a day, but it's life afterwards that is going to be the challenge. I hope it's all worth it.
I'll let you know....
I am due at the hospital at 12 noon. I was hoping to be first cab off the rank - but it was not to be.
For the past week I have been trying to replace breakfast with Optifast, and yesterday I was on liquids only. Today it's nil by mouth from 7am. Smelling the toast and coffee being consumed by other members of the household was a bit torturous this morning!
I weighed myself today and I've dropped about 2 kgs since my first blog post - so that's good. My measurements have gone down a bit too, but not all over. I experienced this sort of thing the first time around when I had the band, so it's not unexpected.
Well, fingers crossed it all goes well and I'm not too sore afterwards. That's the more frightening part, the recovery. The surgery is just a day, but it's life afterwards that is going to be the challenge. I hope it's all worth it.
I'll let you know....
Friday, 9 August 2013
My First Post!
Welcome to my first post! I wanted to write a blog - but wasn't sure what to write about! I know that probably no one will be reading it but me - but I'm still a little cautious about what to share (just in case!)
But anyway - here goes.
Today is Friday 9 August 2013. In 10 days I will be going into hospital and undergoing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy - or gastric sleeve - operation. I am really excited about this, but also a little nervous.
I have been overweight since the late 1980s. I wasn't an overweight child, but when I hit about 21 things changed. I met my (now) husband and he was a qualified chef - so I was introduced to really yummy food! I don't blame him - he didn't force me to eat - but being happy and eating out a lot just packed the weight on. Then after we were married and our first child came along, I got bigger and bigger.
In 2003 I decided that I had had enough. I had over the years tried various diets, all of which worked a little, but nothing lasted. Then I heard about gastric banding or lap banding. I found a doctor and had the operation. I went from 135kg to 95kg. I was thrilled. But then problems set in - the band is adjustable and every time I had the band tightened I would get terrible reflux. So I would have to have it loosened - of course that meant I was able to eat more, so the weight started creeping back up. Eventually it was discovered that my band had slipped - which probably explained the reflux. So I had it removed and replaced. But even then the reflux was still an issue and I couldn't have the band as tight as was needed to control my appetite. So in March this year my second band was removed. I then had to wait until now to have the sleeve operation.
Unlike the band, the sleeve is permanent and not adjustable. A lot of people who were band patients have had the same issues as I did and have had the sleeve. I know that it won't be easy - but the results other people have had are every encouraging and I am hopeful that I will also be a success story.
My 10 day out pre-op statistics are:
Weight: 122kg (approximately - our bathroom scales are not the most accurate!)
Height: 168cm
I am taking other measurements too (bust, waist, hips, etc) but I am not going to publish them here!
ANYWAY.... fingers crossed as I start this journey....
This is an awful photo - but is probably the most recent - I tend to hide when cameras are around!
But anyway - here goes.
Today is Friday 9 August 2013. In 10 days I will be going into hospital and undergoing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy - or gastric sleeve - operation. I am really excited about this, but also a little nervous.
I have been overweight since the late 1980s. I wasn't an overweight child, but when I hit about 21 things changed. I met my (now) husband and he was a qualified chef - so I was introduced to really yummy food! I don't blame him - he didn't force me to eat - but being happy and eating out a lot just packed the weight on. Then after we were married and our first child came along, I got bigger and bigger.
In 2003 I decided that I had had enough. I had over the years tried various diets, all of which worked a little, but nothing lasted. Then I heard about gastric banding or lap banding. I found a doctor and had the operation. I went from 135kg to 95kg. I was thrilled. But then problems set in - the band is adjustable and every time I had the band tightened I would get terrible reflux. So I would have to have it loosened - of course that meant I was able to eat more, so the weight started creeping back up. Eventually it was discovered that my band had slipped - which probably explained the reflux. So I had it removed and replaced. But even then the reflux was still an issue and I couldn't have the band as tight as was needed to control my appetite. So in March this year my second band was removed. I then had to wait until now to have the sleeve operation.
Unlike the band, the sleeve is permanent and not adjustable. A lot of people who were band patients have had the same issues as I did and have had the sleeve. I know that it won't be easy - but the results other people have had are every encouraging and I am hopeful that I will also be a success story.
My 10 day out pre-op statistics are:
Weight: 122kg (approximately - our bathroom scales are not the most accurate!)
Height: 168cm
I am taking other measurements too (bust, waist, hips, etc) but I am not going to publish them here!
ANYWAY.... fingers crossed as I start this journey....
This is an awful photo - but is probably the most recent - I tend to hide when cameras are around!
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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