In Stitches!!!!

Well yesterday I had my stitches taken out.  Something I had been dreading all week.  I would not let my other half come in with me after the state of him when he saw me come out of surgery.  I know now that he can't cope seeing me in pain.  But what was I worried about??? It was actually a relief!  The tightness and the pullling of the stitches had been causing pain and now it was gone!  Excellent!  So I collected my other half and went to find our car, just as we leave the hospital car park, he misjuded the corner and went up and over a curb! OUCH!!! that hurt!  was not till I got home that I found 2 of my wounds were now open again!!!  Imagine what he could have done if he had actually come in with me! 

Anyway still weighing myself everyday and up until yesterday I had lost 25llbs, how exciting!  today has been the first day I have not lost any llbs.  I think that maybe because after coming back from hospital I did not feel well.  I was more tired than I have been so far, I took a 3 hour nap, missed my afternoon snack then brought my dinner straight back up again.  I tryed to have a bananna smoothie after that but could not even swallow.  I gave up and went to bed and slept right through till this morning.  Today I feel good and have kept my food down.  I have managed to keep down a lot of fluid also.  I am scared my body will go into starvation mode if I don't keep up with eating.  It is so hard when you are just not hungry. 

Today I met some friends for a coffee and obviously every one was sitting round waiting for me to finish my drink!  In the end one of my friends stood up and said 'I have to go' without thinking I picked up my cup which had about an inch and a half of coffee left and knocked it back! OUCH again! I regretted that immediatley.  I think my friends thought I was having a heart attack!  When will my head catch up with my tummy!!!!!

Experimenting with pureed food...

Good News

16.5llbs down!

This morning I weighed myself and was happy to find the I am now 16.5llbs down.  I have also today discovered the first pureed dish that I have enjoyed the taste of!  my stomach felt a little unsure about it though.  I chopped 1 carrot, 1 sweet potato and 1 small chicken breast, sauteed them in a little butter then added 500mls of vegetable stock, brought to the boil and simmered until reduced.  I then pureed it and made up 3 meals out of it.  I had one for lunch and will freeze the other two.  It tasted really good but I did have to water it down a little as it hurt going down.  I have noticed that my taste buds seem to be working better than before!  yesterday I watered down and pureed some refried beans, and I have to say in all the times I have had refried beans I have never noticed that they were spicy, yet yesterday I noticed it so much I had to add some yoghurt to cool my mouth down.  

I have been trying to keep busy and active but finding today a little harder than yesterday.  I'm very tired today.I had a few friends visit me yesterday and I was so perky I expect they are wondering  what on earth I am doing off work!!!  I think I thought that for a while too, but I have very different energy levels today. Suppose it will take a while for my body to adjust.

Day 4 Post Op...

Well what a rollercoaster of a few days this has been.  I was released from hospital on Saturday night after they gave me some pureed cottage pie and made sure I ate it ok.  I got on the scales on Sunday morning to find that I was 5llbs up from pre op weight! I posted on the support group site and was assured it was due to the water and gas that had built up.  I spent Sunday going through my freezer and cupboards working out what foods to keep and what to do with them.  I decided to make up a few different dishes freeze portions for my partner and puree and freeze portions for me.  They did not taste very nice but its only for a few weeks then I can slowly move towards solids.  It is really difficult to eat, I still have to think each time about taking a small amount of food. It is very uncomfortable if you eat too much at once.  It feels like my whole day is around food though.  I wake up, I have my antacid tablet.  I then take an hour to eat my half a weetabix, then a little while later I have to try and get some water in before I have to stop for my 11am snack.   I have 2 oz yoghurt for my snack, then again have to get some water in before having to stop for lunch.  And so it continues throughout the day!  I suppose this is all going to get easier.  Good news today is that I have started to deflate!  I have now lost the 5llbs I put on in hospital and lost a further 1/2 llb, grand total now 13.5llb loss.  I am hoping this week will see a big difference! It has too...  I have already started putting my clothes on ebay!

The Operation

I arrived at the Spire in Southampton at 6:30am yesterday morning.  I was shown to my room and told I was first on the list and would be taken down at 8:30am.  I don't think I have ever been as frightened in my life as I was then.  I remember the anaesthetist saying that I may feel a little drunk and that was it I woke up in recovery.  I don't remember a lot about yesterday but I do remember it being quite painful.  I was in and out of sleep all day.  This morning they removed the tube from my nose, which was the worst bit about today!!  They have taken me off morphine and put me on calpol.  I have gone from being in agony, feeling like I been beaten up whilst drunk, to feeling like I have wind!  I can't believe how quickly I am recovering.  I am generally a bit of wimp so this really is quite surprising.  Tonight I have had my first cup of tea.  I was given it a 9pm, its now 10:40pm and I am about half way through!  I am determined to finish it before I go to bed.  They say tomorrow I will have some pureed food.  Not sure what it will be and I don't feel hungry, even though I have not eaten for two and a half days, so not sure how that is going to go down.  Although I was so scared, I already know I have done the right thing.  I can't wait to start seeing some results.

Doughnuts

I started my Pre-op diet a few days early so I have now been on it a week and 4 days.

To my surprise i have lost 10.5 llbs already!

I have to have a small portion of no sugar museli or weetabix with skimmed milk for breakfast, 2oz (50g) of lean meat or fish with salad for lunch, 20z of lean meat, fish or 3oz Quorn for dinner with vegetables, and either 2 small potatoes, 2 tbsp rice or 2 tbsp of pasta. I am not allowed root veg. I am allowed 2 pieces of fruit a day and 1 small fat free yoghurt.

The first 4 days or so were so hard, I really struggled, in fact I cheated one day and had an extra piece of fruit! but very quickly my body has got used to this and is not craving anything. I don't feel hungry and don't really feel like i'm missing out. I am not getting in my yoghurt or my fruit everyday either. I feel great! I am awake and alert during the day and I am sleeping all night, neither of which have happened for a long time. I don't whether it is all the diet or because I have so much on at work. I happen to be having my busiest week since I started the job last may! typical! I would have a fabulous month if I was there for the whole month! never mind, My health in the long term is more important, nothing is going to stop me having this operation on Thursday. I know I am still scared but I do not have the time to worry about it!

I am finding the time to check out other blogs I am following and check the updates on the FB support group wall. I think I may be addicted to that now! I am finding it such a comfort. Even if I am reading about peoples troubles! The comfort there is the comments all the other members leave, everyone is so supportive.

I am feeling proud of myself today because one of my business development managers brought me in a box of 12 doughnuts, all iced and pretty, looked good enough to eat! Anyway as I passed them round the staff, two members of staff said 'go on have one, one won't hurt' I was not even tempted! I said no, I meant no, and I stuck to no. I just wish I could have done all this long term in the past. Then maybe I would not be in this position in the first place!