Rest......ahhhhh

Not much to say tonight. Stomach pain is less, but the pain and nauseous feeling from the dragging is still being a big problem. Not back to work yet, just trying to take it easy for now. :)

owieness

Last night I had a REALLY bad night... I was up until about midnight because Aaron and his bro were 'hanging out' = meaning lots of booze and stupid computer games all night... yayyyyy lol

Anyways, being the one not drinking I was designated driver to maccas for a mighty angus meal at 11.30pm at night for the both of them. Got home after the boys were talking about cochroaches in the car (dont ask how they got onto that topic) and all of a sudden I had the urge to be sick... TMI but I even started the whole sliming process and knew if I didn't lay down straight away I would be dry heaving in no time and at risk of slipping the band...

Luckily the moment I laid on my back the pain and feeling went away... then I stood up again and it was back again... I'm wondering whether it could be because I had a big day and maybe the drag on my skin/stomach from the port cord could have been a bit much??? Any ideas?

This morning I have a very sensetive incision in one spot.. i feel a bit bruised up and when I stand I can feel a bit of a drag.. probably normal as everything else so far has been...but you know the story.. waiting for my bad luck to return lol

gone with the wind

Couldn't resist the title. lol

I have been having a horrid time with wind the last few days. I always feel like there is a balloon stuck in my belly trying to escape through my chest. Fkn hurts i tell you what. As soon as i can get air out it comes straight back again and when i breathe in it's a sharp pain in my chest. Bah. Hate it.

That's just the UPside... The DOWNside is double trouble. I would have never believed in my entire life that i could play an entire song on the trumpet through my butt without taking a break. Not sure if it's a talent i want to keep, though. Might pass on the encore.

I'm counting down the days until i can get some solids into me. The liquids phase has it's downfalls which i don't want to get into too much detail about. Not pleasant.

I'll soldier on. :)

2 days post!

Surgery went really well apparently. I was told that i got a perfect band placement, which is a great relief :)

I had a fair bit of pain when i got out and had several pain reliefs and none of them worked so had to go morphine - although it didn't work straight away, about half an hour later the pain was getting less and less.

I'm home now, day 2 post op. Feeling a bit sore still around my incision sites, mostly when i start moving around, but moving around also stops that from hurting as much as well. The one thing that is getting to me the most is when i'm standing or sitting or moving around i have the feeling like i want to burp and i can't - it's actually very painful. When i'm laying down, or at least sitting on an angle i can get the air out of my gut, but when i'm sitting up straight, it hurts a lot. :( i'm hoping that goes away soon.

I haven't had any problems with getting down liquids at all, so my stomach musn't be swollen much. Did find that jelly felt a bit weird and i didn't even want to risk that just yet, even though it basically melts down to a liquid so i left that for now.

Cant think of anything else for the time being so i'll leave it here :)

Lap Band Surgery Today!

Today is the day... :\ See ya on the other side!

delayyyyyyyyyyyssssssssssssssssss

I got the call back I was waiting for and now some things have changed.

I'm lucky in that my surgery didn't get delayed another week, but it still did get delayed a day. That's fine. A week I was a bit pissed about... but one day I can deal with. (Besides the fact I have to go into work on the Monday... boohiss)

The compromise was the hospital change as well as a surgeon change. I'm now going to the quoted hospital and I'm being operated on by a dude... but I realise that I don't mind as much as I did when I first enquired about it.

I've had continued bad luck with this whole thing... and I'm still feeling a bit uneasy about the anaesthetist being paid... First person told me I need to get someone to call up and pay... they then said I need to call back and get a quote so they can pay it... then I call back and the person says I don't need to do anything because COC takes care of it... but I will need to go to medicare and do this and that and then do that and this and....WTF. I'm just concerned now that something will go wrong and I'll get there and it won't be covered.

Sigh.

Post-Op Gastric Banding Eating Plan

I also found this very interesting. I have one the doctor gave me, but this is a bit more descriptive so gives me a better idea of what I can have and shouldn't have.

Gastric band post-op eating plan

Immediately after your band has been placed, it is important to let it sit there quietly so that scar tissue can form around it, crucial to helping it fix in the correct position. If you were to eat a solid diet in the immediate post–op period, you stomach muscles squeeze and churn to break down the food and put stress and pressure on the band and any stitches holding it in position.

The band will limit how much food your stomach pouch can contain, but you are still 100% in control of what you put in your mouth, so you need to get to grips with a healthy eating plan if you are going to get the best results from your surgery. You can out–eat a band but this does seem pointless when you have put yourself through the major step of having surgery to control your obesity. Liquid calories (e.g. sugary drinks, alcohol) and melting foods such as chocolate and ice–cream are easy to eat with a band but over indulge in them and you will still be piling in the calories and you won't lose weight.

Whilst individual surgery centres do vary in their specific eating plan advice, here is general information and guidance for band patients.

The first four weeks

You will start taking sips of water the day of your operation and the following day will probably be able to take free fluids. Once you are taking fluids easily, you can progress to puree.

The most important aspect of your eating plan for the first four weeks after band insertion is to make sure all your food is pureed and that you eat it in small quantities (4–5 small meals per day). To start with, you probably won't even feel very hungry.

• The texture should be like smooth baby food (a good test is that it should pour off a spoon) and this is most easily achieved by using a food processor or hand–held blender. You can also use a potato masher for soft vegetables and potatoes and a sieve and spoon is also useful to remove lumps and pips. When you puree food, extra fluid may need to be added to get the smooth consistency. For savoury foods you might like to use packet or cook–in sauce mixes, gravy or the cooking water from your vegetables. For fruit and desserts, fruit juice will loosen the consistency.
• The size of your meals – about 100g, or 5–6 tablespoons is the correct amount. Ensure you eat this slowly and take small mouthfuls. For the main meal of the day, you might find it easier to purchase and puree a ready meal such as a Shepherds Pie or Fish Pie (potato top) and a one–person serving will usually be sufficient for two meals for you at this stage.
• Stop eating as soon as you start to feel full. Because your pouch is at the top of your stomach, the feeling of fullness you will get is different to what you are used to – it is felt more in your chest than in your stomach. Some people describe it as a tightness, some as a heaviness.
• Drink 1.5 litres of water (2 1/2 pints) every day. Take it in 100–200ml glassfuls between meals, not with your meals.

Example meals during this stage:

Breakfast	One Weetabix with milk or A tub of yoghurt or fromage frais or Three tablespoons of porridge or Ready Brek made up
Lunch	Smooth soup (about a cupful)or Scrambled egg
Dinner	Shepherd's pie or Fish pie or Chicken in white sauce or Mashed potato and cheese or Pureed vegetables and mashed potato
Between meal snacks (once per day)	Custard with stewed apple or mashed banana or Milk pudding (e.g. rice or sago) or Yoghurt or fromage frais
Fluids	Water (not fizzy) or Tea, coffee or skimmed milk or Fruit juice or Diet squash

Weeks four to six

Continue eating the same sort of food you were for the first four weeks, but it does not need to be pureed – mashing will make it the consistency of “toddler food”. It should be still fairly soft though and keep to the same small quantities and eating 4–5 times per day. Make sure you chew each small mouthful well.

After the first six weeks

You are now ready to continue on your long term eating plan. At six weeks your first band fill is usually done and you will start to feel the restriction your band is making around the top of your stomach. Remember, you are not just eating small amounts to reduce your calorie intake and lose weight, but you are aiming for a healthy nutritious eating plan as well. Each individual differs in the foods they can eat, but there are six golden eating plan rules to follow if you are dedicated to obtaining the greatest benefit from your gastric band:

• Eat three meals per day – your new pouch at the top of your stomach empties slowly throughout the day and you should be satisfied eating three meals a day without getting hungry in between meals. Beware of developing 'grazing' eating patterns of small snacks throughout the day.
• Eat healthy, solid food – soft food slips down easily and whilst this has the benefit of being less likely to block your stoma, you will likely end up eating more over the course of the day. Many soft foods are also higher in fat or carbohydrates and as a consequence you may be taking more calories than you should and your weight loss will slow down or stop. Choose solid foods without lots of sauce (e.g. small meal of chicken and vegetables) and you will eat less overall and stay full for longer.
• Eat slowly and stop as soon as you feel full – Most obese people are used to rushing their meals and as there is a time lag from stretching the wall of your stomach and telling your brain you are full, you need to be careful with this one or risk blockage, pain or vomiting. Take tiny bites (cut meat up to the size of a pencil–top rubber) and chew each piece 10–25 times. At some point you will start to feel a tightness in your chest. Stop eating and if you are hungry again a few minutes later, have a little more.
• Do not eat between meals – you should not need to eat between meals because of hunger if you are eating three sensible meals per day.
• Do not drink at meal times – Liquids speed up the passage of food through the stoma and ruin the beneficial effect of slow emptying of food from your new stomach pouch. If you have a drink immediately before your meal you may also find that your stomach is still full and you can't eat your meal. So avoid fluids half an hour before your meals, and for one hour afterwards.
• All drinks should be zero calories – As liquids do pass through your stoma so easily, calorie laden drinks, including alcohol, will simply add calories to your daily intake. Women need calcium, and this can be obtained from skimmed milk, but avoid juice, fizzy drinks (the gas can also cause considerable pain), squashes and milkshakes.

A healthy diet

There are five main food groups and a healthy diet comprises a mix of them:

• Protein foods – such as meat, fish, eggs, beans – include 2–3 60–90g (2–3oz) portions per day. You will have to particularly careful to chew meat, chicken and fish up thoroughly before you swallow – the recommended bite size is the size of a pencil–tip eraser.
• Milk and dairy – choose low–fat cheese and limit amount to 30–60g (1–2 oz). Choose skimmed milk and low fat yogurt varieties.
• Fruit and vegetables – try to have 4–5 portions per day. A small glassful of unsweetened fruit juice counts as one portion. Salads tend to be easily digested by most people with bands, and vegetables are good and filling as well as nutritious.
• Carbohydrates – bread, potatoes and cereals. For most people with properly restricted bands, this group is somewhat harder to digest so you develop an in–built mechanism to reducing your carbohydrate intake! Replace soft bread in your diet with granary or wholemeal, or crisp breads which are more easily digestible. One small portion of 60–90g (2–3oz) at each meal will be fine.
• Fats and sugary foods – use a small amount of olive oil for cooking and replace puddings with a low fat yogurt. As mentioned before, beware of the soft calorie–laden foods such as chocolate, sweets or ice cream.

Problem foods

Some foods are not tolerated very well after band placement, or may block the stoma and cause you to vomit. This again is very individual and some foods cause a problem for one band patient, but not the next. Vegetables and fruits that contain stringy fibres are particularly prone to be problematic.

• Asparagus – cut up very small or blend into soup
• Pineapple – juice is ok, fruit may be difficult to digest
• Rhubarb – cut up very small or puree
• Broccoli – the stalks may be problematic
• Dried fruits – will swell inside you and should be avoided
• Oranges – juice ok, flesh may be problematic
• Meat – needs to chopped very small and chewed thoroughly

Foods such as coconut, crisps and soft white bread are sticky and difficult to digest.

Nuts (such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts) and popcorn may also cause obstruction unless they are well chewed to a paste, and are probably best avoided.

For best weight loss

Limit the following foods:

• High calorie drinks (full milk, milkshakes, alcohol, fruit squashes, juice
• Cakes, biscuits and desserts
• Cereals with added sugar
• Fats and fatty foods – butter, oils, snacks foods (crisps, peanuts), chips
• Creamy soups

Multivitamins after a gastric band

You do not have altered absorption of nutrients so if you are following a healthy diet, you should not become deficient in any vitamins or minerals. You will get most of your calcium requirements if you have three portions of dairy food in your diet each day (one portion = 1/3 pt milk, a matchbox-size piece of cheese or 1 pot yogurt).

In addition, whilst you are losing weight, you might like to take one multivitamin tablet daily – choose one that can be broken up into smaller pieces to swallow so that it does not become stuck in your band stoma. Most major multivitamin brands are suitable but avoid the capsule formulations. Suggestions are: Centrum Complete A-Z (still available in the non-chewable tablet format), Sanatogen Gold A to Z, Seven Seas Multibionta and Boots Adult Multi-vitamins.

Stuck in your stomach

If you have not followed your eating plan rules, you may get a piece of food stuck in your stoma which can be quite uncomfortable. The first advice is not to panic about it, as most times it will eventually dislodge again on its own accord. To help move the food item on, try taking tiny sips of a hot drink over a period of an hour. Some people recommend that this is the one occasion that coke is good to drink as the bubbles encourage your stomach to distend and dislodge the blockage. If 24hrs has gone by and you still have something stuck and nothing else is going down (or its coming straight back up) you need to attend your hospital for a temporary de-fill of your band to ease the problem.

Pre-Op Liver Reduction Plan

I found this liver reduction plan on a website about obesity surgery. What a relief I can have /some/ solids during this pre-op eating plan.

I am basically having shakes & greens at the moment, besides some nights having a piece of fish or meat. Now I don't feel so bad about having the meat, as it turns out sugar and carbs are the main things that keep your liver at a larger size.

So for anyone else that may be on a liquid diet... I suggest that if you are desperate to eat something, then look at this list and choose wisely. I don't know whether I would follow the whole solid plan as I also want to gear myself up for the liquid weeks after surgery.

Pre-op liver reduction plan

Just because you are awaiting a surgical treatment for your morbid obesity, this is not an excuse to sit back and gorge out on as much food as you can! Any weight you can lose through dieting before your surgery is an advantage - it will make the surgery easier and will reduce the risks associated with it.

Some surgeons mandate a very restricted diet - one that is low in fat, sugar and carbohydrates - for one week prior to surgery and even if your surgeon doesn't ask you to follow this diet, doing so will increase your chances of your operation being completed laparoscopically because it will shrink your liver down in size. By following a strict diet, your body reduces its glycogen stores (glycogen is a form of sugar stored in the liver and muscles for energy). With each ounce of glycogen, the body stores 3–4 ounces of water, so when you follow a very strict diet, especially one that is low in starch and sugar, your body loses its glycogen stores and some water. The liver shrinks as it has less glycogen and water in it. This diet is only recommended for one week before surgery and is not to be followed post–operatively. It is quite possible you lose a lot of weight that week, but it will be mainly be water loss. Please ensure you continue to drink throughout the day.

Here are some menu suggestions:

Breakfast	Small bowl of cereal, or 1 slice of toast with a scraping of low fat spread
Lunch	1 slice bread or 2 crispbreads Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion cheese, or 2 eggs (not fried) Green salad (no dressing) or tomatoes
Dinner	Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion low fat cheese, or 2 eggs, or Tofu or Quorn based dish 1 small potato or 2 tablespoonfuls pasta or rice Vegetables (as many as you like except for root vegetables)
Daily	1/3 pint milk for use in drinks and on cereal 2 portions of fruit (e.g. apple, orange, banana, pear) Free water, tea, coffee, low calorie squash or fizzy drinks 1 low fat, low sugar yogurt or fromage frais

It's ok. Just calm down.

I had to calm down a little before writing this..

I called around this morning trying to find out whether everything had been paid or not before going in next Monday.. I ended up having to call COC because no one knew anything. Turns out I was given the wrong quote, and by that I mean, they quoted me for the wrong hospital, and asked if I could delay my surgery AGAIN... another week...and pay an extra couple of grand. WHAT????

I told them that I would prefer not to change it since it's already been changed once because they gave me incorrect information in the first place, and I would prefer to stay at the same hospital and pay the money and have it done on the same day.

She said she would get back to me and let me know what they could do.

They said I could still go into the quoted hospital, with a different surgeon, and have it delayed one day instead of one week. And although that means I now have a male surgeon instead of a female surgeon, I just don't want to wait any longer. If it keeps being delayed a week here and a week there, I will end up still end up being on liquids during christmas... fuck that! I'm already giving away my Birthday celebrations for this damn thing... I don't want it to ruin my christmas as well :(

So i'm going in this afternoon to get my final appointments, to sign some stuff and from there it should be OK. Talk about getting a bucket full of bad luck for this whole thing. Next thing I'll be in recovery being told that they couldnt put the band on or something :(

Pre-Op diet news

Still finding this "optifast" plan hard to follow. Not as much as originally, but i'm dying to chew. That's all I want to do... chew... That being said, I could chew on green vegetables... but i'd rather chew on my sock than green vegetables... So the blended soup is coming in handy - it's actually delicious!

I have been thinking that today I could have been at home resting, recovering, after my surgery yesterday. I wish I had the correct information to begin with.. But I suppose it's a good thing... work has been really hectic the last week or so... They are launching the new brand next Monday, so I've been so busy getting things organised.

Will leave it at that for now. Work calls. :(

D:

I've hit 2pm and haven't had my lunch shake yet... I'm actually not hungry at all right now (just wait, 2min after I type this I will be lol... it's all physchological I swear >.<) ...so I might not even have to eat the apple like I anticipated. I know it's because the coffee and muffin - but that being said, when I was eating normally and having the coffee and muffin I was still hungry at lunch time. I'm going to count it as a good thing, because if I can get through the next 3 weeks feeling like this then I will be happy. I'm not /too/ fussed about losing the actual 10kg number... I just want my liver size to be smaller so they are ok to do the surgery.

Day 2 of the Shake diet... ARGGGHHHH!!!!

Yesterday I struggled big time... I had 3 shakes, 1 apple, three sugar free lollies and a bowl of Zucchini, Broccoli, Leek and Potato soup.... Mild on the Potato obviously... I put it in more for consistancy... Then snuck a few more spoonfuls of soup about half an hour later... and then a couple more before putting the rest in the fridge... can't hurt that much right? It's vegetables... :\

I wasn't supposed to have the apple, but I was ravishing... I needed SOMETHING to get me through the afternoon. I had my brekky shake about 7am, lunch shake about 12.30 and by 2.30 I was dying...

Today I had my first shake when I got to work... still sipping actually... 10 past 8 at the moment - half way through. Will try and push my lunch time shake out until about 1pm. I brought my third shake with me today, so if I'm dying in the afternoon I will have it before 5pm and then have my soup when I get home... Hopefully then I can cut out the apple - but I do have it with me just in case... I feel really sick and nauseous when I have nothing in my stomach and the acid goes crazy... Producting too much acid in the stomach runs in my family. Thank god for Zantac tablets!

Soup soup....I have enough soup to get me through until hmm.. Sunday? I'll whip up another batch and maybe just put in 1 Potato instead of 2. I had a whole head of broccoli, 3 Zucchini's and one massive Leek though so the greens definitely take over... Gotta say though, yum yum! Couldn't eat them whole... taste so much different when blended with a little vegetable stock!

Don't know if anyone else will read this, but here's the recipe I used - you can add half a head of cauliflower if you like, but not sure if that follows the 'greens' thing?

3 decent sized Zucchini's
1 large Leek
1 head of Broccoli
2 small Potatoes
2 Litres of water
2 heaped teaspoons of vegetable stock (Vegeta is the best!)
1 chicken stock cube (I used an OXO cube)

Boil all for about half hour to 40min until everything is soft...

Blend the shit out of it until its smooth and there you go! :) Green soup! Very tasty...

2 days down... 19 to go.

Apparently after the 2nd or 3rd day you stop feeling hungry because you go into starvation mode... um... that can't be a GOOD thing can it? hello eating disorder! I swapped the 'optislim / optifast' shakes with Tony Ferguson ones because I know they have some extra good things in them (nutrients etc) to keep you going.

Speaking of TF, I have decided that I will do TF after my lap band surgery - perhaps not hardcore, because with the band you lose weight anyway by eating normally.. but more to keep me on track... so I still have a lifestyle change instead of just losing because I'm putting less in my body. This being said, my weekends I will relax and just have whatever is going - within reason. The band will stop me from overeating whatever it is I'm faced with... and during the week while I'm at work, I will be a good girl :)