When I started this blog I promised myself to keep a diary every single day and record everything I eat and drink to keep it very honest even though I knew there would be times I fail. My head has been all over the place since my surgery and I can't even last through a 20-min episode of my favorite TV series let alone sit down to write a post...
So instead I thought I'll do a review of the recovery in my first week post-op. I have been posting on WLSurgery.com forums so I thought I'll combine my posts here and they sum up my week:
Monday, 15th Oct '12:
I'm alive! X
~ ~ ~
I am now a proud owner of a 10ml band with a 1ml fill thanks to my Superman surgeon Mr Paul Super :)
A bit sore where the port is and wind pain is a bitch but overall I'm feeling much better than I thought I would.
I went in at 10:30 and been waken up in the recovery room and taken to my room. I thought I just arrived when I opened my eyes but apparently I slept for a couple of hours!
I had half a cup of water and a cup of peppermint tea so far and I'm on seconds now. I can't believe how easily I can sip.
No nausea, yay! I have a swollen lip which isn't painful just the top bit is swollen to a pea size. And my scalp is itchy! Apparently morphine does that, how bizzare...
Everyone here at Dolan Park are so lovely and even though I went to the op theatre in tears, I was laughing by the time I was lying down!
I'm very happy :)
Tobi xxx
~ ~ ~
I napped on and off until half an hour ago. A nurse came to help me get up, change into pyjamas (deffo pjs by the way, couldn't get comfy in nighty). They changed my bedding too, it was covered in iodine.
Walking was agony. The two larger incisions hurt a LOT! Like a tugging stretching sensation. One is the port and other is where they poked around with the camera.
Wind pain is in the middle of my back, on the left mostly. The gastric band specialist nurse said it must be stuck behind my lungs :(
I took Windeze and sucked it although she said when it's almost finish, spit it out don't try to chew and swallow.
Not sure if it's the stronger painkiller she gave me or Windeze but it feels a bit better. Actually feels like it will make me sleep shortly :P
I can hear the sheep baaaa and birds chirp outside my room, its so nice, I keep the window open :)
Yay for my new life!! X
~ ~ ~
... he (Dr Paul Super, my surgeon) was so lovely today before and after the op. Apparently my liver shrunk good and he was very pleased with my weight loss.
I did manage to get up and walk around the corridors and thanks to whatever that anise flavoured painkiller is, it didn't hurt and felt so good.
I had a cup of chicken soup afterwards - it was heaven!!!
One thing to note is that i am not allowed to use a hot water bottle as it might cause bleeding. It helped a lot with the wind pain on my back before i had to stop using it.
Also not allowed to use ibuprofen for the next two weeks, only paracetamol, with or without codeine.
Next challenge is to pee. I managed two drops, sorry if TMI, but i can't pass the rest.
My mouth is so dry but lips aren't too bad with a bit of lip balm. Dry mouth spray works for a couple of minutes then back to furry dry mouth and throat. Ah and my scalp doesn't itch anymore.
This is the worst it will be. From today onwards it will only get easier and better and i just cant wait! X
Tuesday, 16th Oct '12:
Hi fellow banders and banders-to-be, this will hopefully be my last post from Dolan Park and i shall continue to report from home afterwards
Last night i managed to pee properly for the fist time, yay and managed my first satisfactory burp also, yay again! Mini burps did obviously help but a big one felt soo good, i never thought i would be so grateful for a burp lol.
I felt a bit bloated before i went to bed last night because ive been drinking pretty much all afternoon and evening. I had several cups of water, a chicken soup and hot chocolate. I think i'll need to learn not to drink too fast.
They put some sort of wraps around my legs to improve blood flow and circulation When i wnt to bed and the wraps are connected to a machine that inflates and deflates left and right at a time - a bit like a blood pressure Monitor, only very gentle. I thought it would be awkward to sleep in those, it was fine.
I woke up just before 5am having slept great, had to call the nurse to get up as my legs were connected to the machine and went for a pee while she brought me a cup of tea. It was lovely, especially because i woke up with a sore throat.
Walked up and down the corridors a bit. My wind pain seems to have shifted from my back to my shoulder, still on the left side. Its much more bearable than yesterday though.
My incisions were red and hot yesterday, as expected. But today i found them much better to my surprise. I'll try to attach a photo. There are 3 small and 2 large ones. Small ones are barely visible. They are all glued.
I had a cup of tea, then half a cup of cappucino this morning. Im sipping my breakfast smoothie now, strawberry and banana and its lush! I was also given a muller light vanilla yogurt, i asked if it's not too thick for the liquid stage and the nurse said it's fine, slides down easily. Keeping that for later.
I've been given another Clexane injection this morning (had the first one yesterday after the op) and i will not need to self-inject anything when i go home.
Im not allowed to shower for 5 days but it's ok to wash the rest of the body, trying to keep the glued incisions dry.
Im feeling MUCH better than yesterday, just a bit of shoulder pain and bloated feeling and tenderness in the tummy and haven't had painkillers since 11pm last night.
Waiting for my husband to come and pick me up at 7 and we'll head home. Normally the journey is around 2.5-3 hours. Looks like we'll hit the rush hour traffic this morning so i'll take some more tramadol before the journey, it lasts around 4 hours. Then i can top it up with the liquid paracetamol they gave me with my discharge papers.
Overall, a fantastic experience so far. I was up all night the night before my surgery crying and scared but they staff are so lovely and helpful and they look after you so well. Im very impressed with Dolan Park and every single person i met who works here.
Thank you for your supportive messages, it means so much to know others are on the same boat as me.
Tobi x
Wednesday, 17th Oct '12:
Today im full of gas and have zero appetite but still happy :) one day at a time, one fart at a time hahaha x
Thursday, 18th Oct '12:
I had no difficulty drinking after the op but the next day struggled to keep the liquids up. Wind pain is more manageable today though, phew...~ ~ ~
After a couple of days of zero appetite, I felt hungry tonight. I had some chicken stock and added a teaspoon of skimmed milk powder and a teaspoon of cheese sauce mix in it and turned into some sort of soup - it tastes amazing :)~ ~ ~
I wonder how much I can manage though, just waiting for it to cool down a bit so I can have it.
What does restriction feel like? After I have a few sips of whatever I'm having I feel my chest tighten a bit as if I need a burp but I can't burp and I can't sip anymore. Am I forcing my band? Or is this just the soreness cos of the op? It's so foreign to me, I don't understand how it works yet. A little scary! X
(I got a response that I could be drinking either too quick or too much. It's been recommended take I take longer pauses between sips to allow the liquid drip through my new funnel)
... sipping slower is something I'm going to have to learn. But I think this is trapped wind as it shifts as I move... Bleh
X
It gets better everyday. To give you an idea this is what I've done today: My husband had to go back to work today so I am alone at home and I managed to get up, go down the stairs, empty the dishwasher, tidy up the living room on my own and I went for a walk for 30 min. I could have done these yesterday too but I didn't have to, so I didn't think about it.~ ~ ~
Easy go get on with daily stuff but of course I can't compare my experience with yours looking after children as I don't have any. There are things I couldn't do on my own. I couldn't put my socks on for example. I had a bit of difficulty pulling my trousers up but managed it in the end. I can't lift the cats up yet, they are average size cats weighing around 5kg. Maybe it would be a good idea to get some help around the house with the children for the first week?
I could go to work today because I have a desk job but it would have been uncomfortable. I don't rely on the painkillers as much either. I took some in the morning when I woke up but didn't need to afterwards. Will probably take some before I go to bed though.
I feel very well, just a bit sore here and there. 3 small incisions are almost healed, the two bigger ones are sore but this is to be expected.
Hope this helps! xx
Every single person at Dolan Park is great, they look after you so well - I didn't want to leave! :)
I must be one of the worst cases they've seen - sobbing and shaking pretty much constantly before the op but even I was laughing by the time I was on the operating table. I promise you everyone does a great job to make you feel at ease and calm you down.
Good luck :) x
Friday, 19th Oct '12:
Hey! I'm much better thank you :) didn't need to take painkillers all day except the first one in the morning and I had a 30 min walk, yay! 3 small incisions are fine, the other two are still very sore but it is to be expected.
~ ~ ~
(As a reply to how much I could have) ... Not much hon, Half a coffee mug maybe? Takes me about an hour to finish xxx
~ ~ ~
Things I learned today:
Don't be brave, take your painkillers. Even tho it's ok in the day, going to bed and getting comfortable will be an issue...
Make sure you always have a glass of water around you. You might feel the need to cough and coughing hurts!
Laughing also hurts! And i bet sneezing should too... Keeping your hand pressed lightly over port can make it a tad better.
Tough night so far, I gave up and decided to sleep on the sofa :(
(I got high on co codomol and went back to bed and slept for 6 hours in the end)
Sunday, 21st Oct '12:
How time flies, it's already the end of week 1!
I've remembered to take it easy after my painful night a couple of days ago and been feeling much better since. It's important to remember you had surgery :)
Like they tell you, it was not pain free. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be either. But it really does get better every day. I couldn't lift up the cats a couple of days ago or pick something up from the floor but I can today. It's easier to get in and out of bed and I stopped sleeping in a semi sitting position a couple of nights ago, I sleep mostly on my back and I could even sleep on my right side for a couple of hours last night. Still can't sleep on my left side yet.
3 small incisions are healed very well. 2 bigger ones are still sore but not pulling/tugging as much. One of them is raised though, I have a feeling that will scar more than the other but I couldn't care less.
I am feeling hungry but still can't have more than half a mug of soup at a time and I find it frustrating that I can't have more. I'm sure this is head hunger and I'll need to learn to deal with this.
I didn't dare weigh myself this weekend. I still feel very bloated and I would be very disappointed if I didn't lose anything so I'll leave it til next saturday.
Bored being at home already but I still have another day off, going back to work on Tuesday. I'm slightly worried about driving, I hope it'll be fine.
Funny how big and life changing this operation was for me and although it's just been 1 week, I'm pretty much back to normal.
No regrets whatsoever... none at all :) xxx
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