End of first week back at work

Life is getting back to normal socially and professionally but with my new way of eating this is my second life :) When you worked so hard for a second chance, it's harder to take it for granted and even when I forget every now and then, remembering my little band makes me smile. I am happy :)

I won't lie, first day back at work was agony. I don't think I was ready just yet but it got better every day and by the end of the week I barely felt the incisions hurt when I moved and I had more energy. I think pain makes you tired.

I had soups and little pots of low fat low sugar puddings at work with the odd Slim Fast. I find that I can tolerate them now, maybe it was such a problem when I was having such a huge amount of milk during pre-op diet.

I found drinking enough a bit of a problem this week. I am struggling to keep my liquid intake high enough. Most I managed was 1.7 litres. Weather being rubbish doesn't help and I get full up so quickly, I can't really finish any drink. I should be sipping non stop all day to get enough fluids in and I simply forget to. Checking the colour of my urine every time, it's not dark at all, I think I really didn't need as much liquids?

I find myself getting hungry during the day too. I eat/drink something and I get full easily so it's good but my stomach must be healing well so I take the hunger as a positive thing :)

I was sick and tired of soup this week though so I mixed gravy in and liquidised normal food into thin purees. Really helped. I could barely manage 1/4 of a meal for 1 foods per meal so that's also great. I've treated myself to M&S food a couple of times this week, it was lovely.

I still shower with waterproof plasters on my incisions and remove them immediately after the shower. I'm holding on to the glue like a security blanket. Terrified of getting them infected so I try not to touch them but I feel they are quite scabby and dry on the top now. Looks like they will peel very shortly. Not worried at all about scarring although I feel like one of them might scar a bit. A tiny price to pay for a huge improvement :)

I lost 34 pounds since my consultation day with Dr Super, which was exactly 6 weeks ago, average 5-6 lb a week. This is amazing, I've never managed to stick to a diet this long and lose this much in one go. I dropped one size already and can't wait for more! I was a bit disappointed with my loss after the surgery though - only 4 lb in the last two weeks. I've lost more on the pre-op! I will not worry though, this must be a result of the starvation mode. I'm aiming for 1000 calories a day this week and hopefully it will make a difference.

I'm finding it very inconvenient to exercise, lol. I used to walk to work and back in my pre-op and it helped a lot. 60 min walk in total, great exercise. But now it's dark and miserable and wet and cold... I would be scared to walk back home after work in the dark. Not that it's dodgy or anything it's just really dark, that road can get pitch black at night! I remember once we were walking home from town after a night out with my husband and we almost fell a couple of times - not cos we were drunk but because you couldn't see the pavement!

In the last couple of days, I spent my lunch hour walking around in town. If it's raining then I go to the shopping centre and walk up and down there :) I don't want to sign up for a gym because we're moving in the new year and they contract for a year. There's The Gym Group where they don't require annual contracts but the problem with that is, it's tiny and apparently packed pretty much all the time and you have to wait for your turn on the gym equipment. I don't feel healed enough to hop on the elliptical trainer yet anyway...

I'll sign up for the gym where we'll move in the new year and I'll go back to swimming. The most success I had with dieting and exercising was a few years back when we swam every morning before work with my husband. Sadly now he works in London and he doesn't have time in the mornings and he doesn't have energy in the evenings... And I really don't want to go swimming on my own before I lose another 30 pounds!

Mushies next week, eeek! I'm scared of eating anything that is not a puree... Dr Superman said take it easy and don't rush. I think I'd only have soft food at home to begin with, just in case. Stick to softer stuff at work for another couple of days maybe...

Going back to work successfully done, what's next challenge? Christmas?  :)  xxx

Things are better on 2nd day at work

Yesterday was much better than the first day at work. In the morning I had a training so it was all fun and cool. Afterwards I came home for lunch, had a meatball soup, yummy! Then before I went back to work for another 3-4 hours, I remembered to take a big sip of my baby paracetamol. This time although i still got the back ache nearer the end of the day, it was nowhere near as bad as yesterday.

I had a funny moment today while driving to work after my lunch... I felt so happy suddenly and I burst into tears... Seriously, what's all this soppiness about?! I'm grateful I'm alive and my aches are more manageable and I dropped a dress size - all good stuff :)

Wind built up again and put pressure on my back and chesty before I went to bed so I took some paracetamol and fell into a peaceful sleep... only to be woken up by a soppy cat, purring and licking my face :) It took me a little while to go back to sleep because I noticed my back ached quite a bit but hey I did manage to sleep some more in the end.

Today I'm working from home and realising that my hunger is creeping back in. My swelling must have gone down and I must be healing on the inside. I rang THG and asked when I can have my dietician appointment and my fist fill but they said November dates haven't been released yet so they'll ring me as soon as they are available, pffft. I just want to know when things are to happen. I'm a planner, I'm a project manager, I'm an excel sheet queen, I have to know these things!

This is what I ate yesterday:

07:30 am - Innocent smoothie, pineapples, bananas and coconuts (160ml)
08:00 am - Liquid porridge with 5g Ready Brek, 1/4 banana, 2.5g of sultanas and 75g semi skimmed milk cooked in microwave and blended until smooth
10:00 am - Small soya latte with light Alpro Soya
14:00 pm - Soup made by liquidising a meatball in a cup of hot water and a teaspoon of gravy powder (Bisto roast lamb)
15:30 pm - Tea with a drop of skimmed milk (hald almost half)
16:30 pm - Shape delights velvety chocolate
19:00 pm - Soup made by liquidising a tablespoon of Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Lamb Moussaka in a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of gravy powder (nicked from husband's dinner, it was yummy hehe) (115 cal)
20:00 pm - Petit filous

Water: Only 2 glasses :(

Total calories: 739kcal

Exercise: 20 min slow pace walk - not good, need a min of 30 minutes every day but I had a training session in the morning and had to drive everywhere

First day back at work and my trousers

Yesterday it was my first day back at work. Mentally I was ready for it, partly because I know how hectic everything will get at work in the next couple of weeks and also because I don't want to be the sick person healing at home anymore, I want to throw myself back at normal life and continue the food challenge with the help of my band. So yes, mentally I was more than ready but physically, later in the day I found out, not so much...

I took a shower Sunday night - my first shower after the surgery. My husband washed my hair and I washed my body with a sponge before so I wasn't stinky or anything but an actual shower, oooh it was heavenly! I was worried about soaking my glued incisions as I'd like to keep the glue on them as long as possible as a security blanket so I covered them with little waterproof plasters. Removed them immediately afterwards so they can 'breathe'. Straightened my hair and shaped my eyebrows for the first time after the op, getting ready to go back to professional life :P

There was a few things I was worried about... The bruises on my both hands, getting wind pain and tiredness. I managed to hide my hands in a long sleeved cardi which isn't actually too loose so it doesn't make me look like an emo teenager :P Plus I don't have the hideous haircut or the funny make-up and I hardly looked like a teenager!

 

Wind pain hit me in the afternoon after having my soup and I was indeed very very tired - again, in the afternoon...

I find that after walking for 10 minutes or so, I get a bad back ache. Is this because I try not to use my abdominal muscles I wonder? My back was killing me in the afternoon and I had to take a co-codomol when I got home. It was fine in a few minutes, I didn't care :)

Right, the morning of my first day back at work I had a little surprise. Usually I wear comfy palazzo trousers made of loose jersey fabric with an elasticated waist in the house or out and about. But I have my decent tailored trousers for work. Obviously I haven't worn them in the last 10 days or and when I put them on, they didn't fit! They fell down to my ankles!!! YAY!!! That was an amazing moment! I've been at this size for the last year or so and it's a big thing for me. I have other pairs for 3-4 different sizes in my wardrobe, patiently waiting for the day to be used again so I picked one size down and put it on nervously. Would it be too tight? Would it go up my tree trunks? Oh yes - it was a perfect fit! I rang my husband to give him the news and he was worried, he thought something happened to me on the way to work or something and I said of course something happened to me, this is big news! 

I thought about walking to work but then I changed my mind and drove, just incase I got very tired at work. It was a good call, I did indeed get mega tired in the afternoon. It's a 5 minute walk from the car park to the office but with my current speed, it took me 10 minutes. I went out for a walk at lunch and in total I walked for an hour. 

I wonder if it's the yogurt soup giving me the gas after eating so I made something different for dinner. Husband had a couple of meatballs leftover so I liquidised one with lots of gravy and it tasted divine! Lovely dinner, yum yum yum. I also enjoy Danone shape delights nowadays, they come in dark choc or white choc and they are both lovely. It slides down easily and helps up the calories. It's low fat and only 108 kcal a pot. I had 2 yesterday and an ice lolly which is only 25kcal.

Yesterday I had:

09:30 am - Sainsbury's smoothie (banana, pineapple and coconut)

11:00 am - Cup of tea with a drop of skimmed milk (managed 1/4 mug)

14:00 pm - Yogurt soup (200ml)

16:00 pm - Shape delights velvety chocolate

17:00 pm - Coffee with soya milk (managed 1/2 mug)

19:00 pm - Soup made by liquidising a meatball in a teaspoon of gravy powder and hot water

20:00 pm - Shape delights white choc

21:00 pm - Ice lolly

Total 580kcal

All pain aside, good to be back at work :) x

Little happy moments

Yesterday, I could put my socks on myself and I drove for the first time which obviously involves getting in and out of the car alright. Funny how such little things make you happy! Took my car to the garage for an MOT and walked back home and picked it up in the afternoon so that's half an hour walk done for the day :)

Today I'm going back to work and life is getting back to normal again.

Last week was probably one of the most emotional times of our lives, both husband and I are pretty shaken and keep having "wow, what have we done!" moments, not regretful at all mind you, it was just a big thing to do and when you're in the flow of things you don't realise straight away. Obviously I spend a lot of time on WLSurgery.com forums but my other half was not as informed as I was but I feel like we've done well :)

Here's to the rest of my life, feeling normal with my little band cuddling my tummy :) x

Bowel movements and a Sunday roast

What a shitty subject to talk about :) Oh well, it's all part of being human and even the hottest models and the queen take a dump on a regular basis!

On my 3-week pre-op milk and yogurt diet, I had the runs pretty much all the time. Firstly because I couldn't tolerate that much lactose (still can't) and after cutting lactose it's still been on the softer side but when all you consume is liquid, what goes out is also liquid, it's only normal.

After my op, I couldn't do it until the 5th day or so. Main reasons were: 1. I didn't eat much so there wasn't enough to come out, 2. I was on co-codomol which gives you constipation, 3. I was scared to try because my incisions hurt.

When I managed to go on the 5th day post-op, it was a very small piece of a very dark colour goo. Apparently this is normal. It didn't hurt to 'push' though so maybe if I tried, I could have done it sooner.

Afterwards, I just had an episode last night, which wasn't pleasant at all...

See, my husband is a lovely man and he loves and supports me. He's been very patient with me during my pre-op and he hasn't cooked anything in the house and he didn't bring any smelly food with him. I was so bored of milk and yogurt at the time, even the cat food smelled delicious lol! Even in the hospital when he had to eat something he ate it in the bathroom - didn't want to leave me, bless him. So it's only fair and understandable when he asked permission yesterday if he could cook himself a Sunday roast and I said of course he could, he's been super so far and he deserves it.

I even helped him prepare (he's a little clumsy) and supervised and made sure he cleaned after himself :) But I didn't realise everything would smell so yummy! Of course it would, why wouldn't it? And of course he had to have my favorite meat - lamb... Arghhhhhh!

 Image from Wikipedia

I've been very good though, I didn't eat anything. The potatoes roasted so nicely, all crisp on the outside and fluffy inside... Bastard, he's so good at roasting potatoes :) The smells watered my mouth... So I reached for the home made gravy and ate a couple of spoonfuls. That was all I could have and I did have it.

Shortly after, I had the worst wind pain since the op. I was almost tearful, it hurt so much. A big pressure on my chest and on my back plus a rumbling stomach... The gravy must have been too rich for my poor post-op tummy to cope with. I started walking up and down the house, climbed up and down the stairs, took some painkiller and my husband rubbed my back.

Finally in an hour or two, which felt like eternity, I managed to fart. Then I had to run to the loo and sit there for a while. Diarrhea... where did that come from?? It was very light yellow and water consistency. Afterwards, I felt sooo much better. Pain was gone but it left me exhausted so I went to bed to lie down for a bit, only to pass out in a couple of seconds.

I woke up at 5am this morning and felt the need to go again. Same as last night. Hopefully this will be the last and I promise to stick to clearer liquids for a couple of days, no more rich soups or stupid gravy of the stupid Sunday roast that smelled heavenly, bleh...

I just noticed the time... Last week this time, I was sitting in the reception of Dolan Park hospital, shaking with nerves. Time does fly :) x

Post-Op Recovery - Week 1

This is the 7th day of my laparoscopic (key hole) gastric band surgery, I can't believe how time flies :)

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