Woman's WLS Journey

Sunday 18th June 2017 I attended another social event today. This will make it the fourth social event that I have attended since my surgery. I attended one of them while I was still in the fluid stage. My friend was hosting a BBQ at home and was preparing all this nice food to eat. Still being in the fluid stage I couldn't eat anything and I sipped on my protein drink and an orange juice. It was a weird feeling not been able to eat anything, plus I was feeling very tired since I had only had the surgery almost a week ago at that stage. I was eyeing off the bread and meat a lot wishing that I could eat it. It was a bit difficult being there. I attended my nephews 4th birthday while I was in the puree stage. I remember drinking a lot of protein drinks that day and eyeing off the food. Again I couldn't eat anything on offer there but I had brought with me a small container of pureed pumpkin soup to have for dinner later that day. My friends birthday in 5 degree weath...

Monday 12th June 2017 There are some things re: WLS that I am still adjusting too. For the first few weeks post surgery I was still drinking water with my meals out of habit. In the puree stage I was taking sips of water between ingesting teaspoons of pureed foods. Now that I'm on soft foods I'm getting myself into the habit of either drinking or eating, not both at the same time. When I'm eating I set aside my water and when I have finished eating I try to wait 20-30 minutes before drinking again as per instructions. It takes a while for the body/brain to establish different eating/drinking habits. Pre surgery I would drink water anytime I wanted and not have to worry about it - now it's different. I know that I am still drinking enough as I still have to wake up at 2am to visit the loo. For the first 2 weeks post op I didn't wake up to go to the loo at 2am because I wasn't able to drink enough. There are other things to get used to. I went out to a...

Saturday 10th June 2017 I'm now 3 weeks and 2 days post op. I started on soft foods 2 days ago - I feel like time is going by really fast. I read online about other people's accounts of their post op food stages and some people's stages last a lot longer than mine. I assume that is because they got the bypass, not the sleeve and also because different surgeons prescribe different diets to their patients. This is my food stage schedule: Bariatric free fluids = for one week (Wk 1) Puree foods = for 2 weeks (Wk 2 & 3) Soft foods = for one week (Wk 4) Normal foods = from week 5 on wards. I've coped well with each progressive food stage. Some people have trouble tolerating fluids and food post surgery. Thank goodness my mum came with me to my last surgeons appointment pre surgery as she convinced my surgeon that the gastric sleeve would be better for me then the gastric bypass. Because my ovaries don't function I take the pill every day as a form of H...

Tuesday 5th June 2017 I am 12 days post op today. And as of now I am a regular fit bit wearer. I was discharged from the hospital early - I stayed 2 nights there. I was happy to go home because I knew that I would sleep much better at home with my own pillows and less light and noise disrupting my sleep at night time. And I was so right about that one. They took the IV out a few hours before I left the hospital and my hand had swollen up to double it's size, it looked freaky. I got my stomach staples removed last week. I only felt a slight twinge as the first one came out and the rest were painless. I have 6 incision sites. I see the dietitian in a couple of weeks. I cooked spaghetti bologna for dinner today from the gastric surgery cook book. Tomorrow I will make potato and leek soup. I have to puree all of my meals but it's great to be eating/chewing food again after a week on fluids. I was feeling pretty weak living on fluids for that first week, weak but not ...

Friday 19th May 2017 24 hours post surgery. I originally thought that my surgery was going to be on the 8th May, but it was down in the books for the 18th. This meant that I had an extra 10 days on the Optifast diet. I did sway a bit on the diet only because, (only because...just a flimsy excuse), I had developed a nasty head cold and chest infection 9 days before my surgery date. I'm still coughing up a bit of gunk now but my head feels clear now. I was starting to feel better 3 days before the surgery and I had a word to the anaesthetist before surgery and he asked me a few questions about my symptoms. Sometimes people who are sick can't proceed with their surgery but the anaesthetist seemed happy to proceed with my surgery. So how have I fared in the last 24 hours? I had a bit of nausea and vomiting in the first 12 hours after surgery that lasted late into the night. Then this morning I had another bout of nausea but I didn't throw up - I like to think that I ...

Monday 1st May 2017 So i was back at the Chiro tonight for another going over. My back is slowly getting better, one slow week at a time. It seems that my pelvis and spine are not on talking terms at the moment and they are both out of joint and alignment with each other. Anyways... I watched a jolly good video on Facebook tonight about exercise after having weight loss surgery. It was hosted by a gastric surgeon, a Dr. Ouc Vuong, or Dr. V. He explained that going to gym soon after WLS was counter productive because the individual cannot consume high enough amounts of calories right out of WLS to make the work out beneficial. This makes sense to me. Getting back into the gym too soon after WLS will just take too much out of your system and create more hunger/cravings and weight loss stalls which is what you don't want. He explained that the triggers for our excessive eating behaviour needs to be addressed as a priority first and foremost before we even think about going ...

Sunday 30th April 2017 Day 6 of my Optifast diet! - WOOP WOOP! I'm almost half way there. I've also moved back into mum's house - I've done most of the unpacking and set up my music, (bless!). I'm almost feeling normal again after the whirlwind that has been my life for the past few weeks. Stayed over at my brothers house last night because I gave away my bed. The lady who picked it up gave me a bottle of red as payment which was sweet. It was great to see my brother's kids - they are at a very cute age, 16 months and 3.5 years. I'm trying to pump through the water because the Optifast shakes are high in protein and can push the kidneys hard so for every shake I have I have an equal serving of water. I kinda cheated today on my diet - well I definately did. I ate a chicken schnitzel with cheese and mayonnaise sandwich for dinner. I was starving and caved in before I could go shopping for the remaining 8 days of the diet. I brought frozen veggie ...

Thursday 27th April 2017 I made it through the 3rd day on the Optifast diet - 11 days to go. I'm writing down everything that I eat for future prosperity. Today's diet... Breakfast - Optifast shake with 50:50 water/skim milk. Lunch - Optifast shake with 50:50 water/skim milk. Dinner - 2 steamed dim sims, (CHEAT), bowl steamed veggies and 6 (100gms) slices Chicken Breast, 1 cup of Continental Cup a Soup Minnestroni Mum's coming over tomorrow to help pack up my room ready for moving on Sunday. Unfortunately I haven't heard back from the room I inspected the other day. BLIMEY - it's a job and a half moving. I've forgotten how rotten it is over the last 2 years of rental stability. This will be my 4th move in 6 years - not too bad going compared to some. I have a taker for my queen sized bed. I'm giving it away with 3 complimentary sheet sets and 2 bedside tables. I've spent a solid few hours moving furniture downstairs, sorting through clot...

Tuesday 25th April 2017   (later that day...) First day of the Optifast pre op diet DOWN! WOOP WOOP! It doesn't feel too bad really probably because l'm having skim milk in my shakes, (milk not allowed I don't think). I'll phase the milk out over the next couple of days because I just brought a 2 lt bottle. I looked at a house/room for rent tonight at East Hawthorn - looks pretty good. I'll have to burn/cull/throw out a lot of my stuff so I can fit into the house but it's a good 'un. See how we go with it. It's like going for a job interview inspecting houses/rooms for rent but your going for a personality interview instead. The house itself is close enough to work that I can walk there Monday-Thursday. It's $200 rent a week including bills and foxtel. Watch this space...

Tuesday 25th April 2017 3 things that I'm grateful for today... - the warm (overcast) weather. - Cheeky my trusty canine pal, (German Shepherd that I walk Mon-Fri for a friend). - My mum, who dropped off my wallet to the chiropractor during my appointment, (I had accidently left it behind at her house). Almost forgot to take my anti-depressant again today. Lucky I remembered....eventually. 12 hours until my pre-op diet starts. 6 days until I move out. 2 pre-op body pics taken in my under garments. 0 house prospects. Dropped off another car load of my bedroom to mums house today. My poor back - the chiro said that my mega tight leg muscles felt more relaxed today. Hopefully once he gets my pelvic girdle aligned properly again my spine might straighten up again. Ohhh...the perils of growing older then the age of 23. My body seems to be giving up on me - jumping ship. How many problems can a single body carry and still be functional I ask??? The answer, it seems, is...

Saturday 22nd April 2017 So I forgot to take my anti-depressant yesterday - I remembered last night and took it late. Thank god I did take it - I was starting to feel very anxious about things and it felt like a bubble of anxiety was slowly expanding in my stomach as I lay in bed trying to sleep for the night. The bubble of anxiety slowly began to shrink after I took it. Maybe I'm getting anxious about the surgery amongst other things - I've got a lot going on right now. I'm moving out in 7 days with no place to go except back in with my mum - probably the best place to be post surgery. Took a car load of my bedroom gear to mum's house for storage via the flight of stairs that separates my bedroom, (second floor), from the front door, (first floor), and the 5 stairs down to the carport. These townhouses are not the easiest places to move into and out of. I'm feeling a bit twitchy and nervous today. I'm checking my diary regularly then checking it twice...

Hi there guys. This is my first attempt at writing a blog, so l hope it goes well. My reason for writing a blog is to document my weight loss surgery, my health issues, (some weight related), and to indulge my interest in writing.  I started writing down my experiences on paper about a month ago so I will catch you up on what has been happening and start from the start.  I'm writing this blog anonymously because I've never done this before, and I have cheated on my post op diet, and I just want to see what happens first. I'll just give you a quick run down of who I am. 40 year old female who works part time as a dog trainer/walker/sitter & charity worker. Has car, will travel & often does for work. I don't actually own a dog & I must be the only dog trainer in Australia who doesn't own a dog. But I work with dogs every day of the week and feel like a great Aunt to all of them. Dogs are great.  I had my WLS on the 18th May 2017. Any...