So it has been just over one week since I woke up after gastric sleeve surgery. I am now 8.8kg less than I was when I started this journey three weeks ago! I know this is not as much as some other fellow Sleevers, but I am pretty happy with this result. You can see my progress photographs and measurements on the linked pages above. Admittedly, the photographs don't really show much of a difference yet, but the measurements tell a different story! Likewise, I can confirm that my clothes are fitting differently (for the better). Happy :)
What is amazing is that the pain level is minimal. I can now sleep on my side and belly throughout the night, a position which was unthinkable only a few days ago. I am not sure if this is somehow attributed to the fact that I have been going for walks (anywhere from 2-5km), and have made an effort to keep moving throughout the day. My doctor was very clear that taking two weeks off work post op was not about sleeping in bed all day. I was advised that although I will feel strong enough to return to work after a week, my concentration would still be limited due to the reduced calorie intake. This is very true - I have not been able to read any of the books I purchased in anticipation of my free time.
This last week has been all about trying to resource as many tools as I can find, that will hopefully help me with my journey. I have downloaded "My Fitness Pal" and "RecStyle" apps, which help me track my daily calorie intake and weight loss. These applications are free to download and really simple to use. So far so good.
I have to admit that the weightless has not seemed to drop off me in the last two days, I may have hit my first lull, realignment, plateau or whatever you wish to call it. Today I spent the whole day thinking about it, freaking out about it, and googling. I think this is normal but scary. How can you not lose weight when you are practically not eating AND exercising??? Over the last week I have managed to get my daily calorie intake up from 0 up to a maximum of 645. On average I am burning 340 calories daily after my routine walk, plus whatever a human typically burns in a day. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring answers as I have my one week check up with my Surgeon and Dietician, in the morning.
I know many of you are wondering what I am eating at the moment, so I have tabulated what I have eaten each day over the last week below. Mealtimes tend to blend with each other as it sometimes takes me an hour to get through the thicker liquids or soups. By the time I drink my meal and then fill up with water, I don't have long before it is mealtime again. One thing is for sure, I am not hungry!
FRIDAY - Nothing.
SATURDAY - Minimal Water and Ice.
SUNDAY - Minimal Water and 100ml Apple Juice (It took me 6 hours but I got through it).
MONDAY - 100ml Apple Juice, 1/3 cup of Blended Vegetable Soup.
TUESDAY - 1/4 cup banana smoothie, 1/4 cup blended Vegetable Soup, 125ml Sanitarium Up&Go.
WEDNESDAY - 125ml Up&Go, 1 serve takeaway Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup (I couldn't finish it).
THURSDAY - 125ml Up&Go, Just over 1 cup Lentil Soup, 95g Kids Squeezie Vanilla Yoghurt.
FRIDAY - 100g Natural Yogurt blended 3tsp Pureed Fruit, 3/4 cup Lentil Soup, 250ml Up&Go.
SATURDAY - 100g Natural Yogurt blended 3tsp Pureed Fruit, 1 &1/2 cup Lentil Soup, 95g Kids Squeezie Vanilla Yoghurt.
*I have been aiming for 1.5L of water each day since Monday, but am still only drinking about 1L each day.
As you can imagine from above, I am on quite a few vitamins and antacids at the moment. I have been advised to have the antacids for six weeks and continue with the vitamins for the long haul. I have no issues with this and see them as a good way to make sure I stay as healthy as possible, which was the point of having the surgery anyway!
I will keep you posted on what the new week brings.
Goodnight! xT
Sunday 27 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
How Much Does it Cost?
I have been asked by lots of people how much this operation has cost me. I know that when I was looking into the procedure I couldn't find much definitive information on the costs involved. Unfortunately, the information I did find was all over the place. I booked my surgical consultation with an expectation that the procedure would cost between $3000 and $7000 after all provider rebates. The truth is, I had no understanding of what these costs were based on, or what service I would get for them.
It turns out that I picked one of the more expensive surgeons in Perth (only slightly) , but he is also considered one of the best. In my opinion, if anyone has me open on an operating table, he damn well better be the best I can find! Going on the bulk billing government system is always an option in Australia. I never really considered this option as I knew the wait list was in excess of three years, and that when the time came, you have no choice on the doctors treating you. I am pretty fortunate. Money did not really frontline as a major concern in my decision making. I have been working for just under five years now and although I am not by any means rich, I did have a small amount of savings on the side which was left for rainy days or upcoming holidays. So for me, this operation would push back my next big holiday by another year or two. I can totally live with this!
To help anyone considering weight loss surgery, I have documented the costs to date in my Cost of Surgery page. This documents all the costs, including supplements etc. I know the costs will increase over time due to ongoing consultations with the clinic, ongoing personal training etc, but it is pretty comprehensive.
It turns out that I picked one of the more expensive surgeons in Perth (only slightly) , but he is also considered one of the best. In my opinion, if anyone has me open on an operating table, he damn well better be the best I can find! Going on the bulk billing government system is always an option in Australia. I never really considered this option as I knew the wait list was in excess of three years, and that when the time came, you have no choice on the doctors treating you. I am pretty fortunate. Money did not really frontline as a major concern in my decision making. I have been working for just under five years now and although I am not by any means rich, I did have a small amount of savings on the side which was left for rainy days or upcoming holidays. So for me, this operation would push back my next big holiday by another year or two. I can totally live with this!
To help anyone considering weight loss surgery, I have documented the costs to date in my Cost of Surgery page. This documents all the costs, including supplements etc. I know the costs will increase over time due to ongoing consultations with the clinic, ongoing personal training etc, but it is pretty comprehensive.
Monday 21 July 2014
I Did It...
I wonder what life will be like on my one year sleeverversary (July 18th 2015). I wonder if I will wake up on that day and reflect on the amazing year that I hope I have. Ok Theresa - Focus on now!
I can hardly believe that I was sleeved three days ago. Obviously it doesn't take me long after I forget the fact, for me to remember that it has happened. I constantly have reminders like constant ache in my upper belly, the five small incisions around my belly, the bruises on my stomach from when the nurses injected me with a blood thinner, and the feeling of nausea that washes over me every so often. Now that it is over and I know that was fortunate not to be one of the few people who has serious complications, I can smile again. That smile was nowhere to be seen on the morning of the surgery - I was a mess! As much as I tried to contain my emotions, I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face as I sat in the hospital waiting room.
I don't think I can explain the crazy emotions that were running through my body that morning. It was a strong cocktail mix of being petrified of the immediate risks of surgery, fear of failure, fear of not really knowing how I could live the rest of my life without it revolving around food, guilt for making my parents spend another three days in hospital worrying about me, and shame. Let me try to make some more sense of these feelings.
The surgery is not without significant risk. Although the chance of the risks eventuating after your surgery are low (generally less than 1%), any percentage is still as risk. The most scary of these is the potential for a leak after your stomach is stapled. I tried to manage this risk by researching all the Perth Surgeons in detail and reading lots of forums which discussed the good, the bad and the ugly about surgeons. I know I made the right decision with Dr Jon Armstrong.
Although some of you may believe that having surgery is the easy way out, every bit of information I found prior to signing up to surgery emphasised that it is just a tool. Tools mean that there is no guarantee that it will work, and that means that this could be a failure. For me this is a last result, so failure is not an option.
I am of Middle Eastern/English decent. If you don't know anything about Middle Eastern people, let me tell you now, it is always about food. ALWAYS! Life genuinely revolves around sharing food. It is how we show appreciation and love, it is how we show respect and mourn, it how we show support and how we bond. It is always about food!
We have spent a lot of time in hospital over the last few years, because my dad has been pretty unwell. He is slowly on the mend but we have just had the first few months of not needing to go to hospital on a daily/weekly basis. We genuinely hate driving into hospitals at the best of times now. As such, knowing that my parents were now going to have to take their youngest daughter into hospital and wait for me to come out of this ok, made me feel pretty guilty, but I knew that I really needed their support with this decision.
Shame. It was not an emotion I felt so strongly at the beginning of this process, but there have been two times that i distinctly felt it. The first was when I had to sign the admission papers the week before the surgery. I had to sign that I was "hereby admitting myself into hospital for gastric sleeve surgery" as a result of being diagnosed with "morbid obesity". The second time I really felt this was when I was waiting in the hospital waiting room with everyone else, waiting for my name to be called out. I just kept thinking how everyone else must have been there waiting for life saving surgery, to remove a cancer, repair a broken bone, anything but having weight loss surgery. I am over the guilt again :) This was my life changing surgery, and I deserved another chance at life.
So here is my dilemma. I thought I would write to you about all the things I went through, but the truth is that from the moment I walked into the hospital, to the moment I walked out today, everything seems to have sped by. It is a blur. Somewhere within the blur is the memory of constant nausea (which today has left me alone), daily injections in my belly and legs (blood thinner and anti-nausea), a constant sore tummy (which is getting better), the constant beeping of my IV line, a lack of hunger (I had three days of water and ice before graduating onto 200ml of apple juice sipped slowly over 8 hours last night), my beautiful parents faces, the faces of so many of supportive friends, and the smell of so many beautiful flowers that decorated my room.
What now? I don't know! This is all very strange to me. Today I have managed to eat/drink have 100ml of apple juice, 150ml of diet iced tea with benefibre spooned in, five teaspoons of vegetable soup, and ten sips of protein shakes. Lots of room for improvement I know!
Tomorrow I will briefly explain what supplements and tablets I am now going to be taking for a while. Anyway, I thought I would leave you with some of the pretty flowers I was given while in hospital. They brought a smile to my face each time I saw them :)
I can hardly believe that I was sleeved three days ago. Obviously it doesn't take me long after I forget the fact, for me to remember that it has happened. I constantly have reminders like constant ache in my upper belly, the five small incisions around my belly, the bruises on my stomach from when the nurses injected me with a blood thinner, and the feeling of nausea that washes over me every so often. Now that it is over and I know that was fortunate not to be one of the few people who has serious complications, I can smile again. That smile was nowhere to be seen on the morning of the surgery - I was a mess! As much as I tried to contain my emotions, I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face as I sat in the hospital waiting room.
I don't think I can explain the crazy emotions that were running through my body that morning. It was a strong cocktail mix of being petrified of the immediate risks of surgery, fear of failure, fear of not really knowing how I could live the rest of my life without it revolving around food, guilt for making my parents spend another three days in hospital worrying about me, and shame. Let me try to make some more sense of these feelings.
The surgery is not without significant risk. Although the chance of the risks eventuating after your surgery are low (generally less than 1%), any percentage is still as risk. The most scary of these is the potential for a leak after your stomach is stapled. I tried to manage this risk by researching all the Perth Surgeons in detail and reading lots of forums which discussed the good, the bad and the ugly about surgeons. I know I made the right decision with Dr Jon Armstrong.
Although some of you may believe that having surgery is the easy way out, every bit of information I found prior to signing up to surgery emphasised that it is just a tool. Tools mean that there is no guarantee that it will work, and that means that this could be a failure. For me this is a last result, so failure is not an option.
I am of Middle Eastern/English decent. If you don't know anything about Middle Eastern people, let me tell you now, it is always about food. ALWAYS! Life genuinely revolves around sharing food. It is how we show appreciation and love, it is how we show respect and mourn, it how we show support and how we bond. It is always about food!
We have spent a lot of time in hospital over the last few years, because my dad has been pretty unwell. He is slowly on the mend but we have just had the first few months of not needing to go to hospital on a daily/weekly basis. We genuinely hate driving into hospitals at the best of times now. As such, knowing that my parents were now going to have to take their youngest daughter into hospital and wait for me to come out of this ok, made me feel pretty guilty, but I knew that I really needed their support with this decision.
Shame. It was not an emotion I felt so strongly at the beginning of this process, but there have been two times that i distinctly felt it. The first was when I had to sign the admission papers the week before the surgery. I had to sign that I was "hereby admitting myself into hospital for gastric sleeve surgery" as a result of being diagnosed with "morbid obesity". The second time I really felt this was when I was waiting in the hospital waiting room with everyone else, waiting for my name to be called out. I just kept thinking how everyone else must have been there waiting for life saving surgery, to remove a cancer, repair a broken bone, anything but having weight loss surgery. I am over the guilt again :) This was my life changing surgery, and I deserved another chance at life.
So here is my dilemma. I thought I would write to you about all the things I went through, but the truth is that from the moment I walked into the hospital, to the moment I walked out today, everything seems to have sped by. It is a blur. Somewhere within the blur is the memory of constant nausea (which today has left me alone), daily injections in my belly and legs (blood thinner and anti-nausea), a constant sore tummy (which is getting better), the constant beeping of my IV line, a lack of hunger (I had three days of water and ice before graduating onto 200ml of apple juice sipped slowly over 8 hours last night), my beautiful parents faces, the faces of so many of supportive friends, and the smell of so many beautiful flowers that decorated my room.
What now? I don't know! This is all very strange to me. Today I have managed to eat/drink have 100ml of apple juice, 150ml of diet iced tea with benefibre spooned in, five teaspoons of vegetable soup, and ten sips of protein shakes. Lots of room for improvement I know!
Tomorrow I will briefly explain what supplements and tablets I am now going to be taking for a while. Anyway, I thought I would leave you with some of the pretty flowers I was given while in hospital. They brought a smile to my face each time I saw them :)
Thursday 17 July 2014
To New Beginnings - Cheers!
I have to be honest... I'm petrified. Athough I know that I'm making the best decision for me, it is pretty daunting. Today has not been without tears :(
After a long day at work before I walked out for two weeks, I had a herbal tea date with a close friend. By the time I got home it was after Eight pm, and by the time I had dinner, packed, and changedy bedsheets it was after Ten pm. Before I sleep I have to have a shower with some medical soap the hospital gave me at my pre-op appointment. I have to do this again in the morning to make sure I'm super clean. Some other instructions I have been given include fasting from midnight (easy), removing all my jewelery and nailpolish, and making sure I do not apply any makeup or perfume in the morning. The latter is the hatdrst for me, not because I love makeup but because it is something I do when I need a confidence boost. How to prepare for battle without my warpaint?
I have to be at the hospital at Six Thirty in the morning. I have been told that I will be the first operation of the day which is set for Eight am. Apparently the procedure will take over two hours and then I'll have a few hours in recovery. Hopefully I will be out on Monday, but in the meantime I will have my family, friends, Game of Thrones, Mills and Boon, and you to keep me entertained.
I can't imagine how I'm going to feel after the surgery. Every blog I have seen dsyd that people are not hungry after the surgery but that just feels unimaginable. I shall let you if it's true!
Anyway, it will be fine. I know it will.
I better get showered and get some Zzzz's.
Goodnight :)
After a long day at work before I walked out for two weeks, I had a herbal tea date with a close friend. By the time I got home it was after Eight pm, and by the time I had dinner, packed, and changedy bedsheets it was after Ten pm. Before I sleep I have to have a shower with some medical soap the hospital gave me at my pre-op appointment. I have to do this again in the morning to make sure I'm super clean. Some other instructions I have been given include fasting from midnight (easy), removing all my jewelery and nailpolish, and making sure I do not apply any makeup or perfume in the morning. The latter is the hatdrst for me, not because I love makeup but because it is something I do when I need a confidence boost. How to prepare for battle without my warpaint?
I have to be at the hospital at Six Thirty in the morning. I have been told that I will be the first operation of the day which is set for Eight am. Apparently the procedure will take over two hours and then I'll have a few hours in recovery. Hopefully I will be out on Monday, but in the meantime I will have my family, friends, Game of Thrones, Mills and Boon, and you to keep me entertained.
I can't imagine how I'm going to feel after the surgery. Every blog I have seen dsyd that people are not hungry after the surgery but that just feels unimaginable. I shall let you if it's true!
Anyway, it will be fine. I know it will.
I better get showered and get some Zzzz's.
Goodnight :)
Monday 14 July 2014
Time for a catch-up...Grab a coffee, this could take a while!
I have to admit, I have been putting off drafting my first blog for a while now. I think it is because that means that this is all really happening. I am doing this. This Friday! ...But it is happening, so let me catch you up on the last six weeks.
About six weeks ago, I attended the engagement party of a really close family friend. I knew this party would have belly dancing at some point and I knew everyone would expect me to get up and dance in the middle of the circle of people clapping. I am sure this sounds strange to most people but this is very common at Middle Eastern events. Typically, I wouldn't take too much convincing to jump in the middle and dance the night away, but I hadn't felt comfortable dancing for a long time. Belly dancing means lots of shaking of the booty, lots of hip flicks, lots of subtle sexy eyes. The problem with shaking what your mama gave you and making sexy eyes is that you have to feel a little bit sexy - spoiler alert - I hadn't even felt pretty in a long time! Sexy was going to be an impossible stretch.
As I dressed for the party, I was dreading the moment the music was turned on. I put on my makeup in a hurry as I was running a bit late and made a dash for the car. When I arrived, my nieces were pretty clingy as they were awake past their bedtime. I ended up walking around with my beautiful four year old niece in my arms for a considerable part of the night. When the music was turned on I was still holding my niece and I was thankful that I had an excuse not to dance. She wouldn't let me put her down. I was secretly overjoyed. I had what felt like a valid excuse not to get dragged into the circle. One song later a new track started and before I could even register what was happening my niece was plucked out of my arms and I was being pulled into the centre. Everyone cheered expecting me to dance like I usually would. I was horrified. Firstly because I didn't want people to notice how much bigger I was and how unfit I had became (dancing now got me out of breath within 10 seconds). Secondly, because I never thought I would be so scared to dance in front of these people. Most of all, I was so sad that I knew that I just couldn't do what I used to do anymore. I clapped and moved my hands around for less than thirty seconds and then quickly side stepped out of the circle. I made sure I stayed away from the dancing after that.
I drove home so disappointed at what had happened and went to sleep trying to ignore my thoughts. The next morning the mother of the groom came to visit and say goodbye before she flew out of the country. As we said goodbye she took me aside and asked what had been happening in my life as she noticed I had gained more weight than when we had last seen each other months ago. I was not upset with her for talking to me about this. Perhaps I would have been if it were someone else, but she was very sweet and concerned, As per the usual comment I get from people who try to complement me, I was reminded that I have "such a beautiful face". Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I have always felt that it is a complement that is given to larger girls. You don't really hear people consistently tell skinny girls that they have a pretty face. They are told that they are beautiful or that they look amazing. I will take the complement regardless. Anyway, that night I decided I had to try to get healthy again. I thought about starting weight watchers again (third time a charm?), Michelle Bridges (the biggest loser coach), or perhaps lite and easy this time? I started googling options and came across gastric sleeve surgery.
This wasn't the first time I had researched or looked at bariatric surgery. The procedure is regularly documented on primetime reporting programs. Most recently I had seen it documented after Joe Hockey (Australian Treasurer) had a gastric sleeve and lost a significant amount of weight. It worked for him and I had heard how it worked for lots of people. But when asked about it, I had always said no to surgery. I don't know why I was so set against it to be honest. I think it just seemed radical. That night, I stayed awake until the early hours of the morning researching. Instead of searching for alternative weightloss programs, I was researching gastric sleeve and banding surgeries. I searched for everything I could find about the procedure, from any place I could find information. I looked through pdf's linked to surgical clinics and associations, I read international and domestic forums on the topic, I watched youtube videos and read multiple blogs. One of the blogs that really resonated with me was "Less Dangerous Curves" by an Australian girl called Heidi (http://www.lessdangerouscurves.com/). That night, after reading the majority of her blog, I was confident that banding and bypass surgery were not suitable procedures for me. I had decided I was going to have gastric sleeve surgery and I wanted to do this now!
That next morning I asked my dad to log onto Heidi's blog and read it. This was something I had decided to do. My dad logged on immediately and smiled at me. He was proud of me. I am not sure that I understand the concept of being proud of me for doing this surgery, but it is a comment that many people have made. I later used Heidi's blog to help break the news to all my family and close friends. The response was generally very positive. No one was abnormally shocked by the news which was understandable as I have not hidden the fact that I have been unhappy with my size. Let me clarify that I have always been like this. I think about things sporadically for a while, but when I am close to making me mind up, I do it quickly and then want to do the said thing immediately.
Within the week I had an appointment with the family GP and asked for a referral to anyone of the four surgeons I had researched in Perth. Within two weeks, I had an appointment with Dr Jon Armstrong, and by the end of that appointment I had my surgical date booked (18th July 2014). Within the next two weeks I was sent for blood tests, an ultrasound, an appointment with the clinics psychologist and their dietician. During this time I also started the pre-op Optifast diet.
The pre-op diet is a two week diet that everyone has to do before the surgery. It is not so much about how much you can lose in the two weeks before your surgery, and more about cleaning out your liver and making sure you are as healthy as possible beforehand. To celebrate the start of this amazing journey my parents spoiled me in my last week of a "normal" diet. We went out to some restaurants I had never had a chance to get to before making this decision. I have extremely supportive family and friends, so I am very lucky. I hope everyone is blessed with a supportive network as good as mine has been.
Fast forward! I have now been on the Optifast pre-op diet for eleven days and have lost five kilograms. I have three more days of Optifast shakes (three times a day), and up to five cups of vegetables. So far so good! If you are about to start this diet, don't be scared. People say that it is terrible but I am sure that the majority of you fellow yo-yo dieters would have been on diets twice as bad at least once in your life. Seeing the numbers on the scale go down has been great encouragement and I know I am counting down to a whole new life.
According to Dr John my new life should be with at least eighty precent less excess baggage. That suits me fine! I hope I can lose it all like so many other people do, but I would be happy with losing and maintaining eighty precent of my excess weight. My goal weight is sixty-seven kilograms so that means I have to lose nearly fifty-three kilograms (minus the five kilograms I have lost on Optifast). This is HUGE!
Anyway, I think you are pretty much caught up with my life over the last six weeks. Hope your coffee didn't go cold while reading :)
About six weeks ago, I attended the engagement party of a really close family friend. I knew this party would have belly dancing at some point and I knew everyone would expect me to get up and dance in the middle of the circle of people clapping. I am sure this sounds strange to most people but this is very common at Middle Eastern events. Typically, I wouldn't take too much convincing to jump in the middle and dance the night away, but I hadn't felt comfortable dancing for a long time. Belly dancing means lots of shaking of the booty, lots of hip flicks, lots of subtle sexy eyes. The problem with shaking what your mama gave you and making sexy eyes is that you have to feel a little bit sexy - spoiler alert - I hadn't even felt pretty in a long time! Sexy was going to be an impossible stretch.
As I dressed for the party, I was dreading the moment the music was turned on. I put on my makeup in a hurry as I was running a bit late and made a dash for the car. When I arrived, my nieces were pretty clingy as they were awake past their bedtime. I ended up walking around with my beautiful four year old niece in my arms for a considerable part of the night. When the music was turned on I was still holding my niece and I was thankful that I had an excuse not to dance. She wouldn't let me put her down. I was secretly overjoyed. I had what felt like a valid excuse not to get dragged into the circle. One song later a new track started and before I could even register what was happening my niece was plucked out of my arms and I was being pulled into the centre. Everyone cheered expecting me to dance like I usually would. I was horrified. Firstly because I didn't want people to notice how much bigger I was and how unfit I had became (dancing now got me out of breath within 10 seconds). Secondly, because I never thought I would be so scared to dance in front of these people. Most of all, I was so sad that I knew that I just couldn't do what I used to do anymore. I clapped and moved my hands around for less than thirty seconds and then quickly side stepped out of the circle. I made sure I stayed away from the dancing after that.
I drove home so disappointed at what had happened and went to sleep trying to ignore my thoughts. The next morning the mother of the groom came to visit and say goodbye before she flew out of the country. As we said goodbye she took me aside and asked what had been happening in my life as she noticed I had gained more weight than when we had last seen each other months ago. I was not upset with her for talking to me about this. Perhaps I would have been if it were someone else, but she was very sweet and concerned, As per the usual comment I get from people who try to complement me, I was reminded that I have "such a beautiful face". Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I have always felt that it is a complement that is given to larger girls. You don't really hear people consistently tell skinny girls that they have a pretty face. They are told that they are beautiful or that they look amazing. I will take the complement regardless. Anyway, that night I decided I had to try to get healthy again. I thought about starting weight watchers again (third time a charm?), Michelle Bridges (the biggest loser coach), or perhaps lite and easy this time? I started googling options and came across gastric sleeve surgery.
This wasn't the first time I had researched or looked at bariatric surgery. The procedure is regularly documented on primetime reporting programs. Most recently I had seen it documented after Joe Hockey (Australian Treasurer) had a gastric sleeve and lost a significant amount of weight. It worked for him and I had heard how it worked for lots of people. But when asked about it, I had always said no to surgery. I don't know why I was so set against it to be honest. I think it just seemed radical. That night, I stayed awake until the early hours of the morning researching. Instead of searching for alternative weightloss programs, I was researching gastric sleeve and banding surgeries. I searched for everything I could find about the procedure, from any place I could find information. I looked through pdf's linked to surgical clinics and associations, I read international and domestic forums on the topic, I watched youtube videos and read multiple blogs. One of the blogs that really resonated with me was "Less Dangerous Curves" by an Australian girl called Heidi (http://www.lessdangerouscurves.com/). That night, after reading the majority of her blog, I was confident that banding and bypass surgery were not suitable procedures for me. I had decided I was going to have gastric sleeve surgery and I wanted to do this now!
That next morning I asked my dad to log onto Heidi's blog and read it. This was something I had decided to do. My dad logged on immediately and smiled at me. He was proud of me. I am not sure that I understand the concept of being proud of me for doing this surgery, but it is a comment that many people have made. I later used Heidi's blog to help break the news to all my family and close friends. The response was generally very positive. No one was abnormally shocked by the news which was understandable as I have not hidden the fact that I have been unhappy with my size. Let me clarify that I have always been like this. I think about things sporadically for a while, but when I am close to making me mind up, I do it quickly and then want to do the said thing immediately.
Within the week I had an appointment with the family GP and asked for a referral to anyone of the four surgeons I had researched in Perth. Within two weeks, I had an appointment with Dr Jon Armstrong, and by the end of that appointment I had my surgical date booked (18th July 2014). Within the next two weeks I was sent for blood tests, an ultrasound, an appointment with the clinics psychologist and their dietician. During this time I also started the pre-op Optifast diet.
The pre-op diet is a two week diet that everyone has to do before the surgery. It is not so much about how much you can lose in the two weeks before your surgery, and more about cleaning out your liver and making sure you are as healthy as possible beforehand. To celebrate the start of this amazing journey my parents spoiled me in my last week of a "normal" diet. We went out to some restaurants I had never had a chance to get to before making this decision. I have extremely supportive family and friends, so I am very lucky. I hope everyone is blessed with a supportive network as good as mine has been.
Fast forward! I have now been on the Optifast pre-op diet for eleven days and have lost five kilograms. I have three more days of Optifast shakes (three times a day), and up to five cups of vegetables. So far so good! If you are about to start this diet, don't be scared. People say that it is terrible but I am sure that the majority of you fellow yo-yo dieters would have been on diets twice as bad at least once in your life. Seeing the numbers on the scale go down has been great encouragement and I know I am counting down to a whole new life.
According to Dr John my new life should be with at least eighty precent less excess baggage. That suits me fine! I hope I can lose it all like so many other people do, but I would be happy with losing and maintaining eighty precent of my excess weight. My goal weight is sixty-seven kilograms so that means I have to lose nearly fifty-three kilograms (minus the five kilograms I have lost on Optifast). This is HUGE!
Anyway, I think you are pretty much caught up with my life over the last six weeks. Hope your coffee didn't go cold while reading :)
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