PoppyVelvet

Sorry I'm a bit sporadic here. I'm nearly two weeks post op (tomorrow is 2 weeks) and have no trouble at all drinking smoothies, Optifast shakes, tea, thin soup etc. In fact I'm a bit worried because I can easily have a cup (250ml) or more quite quickly - say within ten minutes. I go to Sydney on Wednesday to meet with the bariatric GP and dietician at my surgeons office so I'll ask them about this. If I have anything a bit thicker - pureed but thinnish chicken soup for instance - I can feel it sitting in my belly as a lump for a minute or two, so I'm hoping when I move onto puree on Wednesday it will slow me down a bit. Water I find difficult - it makes me burp painfully and feels really rough. I've had something called Vital Zing drops recommended, they add flavour, and apparently help to make water easier to drink. Problem is I don't like flavoured water and I particularly hate artificial sweetener. So I'm battling on with water. I'm hoping the tea I drink is helping to keep me hydrated! I used to drink sparkling water so perhaps I'm also not used to plain water. I haven't had sparkling since the op for obvious reasons! I've wanted something savoury and a bit solider so I've been having my husband's home made hummus for lunch, 100g. It feels a bit lumpy in my belly too but I get sick of all the sweet shakes and things. He thinned it out a bit with the aqua faba but it is still thicker than could be drunk through a straw. I've lost ~9kg so far since start of pre-op diet - 107 to 98. So it's good to break the 100kg barrier. The next one is 96kg, which I got down to in 2023 with a gastric balloon.

That's very different from my pre-op. I was on three Optifast products a day plus pretty much unlimited non-starchy veg, and about 100g lean protein. I didn't get dizziness. Do you have a dietician as part of your surgery that you can talk to?

That’s for sure! It’s really stressful for my husband, he’s the sensible one in the family but he’s not there with his dad and brothers to make sure everything is being done appropriately.

Hi, sorry I have been absent. I was sleeved a week ago today. I stayed in hospital two nights and didn't have any real problems. Liquids went down pretty easily and I got 1litre in on the first day and the drip was taken off that afternoon. They left the cannula in and it started bleeding - it was in my elbow bend and I think I did something when I bent my arm too quickly - so they took that out too, which was great! I tidied up my room, put on clean clothes and took it easy. I even got let out for a couple of hours to visit my father-in-law in the public hospital next door. He is nearly 90 and the end is coming - they thought it was close on Tuesday although he has picked up a bit since then. Slept intermittently the first night and rang the bell for pain killers a few times. The second night I slept fine - but they woke me up for obs at 11:30pm and 5:30am! Ugh! Then I went back to sleep after the 5:30am ones and my surgeon woke me at 6:30am! I gave up after that My husband turned up 9ish so I got up and showered, dressed and packed and was sent on my way with Palexia (opioid painkiller) and a reflux medication. We went to visit FIL for an hour or so then got an Uber to our short stay apartment. I had to go to Sydney for surgery - I live in Canberra - and the doctor said I should stay in Sydney for four more days. So that was Thursday, day 2 post op. I didn't do anything else that day. Friday was ok, I'm not having any trouble consuming liquids although plain water is the hardest - it gives me a temporary lump in my chest and sometimes hiccups. One thing that really bothered me on Wednesday and Thursday was that when I lay down to sleep at night I felt like I had a tennis ball in my chest. I had to sit up for a while. The surgeon said it is common with the surgery and I also had a small hiatus hernia repaired and it can be part of that too. I found that not taking tablets and drinking water immediately before lying down was best but I haven't had it since. Saturday I hit a wall mentally. I think it was a lot to do with being away from home - I always feel a bit "wrong" away from home but usually I'm travelling which means (a) fun (b) eating and drinking what I like and of course post surgery none of that was happening. I went for a short walk with my husband in Hyde Park Saturday evening and it helped a tiny bit. I felt really depressed and like I'd done the wrong thing and that I'd never lose weight etc etc. Because I'm autistic I had a couple of autistic meltdowns at my poor husband who copes with them quite well. So unfair, he was doing his best to look after me. Sunday I said I didn't want to do anything but after a while I said to him we should go for a walk. Unfortunately it was hot and humid in Sydney (Canberra has an inland elevated dry climate so I don't do humidity well), but we went out for two hours. I had to sit down a lot - no energy plus the humidity ugh - so it was slow and I only did about 5,000 steps but it was a good thing to do. We walked through Hyde Park, down to the Art Gallery, through the domain, up to Macquarie Street, round to Circular Quay. It was Australia Day so there were heaps of people out, which made me nervous about someone walking into me and hurting my incisions. We had lunch at the Quay - fish and chips for him and a banana smoothie for me - I ate the tip of a chip with aioli but I chewed it to death first, and chewed some fish and spat it out (I know, gross). We caught the light rail back up to Town Hall and went "home". He went back to visit his Dad and I watched YouTube videos and even edited one of my own (I have YouTube channel on, don't laugh after what I said about being away from home, travel). Monday we packed up and came home. The relief of being home! I still felt a bit funny bit it wasn't too bad and last night I gave the kitchen and butler's pantry a really good clean so I was obviously feeling a lot better. Our cats (6) sit all over the bench and leave hair and dirt so after a week of being away it was pretty grubby. Plus my husband cooked me some soup and he is messy to say the least. Today I'm back at my desk getting on top of things and having that shower in my own bathroom was unbelievably good. I'm shaky and weak this morning so sipping on an Optifast shake. I've been tracking food in My Fitness Pal. I was craving hummus for lunch yesterday - I saw it in the Qantas Lounge on the way to the plane haha - so when we went shopping for food I bought a tub and ate half of it for lunch. Then I tracked it and the calories are unbelievable! I thought it was mainly chick peas but the half a small tub was about 850 calories so I won't be doing that again. Michael is going to make me some and put only a tiny bit of oil in it so it should be a lot lower in calories hopefully. I hope all this is of some use to others about to undergo this procedure! Or else I've just been rambling to no purpose I think I can start puree today but tbh I've been eating thicker stuff like hummus and yogurt already.

Yeah I know the feeling! Concentrate on the excitement and your new future. That’s what I’m trying to do. I had a moment in the anaesthetic bay yesterday when I wondered if I was doing the right thing but one second later I woke up in recovery!

Thank you, @NoSnowHere when was/is your surgery?

Sleeved yesterday. Awful pain at first but pain killers and a hot pack helped a lot. Plus sleep! I’ve just been woken up with a tray of Brekky. Bacon, eggs, toast. Nah just kidding it’s yogurt, protein water, Optifast, milk and some sort of juice (I think) . And been told I can get the cannula out of my arm, which drove me mad all night, when I’ve drunk 1litre. Here we go!

Wonderful! Well not the pain but you seem to be doing great apart from that!

It’s interesting how things vary @DaisyChainOz my pre-op diet only has one stage. It’s three OptiFast products, any non-starchy vegetable, no sugar, no carb, 1 tsp oil, 100g protein.

Hi everyone, I’m new here. Surgery is the 21st and I’m on day five of the pre-op liver shrinking diet. Nine days to go! I haven’t been struggling with the diet too much; I think having a mental countdown helps! Although in bed last night I was thinking fondly of fried eggs on well-buttered toast. And sitting in front of the tv this afternoon I’d love some snacks but that’s just habit. i am going to Sydney for the surgery, I live in Canberra, which is about 300km away. I have to stay a week total, two days in hospital then the rest in an AirBNB I’ve booked. We’re flying because my husband doesn’t drive and I don’t want to (a) pay for a weeks parking in the Sydney CBD or (b) have to drive home if I’m not feeling 100%. Good luck everyone having surgery in January!