My Journey To a New Life Begins on 17.02.11

[soniababy78 0]

Hi everyone.

Im totally new here and have not interacted with anyone as yet. A short intro abt myself. Im 32 yrs old female from singapore. Happily married with a lovely supportive hubby n a darling boy of 3.5yrs old. Ive been obese all my life and i am the highest now , since childbirth.

Im getting sleeved on the 17.02.11.

I love eating and my portions have always been big. I finally decided it was enuf n i had to do something.. so i made an appt for myself with the surgeon. he said he will be taking out 85% of my stomach and will work towards losing 80% of my excess weight. I really hope to see a successful result. I will put in all i can from my end.

Im just wondering abt certain issues.. wld love to get some advice.

1) I was told to do a pre-op diet on Optifast for 2 solid weeks. 5 meals a day. i did it religiously on the 1st day but not after that because i was having bad acid reflux due to an empty stomach. i couldnt control my hunger being such a BIG eater. ive been taking 2 shakes but have been hvng 1 meal a day, Im gng to go on pure shakes from tmr till wednesday. Will that hae any effect on the op??

2) if the op gng to hurt terribly? ive got pretty low threshold for pains... n im scared of wats gng to happen post op. When we sip in Water aft the op, will there be alot of pain?

i just hope to hear some of ur experiences .. just to be rest assured. Pls do wish me luck n keep me in ur prayers for my big day.

[Foxbins 625]

Hi, Sonia--

My surgeon did not require a pre-op diet for me but my understanding from other posters is that it is recommended so that the fat covering your liver shrinks and won't be so slippery when the surgeon needs to push it out of the way during surgery. Also, and this is the reason I wish I had done a pre-op diet, any weight you lose pre-op is just more toward your goal weight. You won't regain it.

Re: pain--I had very little pain, the nurses kept shooting stuff in my IV. Mostly I was bothered by a very dry mouth and some left shoulder pain from the stretching of the diaphragm from the gas they inflate your belly with. Your nurses will keep you well-medicated, they do not want you in pain. I couldn't sleep on my side for a few days after surgery because the incisions hurt but it was more annoying, certainly not unbearable.

I did not want cold things to drink after surgery, warm tea and chicken broth were wonderful. Water didn't hurt but warm things felt better, it's hard to describe, like my stomach was more relaxed with warm things. That lasted about a week, and even now at a month out, warm drinks first thing in the morning are better than cold things for me.

You will do fine I am sure!

[soniababy78 0]

Hi, Sonia--

My surgeon did not require a pre-op diet for me but my understanding from other posters is that it is recommended so that the fat covering your liver shrinks and won't be so slippery when the surgeon needs to push it out of the way during surgery. Also, and this is the reason I wish I had done a pre-op diet, any weight you lose pre-op is just more toward your goal weight. You won't regain it.

Re: pain--I had very little pain, the nurses kept shooting stuff in my IV. Mostly I was bothered by a very dry mouth and some left shoulder pain from the stretching of the diaphragm from the gas they inflate your belly with. Your nurses will keep you well-medicated, they do not want you in pain. I couldn't sleep on my side for a few days after surgery because the incisions hurt but it was more annoying, certainly not unbearable.

I did not want cold things to drink after surgery, warm tea and chicken broth were wonderful. Water didn't hurt but warm things felt better, it's hard to describe, like my stomach was more relaxed with warm things. That lasted about a week, and even now at a month out, warm drinks first thing in the morning are better than cold things for me.

You will do fine I am sure!

Hi Foxbins ..

Thanks so much for sharing ur experience. I do hope my bad pre-op diet doesnt affect my op in anyway. Tmr n wed im gng to go full on liquids just to relax my mind n stomach.

Happy Valentines to u

Sonia...

[bilka 6]

Hello Sonia,

I totally agree with Foxbins. They will help you kill your pain whenever you need. The left shoulder hurts, but it goes away. For what I am concerned I don't really feel any pain inside my stomach, just the stitches. And yes, I can't sleep on my belly nor on the side, but whatever...

Look, I had surgery last Tuesday, it's only been 6 days and I am fine. I flew 3 hours from Greece, I was tired but OK. Yesterday I went to the city centre, had a long walk and went to the cinema. On Wednesday I start working again.

Everything is fine.

And yes again, hot liquids are easier to deal with, but when I am thirsty I manage to drink half a glas of cold Water within few minutes. Not a big deal.

PS: wow. I love Singapore!

[soniababy78 0]

Hello Sonia,

I totally agree with Foxbins. They will help you kill your pain whenever you need. The left shoulder hurts, but it goes away. For what I am concerned I don't really feel any pain inside my stomach, just the stitches. And yes, I can't sleep on my belly nor on the side, but whatever...

Look, I had surgery last Tuesday, it's only been 6 days and I am fine. I flew 3 hours from Greece, I was tired but OK. Yesterday I went to the city centre, had a long walk and went to the cinema. On Wednesday I start working again.

Everything is fine.

And yes again, hot liquids are easier to deal with, but when I am thirsty I manage to drink half a glas of cold Water within few minutes. Not a big deal.

PS: wow. I love Singapore!

Hi Bilka,

Thanks so much for the reassurance. Im beggining to feel a lil at ease now. Im just looking forward to thursday. Cant wait to begin my new life.

Have u been to singapopre before? U hv a local tour guide now, if u plan to come down here anytime hhehehe ...