So, I survived my 3 weeks of Optifast. I had a lot of help and support, made a few phone calls to keep me on track, for stupid things like "remind me why I can't have tuna on my salad?" and to get through the cravings of silly things like toasted cheese or a vegemite sandwich.
I had my surgery. Developed a couple of infections, spent 5 out of the first 8 weeks in hospital.
It looks like I'm at the other end of that.
Now I have to deal with the whole idea that my stomach wont fit in what my head thinks it will.
Ever absentmindedly sipped a cup of tea while doing something else? Not anymore. I've found that out the hard way a couple of times.
The amount I can eat and drink is slowly increasing, but it's only teaspoons worth, maybe a tablespoon. I have to be patient, but it's so frustrating when I'm eating something that tastes so good. I guess it's all about retraining my head to look after me. I physically can't eat it, so the inner child has to live with that. there's no trying to have "one more spoon", there is just no space for that. It causes pain and nausea.
Still a long way to go. But now I can see progress I'm slowly coming out of the feeling of "what the hell have I done?"
And it's not progress on the scales. I have to admit, I've weighed myself, but it's purely because I'm getting asked how much I've lost. I have been so unwell, I don't care what the scales say. I just want to get better. I want to be able to eat that small entree sized meal I was promised. I'm not worrying about the nutritional content of foods, I'm eating maybe 5 tablespoons of food a day and around 1 litre of fluids. That is not going to make me gain weight. I don't need to eat "diet" foods at the moment!
For anyone who is curious, including the pre-op diet, I've lost 27kgs in 10 weeks. I was nil by mouth for about 2.5 of those weeks and on fluids only for another 2.5 weeks. I've been eating mushy foods for the last 2 weeks and have slowly been trying other things, like dry biscuits, but mainly things that are light and wont feel like a rock in my stomach. Not the ideal way to lose that much weight.
Based on my own experiences, the way I feel now, I would not recommend this procedure. That's not to say I may change my mind when I'm "normal" and get that small entree I want.
I made my decision to have this surgery, now I will live with it and learn to appreciate my smaller stomach. I can't go back. Only forward.
Til next time,
Ness
