Ok – time for an update I think. So I had the operation on Friday 1st July I am now officially a “Bandit”.

So anyway followed the shake diet for 4 weeks and for the first week was 100%, second week I started to weaken a bit – nothing too serious _ I had some prawns one day for example. The third and fourth week were a struggle and I admit I did end up in KFC eating 2 pieces of chicken. Jeez what am I like?

Anyway I still managed to lose 12lbs over the 4weeks so I didn’t do too badly. Well Friday morning came along and I was nervous….I have never had an operation, I have never been into hospital, the closest was sitting in the emergency waiting room with a friend who had broken a toe. Now I was voluntarily submitting to surgery which would include anaesthetic ….. what if it went wrong. I actually went as far as writing a letter to my husband just in case… but in the end  I didn’t print it off.

Anyway was told to turn up at the hospital at 7am so I thought I must have an early surgery – waved goodbye to hubby and promised to let him know as soon as it was over. Then was shown to a waiting room where I waited – and waited – and waited. Good job I brought my book.

Anyway at 11.30 I was shown to the day procedure ward as my overnight room wasn’t ready. I was asked to strip and put on the nice backless gown – they didn’t bring any paper knickers so I asked if I could wear my own and nurse said yes. They also brought some nice pressure socks for me to wear. But the nurse came back and decided they were too long and gave me a smaller pair to wear. Just before I was wheeled to surgery they suggested I had one last pee so I scooted across the ward in my backless gown and back. Which is when another nurse noticed I was still wearing my own knickers and went off to find a paper pair. Anyway before she came back the anaesthetist turned up and wanted me wheeled down to the theatre. Along the way the paper knickers turned up. What a palaver I had to jump off the trolley hide in a corner of the theatre and change my knickers they then gave me this huge industrial sized plastic disposal bag to put my knickers in – they weren’t that bad!!! Any way laying down on the trolley again the anaesthetist saw my pressure socks and started exclaiming loudly that they were much too small and insisted I took them off. While she had her back turned another nurse came along and wanted me to put them back on. I was starting to get the giggles by now – it was all so silly with the knickers and the socks.

All that over with (still no socks at the anaesthetists insistence) it was time for her to get  a line into my arm. She jabbed at my left arm a few times (rather roughly I have to say). Then tried the right arm exclaiming she couldn’t find a vein. I explained I regularly had this problem (I’ve got small deep set veins it seems) and the last time I gave blood samples they were taken out of my hand instead. So she tried that with more success. So I ended up having the line put in my hand. I must admit I wondered  briefly if that would cause any problems I say briefly coz the next thing I know I am being wheeled into a room feeling quite sore. That knock out stuff is good.

I was in and out of it for a bit  all I know is the nurse turned up every 30 mins to take my blood pressure, but the next main thing I remember is my hubby turning up at my bedside he said it was 4pm and that he’d got a call from the hospital at about 1pm to say they had finished so it must have been pretty quick. We talked briefly but I kept dropping off so he didn’t stay long. I tired to watch some TV (I had had to pay $25 to have access to Foxtel) but I just kept falling asleep. So I gave up and had a nap. They woke me up at about 10pm and gave me some apple juice went down very nicely as I hadn’t drunk anything since about 10pm the night before. I then tried to send my hubby a text message. I must have been still a bit doped up coz he showed me the message the next day and I couldn’t make head or tail of it either!! Anyway I was in a little private room with it’s own ensuite and I was able enough to get out of bed (carefully) to get to the loo a couple of times. I felt a bit woozy and couldn’t stand too long and my tummy hurt when I moved but was ok when I was laying down. So I got through the night fairly comfortably.

In the morning the nurse suggested I have a shower and then I would be taken for my barium swallow test. I had to wait ages to be taken for the test but I was asked to swallow some thick liquid while some x-rays were taken to show where the band was and the ease of my ability to swallow liquids. I didn’t have any problems. The nurse then told me as soon as I had received my prescription I could go. So I called hubby to pick me up. Anyway 2 hours later…….how long does it take to make up a prescription….it finally arrived and I could leave it was about 12.30pm by this time.

The first few days I ached and had horrible heartburn. I stuck to liquid, milk and apple juice mainly but by day 3 the heartburn was easing up and I was starting to get hungry which surprised me as the forums were full of people who said they completely lost their appetite for the 1st week. I had to stick to liquid for the 1st week to give it time to mend so I started having a few shakes and chocolate milk but it wasn’t really satisfying me. So as soon as the 7 days were up I had 2 weet-bix mushed up with milk. It was heaven. . It went down very easily even though it briefly gave me heartburn again. I may have tried to push things too far on Saturday though as we went out for a meal I decided to have the lasagne. I ate about half the portion and thought I was ok but then the heartburn started again and my shoulders really started to ache. That lasted about 3 hours. The next morning I couldn’t face my weet-bix so I didn’t eat til lunchtime, when I had shared a Vanilla slice with hubby.

I know, I know not exactly healthy eating but I insisted that if I had this op I would not be “on a diet” anymore. I had spent too many years feeling I was being deprived and I have to change my mindset. That is what I am doing. We went out to St Kilda which is famous for it’s cakes, with our nephew and his girlfriend who are visting,  and the other three stopped for a cake. If I had not allowed myself any cake I would have been back to square one, I would have felt resentful and felt I was being punished and then gone out when I was alone and bought 2 or 3 cakes and scoffed the lot! So instead hubby and I agreed to share a cake and it was nice and I enjoyed it. That evening I had a ham and mushroom omelette and felt satiated and happy without any pains or heartburn. I got a bit peckish about 9pm so I had a fat free chocolate pudding. I had a nice day eating food I enjoyed, I felt satisfied and I don’t think it was too bad a day nutrition-wise. It actually summed up exactly what I want from this band.

I have an appointment with the surgeon again in early August when I will have some fill in the band that will reduce my hunger further and reduce the quantities I can eat. I’m feeling quite positive right now that this may actually work..WATCH THIS SPACE.