An update
By Emma.
So I lived!
I didn’t die on the table or of an embolism afterwards. Partly because they kept made me walk up and down the corridor straight after the op. Hospital is not the doss I was hoping it would be! I cannot say enough how lovely all the doctors and nurses were though and they looked after me really well.
The operation was a success, but not a total success. They were able to perform a gastric sleeve (giving me a much reduced stomach) but not the second part of the bypass where they move the bowel to ensure what is politely called malabsorption. They will measure my progress over the coming months to see how much weight I am able to lose with the sleeve alone and make a decision whether to then take on the second part of the surgery. So now it really is up to me.
For the first month after surgery I have to stick to a purely liquid diet. I also have to drink everything with a teaspoon. This is usually fine, but makes coffee a bit annoying as you only get about 3 spoonfuls that are the right temperature! I am also sticking to only 100 – 200 ml of anything at a time. Having around 4 lots a day. Actimel is quite nice – who knew! Am eating lots of that and lots of broth. nothing that can’t go through a sieve is the rule. And still, everything with a teaspoon!
I am also making sure I exercise regularly. At the moment, this means short walks – lots of to and from the postbox has worked quite well. I’m off now to a do a whole around the block. then last thing at night I do circuits of my parents (who have been amazing looking after me) downstairs. round and round. I look daft as hell and don’t give a damn.
It will be keeping up the momentum that matters. On the diet and also on the exercise. Making sure I stick to my plans to walk more every day. To work out and to really grasp the second chance I have been given for all it is worth. Not just letting it fall away. It is not now – while the pain of the op still twinges every time I move that I will find this hard. It will be when I am a long way from the pain and a long way from the desired result that the really hard emotional work will have to be done.
I hope I am ready for it.
