Alice
Loser :)
Hi guys!
Well, I'm finally feeling human again so back on here at last!
I'm sorry I've not been very active on here the last few days - I've been feeling absolutely awful since my op and sitting up at the PC was a definite no-no. I've been checking the posts on here and keeping up with everyone's stories on my iPhone, but it's too fiddly to type much with it.
So, my surgery went well - all routine and normal. I was really let down by the nurses at the hospital and didn't get any support immediately following the op. They discharged me at 5.45am the following morning (!!) so they could clean the room ready for the next patient. I was still in bed, in my gown, had not been out of bed yet since the op, and I had to get myself up to the loo, brush my teeth, get dressed (wow that was hard on my own - couldn't reach to pull my knickers up!) and pack my bag - all on my own! I was in floods of tears by the end of it!! I've just finished writing a letter of complaint about it actually! (there were a few other things that were also really bad but I won't drone on about them here!)
The surgeon who put the band in said it was a very tight fit and I should expect good restriction from the start, and that the swelling might make it unpleasant for the first few days. He wasn't wrong! At first, I couldn't even sip water... Over the last few days, the swelling has eased and I can now sip water and soup without feeling dreadful.
I really struggled with the pain for a few days. I didn't know how to get pain killers into me. I couldn't take calpol because I couldn't get that much liquid down my throat!! I couldn't take soluble paracetamol because it was fizzy and oh my god the pain from that when I first tried it!!! And I tried crushing normal tablets and putting it in yoghurt but I got full before I had enough.
Thank goodness, I don't need painkillers now - I am finally comfy!!
I was really struggling with sleep for the first few days. Lying on my back was only ok for a couple of hours and then I would need to change position. I took Neen's advice (thanks Neen!) and put a big sofa cushion under my pillow and the last two nights, I've slept propped up: Much better! I actually slept till 10am today! Yippeeee!
I had a scary time on Monday morning. I got up at 4am to go sleep on the sofa for a change of position (this was before the sofa pillow in bed plan), and when I stood up, I felt like I couldn't breathe - was really scary! Eventually sorted myself out with some very painful coughing and went to sleep downstairs. When I woke up again a few hours later, the same thing - I felt like I could only breathe with the top fifth of my lungs. It passed after a while but it was really freaking me out! I have a friend who is a paramedic and who lives with an ITU nurse, so I texted them and I also texted Livvy to find out if this was normal - I was scared I was having a PE or an asthma attack or something! They all texted back saying it was probably due to a bruised diaphragm.... I've never been so relieved in all my life! I still get it a little bit now - it's always when I get up from lying flat - but it's much better on the whole.
The worst moment for me was the ice cream incident. I was told I should be getting 1200 calories a day while on the liquid diet. The first few days, I was only managing about 400 - 500 so my friend suggested I had a bit of soft ice cream to boost the calories. I thought this was a great idea, so she went out and bought me Green & Blacks white chocolate and raspberry ice cream, let it melt so it was almost runny, added some toffee sauce (for extra calories) and then I ate it. It was like the stuff of the gods. Oh my goodness it was delicious. But half an hour later, I felt more ill than I ever have done! Sweating, shaking, really nauseous, dreadful wind pain, and then about 3 episodes of explosive diarrhoea!! I guess it's like Dumping syndrome but I didn't think you got that with the Band.
Anyway, at least that's put me off ice cream for life!! Never again..... If anyone wants a tub of Green & Blacks with a tiny bit gone from the top, you're welcome to it!! lol
So, now I tend to have a slimfast shake for breakfast (it takes me all morning to drink it lol) and then a yoghurt for lunch and half a mug of soup for my dinner. And I have to force feed myself all that! Wow it's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole life!! I remember reading the diet sheet when I received it and wondering how on earth I was going to cope on liquids only for two whole weeks... I was so worried! And here I am feeling totally stuffed when I am half way through my slimfast shake! (btw - the slimfast shakes: yummy - the slimfast smoothies: eeeewwwww)
So now the next challenge is when to go back to work. I'm a midwife and I work in a birthing centre that specialises in natural birth and waterbirth. So I spend my life crawling around the floor and leaning over birthing pools.... I've booked a shift for Tuesday but maybe it will be too soon to be really physically active. I think I'll wait till Sunday and then make a decision about that.
Anyway, thank you everyone for all your support and advice - it's made all the difference in the world! And thank you especially Livvy who doesn't seem to mind when I text her asking if things are normal lol
Take care losers
Alice xx
Well, I'm finally feeling human again so back on here at last!
I'm sorry I've not been very active on here the last few days - I've been feeling absolutely awful since my op and sitting up at the PC was a definite no-no. I've been checking the posts on here and keeping up with everyone's stories on my iPhone, but it's too fiddly to type much with it.
So, my surgery went well - all routine and normal. I was really let down by the nurses at the hospital and didn't get any support immediately following the op. They discharged me at 5.45am the following morning (!!) so they could clean the room ready for the next patient. I was still in bed, in my gown, had not been out of bed yet since the op, and I had to get myself up to the loo, brush my teeth, get dressed (wow that was hard on my own - couldn't reach to pull my knickers up!) and pack my bag - all on my own! I was in floods of tears by the end of it!! I've just finished writing a letter of complaint about it actually! (there were a few other things that were also really bad but I won't drone on about them here!)
The surgeon who put the band in said it was a very tight fit and I should expect good restriction from the start, and that the swelling might make it unpleasant for the first few days. He wasn't wrong! At first, I couldn't even sip water... Over the last few days, the swelling has eased and I can now sip water and soup without feeling dreadful.
I really struggled with the pain for a few days. I didn't know how to get pain killers into me. I couldn't take calpol because I couldn't get that much liquid down my throat!! I couldn't take soluble paracetamol because it was fizzy and oh my god the pain from that when I first tried it!!! And I tried crushing normal tablets and putting it in yoghurt but I got full before I had enough.
Thank goodness, I don't need painkillers now - I am finally comfy!!
I was really struggling with sleep for the first few days. Lying on my back was only ok for a couple of hours and then I would need to change position. I took Neen's advice (thanks Neen!) and put a big sofa cushion under my pillow and the last two nights, I've slept propped up: Much better! I actually slept till 10am today! Yippeeee!
I had a scary time on Monday morning. I got up at 4am to go sleep on the sofa for a change of position (this was before the sofa pillow in bed plan), and when I stood up, I felt like I couldn't breathe - was really scary! Eventually sorted myself out with some very painful coughing and went to sleep downstairs. When I woke up again a few hours later, the same thing - I felt like I could only breathe with the top fifth of my lungs. It passed after a while but it was really freaking me out! I have a friend who is a paramedic and who lives with an ITU nurse, so I texted them and I also texted Livvy to find out if this was normal - I was scared I was having a PE or an asthma attack or something! They all texted back saying it was probably due to a bruised diaphragm.... I've never been so relieved in all my life! I still get it a little bit now - it's always when I get up from lying flat - but it's much better on the whole.
The worst moment for me was the ice cream incident. I was told I should be getting 1200 calories a day while on the liquid diet. The first few days, I was only managing about 400 - 500 so my friend suggested I had a bit of soft ice cream to boost the calories. I thought this was a great idea, so she went out and bought me Green & Blacks white chocolate and raspberry ice cream, let it melt so it was almost runny, added some toffee sauce (for extra calories) and then I ate it. It was like the stuff of the gods. Oh my goodness it was delicious. But half an hour later, I felt more ill than I ever have done! Sweating, shaking, really nauseous, dreadful wind pain, and then about 3 episodes of explosive diarrhoea!! I guess it's like Dumping syndrome but I didn't think you got that with the Band.
Anyway, at least that's put me off ice cream for life!! Never again..... If anyone wants a tub of Green & Blacks with a tiny bit gone from the top, you're welcome to it!! lol
So, now I tend to have a slimfast shake for breakfast (it takes me all morning to drink it lol) and then a yoghurt for lunch and half a mug of soup for my dinner. And I have to force feed myself all that! Wow it's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole life!! I remember reading the diet sheet when I received it and wondering how on earth I was going to cope on liquids only for two whole weeks... I was so worried! And here I am feeling totally stuffed when I am half way through my slimfast shake! (btw - the slimfast shakes: yummy - the slimfast smoothies: eeeewwwww)
So now the next challenge is when to go back to work. I'm a midwife and I work in a birthing centre that specialises in natural birth and waterbirth. So I spend my life crawling around the floor and leaning over birthing pools.... I've booked a shift for Tuesday but maybe it will be too soon to be really physically active. I think I'll wait till Sunday and then make a decision about that.
Anyway, thank you everyone for all your support and advice - it's made all the difference in the world! And thank you especially Livvy who doesn't seem to mind when I text her asking if things are normal lol
Take care losers
Alice xx
nurses 
