Tracey1404
Enjoyin' my journey....
Being known as Big Bird to family and friends alike once referred to my height but more latterly my weight! The former was fine, the latter was accepted with a tight smile!
10 years of yo-yo dieting, weight losses ranging from 0 - 5 stones and moving from shopping in Next to Marisota saw me lost under 10 stone of excess weight, knowing I still existed but not having a clue how to find myself again.
I suppose we all have a tipping point and mine was a simple visit to the GP to have a spider bite on my leg examined. Turned out it was cellulitis, I was also told my swollen ankles were due to mild hereditary lymphoma and was recommended a spirometry test as the GP noticed I was quite breathless!! So instead of collecting an expected steroid cream prescription I was booked in for an ECG, spirometry and blood tests. Yeh - and weighing in at 22st 8lbs was the icing on the cake.
On the way home I looked at my husband, who squeezed my arm and said it would be okay. I heard myself saying it wouldn't, that I was a fat, overweight mess and needed to change my life NOW! Much drama, many tears, gnashing of teeth and wailing. My husband - used to my Judy Garland-like outbursts, just said "whatever it takes babe!".
Fast forward four weeks later, we are sitting in Dolan Park hospital, overnight bag in hand telling hubs where the wills are kept, how much my pension is worth and how it should be divvied up amongst the kids. Gastric band surgery is an hour away and I am convinced anaesthesia will be the end of me.
Fast forward 3 hours and a great guy called Dave from Oldbury, my wake up nurse, is calling me out of unconsciousness, making me laugh and wheeling me back to room 26 where hubs is waiting in the corridor, looking anxious, relieved and smiley all at the same time.
I'd been fitted with a 14ml band + 5ml fill to kick start my journey.
Fast forward 3 days and here I am, at home, beginning this diary blog in the hope of sharing some experience, gained wisdom and (holding breath here) a story of continued success!
First three days have been good. Odd, but good. Day of surgery (3 August) was fine - much better than anticipated, cannot fault THG staff they were wonderful. I felt informed, looked after and cared for. Coming home day was good too - just nice to be home. Managed a quick shop for some soups and fresh veg to make soups and watched super saturday Olympic triumphs. Sunday 5 August not as good - okay but felt winded most of the day, kicked in the stomach by a horse kind of feeling whenever I tried to stand up, and although managing liquids and yoghurt okay already feel sick at the sight of soup.
Winding up this entry I want to mention the small things that have taken me by surprise. Firstly how good I felt immediately after surgery - but then morphine is a very good friend I gather, secondly how very aware I am that I have a gastric band fitted and that we need to work together (I'm quite nervous about testing it too much and approached first drink, first smoothy, etc with caution - bit like bending down to stroke a growling dog!), and lastly - and perhaps the most inconvenient bit - how much I hate sleeping on my back!! This was not mentioned to me and came as a big shock surprise that i can no longer lie on my side with my head supported by my elbow. This might sound like a small thing, but to me it is a huge subtraction from an everyday comfort and I am just hoping I will be able to resume usual sleeping pose once fully healed. At the moment I lie on my back, slightly panicked (because I can be) and try to sleep. Then again, I always find it is the oddest and often unknown things in life that affect us the most!!
10 years of yo-yo dieting, weight losses ranging from 0 - 5 stones and moving from shopping in Next to Marisota saw me lost under 10 stone of excess weight, knowing I still existed but not having a clue how to find myself again.
I suppose we all have a tipping point and mine was a simple visit to the GP to have a spider bite on my leg examined. Turned out it was cellulitis, I was also told my swollen ankles were due to mild hereditary lymphoma and was recommended a spirometry test as the GP noticed I was quite breathless!! So instead of collecting an expected steroid cream prescription I was booked in for an ECG, spirometry and blood tests. Yeh - and weighing in at 22st 8lbs was the icing on the cake.
On the way home I looked at my husband, who squeezed my arm and said it would be okay. I heard myself saying it wouldn't, that I was a fat, overweight mess and needed to change my life NOW! Much drama, many tears, gnashing of teeth and wailing. My husband - used to my Judy Garland-like outbursts, just said "whatever it takes babe!".
Fast forward four weeks later, we are sitting in Dolan Park hospital, overnight bag in hand telling hubs where the wills are kept, how much my pension is worth and how it should be divvied up amongst the kids. Gastric band surgery is an hour away and I am convinced anaesthesia will be the end of me.
Fast forward 3 hours and a great guy called Dave from Oldbury, my wake up nurse, is calling me out of unconsciousness, making me laugh and wheeling me back to room 26 where hubs is waiting in the corridor, looking anxious, relieved and smiley all at the same time.
I'd been fitted with a 14ml band + 5ml fill to kick start my journey.
Fast forward 3 days and here I am, at home, beginning this diary blog in the hope of sharing some experience, gained wisdom and (holding breath here) a story of continued success!
First three days have been good. Odd, but good. Day of surgery (3 August) was fine - much better than anticipated, cannot fault THG staff they were wonderful. I felt informed, looked after and cared for. Coming home day was good too - just nice to be home. Managed a quick shop for some soups and fresh veg to make soups and watched super saturday Olympic triumphs. Sunday 5 August not as good - okay but felt winded most of the day, kicked in the stomach by a horse kind of feeling whenever I tried to stand up, and although managing liquids and yoghurt okay already feel sick at the sight of soup.
Winding up this entry I want to mention the small things that have taken me by surprise. Firstly how good I felt immediately after surgery - but then morphine is a very good friend I gather, secondly how very aware I am that I have a gastric band fitted and that we need to work together (I'm quite nervous about testing it too much and approached first drink, first smoothy, etc with caution - bit like bending down to stroke a growling dog!), and lastly - and perhaps the most inconvenient bit - how much I hate sleeping on my back!! This was not mentioned to me and came as a big shock surprise that i can no longer lie on my side with my head supported by my elbow. This might sound like a small thing, but to me it is a huge subtraction from an everyday comfort and I am just hoping I will be able to resume usual sleeping pose once fully healed. At the moment I lie on my back, slightly panicked (because I can be) and try to sleep. Then again, I always find it is the oddest and often unknown things in life that affect us the most!!
