Pre op diet support

[marcusbm]

End of week one. Hunger is there, dreaming of food is there. I can see parallels with going 'cold turkey' when stopping drugs. Having previously taken Morphine for chronic pain I do have a frame of reference for this - I stopped the Morphine however I also took a liquid Morphine dose on the second day to ease of the symptoms so I could sleep. With the protein diet this isn't really an option however I would suggest if anyone is building up towards it is to start two weeks early. 5 weeks before surgery 1 Slimfast + 2 meals, 4 weeks before 2 Slimfast + 1 meal - that way the change to all Slimfast meals will be smoother. Also it would help with a bit of weight loss. From what I can make out pre-op weight loss is important as it reduces the risk of complications. I can feel clothes are looser and I've now lost 8kg in the last six weeks - getting closer to my first target and I haven't had the op yet!

Generally not feeling too bad, hunger is now routine. I worked for two hours today and felt shattered. I feel I can cope with part time work but full time would destroy me. Still 14 days to go!

 

[marcusbm]

Day 8. Good to be in the second week. As I said before hungry is the new normal for now. Didn't get any work but I'm glad as my concentration isn't at its best. Went to a supermarket - that was a difficult place as I had to stop myself looking for yellow label bargains. I stuck to looking for NAS drinks and milk. Getting home I felt rough and struggling. Took a few hours to get my thoughts together and remember the goal. Had a lot of images and cravings today, I hope tomorrow is a bit better.

 

[marcusbm]

Day 9 (so far): Tough morning - had a class that just wanted to take advantage of a supply teacher - put 1/3rd of them in detention and the rest got a warning from the head of year. Got home, had a protein shake, now feeling really hungry and realising today is going to be a struggle. I'm thinking of taking a sleeping pill just so I can pass time until tomorrow as I really don't feel one more protein shake is going to cut the mustard.

 

[Wireman]

When I get the hunger pangs I go for a sleep sometimes. JUst focus on the end product good luck

 

[Jan1973]

Hi Marcus, hang in there.. go for a walk.. Have a coffee it does cut the hanger pain.. Mind over matter.. Tomorrow is another day..
I have two sleeps left, I think the hunger has been taken over by adrenaline.. Not hungry can't stand the sight of another yoghurt.. Gave 50 aways on wed night on a things for free page on facebook.. They got collected in 7 minutes..lol

 

[marcusbm]

I do think the protein diet is the short straw compared to the milk diet (and certainly the food diet). I know if I broke the diet now I'd probably have a major rebound. Having some NAS drinks to 'fill' the gap. I suppose better a human fountain than bouncing off walls.

 

[marcusbm]

Just realised this was unsent. Wrote it last night.

Day 10: day went smoothly, was called into work for a late morning shift that went well. Came home relaxed and took a nap. Woke up at 4pm and realised by 6pm that I had only had one protein shake. It was nice to have two in the evening a couple of hours apart. Wore a shirt today that had been put to the back of the wardrobe just over a year ago for being too small. Trousers that needed repairs a few weeks ago.

 

[marcusbm]

Day 11: In and out of sleep all day. Energy drained. One food dream - dreamt of accidentally eating a couple of croissants and then thinking what do I say to the clinic. Other than that no real cravings. Didn't drink that much water (but over 1.5 litres). It's halfway now, I get the impression the first week is generally considered the toughest.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Hang on in there, hopefully the next 10 days will go quickly.

 

[tizzwizz]

Hi Marcus, I've enjoyed reading your diary entries I've got my op the day after yours so lets support each other. I'm on the 4 weight watchers soup & 4 muller light yohurts & I'm sure by the end of this I won't want to see another soup or yogurt in my life again lol. Good luck with your venture & I will be thinking of you.

 

[Lilacglittergirl]

This time last year I was nearing the end of four weeks of LSD of four WW soups and four Muller Lights a day only, plus 500ml of semi-skimmed. Bypass on 9 July. My post-op notes said my Liver was "modest" which made every second of the four weeks worthwhile. I still have the mark low between my boobies where the Liver hook was located. Despite all pre-bypass research, and discussions with my team, I never dreamt one year later I would have lost 9stone and gone from dress size 24 to a 10/12. Feel great. Hang on in there. Every bypasser on here knows what you are going through. It is tough, but tougher post-op when the ketosis sets in and there is nothing left in us to get us through the day, but we cope. And then the retching which happens when we transit back on to solids ... Deeply unpleasant and distressing but has to be done. I don't know what head support your team will provide Marcus but this forum will be invaluable to you every step of the way. Listen and you will be in safe hands. Good luck - you can do it. The rewards are incredible! xx

 

[trickyvicky]

Day 11: In and out of sleep all day. Energy drained. One food dream - dreamt of accidentally eating a couple of croissants and then thinking what do I say to the clinic. Other than that no real cravings. Didn't drink that much water (but over 1.5 litres). It's halfway now, I get the impression the first week is generally considered the toughest.

Well done you!!! Keep going!!!! You're doing really well to get this far even if it doesn't feel like it just yet

 

[marcusbm]

Thanks Lincs, Tizz, Lilac and Vicky.

@Lilac - how did you cope with ketosis? What are the main symptoms? It's tough enough living with the low energy levels while on Slimfast!

@tizzwizz - can I send you a private message - perhaps we can help each other on WhatsApp or BBM?

 

[marcusbm]

Day 12 (or T-minus 10 -- RNY-minus 10?): As it was Wimbledon final day I switched my Slimfast to strawberry flavour as I couldn't have wild strawberries and cream - a family tradition that's lasted for almost three decades. Caused some amusement but in a nice way. (*TMI warning*) Switched from constipation to loose motions - not sure where it's all coming from just with protein drinks! Avoided the scale today, mustn't use it daily.

 

[tizzwizz]

That would be good I do have WhatsApp but dont really use it you will have to guide me through what I need to do

 

[Lilacglittergirl]

Marcus - ketosis sets in after the op as you will not be taking in any nutrition for several weeks, on top of depleted levels due to the pre-op LSD. I was on 150ml of simple fluid (water, NAS squash, etc) sipped over an hour for 14 hours a day for three weeks, then thickening up via soup through puree stage to softs from week six. During this time your body will start to burn the reserves it has laid down (ketosis) which is of course the purpose of the exercise. Apart from total exhaustion, giddiness, general lethargy, the worst part was my breath stank and it tastes as if something has died in your mouth. It has to be done and there will be no negotiation with the bypass - it seems crazy but it will be a struggle to get 150ml down. We've all been through it (some folks on here have had a few challenges along the way), but we've come through and I for one do not regret a single second of that four month journey from LSD to eating normal foods again (minus sugar and fat). You'll be fine x

 

[samp24]

You can do this Marcus, it is amazing how tough we can be when working towards something we really want. The LRD is very tough mentally, I did two weeks of 8 yogurts a day only to have op cancelled night before. Then had to do another two weeks LRD all over again, that was really tough mentally. I am not the only one either who has had to try to get through it more than once! I am now about six weeks post bypass and am doing fine. It was all worth it. I did go to bed early alot during pre op diet, as I found sleep helpful in not having to think about food.

 

[marcusbm]

You can do this Marcus, it is amazing how tough we can be when working towards something we really want. The LRD is very tough mentally, I did two weeks of 8 yogurts a day only to have op cancelled night before. Then had to do another two weeks LRD all over again, that was really tough mentally. I am not the only one either who has had to try to get through it more than once! I am now about six weeks post bypass and am doing fine. It was all worth it. I did go to bed early alot during pre op diet, as I found sleep helpful in not having to think about food.

I find dreams more amusing than cravings. I have notices a lot of my dreams are about the pre-op diet and the surgery.

I have watched a number of YouTube vids on the surgery from consultations, the surgery itself through to pre and post op advice both from practitioners and those who went through the process. I feel as prepared as I can be without actually having gone through any actual consultations with professionals - the joy of going private. However I did go through the system when I had my lap band in 2007.

As something went wrong I never experienced restriction - I remember being really cautious and thinking the fill just didn't add enough liquid. I lost some weight with the post-op diet but that rebounded over time as I returned to full meals. I've said elsewhere that from a recent barium meal it turned out that the band opened up - probably in the first couple of weeks if not the first couple of days indicating it wasn't fitted properly in the first place.

I don't know if this link works:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zuircgvhe4ak2nf/AABNoagzHp9CngcL-UPVQpsga

These are the x-rays from the barium swallow, it's quite clear that the band is nowhere near my stomach. Look closely enough and you can see the band and the fill port (that's the circle over the stomach).

Second time lucky? The only 'luck' is lack of complications. Throw is dedication, hard work and a bit of single minded arrogance and determination and I'm sure I can achieve my goals.

 

[samp24]

Yeh link works! Is the band the bit outlined in red? Blimey, can see the port clearly x

 

[marcusbm]

It's frustratingly obvious that the band is flapping around to the left of the oesophagus. It upsets me a bit when I think about the cost of the band. I did have the option to have it re-fitted but there were other complications - the fluid in the band tested positive for an unknown bacteria - actually I'm recorded as 'patient zero' for this type of band infection (where it was contained within the band fluid). The solution was to pump the band full of antibiotics, and a day later the band was emptied as refilled about 20 times. I also had to spend six MONTHS on high dose antibiotics. I think you can imagine how rough I felt in that time.

Ultimately my trust in the band is so low now that I'd rather have it removed and have an RNY than have it re-fitted or replaced, there isn't that much difference in the cost.