clairec

Hi to you all,

Wifi access is not good at all in HDU. However my op was at 2.30 yesterday in the end. For the first few hours i was in some pain ( but not terrible) and that was making me feel sick. Then the sickness was making the oain worse, they dealt with it all really well though, and it feeling sick that i hate. However... At about 9pm i suddenly felt better. I could talk to people, smile and actually got out of bed for a pee at 10. Through the night i was great and got up again. Then at 5am i had a full wash and have been sitting out of bed since. No painkillers since 1am till 8am and now i am just on soluble paracetamol. Just mild discmfort, no wind pain from the laparoscopy, 3 plasters to cover the sites, no drain or catheterand oxygen stopped, drip still up. I am feeling fine! Just sleepy really. I am tolerating 60 mls of Water every hour absolutely fine and should be back in my room from HDU by 11ish (UK time) .

For those of you coming after me, like Ken who i think is next, i hope that is reassuring. I have got my list of who also had their ops yesterday back in the room.

Erin hope your new job is going well and that you are feeling ok food wise. Also Kim i hope your drain is out by now, i am glad that i didn't have one.

Zomgjj you sound like you are doing great, i am glad to be here and am feeling great and much better than i thought.

Thinking of you Ken on Friday, it's ok really it is.

Take care all of you

Claire

Hi,

Thanks for starting this thread. It's amazing how well you are all doing. I will be back on here as soon as I have done that little thing later today!

Hi,

Hope it goes well to all the many of us having our surgery today. See you on here afterwards, or on the new thread. What a good idea to set that up now!

Take care

Claire

Well, I got the news I was hoping and praying I wouldn't get today. I am not a match for my brother so I can not be his bone marrow donor. I was so hoping I would be. Luckily we still have three other siblings to get tested and hopefully one of them will be his match. Very down this evening and I come home to my husband making white chocolate, macadamia nut, coconut Cookies. What torture. I broke down and ate two. Now, I am leaving the kitchen for the rest of the night.

I'm so sorry for your news. I hope another sibling matches.

Don't beat yourself up over the cookies. Soon you will have a tool the won't give you the choice of cheating or not. Continue to try to diet but don't get down on yourself for enjoying some cookies.

I agree with Erin. Don't beat yourself up, I hope that you really enjoyed them. As Erin says afterwards you shouldn't be able to anyway, so it is just short term. After news like that and the temptation of fresh baking, who could resist! I am really sorry about your brother and hope that a match will be found.

Do take care

Claire

I started my new job today and had a great day. I was taking too big of a sip and that was why I had all the discomfort.

I am thinking of you. You'll do great. I can't wait to hear more about your journey!!! It is a lot to take on and I know you're nervous. But the new healthy you is going to be worth it all!

Erin, That is amazing. You are back at work already, and a new job at that! You are such an inspiration, you must be feeling rally well to manage that. I am so glad that you enjoyed your first day and that it went well, and that you coped with this so soon after surgery.

You go girl!

I am now up at 4.30am because I can't sleep anyway and I am half way through the pre interview exercises of a module I have been shortlisted to teach. With post op fuzziness etc I think it is better to try to do as much as I can before I go in later, because it needs to be in by next Monday. I can then relax more afterwards then, and I will be sleeping later anyway! Better than lying there awake and jittery.

Well done again and I take such a lot of comfort from you, try not to overdo it too much though, you must be tired. A new job is exciting though.

I will be in touch after I get my phone and iPad back!

Claire x

Hi Erin,

A bit apprehensive really. They have changed my surgery time till lunchtime. I am still first on the list but it starts later. Apparently i will be in HDU overnight too which i was not expecting. All a bit discombobulating!! I will post on here as soon as i am reunited with my phone and iPad.

Thanks so much for asking. I hope you are ok and now having more to eat. You sounded like you were doing so well, you and Kim.

I will be back here soon nd thanks again

Claire

Claire!!!! Good luck tomorrow! How are you feeling today?

Believeinnikki and kdiden- good luck tomorrow! You're in my thoughts. Claire- ya ready for Tuesday? I feel this nervous energy all day; hard to focus a bit. My parents just came into town to help me with kids and recovery. So grateful for family and friends right now. Not use to needing people.

Hi Milliefuller,,

Ready as I will ever be I think. It will be nice to stop this pre op diet and get rid of these nervous feelings. Then we can all look forward to recuperating and starting our new lives.

Thinking of all those who are going today and the large numbers of us going tomorrow.

I will post again as soon as I can, I might be in HDU for one night, or maybe not. As soon as I can access my iPad again I will be on here.

Stay in touch and take care

Claire

Hi,

Kim, It must be a problem having a drain, most people don't seem to. You sound as if you are doing really well in other ways though. Such great news.

Janie, I am very lucky I am not on the milk or Fluid diet. I have been on the pre op diet for 3 weeks though and I am not hungry, just so bored with it. I have been feeling a bit lightheaded at times, mainly if I don't have the meals close enough together. Otherwise I am fine really. You poor thing it sounds terrible.

I am on Tuesday too, how are you feeling about it all? A bit scared? Wanting to get it done now? I am all of those things. I know I should be excited because people are but at the moment I don't feel that way.

We will be going through this together though!

Take care

Claire

Hi Nikki,

I hope that it goes well tomorrow, i am the day after you .as zomgjj has said there is another thread with the same name and a lot of us who have just had surgery and those of us still to have theirs this month are on there.

Thinking of you tomorrow and let us know how you are as soon as you can

Claire

Hi,

Sally and tkauhi I am glad that you are home now and I hope that your next few days are manageable. Erin and Kim keep on getting stronger. Dreamingbig there was bound to be a bit of a reaction to it all, you psyche yourself up so much, well I know that I am trying to, and then it is all an anticlimax. How disappointing for you, just keep on posting on here, we are all hear for you and hope that you are soon feeling more positive.

Take care all of you, I am not sure where you all are but it is mid evening here.

Claire

zomgij, glad you are doing better! Not long now! There are quite a lot of you on the 11th. Hoping we'll hear soon from the other 2 that went this week.

Today I get to try Protein drink, yeah me! I'm having a vanilla Unjury with unsweetened almond milk. Tummy is liking and going down fine! Yesterday I only had 145 calories so really need to step that up. I also slept in my bed the whole night! I am still having a lot of upper back pain and I think it's from sitting so much and also not wearing a bra.

Claire do you live outside of London? I have a lot of family (in-laws) in Bournemouth.

Hi Kim,

We live not far from Bournemouth (about an hour) and our neice used to live there so I know it fairly well. Hope the pain is improving a little for you and sleep well

Claire

Hi zomgjj,

Wow that is early! I need to be there at 7am but I am quite a way away and then there is the London rush hour so I think that I will be leaving pretty early myself. I am so glad that you are feeling a bit better now.

Yes I am nervous too, though very reassured by others' posts. I think it just feels such a big thing to do and different people have different problems at different stages and I am thinking that I will have them all, which I won't! I suppose at this stage I just want it done so I know what i do have to deal with. It is certainly a hell of a thing to contemplate isn't it? I think if we weren't nervous and scared it would mean that we weren't taking it as seriously as we should be and just skipping over all the major adjustments and thinking of only the weight loss as a positive. I prefer to think that I am just planning ahead, trying to problem solve and being realistic. That is the brain side of things, the rest of me is not believing that logic a lot of the time.

Take care and we will in this all together

Claire

Hi,

Stephanie and milliefuller I am also on the 11th, as are quite a few others. Not long now for all of us due next week. It is so reassuring seeing others who have had surgery this week posting on here and it is supportive. I don't know about you but i have my really scared times but mostly I just want it to happen now.

Hope that you enjoyed your trip out Erin, shopping for food you can't eat must have been so exciting! It was a journey into the outside world though, which makes life seem so much more normal and soon you will be shopping for clothes which is really exciting.

Take care

Claire

Hi,

Nnegrete we will all be thinking of you. Take care and all positive thoughts winging their way from the UK.

Oh my goodness Erin you are going out... be careful out there! That sounds really positive but be careful about carrying anything . It sounds so difficult to tolerate even clear fluids, I will have get some popsicles in too then.

It is good to hear from you again Kim, how are you doing?

sleep well all of you

Claire

Erin,

you are bound to be exhausted, I think everyone tends to feel that way. Be more patient with yourself, you have just gone through a big operation. Feel free to say the same thing to me next week because I do the same, expect far too much of myself and get disappointed. Also I just spoke to the dietician this end and she said that they don't recommend Protein Drinks and supplements anyway and encourage normal eating of things that you like when you can tolerate them. She also says that they don't worry about all nutrients being there in the early days. Would that take the pressure off you a bit if you didn't have to have them at the moment, or have you been told that you should? What can you manage? I have heard about that frothing, it sounds horrible but I think it is common. Could you manage anything else?

Says me who hasn't even had it done yet... what do I know. Just trying to help I suppose. You must be feeling miserable but I think a lot of people feel completely knackered. Are you feeling less nauseous now and is the pain any better?

Take care and thinking of you

Claire

My surgery date is Feb 19. I Start my liver reduction on Sunday. Those fusion drinks are expensive. Lol

Hi ,

I am on the 11th Feb, next Tuesday. Why don't you post on the February surgeries thread because people who are having surgery this month are there and it is really supportive. I think you should be able to find the thread. I think it is under gastric bypass surgery, basics for GBSbeginner, Pre op GBS Q and As, February surgeries, but don't take my word for it.

I hope it all goes well and see you there

Claire

Hi Zomgjj,

I really hope that you are feeling better today, sounds horrible and worrying for your surgery date. However you clearly aren't eating much so hopefully the diet side is ok. You just need to be well enough for Tuesday. Do let us know how you are.

Ken, I know it feels scary but surprisingly I seem to be feeling better about it all at the moment. I really give every credit to this forum and the amazing people on here for that. The amount of detail and support individually for each other feels like I am amongst the greatest group of people and that we are all in it together. People here will always know so much about what it is like and I am so reassured that that support will be here when I need it, as I am absolutely sure that I will.I hope you start to feel less, rather than more, apprehensive as the days go on. Just over a week for you now.

Erin, Kim, tkauki how are all feeling now. It is so good to read your posts and be sure that you are at least coping. Nnegrete should be joining again soon hopefully.

Take care all of you and all the very best for those having surgery next week, I will be one of you and hope to post as soon as i can. Apparently I might be in HDU for one night so I am not sure that I will be able to from there so it might be Weds.

Claire

Hi to you all,

I hope tkauki that your surgery has gone well and that nnegrete that yours goes well tomorrow.

Hi Melissa and Raerae it is good to see you on here, it is such a supportive group. Erin ad Kim have been posting really helpful comments after their surgery on Monday and it is great to see such honesty.

Erin I hope that you are feeling less nauseated, that is my worse fear, and that you soon start to manage to drink without the discomfort, that can't be nice and it must worry you a bit. I hope both you and Kim start to feel less discomfort soon. The meds seem to be working though for the most part, but not all the time. Keep up the excellent posts and it is so good to know that you are both ok, I feel like I know you already!

Following my preop assessment on Monday apparently I have a urine infection. First I knew of it but I need to start antibiotics tonight, then it should be fine for surgery next Tues. My GP surgery has not phoned yet to say that they are ready and they close soon.

Take care all of you

Claire

Hello to you all,

I really appreciate all your posts so soon after surgery Erin. I am really sorry that you are feeling so sick, I hope that it is getting better by now, or will do soon. I also hope that the pain starts to be easier. I am really glad for your honesty, it is so much more realistic and we all know what to expect. Do take care, I still think you looked beautiful in your photos, even if you feel like cr** at the moment. You will get stronger soon, just keep up the messages. Have a better night tonight and take care.

Kimr I hope that you are still feeling ok , it is so good to hear from you too. Glad that you are coping well with the fluids and when you manage a shower you will probably feel more like yourself. Take care and have a good night.

Dreamingbig, it was such a lot to psyche yourself up for and then for it not to be safe to carry on must have been hard. Sooo much safer though and it sounds like you are a bit relieved too. I do hope that your chest improves soon and that your nerves die down a bit more every day.

I find everyone on her such a help and an inspiration. It feels like I have friends who I am going through it with me now which is wonderful. Thanks for all your posts

Claire

Erin,

Thanks so much for posting such a detailed account of what happened and how you are feeling. That is just so very reassuring for me, and I am sure others too.

It is great to see you looking so good. You look truly beautiful and very happy. I feel much better about this time next week now.

Thanks so much and carry on letting us know over the recovery period.

Brilliant news and it sounds so great

Claire x

Hi to you all...

Dreamingbig all the best tomorrow, I will be joining you in a week's time, all the positive vibes you need coming your way.

Tkauki travel safely through the snow and all the best for Weds.

Zomjj we are both going to make it through the rest of the pre op diet and get to next Tues.

Take care

Claire

Good luck to all of you having surgery this week! May you have a quick recovery! Looking froward to having you join us on the losers bench!

Thanks very much. I do hope everyone is feeling ok about their surgery this week and that you are all feeling well enough to go forward. These things happen at the worst times. Do come back on to this thread and tell us how you are, or let us know where you are posting now.

Take care and lots of love

Claire

My surgery is Feb 10th. I began my process 14 months ago as the insurance company required a 12 month wait period. Excited to get this over with!

Hi,

Just the day before me! I hope that you are ok and that the pre surgery diet is going as well as possible. There are several people this week and several next week, so you are in good company.

Take care

Claire

Hope you feel better very quickly dreamingbig

Love to you all for tomorrow and this week.

Claire

Hi,

Well I am planning ahead for what to take into hospital and what to have readily available afterwards...

I agree with everything said already and I am thinking...

Washing stuff including Shampoo, conditioner hairdryer, deodorant etc

Robe, nightgown (but there will be hospital gowns I am sure) and slippers as well as spare underwear

Wipes - hand, personal and toilet

Pillow to put between me and the seatbelt for the journey home which has been suggested strongly

Mouth spray to help with dry mouth - I am not sure what but I have been advised that

I am taking no added sugar fruit cordials to dilute with Water but I know that these are not readily available in the States. they are in the UK and they really help Water taste nicer.

Any meds including Vitamin supplements. I am also taking Sea Kelp to help with future hair loss

I have also been advised something to help with the trapped wind. We have Windeze here but the contents are Simeticone if that helps

Magnesium hydroxide to help with Constipation

Lip balm and moisturiser as well as make up and mirror

Something to read - a magazine to flick through if attention span not brilliant and book/Kindle/Nook

Something to listen to at night if I wake up and if things are noisy - iPod etc

Simple things to distract - So Dukos, crosswords, puzzle books, iPad games ( I have a jigsaw app which I find restful)

Something to keep up with bariatricpal - at the moment this is on my computer but perhaps should be on my iPad or phone

My gastric bypass big book and other info

Also trying to stock up on things I might be able to drink / eat(?) afterwards for home.

A bit much, do you think???….

Thinking this week of Erin, Kim, dreaming big, tkauki and nnegrete this week, you go for it and I hope all goes as well it possible can for you all.

We are next

Claire x