Brett.S my Sleeve Journey

[Brett.S]

Well I am on day 16 of my Optifast regime and only 6 days until surgery.

I must say the Optifast hasn't been as hard as I imagined, although there are moments when I would have loved something with a bit of a different taste. Mostly that is referring to the vegetables.

I got really bad stomach cramps for a few days last week with other associated symptoms but got through that. I've even lost most of the brain fog, or adapted.

One of the worst parts of this I have found is the amount of water I have and to drink and having to plan where I go around bathroom access Luckily it is summer here. That helps a lot with the water.

I have lost about 8-9kg in the 16 days so far as well.

[Grammy2s&c]

That sounds like you're doing great so far. I honestly dont know if I could stick to a protein/pre-op diet before surgery. Do you only drink protein shakes? Or do you get to eat one meal a day as well? Best wishes on your upcoming surgery!

[Brett.S]

I think the preop diet varies a lot from what I have seen on here depending on the surgeon/team.

My diet is:

100g lean beef or pork a day
1 egg (farm fresh from our own chickens)
2 cups of vegetables from an allowed list basically low carb/starch stuff, but can eat more than 2 cups.
4 shakes (interchangeable for soups or such so long as they are optifast)
125g lite jelly.

sometimes I can barely fit all that in.

I tend to have a poached egg with some leftover vegetables from the day before for breakfast with a shake, for lunch I have some salad and half my meat allowance with another shake, for afternoon tea I have a shake or soup, for dinner I have cooked vegetables with the other half of my meat, and then later some of the jelly and then one last shake an hour before bed. I probably eat about 3-4 cups of veges which my dietitian is pleased with. I'm never hungry except when I should be at meal times. and knowing it has a specific deadline has made it easier.

[KiwiGal]

Sounds like you are right on track - well done.
The pre op preparation certainly does vary from surgeon to surgeon. I was allowed 3 Optifast items a day with up to 1 cup of non starchy veg. It was only for 3 weeks but definitely the hardest part of the whole process - and even then it wasn't too bad because I knew there was an end date and I would be on my way to a healthier happier life.
All the best for your surgery date.

[Christie13]

The pre op is hard but once you are sleeved it is a lot easier. Wishing you continued success on your journey Brett.

[Brett.S]

Less than two days till my surgery now.

And 20 days of pre-op Optifast diet done! Only one day of that to go. Its true what they say though that first three days was the hardest then it got pretty routine, boring mostly. I had the odd craving for something with more taste but nothing huge to deal with.

Very excited and a little anxious now.

[Stacey03]

good luck, you will do great :-)

[KiwiGal]

All the best for today.
Please let us know how you are getting on when you feel up to it.
This is the start of a great adventure :-)

[Brett.S]

Hi everyone, just thought I would check in quickly. Surgery went well with no complications.

Slightly daunting experience, I had never had any type of surgery before, waking up in Post-Op I panicked a little. A lot of discomfort for the first few days. No sleep for first two night, fair bit of pain at first. Things are starting to settle down now.

Just focusing on Sip Sip Sipping those fluids with protein powders and fiber supplements etc.

I think my pain was exacerbated by a 2 and a half hour drive home (with appropriate stops of course) on extremely rough roads in the country during a drought. In hindsight that was perhaps ill advised the day after surgery jiggling my insides about.

Will check in again later!

[Kitt]

Happy that your surgery went well!

[KiwiGal]

Hi Brett

Glad that your surgery went to plan. I hope that every day you are feeling better and better.
Keep sipping that water, get some protein into you as and when you can, walk as much as you can, rest a lot and most importantly be kind to your self!