My second visit with Dr Willingham

Today I had my final visit with Dr Willingham before the surgery--the surgery is confirmed. I have done all of the paperwork and had preliminary tests--all is in order. The visit went well--he is a very nice man, and I feel secure in his surgical hands. I will be in the hospital for 3 days. The Optifast diet is getting to me--I am very tired and lethargic. But, not to worry, I am on the home stretch!! I am "overly grateful" to have this operation. My operation is on Thursday, the 24th of March 2011.

The psychologist and me...

I had my appointment with the psychologist today. It went very well, and I have been declared extremely sane with a very good psychological profile. When she said that I have considered all of the issues and that I am now a "woman on a mission", I had to laugh!!

The psychologist's name is Fiona. She was very adept at asking questions to get a full overview of your past, your present, your thinking style, etc... This is what we talked about:
1. My history--child, teenage, young adult and into the present
2. Andrew and his views
3. Sam and how he would be affected
4. My friends—who to tell and how/when to tell
5. My job and the implications
6. What had I done to prepare for the lifestyle change
7. Why do I want the Gastric Sleeve operation
8. How do I see the future happening--short term and long term
I'd never talked so much about myself in my life!! But I really liked her, and we got along very well. Here's a great line she told me: "Your weight issue is an adjective not a condition". I told her I really liked that line and ask her if I could use it!! She laughed and said that I could!!
So that is now out of the way. Now, there is a final appointment with Dr Willingham on Monday morning. I presume he will analyse the report from the dietician and the psychologist. The operation is scheduled on Thursday of next week--a week from today. Let's go!

My Painting for World Vision

This is the painting I did for Kids Hope. The logo is in the middle. I reproduced the children's drawings of themselves to put around the edge of the blue circle. I just love the drawings of children.

Limbo

Well, I feel like I am in a state of limbo. There seems to be waiting, waiting, waiting. I've managed almost 2 weeks on Optifast. I'm feeling tired and lethargic--I don't seem to have my "zip". Andrew feels it is the lack of sugar. I don't have a lot of sugar usually, but today I had a cup of coffee with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and I feel so much better!!

It's amazing how much time I used to spend on buying food, food preparation, sharing the meal, etc. I haven't done that for 2 weeks, and I find that difficult. But these are things that will return so not to worry. I have been keeping busy with work, the garden, the house, quilting, some social engagements and doing a painting for our church. I am almost finished with the painting, and I hope to take a photo of it and put it on this blog--for something to do and learning how to do this!! There is a World Vision initiative called "Kids Hope". It's where people go into schools and work one on one with children who have problems. These problems are identified by the school. The church and the school work together to provide a relationship that will meet the needs of the child--just my kind of ministry. I hope to do something like this when retire, but I am not able to give that commitment at present. However, the church asked me to do a painting about it. I enlisted the help of the kids at our church, and the painting is coming along just fine. There are 20 faces of children on it!! I should finish it soon, and I will upload it somehow onto this blog.

The following week will be busy with:
Monday--I'm taking Sam to an orthodontist surgeon. He has to have his 4 wisdom teeth removed and another tooth that never came in.
I'll tell you a funny story about my son, Sam. He goes every two weeks to a job agency. There is no job yet, but the experience of going to the agency is good for him. Today they gave Sam an aptitude test. The first part was about patterns and patterning. Sam has a savant skill in this area. People are always amazed at his ability to do these activities. But then they asked him when Christmas was, and he had no idea!! That's my boy--quirky but interesting!!!

Wednesday--coffee with friends
Thursday--visit to the psychologist with regards to my operation. I am not worried about this. I feel I can't really prepare for it other than to consider the questions she may ask. I think I'm a stable person that knows why I want this operation. Writing on the Blog has helped me sort out the information and my feelings, so I'm hoping that visit will be okay.

It's still not super busy at work so I'm only working a couple hours a day.

All is well. Less than 2 weeks till the operation.

My Optifast Relationship

My relationship with Optifast has been a good one after I got over the chocolate bar issue!!! I really love the Coffee milkshake for breakfast. 2 litres of water has to be consumed each day which is not difficult for me. I have 4 numbered water bottles, and I just make sure each one is finished before I go to bed. I have 2 packets of soup as well plus a green salad. It’s okay, and I’ve been able to stick with it for a week now. Two and half weeks to go. The thing about these “sachet” diets is my inability to stick with them long term. I’m sure I will be successful for the next few weeks only because I know there is light at the end of the tunnel where the gastric sleeve operation will give me the ability to continue small meals for the rest of my life.

One of the issues though is going out to dinner with our friends over the next few weeks. I talked to the dietician about this. She advised me to eat salad or vegetables (but the low GI kind) and a little bit of chicken with water or diet drinks. There are 3 events (so far) before my operation. One was last night at the home of our friends, Lyn and Ray. I ate the vegetable soup. tomatoes from the bruchetta and the chicken. No worries. On Thursday, I'm having a Thai lunch with my friend, Donna. I will eat the chicken and the vegetables--no rice. No worries. On Friday, we are going to a 21st at a pub--I don't know what the food will be, but I will stick to salad and meat. All will be well.

D Day----Dietician Day!

I went to the dietician yesterday. It was another step on the path to the Gastric Sleeve surgery. It was a very positive meeting, and I was able to discuss a variety of issues: vitamins during the liquid phase and afterwards, food choices during the liquid phase and after, medications, etc… She also gave me literature—I love literature!! It’s always good to have something to refer back to. One sheet is about the Optifast diet before the operation. The other sheet is about the liquid phase after the operation. I asked her what comprises “nourishing liquids”. She said that the Optifast shakes and soups could be included. But also to consider Sustagen shakes (she recommended the powder) , drinking yogurt and thin soups.

I will meet with her 10 days after the operation and for a few more times after that.

I was also interested in finding a sort of mantra or a list to refer to when my mind needed to be jolted into focusing on why I’m doing this. This was in the booklet she gave me:

·       I feel better

·       I can move around more easily

·       I can wear clothes off the rack that suit my personality

·       I can sleep without snoring

·       I will be around my children (and grandchildren) when they grow up

·       There is less weight on my joints

·       I have more energy

·       I look better

·       I can fit into chairs with comfort

·       I feel more confident

·       I can play with the children

·       I enjoy sport again

·       I feel in control of my life

·       My medical profile is improved

·       I may be able to stop taking some medications

So, I was happy with that visit. It gave me a lot to think about and consider. It was also positive and looked to the future with optimism. I like that!!