Friday, 7 November 2008
Lumps, Bumps & Haircuts
OMG I have SOOOO made the right decision about my weight! I am 12 days banded now and absolutely LOVING it! I lost 8 kgs on Optifast, another 4 kgs on fluid stage and am feeling FANBLOODYTASTIC!!!
My skin is clear, my hair is shiny, I actually have a neck, I have so much more energy, my sleep apnoea is already getting better and I can’t stop smiling! It really feels like I have started a new phase in my life and I am so proud of myself for climbing out of the rut I was in.
Hang on, I know it won’t all be plain sailing from here - and I have already had a few bumps with reality along the way – but overall I am so happy with the way things are going that I can still face the bumps with a smile.
The first reality bump was really more of a lump than a bump. My body is generally not co-operating with my plans for its redesign. Yes, I have lost weight, but there seems to be no clear plan about where it is going to come from and when! One day its my ankles, then its my neck, then my thighs, then my bum, then for ages the only difference I can see is my eyelids! But what on earth happened to my belly!!!! Not bloody much I can tell you! So the result is that now I have a whole wardrobe of clown pants – that fit around the waist but flap around everywhere else LOL!!
Last weekend I decided to head off to Autograph to try to see if I can find some pants that look slightly less ridiculous – only to find myself paranoid that the shop assistant will walk in to the change room and reveal my scars and I will have to explain to the whole store that I have defected to the dark side! No need to say, I couldn’t squeeze into the smaller size anyway :-(
So I drag out as many skirts as I can find out of lost and found (the bottom of my wardrobe) and dress up like it is 35 degrees outside (instead of 20 and threatening to rain) and head off for my first day back at work, waiting for the exclamations about how different I look. It is only then that I realise that the skirts now hide the majority of the weight loss and people I haven’t seen for 4 weeks greet me with “Have you had a hair cut?” !!
Well, it has been a bloody expensive and traumatic haircut but it has certainly been the best investment in myself I have ever made. Despite the reality bumps and hiccups yet to come, I am still feeling absolutely wonderful :-)
My skin is clear, my hair is shiny, I actually have a neck, I have so much more energy, my sleep apnoea is already getting better and I can’t stop smiling! It really feels like I have started a new phase in my life and I am so proud of myself for climbing out of the rut I was in.
Hang on, I know it won’t all be plain sailing from here - and I have already had a few bumps with reality along the way – but overall I am so happy with the way things are going that I can still face the bumps with a smile.
The first reality bump was really more of a lump than a bump. My body is generally not co-operating with my plans for its redesign. Yes, I have lost weight, but there seems to be no clear plan about where it is going to come from and when! One day its my ankles, then its my neck, then my thighs, then my bum, then for ages the only difference I can see is my eyelids! But what on earth happened to my belly!!!! Not bloody much I can tell you! So the result is that now I have a whole wardrobe of clown pants – that fit around the waist but flap around everywhere else LOL!!
Last weekend I decided to head off to Autograph to try to see if I can find some pants that look slightly less ridiculous – only to find myself paranoid that the shop assistant will walk in to the change room and reveal my scars and I will have to explain to the whole store that I have defected to the dark side! No need to say, I couldn’t squeeze into the smaller size anyway :-(
So I drag out as many skirts as I can find out of lost and found (the bottom of my wardrobe) and dress up like it is 35 degrees outside (instead of 20 and threatening to rain) and head off for my first day back at work, waiting for the exclamations about how different I look. It is only then that I realise that the skirts now hide the majority of the weight loss and people I haven’t seen for 4 weeks greet me with “Have you had a hair cut?” !!
Well, it has been a bloody expensive and traumatic haircut but it has certainly been the best investment in myself I have ever made. Despite the reality bumps and hiccups yet to come, I am still feeling absolutely wonderful :-)
Friday, 31 October 2008
I am finally back in the land of the living after being banded on Monday. Had a couple of rough days with a reaction to the anaesthetic (badly nauseated, dry retching, bloating, - followed by a temp and high white cell count which may or may not have been a reaction to one of the 6 different anti-nausea drugs they gave me the day before) so didn't get out of hospital until yesterday.
My surgeon (Chris Hensman from Lapband Australia) was fantastic, though. He made sure that i stayed in hospital until he was absolutely happy that I would be ok - even though the ICU staff didn't always agree.
For the most part the hospital staff were great, but a few things happened that shocked me a bit. The first was on day one when the nurse (in ICU for goodness sake) admitted that she didn't know what a lapband operation was - and then seemed to have no experience with any sort of laproscopic surgery (very scary!). Then when I was ill, the ICU doctors seemed to get into a bit of a p*ss*ing contest with my surgeon - deciding the medication he prescribed was a lousy choice and constantly changing the meds on order. I have a feeling in the end that Chris discharged me simply so that he knew for certain his orders would be followed!
The worst thing, though was when another surgeon visited a lapband patient who arrived from theatre on the last day and started scolding her loudly about the state of her liver - then informed her she had an extra stab wound in a tone that said pretty clearly "serves you right"!! He was an absolute pig!
I suppose, especially when you have had really supportive care from your own medical team, you start to believe that everyone in the medical profession will be sympathetic to you when you finally make a decision to do something that will improve your health. It a bit of a rude shock to find that they have the same prejudices and preconceptions as the rest of the world - and for them this is just a (very lucrative) job. I know that we all need to be reminded sometimes the responsibility of being banded and the need to work with it, but you can be firm without being insulting. I wonder if he realises the damage he could be doing to that poor girl's mental health right now?
My only shame is that I didn't get out of bed and defend the girl - nor even go to her afterward. It just felt like such a horrible breach of privacy that i didn't want her to know anyone had heard. I suppose the only thing I can do now is to resolved to tell my surgeon about it, in the hope that something can be done in future. I only hope that there can be a compulsory addition to a lapband surgeon's training to ensure they understand how vulnerable some of their patients can be!
To the young lapband patient in Knox Hospital ICU - I can only say I am truly sorry I didn't support you when you needed it. Your surgeon is a pr*ck and you deserve far better! I hope you find a better surgeon and get all the support you need for a full and fantastic life ahead.
My surgeon (Chris Hensman from Lapband Australia) was fantastic, though. He made sure that i stayed in hospital until he was absolutely happy that I would be ok - even though the ICU staff didn't always agree.
For the most part the hospital staff were great, but a few things happened that shocked me a bit. The first was on day one when the nurse (in ICU for goodness sake) admitted that she didn't know what a lapband operation was - and then seemed to have no experience with any sort of laproscopic surgery (very scary!). Then when I was ill, the ICU doctors seemed to get into a bit of a p*ss*ing contest with my surgeon - deciding the medication he prescribed was a lousy choice and constantly changing the meds on order. I have a feeling in the end that Chris discharged me simply so that he knew for certain his orders would be followed!
The worst thing, though was when another surgeon visited a lapband patient who arrived from theatre on the last day and started scolding her loudly about the state of her liver - then informed her she had an extra stab wound in a tone that said pretty clearly "serves you right"!! He was an absolute pig!
I suppose, especially when you have had really supportive care from your own medical team, you start to believe that everyone in the medical profession will be sympathetic to you when you finally make a decision to do something that will improve your health. It a bit of a rude shock to find that they have the same prejudices and preconceptions as the rest of the world - and for them this is just a (very lucrative) job. I know that we all need to be reminded sometimes the responsibility of being banded and the need to work with it, but you can be firm without being insulting. I wonder if he realises the damage he could be doing to that poor girl's mental health right now?
My only shame is that I didn't get out of bed and defend the girl - nor even go to her afterward. It just felt like such a horrible breach of privacy that i didn't want her to know anyone had heard. I suppose the only thing I can do now is to resolved to tell my surgeon about it, in the hope that something can be done in future. I only hope that there can be a compulsory addition to a lapband surgeon's training to ensure they understand how vulnerable some of their patients can be!
To the young lapband patient in Knox Hospital ICU - I can only say I am truly sorry I didn't support you when you needed it. Your surgeon is a pr*ck and you deserve far better! I hope you find a better surgeon and get all the support you need for a full and fantastic life ahead.
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