sleeve rejected

First topic message reminder :

Hi.

just wondering if anyone out there has had their surgery delayed, stopped, opened up and closed up for liver being too big.. ??

This is my biggest fear...

LIssa

Hi,
I had heard stories about my doctor finding food in the tummies of patients who had a big last supper and closing them up until it had been digested. Gross!

I was only on opti for 4 days as I got a much earlier surgery date than expected. Though I did my best in that short time and still managed to lose 6 kgs. The image of a fatty liver slipping around as the surgeon tried to handle it during surgery was enough to motivate me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic work Lissa. Banana wasn't available when I did opti but then I tended to stick with the bars. The cappuccino one was my favorite.

7 kgs in 7 days - awesome loss Lisa and what a great motivator..

my greatest challenge occurs about 3 days of opti i get really really hungry.

Last week I lost 7 kgs in 7 days. I'm giving it my best shot..

I have been toying with the idea of WLS for about 3 years and I'm determined to get it done.

I originally started the post to give me a kick up the butt and stop me having food on day 3 for fear of being opened up and closed up.

Yes there is come great advice on here.

I struggled with opti for first 4 days but now i'am all good with it. But I don't like banana shakes..

I only have 6 more shifts at work before i go on leave.. sounds better than 12 sleeps..

Thanks for all the support and advice.

lissa

JPC

I just had an Opti experience that convinced me I have made a head shift and I feel so damn good I just have to share it. I have a stash of Opti flavours in my desk drawer but got called from my office before lunch. Prior to commencing on Opti I would have stopped at KFC or Macca's etc but today I stopped at a chemist!!!!!

I think I'm definately on the right track

Great point R_R.

I considered the Opti phase as a right of passage, a line drawn in the sand to say that all this bad eating must stop for good. I was really strict and found it very hard, but found it an excellent start to what is a drastic change in lifestyle.

Robbie, those things would have been hard to deal with in the first ouple of weeks. I'd never really thought of the pre op diet in terms of a headstart, but I think that's true - even after the surgery I haven't lost weight as fast as I did on the opti.

Like I say I think if I'd have gone on a diet it would have been one less thing to have to contend with during the recovery phase. I 100% recommend a pr diet to everyone.

lin1970 wrote:

good to hear a great positive Robbie, although it didn't help you in your recovery cheers

good to hear a great positive Robbie, although it didn't help you in your recovery cheers

Even though I did'nt have to do the pre diet if I was able to turn back time and do it all again I would have definitely done a diet. The reason being is that I suffered terribly for about 3 weeks from cravings, headaches and mood swings. Doing a diet puts you so much further ahead, a good mate of mine had the operation the same day as me & suffered none of the above as he had done optifast prior.

Well said lin1970 I agree

I never cheated on opti,i think the bars and allowed vege soup got me through,i wanted sleeved so bad,i was to scared to cheat.

100%er,

Can you please explain exactly what you mean about the ketosis and the levels? That is outside of my knowledge bank.

Cheers,

Janet

From reading all the comments I am finding that for some it is more difficult then others. Some found/find it easy. Just goes to show that we are all different and no-one is right or wrong. We just are. Do your best, like J and others have said remember the why. I am struggling with lots of things and it isn't necessary food related. This is life...

Hi

There's lots of good advice in these responses. The important thing to remember is what daydreamer said...follow your surgeon's orders. not everyone has to do opti and not everyone has to do the same level of opti. I hated the taste...became a three-bar a day girl but like janette said I was so desperate for the surgery that I didn't find it too difficult in the end. Every opti meal was one step closer to the surgery. And even the liquid stage post-op is a great improvement. Of course I whinged a lot about the opti phase...that's one of the benefits of the forum. I also got a great headstart on my weight loss, losing 7kg in the 2week opti period.

Good luck in preparing for the surgery...the short-term pain of opti is absolutely worth the long-term gain.

S

Ps...you won't believe it. I have voluntarily returned to opti diet recently to prepare for tummy tuck!

I did'nt do any diet and was operated on, my surgeon said I was'nt required to do a pre diet.

Well here is my take on it....I hated OPTi and I cheated.
I wanted the Sleeve desperately, however I simply could not stick to the OPTI diet to the letter. Each day I kept trying, sometimes I would get through the day sometimes I would not.
All I can say is I told my dietician and my surgeon that I cheated and I was still trying hard not to. The last 3 days prior to surgery was my best effort.
I did know from the bloods I had done previous to surgery that the liver appeared in good condition. I am not sure whether my surgeon was not worried because my starting weight was 93kg and the bloods were good or whether he was sick to death of NAGGING patients like me to follow the OPTI.

Anyway had the surgery, all was good, and he commented that my liver was in perfect order.

I do not condone not following the Surgeons orders-this is just my story truth and all.

Have to say I too agree with J.

I survived 7 weeks of Opti without cheating, (we should really get Tshirts made saying we lived on Optifast and survived)

Seriously though i was paranoid that if i broke the diet in anyway my liver would be too fat and i would be done back up, i was so bad that when i was waking up i was trying to feel and count the number of cuts on my tummy, as i figured if i had 5 i had been done.

Some people do cheat on Opti and get away with it, others dont, I will always remember my Surgeon saying to me one cheat meal on Opti will cancel out an entire week of being good, and honesty it is not worth the risk.

Use the foods you are allowed to their best, learn that cups of home made veggie soup (cauliflower and leek is yum) for morning and afternoon tea work great, diet jellies for suppers take care of sweet cravings.

It is just for a short period within your life and in a few weeks you will wonder what was so hard about it, as you see the kilos dropping off you.

Good luck with it, but believe me you can do this.

smiles
Mandy

I never had any trouble with the opti diet, only had a bit of a headache for a day. Wasn't hungry, but I certainly made use of everything I was allowed to eat LOL!! And I am sure I was drinking 4-5 litres of fluids per day.

Its all now a distance memory, and is over quickly.

Hang in there........

i found it difficult, id be surprised to come across anyone who didnt struggle with it. I cheated. But for the most stuck to it as i kept reminding myself why i was doing it. But of course its difficult. You go right from eating everything and anything you want, to foul tasting liquids and salad. Salad is fine, but i mean - you sure get over the same thing pretty darn fast. So, for anyone to say "whats so difficult about it?" Well, lots. For most people. The decision to try and focus on why you're doing it though is the thing to concentrate on when you're really hungry or lethargic. As someone else said, you will eat again, it's just 2 weeks to get through. But yes, it is hard. Its not like we are being asked to eat Big Macs for two weeks, its not a very pleasant tasting compromise...

sorry but what is so hard about the opti phase?

u can have vegetables and salads and protein if u really need

i didnt mind it - it was realisation that this is my new life - i found it invigorating and encouraging

opti is like a training phase for dealing with the restrictions (for your safety) post op. Yes, opti is hard, it sucks and you can feel cranky, depressed, frustrated or just insane. But, it is for your safety, and it does help you get your head around the restriction to liquids/purees/soft food phases following your surgery.

I have to agree with J. When it gets hard, remember why you are doing this (we all have our own personal reasons). Write those reasons down, put them where you can see them when you feel like going outside your diet guidelines, maybe that will help.

Also try talking to your dietician, maybe there is something they can suggest.

Remember to that the opti phase is only short term in the scheme of things - I did 4 weeks - it will be over soon.

Good luck and I truly wish you well on your journey. Take care.

Hi,

I do not wish too offend anyone, just want to say this before I write.

I just woke up realising something - my weight really is pyschological. I will explain. One of brothers noticed I lost weight a week ago and then on Saturday he asked "are you sure you have only lost about 2kg?". I responded that I had lost about 10kg since Christmas. He then said "you aren't going to give up are you?", I said "no". He wasn't being mean or negtive just trying to encourage me....

What happened then? I was ok but Tuesday I went crazy. Had a whole stack of choc, partly because of hormones and mianly because I got scared. If my brother can notice what about other men. So I got scared, all due to bad experiences around body image and sex.

SO yes I want to change, if I don't my daughter will not ge a mum who can be around for a long time and be a healthy example. On the other hand no, the fear of the unknown is scary and I am very afraid. (I can't talk about some things, too personal).

I see my pyschologist today and will go and see the nurse and ask her advice as she had surgery with dr d.