28.10.01 ~ 9 fabulous years!

9 years ago today my beautiful, strong, caring man and I, tied the knot.

We had a super day, 53 guests including the bridal party, small and intimate, in a stone chapel in Tokai Forest in Cape Town. Our reception was at the national monument, The Hout Bay Manor... we had an afternoon tea! My dress was off white and creamy gold.. subtle and beautiful.. I wouldn't change a thing about our day :)

So this am, we exchanged cards as we usually do.. we *feign* we need the loo and then give the other the opportunity to pop the card on our pillow... hehe... we do not usually get gifts for each other, we usually have a special meal out, and I always get blommies.

They were delivered this am... I LOVE them. 12 velvety red roses. In a gorgeous vase. The delivery man said it must be for a special occasion and I told him it was our wedding anniversary... and he said we shared our anniversary with his parents... they were celebrating 64 years (!!!) of marriage! I laughed and said 'well, we are only 55 years behind them... for now!' :)

We are going out (my first outing since surgery) on Saturday night to a very local classy pub for some grub... well, Lance will have a good meal, I will have their soup of the day (I'll be lucky if I get through half of it at this stage haha), and I will be a little naughty and have a sip (or two or three) of his wine. I cannot wait!

I got him a cute blue thermo lunch box, a Meerkat DVD and 2 mugs - I couldn't decide which one to get him, so got both haha. A Mr Strong mug and a Mr Happy mug. Good thing he has a good sense of humour!

Special visitors

This morning I had the pleasure of the company of two gorgeosu lil kids and their mum. Edward, Kate and Kirsty. These children will always hold a special place in my heart as they were the first children I signed on when I started my childcare business, and I looked after them for 2 years.

This was Edward's card (on the right), plus a card for our wedding anniversary from the inlaws in Cape Town. It is tomorrow... 9 years of marriage have flaaaaashed by!

They brought me a lovely flower in a vase, a photo card (I love updated photos of the kids I used to look after!), and a card from each child, that they had done themselves. They took great delight in explaining exactly what was in each picture, their ages and foot size! Haha. They make me laugh. Always have, bless them.

This is Kate's card below :)

The blommie on the far right is from them (sorry Lance, but the blommies you got me in hospital have been thrown out, their innings ran out!).

The cleaner was also here today. Hooray! The ironing pile has vacated the kitchen counter spot, and the house is *sniff* better all round.

I had a surprise knock on the door earlier, with one of my current parents bringing me a present.. a book called 'Freedom', by Jonathan Franzen. Never heard of him nor the book, but the blurb looks good. I feel so spoilt.

The nausea has been a bit better today, but still too much. I am trying to get in all that I need to.

Lil update

Lance is keeping a rather thorough record of my bruises for some reason haha. I know that when my sister/I have had a bruise in the past he likes to press them... hehe he has yet to try that with me... and woe be tied should he! haha

Today was a great day... I received ovely cards from my inlaws for our wedding anniversary on the 28th, a Get Well card from Kat and Paul in California (below), and a parcel from Cheryl in Texas... of some gorgeous beaded items I ordered a while back. This lady is Cape Town born, and is so creative and lovely to boot! I will take photos of them and load them on my blog soon.

Pureed brekkie

This was my first pureed breakfast, apple and raisin oat crumble. It was tasty, albeit a tad sweet, and a managed a little more than half of it.

Beadz2pleaz ~ more gorgeous gifts!

Here are some more lovely beaded spoons, personalised for friends and family.

I love these tea forks. Using swarovski crystal, Cheryl created these beauties for me.

The irony is, now with the WLS... I won't be doing any baking for a loooong time haha.

Some oldies :)

With my siblings, Judy, Les and Shaun... at our St George's Street, Kensington B home in Randburg... late 70s.

Chatterbox Nursery School photo of the kids in the boat. Mary (RIP) was a dear soul who I loved dearly, she was so good with the kids. She was murdered by her boyfriend's jealous ex girlfriend. She was never charged, even though everyone knew who it was :(

Mum's first little classroom (1980/81) was our converted double garage. She was on her own with 4 kids, no maintenance help from loser dad who had desserted us, and she needed to work from home. She had this nursery school for 20 years and then sold it. 75 kids, 15 staff about. A BRILLIANT nursery school.

Thanks ma.

My brothers, Shaun and Les... at Hout Bay beach, Cape Town, South Africa. Early 80s.

Les' first day at school! With me on the left and our sister, Judy.

Me and my sister :)

I grew up with our basset hound, Adelaide and we had Rex (cross labrador/ridgeback) for a brief spell.

1977... bother Les is born :)

Gran, me and Les... playing with a gun no less! Oi vey!

My gran was always so stylish.. quite the beauty in her day, and quite delicate and *posh*. A tad snooty, bless her. Her British roots ;)

I do not remember this at all. But here it is, so we must have been there! I had just turned 4 (1978), and was already fitted with a gorgeous (not!) pair of bullet proof specs.

When will they disappear?

They are still quite nasty looking - I wonder when they will start to go down? I won't even show the rest of the bruises on my arms, and now my legs too, as that is where I inject now.

Exercise and energise!

Very important to get out and about as much as I can... to avoid DVT, regain some strength and to be healthy.

Pureed food and yoghurts are in da house!

The little lemon van from that delightful food shop, Ocado (Waitrose) , brought me a wide selection of stage 4 (age 7 months!) pureed foodstuffs, and yoghurts, and a couple more tomato and mushroom soups... the only soup I can stomach now.

I have just had pureed tomato and spaghetti bollognaise... not nearly as tasty as I make it in solid form, but hey ho, beggars cannot be choosers right now... and I am just grateful to be able to have something mushy to eat.

Yes i could have made my own pureed foods, but I prefer to get them in, rather than me cooking loads of food and having to freeze it and have loads of the same stuff to eat. At least this way I get variety.

I have lost no weight since last weight post. Have I got rid of all the water now then?

A bit of a slump

I was up most of the night, hot sweats and cramps. Poor hubby, sharing the bed with me. Covers off, then on. Then off, then on.

He has the patience of a saint.

This morning I slept in a bit then went to the bathroom and clean nearly fell over.. if I hadn't quickly sat on the loo I would have fainted. Thankfully it was Lance's day off and he was there in a flash, so I could rest my head against his tum. Incredibly weak and shaky and sweating profusely, no temp.

He got me some water and made me up a chocolate protein shake. It took me a while to drink it as I lay on my bed, but made me feel a tad stronger.

Time for a bath after those frightful sweats. This had stopped too. I wonder what brought it on? Lance thought I had low glucose levels due to the liquid diet I am on.

He helped me with my dressings, then with my bath and washed my hair. I felt so out of it. I hate this feeling of not being in control.

After the bath and some more water and a lie down I felt better.

I expected this kinda thing already, but when it happens, it's not pleasant. I really need to build up my reserves and get some strength abck before I start work next week.

So spoilt!!!

I have been so spoilt by family and friends with messages, calls, cards, flowers and gifts... thank you so much!! xxx

Card and Shakespeare DVD from one of my clients. They've been so understanding, with cards and emails and texts. x

Cute hair clips! Thanks Sam and Leanna. They also gave me a special handmade card and blommies (flowers!). x

A cute lil chipmunk, a metal heart and card from my beloved sister, Judy. xx

Flowers from some lovely childminding friends, Sarah, Marie, Mandy and Celine. Thanks girls! x

Flowers and a gorgeous sunflower card from my love, Lance. xx

It's friiiday!

Recovery is going well guys. Nauseous, sore and bruised, but all good, considering! I am a dab hand at injecting myself at 6am in the morning, barely awake (I do this before L goes to work).

As an asthmatic I also have excema, which makes me susceptible to allergies on the skin, hence the blisters I have to contend with. Some have scabbed and are healing, a couple of the biggies are still all up there. Amazing. Bally frustrating. Hard to put the dressings on, Lance has to cut them into weird shapes to go around all the blisters.

My drain site is the worst. Heck, it aches. I should perhaps take painkillers, trying not to.

So yesterday I watched North & South (with the delicious Richard Armitage), and The Birds... love that film hehe. Today it is all about Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice. I am being good though, am doing taxes at the same time, and talking little walkies in the garden too now and again, in the chill.

I am doing well on soups, about half a jelly a day, water and optifast shakes. Aiming for 6 cups of liquid a day. I hope I'm getting the necessary down, I think I am. Even when I'm back on solids I am still going to have soup/shake everyday for at least one meal I think.

Weight loss? Lance (finally) got batteries for the scale... haha. I lost 7kgs on the pre op diet, and have lost 6kgs since surgery last Thursday. Fast hey? I am sure this will slow down quite soon though, and most of it is water anyway. Weighing in pounds sounds like so much more haha... but I have always worked in kgs, so will continue to.

I have been feeling nauseous on and off... so am upping my water intake, but do think what I am having is enough already. But definitely do not want to take any more tablets.

So here's to another good day on the loser's bench :)

WLS stats

8 days post surgery: 6 kgs weight loss.

Total weight loss (including pre op weight loss): 13kgs

WLS stats

1 week post surgery: 5 kgs weight loss.

Total weight loss (including pre op weight loss): 12kgs

The easy way out?

Blisters are sore but getting a bit better. Just wish the bigger ones would go already.

It's easy for people to see folk like Fern Britton and think she took the easy route.. but they have no idea what the person actually has to do to achieve it. The strict will power, the nausea, the pain, the vomiting.

I actually had no choice, this op is my get out plan. I don't wish to have a lung transplant in 10 or so years, or die early. I love being married to Lance too much. And this enables me a much longer time with him. Yeah yeah puke all you like, but that's the nuts and bolts of it hehe

The weight loss over time will be fantastic of course, in every way... but my primary concern is to ease my asthma before this cold winter sets in... and it's here already it seems hey? Car iced over this am.

I am on a hectic regime, basically I put strained soup in an ice tray, and melt a block for a meal. Exciting huh? I am on 100% liquid diet for next couple weeks, then pureed for a month, then soft foods like mash for a month, then slowly onto solids... my new tum has to be reweaned. Right now I am supposed to get down 4-6 cups of liquid a day, and I am battling with that I tell you.

I have antibiotics for 3 months, injections (anti clotting for DVT) I administer for 2 weeks, multivitamins I take every day, painkillers as and when.

I see the surgeon in a week, then the bariatric nutritionist and respiratory peeps every few weeks, then months, then after 2 years, once a year. They are watching the asthma ramifications, and watching out for any deficiencies, like protein.

1 week post op

Wow, this time last week my 4.5 hour op had just finished and I was in recovery, which lasted 5 hours. They nebulised me pre and post op, and took such incredible care of me, I think I was in recovery so long as they were taking no chances my asthma would play up.

Family are usually never allowed in recovery, in the time I was conscious (I was in and out of it for the first couple of hours in recovery) I never saw anyone but patients and hospital staff... however... I have no idea how he did it, but they let Lance in!

He dislikes hospital situations intensely and I know he must have had a look of utter desperation on his dear face, how else would the nurse have allowed him in? She snuck him in when there were no senior doctors or surgeons in recovery. hehe It was so good to see him. He couldn't get near me with all the machines around me, but kissed my forehead with his fingers. Then *poof* he was gone again, till about 5pm, when I was taken to the ward. I was taken in for surgery at 8:30am... a long wait for the lad. My sister was there since 3pm, so he had company the last couple of hours thankfully.

Day 4 at home

I am feeling rather pampered I have to say!

Today, first day sans my hunky male nurse, my sis popped in for a visit, so did a friend, who happens to be a nurse... she changed a dressing, did my washing up (!!) and prayed with me... God's hand is so evident in this, from day 1.

Even to fast tracking the op due to my asthma... the others in the ward ... it took them a year to 15 months from referral to surgery, it took me 5.5 months!!!

An answer to prayer.

Injection time!

These are my meds. An antibiotic for 3 months, a multivitamin, and paracetamol as and when needed.

Bruised upper arm after only 3 injections of Clexane. Will have to start injecting in the legs soon.

Never given myself an injection before... good thing I am a fast learner!!

The photos don't actually do my bruises justice, they are quite magnificent!

Injection time, Lance puts savlon on my arm/leg...

... and in it goes!

Swollen and bruised. My left hand was incredibly swollen, it has gone down a lot by this stage.

We were supplied with this bucket, to throw away the needles once used. We will give this to a chemist/pharmacy or my local doctor to dispose of it properly.

I use this a few times a day, to help strengthen my lungs.

The injection! A painful necessity, it is vital that I inject myself for 2 weeks post surgery, as it works against the possibility of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) occurring. It things my blood. A necessary evil!