Okay, own up please!

Who's taken my slippers???

I am packing my hospital bag and cannot find them. I have underclothing, facecloth, towel, 2 x PJs, gown, toiletries, a book and meds packed.

As well as charger and earphones for my iPhone when I leave ICU (I can use it in the ward).

What things might I have forgotten to pack? Hmm.

Why WLS?

I have asked myself this often in the run up to the surgery.

My main aim is to alleviate my asthma, and get me off the steroids my body currentlyneeds. The inhalers I use do not do what's needed anymore... so a weaning off period is needed... and the weight loss will enable this to happen.

You get the band, the sleeve and the bypass. The first and third are the most popular, the middle is newer.

The band is least invasive but I don't like the thought of a foreign object in my body, there are many complications often too, I have noticed in my research. Low surgery risk.

The sleeve is a stapling of the tummy and they make your stomach smaller, low to moderate surgery risk.

The bypass is pretty hectic, they bypass your digestive system so you don't absorb any fats etc. BUT you also aren't absorbing all the good nutrients your body needs, like iron etc. so supplements are needed for the rest of your life. Surgery is moderate to high risk.

My asthma and pathetic lungs elevates the surgery risk somewhat and I have decided to go for the sleeve... it's newer and the results thus far seem to be really good.

It's no quick fix this WLS... many think it is... but it isn't. A strict diet needs to be adhered to etc. Small quantities too.

I spoke on the phone today to a lady who had the bypass a year ago (with the same surgeon I am using), she's lost 7 stone (all she had to lose), and is now managing half a tea plate of food at a sitting. Everyone's different, and some people have adverse reactions to some foods now post surgery, and the same food is fine for others. It's a very individual scenario it appears to me.

Op is 14th, back to work 1 Nov. My work is quite physical and I am hoping this will be long enough - there again, some people get back to *normal* quicker than others.

I see this op as a last resort, there is nothing I can personally do besides starve myself to lose weight quick enough to counteract the steroids weight gain. I have put on no weight since April, at all, due to better weather (less steroid use), and me hardly eating at times. So not being able to eat a full plate of food is nothing new for me anyhow.

I have lost 4 kgs pre surgery (liver cleansing diet) thus far, but my chest infection meant steroids.. and a 2 kg weight gain :( In the next 2 weeks I am trying to lose as much as possible on a shakes only diet.

I am better now, after a sickly September, and am feeling good!

What is your most frightening experience?

My worst by far was my near fatal asthma attack in 2008. Thankfully I had this attack in the doctor's room, was delirious very quickly, they nebulised me immediately and called an ambulance. Was hospitalised for 5 days.

Next was when I was attacked by 5 dogs when I was 11. 2 dobermans and 3 cocker spaniels. Pack mentality. Took some mega chunks out of my right leg, still have the scars. I was terrified of all dogs thereafter for a few yrs, till mum got Max... my beloved staffy.. who I was scared of at first, but then he helped me overcome my fear of dogs.

Next was the bombs in London, I was about 3 tubes behind the one they blew up on the Piccadilly Line. Took a lot for me to get on a tube the next morning for work.

Another scary time was in the early nineties when I was studying for my degree at Johannesburg University, in the middle of a turbulent Johannesburg. There were often marches by Cosatu etc. where tens of thousands of people were chanting and singing in protest. Moderate violence generally, except when they blew up Shell House,a couple of blocks from us. Vespas everywhere. We were shut up in our building and when they thought it was safe enough, we were escorted by the army to our cars to go home. Looking through the windows I saw a couple of people panga'd :( The atmosphere was so tangible and electric those days.

Our second week in South Africa

Sadly, as I can only get travel insurance covering me two months after a major op, our 3-4 week holiday has been crammed into 2 weeks!

So, we have decided to keep the first week for ourselves, and the second for family.

Lance will fly down to his family in Cape Town for Christmas and I will go with mine to Kruger. It is far from ideal that we have to spend Christmas apart... any time apart is horrible! But, as we have such little time we have no choice. As I will be recuperating still, it makes sense I have less time travelling around the country anyway.

This is where I will be with my family... cannot wait! http://www.krugerparklodge.co.za/

Our first week in South Africa

We are so excited. Now that we have the surgery date, we can go ahead and make bookings for our holiday in South Africa in December.

Our first week will be spent at Out of Africa, in Hartebeesport Dam. It's near an elephant sanctuary and a cheetah sanctuary, Pilansberg Game Park is only an hour away... it'll be a time just for Lance and I... a time to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

http://www.safarinow.com/go/OutofAfricavillage

Airballooning In Hartbeespoortdam (South Africa)

Saw the pope and was nebulised!

What a morning.

He was staying up the road from our home last night. Helicopters have been flying overhead. I was walking to the doc up my street and stopped at a roundabout where a traffic cop stopped and halted traffic ... along came a nondescript vehicle, windows weren't tinted, and there he was sitting. Apart from the mini motorcade, he would have gone by and I wouldn't have even noticed... they were travelling along the quieter streets.

Got to the doc, 5 min walk from my home... battling to breathe, in tears (always get scared when I cannot breathe)... they made me WAIT so a man who needed injections for travelling could be seen first before they nebulised me!!!! Un-freaking-believable.

Then... the nurse (who I have never seen before) starts lecturing me on my weight!!!!! I couldn't say anything as I was being nebulised with a mask over my nose and mouth. I told her afterwards, 'pls look at my file before you say things in future'. She turned pink. If she had CARED to have a brief glance at my medical history she'd see I am having weight loss surgery next month for massive weight gain due to meds for my asthma and lungs.

REALLY frustrated as I am on the liver cleansing diet pre surgery, and now the antibiotics (for my chest infection) and the heavy steroids I am on again for my asthma are just piling the weight on :( I feel like I am btwn a rock and a hard place.

Vent (nearly) over.

Surgery date!

Woohoo! I have been given a date for my surgery! 14 October.

Eeek!

So excited.. and so nervous.

I am in constant pain now, and winter approaches... a baaaaad time for my asthma and lungs. This surgery will frog leap me into a new chapter in my life. I so desire the health of my twenties.

I now start a liver cleansing diet... basically I say goodbye to solid food for quite some time.. and hello to milkshakes for the time being... until at least end November.. then onto soft foods and we go on from there.

Apparently I will be off red meat and bread (!!) for up to a year post surgery.. oh my!

But... in the grand scheme of things, this is a very small price to pay for the (now, much longer) future that awaits me.

With this surgery came a mini miracle too... there is a 6 MONTH waiting list once you've had your pre-op assessment, and my surgery has been scheduled 2 WEEKS after my pre op assessment!!!

Our prayers have been answered - that I'd be put to the top of the waiting list due to my lungs... and a bitter winter approaches and the risk factor for surgery is heightened considerably.. so this is a answer to PRAYER. Thank you Jesus!

Our Chewy ( R.I.P. Mar 09-Sept 10)

R.I.P lil Chewy Mar 09-Sept 10 who went to sleep this morning one last time. Thank you for all the joy you brought into our lives. Our precious lil furgirl. We will miss you so xxx

These photos were taken on 28 August 2010... a week before she fell asleep for good.

Lil Chewy isn't well :(

I am knackered. Late night with lil Chewy again... she's not doing too well. Was up till 3am, stroking her and taking to her, trying to make her twilight hours as comfy as possible. We have been feeding her food and water with a syringe. Her lil body giving up :(