The novelty is wearing off now. In the first couple of weeks since my gastrectomy, eating and drinking was all new, and wondering each day 'what will I try today?' was almost fun. Its not fun anymore. For the past 15 years I have been on countless diets, gaining and losing around 6 - 10 kilos each effort. Since my gastrectomy, I feel as though I have been on another diet, only now, it has hit me that this 'diet' is FOR LIFE. I am sad that eating and drinking will never be the same again. Because I feel so great (and normal!?!), I sometimes attack my food with the same gusto that I used to, until I forget to chew enough and it gets 'stuck' going down and a wave a nausea and pain overcomes me. Last night whilst eating my lovely homemade lasagna, I made the same mistake and after the first mouthful, found myself vomitting over the kitchen sink. This in itself was an usual experience (only that mouthful came up) as it was the first and only time that I had vomitted since leaving hospital. (Whilst in hospital I vomitted saliva 2 or 3 times during those first sips of fluids).
When I wake in the morning, my 'tummy' feels fine and settled and I can manage to eat my bowl of porridge beautifully. But as the day goes on and I eat more food, the gurgling and bubbling increases. I am getting used to it. Sometimes it lasts for 20 minutes after eating, sometimes up to an hour. This is rather annoying for someone who loves their food! Its a strange feeling to not have an appetite too, but this does not bother me. Occassionally I have felt something and wondered 'was that my tummy rumbling?', knowing full well that it wasn't. I finally got my period after an absence of about 7 weeks. That was a little concerning but not shocking; my body has just been through some trauma. I know that this will be making me feel a little more tired than usual this week. And perhaps my B12 stores are lessoning now too. (It also doesn't help that I stay up too late at night!).
My weight seems to have stabilised for the moment. I have lost about 8 kilos. I thought that I may have lost more by now. (I do have a little excess and can certainly do with losing about another 6 kilos). And I still haven't sorted out my 'fluid intake'. When I did the shopping the other day, I bought about 6 different types of drinks, ranging from sustagen and gatorade (powders), to ribena, cordial and soft drinks. I feel that I need to drink more and often feel thirsty. Oh, and I bought some ice blocks which I just LOVE, particularly the Frosty Fruits. I have gone off ice cream for the moment, one of my favourite past times, and I still haven't had a coffee. It just smells foul! This is difficult as I so REALLY loved my morning coffee. I can manage to drink about a third of a cup of sweet tea and will put some chamomile tea on the shopping list for next week (willing to give anything a go!).
Well today I feel much better than I did yesterday, and will endeavour to get to bed earlier from here on in!
Tammy, it's just been a short time for you. Things will still continue to improve. The first month was hardest, but each month beyond that brought me closer to normal. It was three months before I could really enjoy my wine and coffee again, and now it is as if nothing has changed! At first I had to work hard at getting at least 48 oz of water in each day, but now it's no problem. Be patient...you'll find that your "new normal" can be good!
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