I think one of the most important things about this type of operation is how you mentally prepare for the experience and the “new life ahead”.

For that is truly what it is. Nothing in your daily life will be the same again, in relation to your daily routine and your eating habits.

When I first met with Rona the Nuffield dietition she asked about my eating habits. How often I ate, what would my typical day be like etc.

I knew that generally I ate healthily. I always had been a healthy eater. But I had weaknesses, I loved chocolate and nuts and crisps, cookies and ice-cream, oh how I love ice-cream who doesn’t?  But only when I was in the mood. I could keep chocolate in the flat for weeks and not touch it. But since giving up my sport and dancing I had increased my portion sizes and never seemed to get that full feeling anymore. Despite my size,  my doctor had told me in the past that I had enough to contend with, other than trying to lose weight. My HMS meant I could not do regular exercise without hurting myself so was never able to back up any weight loss to help with the losing process. So I no longer tried, for fear of more failure. I think I had been using excuses not to think or care about me. I was realising that I had been puting all my energy into looking after my mum and I no longer thought about or planned for my future. I was beginning to fear my future when my mum was no longer around. After all she was now 91, and wouldn’t live forever. I forced myself to imagine life without her and did not like what I saw.

But as I said previously, I came to the end of a chapter in my life and realised now is the time to change things, take a different path and move on in a positive way, to concentrate on me for a change.

I had made some new years resolutions:

• to start going out more and enjoy myself. I had been a party girl but had lost the inclination. So I started to rekindle some friendships and make an effort to go out more.
• to decorate my entire flat. Not a task that I was looking forward to, due to my constant pain. But I paced myself and as I took steps to plan surgery it gave me another focus. As I completed each room I started feeling more positive and began to love my home again. The process  kept me going forward, focussed and determined to finish before my operation. I completed it all by the week prior to my op.
• to get fitter and do something about losing weight. I wanted to take up cycling again. The decorating would be a good first step and it helped me get a bit fitter in the process. I also started to cut down on my  food intake,  cut out eating rubbish and got into the healthy eating  zone as my own attempt to lose some weight pre-op between surgeon and dietition appointments. It obviously worked, as I lost 7lbs in that time frame and had not realised. So when I was told I had lost weight it gave me a great buzz and the drive to continue.

It became evident to both my surgeon and my dietitian that I was clearly in the right  head space. I was feeling good and excited about getting the long term help I needed to get down to my target weight, whatever that would be.

All in all my mental preparation was on track. By concentrating on various aspects of my life I had successfully lost some weight and had prepared my flat so that when I came home after my operation my home woud be clean and fresh and I would feel good there during my recovery.

All that was left to do was prepare my fridge, freezer and larder for pre and post op and start my LRD (liver reduction diet). 

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