Surgery?!?

One of my very good friends this week had a Sleeve Gastrectomy operation. She has had approximately 70% of her stomach removed. The weeks leading up to the surgery, she was on a very strict shakes diet. My first thought when I was told of the shakes (and not food for the last week before surgery) was that some weight must need to be lost for the surgery, for example to relieve some of the pressure off her heart.

Boy was I wrong! Not surprising being that I'm not a health professional!

The reason for the shakes is to reduce the size of the liver as the incision for the key-hole surgery is above the liver, the liver pushed aside and then the 'unwanted' stomach removed through this incision.

Wow! What modern medicine can do! My friend had her operation on Tuesday of this week and is going home today! She won't be able to eat solids for roughly 6-8 weeks and will permanently be on a special diet where one of the things that the doctor said was that there is not enough room in the stomach for both food and liquid so it is recommended not to have fluids half an hour before and after eating. And then there is the lifetime 'diet' rules! She has shown an amazing amount of will power and perseverance and is an inspiration to me!

I can't wait until she is back on her feet and feeling better than she ever has before!

Isn't it amazing what science can enable us to do!