Days 1 - 8

In short, the surgery involves attaching a saline filled implant shaped liked a big jelly bean to the front interior wall of my abdomen. It presses against my stomach, reducing its capacity and creating early and lasting feelings of satisfaction. There's a port under the skin on my stomach to increase or decrease the level of saline. There could be some advantages over banding - less likelihood of tissue erosion because there is greater surface area; no slipping like with the band; and, you won't be able to cheat it as some bandits do by drinking while eating to push food past the smaller pouch the band creates at the top of their stomach.


I do think a lot about the potential for it to pop or detach if I have a car accident.


It was clear fluids at the hospital but I'm back onto full fluids. 3 shakes a day, 3 cups of V8, 1 cup of prune juice, 1 of pear, 1 multivitamin, 6 fish oil caps, and a bumload of painkillers - begged borrowed and bought. I've been very surprised to find myself relatively satisfied with this diet.

Cognitions about food have been few and far between:

• 3 cognitions re biscuits: Saw a volunteer at work with a biscuit. Mmmm biscuit. I have made sexy eyes at the biscuit tin twice since this first cognition.
• 1 cognition re japanese curry: Br and K went to the Japan takeaway around the corner and got chicken katsu curry for dinner. Br let me put a spoon into the sauce and I sucked the spoon. I did this 3 times.
• 1 cognition re burgers: Br and K made chilli burgers for dinner with salad and fried onions on those nice mighty soft hamburger buns. Smelt amazing. I considered whether it would be satisfying to press my tongue against the patty but conceded I would probably want to go on and bite the thing... It was little effort to move on and think about other things.
• 1 cognition re sushi. I was leaving the office to go buy some more painkillers and as I crossed the road I thought to myself 'oo sushi would be nice for lunch...' Wrong. No food for you.

I had a suspicion that the surgery might leave me in an eternal state of blissful nonchalance to food, much like with duromine. I'm starting to think I might be right. Let's talk more about the pain another time.

Start weight: 112.5
Last recorded weight: 108.5
Weight lost: 4
LT goal weight: 75
ST goal weight: 99