Vegetable Ratatouille

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 
1 onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 400g can crushed peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced green beans
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Handful fresh basil

Method:

• Place all the ingredients except the beans and fresh tomatoes into a slow cooker bowl and stir until combined
• Cook on LOW for 5 hours or HIGH for 3 hours
• Add in the beans and cook on LOW for another 60 minutes or HIGH for 30 minutes
• Stir through the fresh tomato and basil then bring to temperature

Nutritonal Value per serve (8):

• Calories: 36
• Total fats: 0.3g
• Total carbohydrates: 7.8g
• Sugars: 4.8g
• Protein: 1.7g

Recipe Notes:

• Store covered in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly to be consumed within 6 months
• Recipe can also be simmered on the stovetop until the vegetable are cooked through however it delivers the best flavour when slow cooked.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes. The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

I had a funny moment at my 3am this morning when the nurse came in to do my  regular observations.  My overnight nurse was a lovely stoutly middle aged Russian lady with a thick accent that was completely monotone.

She turns on the light and then says to me “you lost lots of weight yeah? Your boobie escaped baggy sack of jimjams. You must buy new”

Curried Minced Vegetables 

Makes: 6-8 small portions

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 leek, finely shredded
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 zucchini, grated
• 150g cauliflower, grated
• 150g broccoli, grated
• 1 small eggplant, grated
• 4 button mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 cup wombok, finely shredded
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, shredded
• 1 long red chilli, finely diced (optional)
• 
1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Method:

• Place the oil in a heavy based frying pan and sauté the onion, leek and celery for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened
• Add in the garlic and ginger sautéing for a further 1-2 minutes
• Add in all remaining vegetables and add 1-2 tablespoons water, cover and steam the vegetables over a medium-low heat for about 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally and adding more water in small amounts if there is no moisture as required
• Remove the lid and add in the curry powder and spices stirring through so well combined and fry off for 1-2 minutes until the spices are cooked through and aromatic.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve on its own
• As pictured, in a lettuce cup
• As pictured, use as stuffing for a roasted mushroom or tomato shell
• Use as a stuffing for roasted zucchini boat 
Serve rolled in a sushi/ nori sheet (if allowed on your program)
• Serve tossed through konjac noodles (if allowed on your program)
• Serve topped with a poached egg (not during the Opti-intense program)

Nutritional Value per portion (8):

• Calories: 57
• Total fats: 1.1g
• Total carbohydrates: 9.4g
• Sugars: 3.8g
• Protein: 2.4g

Recipe Notes:

• Store covered in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly to be consumed within 6 months
• All vegetables are interchangeable with any vegetable of your preference or within the Opti-approved list either finely diced, grated or shredded.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes. The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

Today is going to be short and sweet (not actually that sweet really) today.

I woke up at 4am having another acute episode of pain, got some pain relief into me to take off the edge however the pain didn’t subside at all and I couldn’t get back to sleep. Between then and when the doctor arrived I had another 3 acute episodes with the last of them actually occurring as the surgical team arrived. As horrible as it was it was an eye opening experience for the medical team to see the episodes and how much discomfort they bring, he could even feel my stomach moving as it was contracting in pain.

I am officially an enigma case and they can’t quite put a finger on what is actually going on so they want to do a couple more tests. I will be doing a swallow test/x-ray over the weekend and it’s more than likely I will be scheduled for an endoscopy on Monday to have an internal viewing to see if we can find the cause. So I’m definitely having a weekend in the hospital.

Throughout the day I had 9 episodes which has been more than the last couple days which is potentially attritbuted to the reintroduction of food.

I am very over it, drained, exhausted and impatient but I know this is unfortunately where I need to be as I simple wouldn’t cope without the pain relief available to me here.

With my fasting ban lifted I am now able to have access to the HEP Menu (High energy high protein) and the serves are ridiculously huge.

While I ordered a ‘small’ serving I still got this mammoth plate of food which I still couldn’t even get 1/4 of the way through it and it felt and sounds like early days when I started real food again post op. Obviously Percy did a bit of resetting during his food vacation and needs to readjust to being used again.

So all in all……I’m eating and Percy has forgotten how to. I’m still here. I’m still in pain. I’m still impatient and over it. I’m missing my boys like mad. And I’m damn tired! I honestly can’t wait to be able to write a happy positive and inspiring post again.

Today is a much earlier in the day entry that I normally do but in all honesty I can’t see myself have anything else to report. Not much happens in this place after 6pm.

Still in hospital, still have no answers, still don’t know when I am getting out and still in a decent amount of pain.

Have confirmed my MRCP came back clear means that Percy is in pristine condition and whatever is going on is not directly related to my sleeve. My organs are also clear so no stones in any of my organs and no inflammation in my pancreas so that counts out any kidney, bile duct or liver stones and pancreatitis.

They referred me through to urology for an assessment of my bladder and kidneys due to some abnormal urine. I have also got the all clear from urology so this means no severe UTI or a blood clot in my bladder as was also suspected.

The urologist will now refer me back to the surgical team who is going to provide them with a consideration that I may have Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMA Syndrome). He explained to me that it’s when a muscle to your intestines shifts and leaves the opening at a very acute angle which can cause the pain, head spins, episodes of chronic contraction like pains, nausea, messing with my heart rate and just basically feeling crappy! This can be attributed to my huge weight loss in a short amount of time. This isn’t a diagnosis but just his thoughts to refer back to the surgical team. I will have to wait to find out at my next surgical visit hopefully tomorrow but may not be until Monday now the weekend is here.

The constant pain is still there and I have had 8 episodes of chronic pain throughout the day. The constant pain is being managed with fentanyl.

On the plus side the urologist has lifted my fasting requirement and my IV had been removed. I am now able to rejoin the world of eating and drinking with Jamie bringing me a ‘real’ coffee when he came in to visit.

I also had another NSV today with the nurses with them being able to use a standard person cuff on the blood pressure machine rather than needing the larger cuff.

How is my mind? Still not great, still just want answers and want to get home but I am slightly relieved that all the super nasties have been eliminated and over the moon that Percy is looking pristine…….now the wait continues to find out a definitive answer of what is actually happening!

I am so very overwhelmed with the stream of messages, phone calls and visits of concern and checking in on how I am going!

It’s heart warming to know so many people care! It’s when the chips are down that the people who matter step up and I am so truly honoured to have so many people by my side! 😍😍

Day 3 completed as an inpatient and I still am none the wiser about what is going on!

The chronic pain episodes have substantially decreased with the frequency they are happening and when they do happen they aren’t as long or as intense. They are still crazy painful but I can silently endure the pain breathing through it rather than screaming the house down.

I am still however having the constant throbbing pain in my chest that is only under control with the aid of pain killers. I still have blood in my urine and my heart rate is also very low and way lower than normal.

Today I had a MRCP scan completed this afternoon. This is a type of MRI to look at what’s going on with my abdominal organs. I believe they are looking for stones to be the culprit. I didn’t get back until nearly 4pm so now it’s too late for me to get the results back today so I have to continue nil by mouth until ward rounds tomorrow morning.

I’m glad my mum is here now, sometimes even as an adult you just need a cuddle from your mum!

How am I coping? In all honesty I am not coping at all well. I am an emotional wreck and constantly on the brink of tears, I’m sick of not knowing what’s going on in my body, I just want an action plan or treatment plan to fix whatever is going on so that I can get better and get back on track. I am tired, I’m sore, I’m cranky, I’m thirsty and I’m missing my boys so very badly.

I guess I can reflect on two NSV’s today! The first being that I actually now fit into a standard issue hospital gown and it actually does up comfortably as opposed to be having to wear 2 as they didn’t do up.

The second being that I fit in a standard wheelchair and didn’t need a Bariatric wheelchair to take me to radiology today.

So that’s me done for today. I’m normally a happy shiny positive person but today it just can’t be done. I honestly just want to curl up in a ball crying and sleep until this is all over!

I am so very overwhelmed with the amount of love support concern and well wishes that I have been receiving over the last few days, it really does help knowing I have so many people who care about me!! So I am cheers you all with my dinner of chips………ice chips that is 😫

Weigh in Wednesday has been posting this week as I am still in hospital, I still am no closer to figuring out what is going on, I’m still on nil my mouth meanings it’s been nearly 48 hours since I have had anything to eat or drink. I would give my left leg for a cup of coffee!!!!

The chronic waves of pain have settled down in both their intensity and frequency with me only have 2 episodes today. However the constant aching and throbbing pain is still there. I have tried going without pain killers but it’s just so damn painful and uncomfortable without them.

My mind probably isn’t in the best place, I’m  of enjoying at all being here. Missing my boys and feeling guilty for being here instead of being at home where I should be.  Jamie bought Lachlan in to visit after school for a cuddle which was lovely to see my little man but I didn’t enjoy the worry on his face with seeing mummy not feel well and the distress on his face leaving me here when it was time to leave.

Tomorrow morning Lilian is supposed to be coming to see me so I am really hoping for some kind of update or treatment plan to fix whatever is going on.

I guess the silver lining is that whenever I do eventually get to weight in 2 days of not eating should give me a decent result.

It's been a crappy 24 hours! I woke up at 12.30am in absolutely excruciating pain to the point that I was doubled over screaming and crying in pain. The pain felt very similar to that of a gall bladder attack, but I knew that it couldn't be that because o had my gall bladder removed 10 years ago.

I sat on the floor of the shower in the hot hot water and cried my way through the pain and after about 30 minutes is finally passed.

Just as I got back into bed I had another wave of horrific pain hit, and if anything it was worse than the first time! I couldn't deal with this pain so off I went to the Flinders Emergency Department.

I couldn't actually move upon arrival as I was doubled over screaming and groaning as another wave of pain hit me. Eventually got it and was triaged and then sat in the waiting room for not 1 hour, not 2 hours but just over 3 hours before I was seen. And during this time I had another 4 chronic pain waves pass in which I think I scared everyone else in the waiting room from all the noise and tears coming from me.

Was given endone which was fine for managing the constant dull thumping in my abdomen however it didn't even go close to touching the pain as the waves came through.

Will all the commotion of the other patients in the emergency department I didn't really want to make a scene but it got to the point I couldn't do it anymore and I unloaded with how severe the pain was. The fentanyl really helped lower the severity of the pain but the downside was that it played funny buggers with my heart rate and substantially dropped my heart rate, caused me to have dizzy spells and have my entire body do massive involuntary shivers.

Once this happened the doctors came quick smart! The plan of attack was bloods and an x-ray.

This was all done with me enduring another 4 waves of pain which then resulted in me being hooked up to the heart monitor with a low heart rate alarm set for when things were too low.

The first round of tests have come back with no definitive results so the next step was to have a CT scan with the contrast ink. By 2pm, 13 hours spent in the emergency department, I got to speak to the medical registrar who stated that they didn't know what was wrong she couldn't see anything adverse in the scan so I had to be referred to the surgical team.

The surgical resident came and did a consultant and was also equally confused about what was going on. He wanted to wait for the radiologists report to come back from the CT scan and to set me up with an IV as after 15 hours of no fluids I was beginning to look dehydrated.

The surgical resident returned with the senior surgical consultant to advise all my tests had returned without any indicators to define what was going on and is causing this lingering pain and these acute waves of pain.

He added in another medication (somac) into the IV to try and help settle my upset little stomach and advised that they were admitting me for ongoing pain management overnight. He was going to review me in the morning for consideration if he needed to do an exploratory endoscope to see what's going on internally that could be causing these severe episodes of pain!

It has not been a fun day. I obviously didn't get to my sleep specialist appointment and instead I spent the entire day in the hospital rotating between pain, tears, nausea, napping and wishing that I could have something to drink!

Lucky I rarely feel hungry these days as it makes not eating for 24 hours a bit easier to cope with!

No weigh in Wednesday tomorrow as I'm not home to do it…..

First day back at work after 10 days off. Lunchbox packed and ready to roll!

Driving to work this morning I had my first ‘HOLY CRAP’ moment of the day. When I strapped on my seatbelt and I looked down, I saw a huge gap between my belly and the steering wheel.

This time last year there was no gap at all!!

As I arrived at work I pulled out my security pass and I saw the photo of me taken in September last year, this was my second ‘HOLY CRAP’ moment of the day.


My third ‘HOLY CRAP’ moment of the day was when I copped a reflection of myself in the mirror and saw my current favourite dress (that never used to fit) was hanging off me like a sack!

Looks like I need a new favourite dress!

It was a busy day at work playing catch up in meeting meaning my fluid levels weren’t as good as they should be which has resulted in my having a massive headache by the time I got home.

Quick dinner, last nights was so delicious I decided to have the same again!

Despite being absolutely spent by the time Lachlan was asleep, I pushed through the exhaustion and head off to the gym. I got there after hours and I’m not yet comfortable using the weights equipment on the main deck so I just focused on the cardio side of things.

Both of my beloved X-trainers were used so I decided to push myself on the treadmill varying both the incline and the speed substantially and over the 40 minutes I was there I burnt 619 calories along the way.

The only downfall of me going to the gym so late in the day is that I come home hungry and I know that I shouldn’t be eating so late at night and just before bed!

Tomorrow morning I’m back off to the sleep specialist. I’m very interested to see how this appointment is going to go!

Today I granted myself a total rest day!

My body and my mind were both feeling tired and fatigued. So today no gym, no worrying about nutritional values of food and no worrying about fluid levels.

Today I enjoyed a family day with my boys before I’m back at work tomorrow.  I don’t feel guilty at all, I am actually quite content with my choice to throw caution to the wind and have that extra coffee and a few crackers with some dip.

I needed a day like today. But I’ll be back on deck again tomorrow!