In 2014, I got the shock of my life as a surgeon coolly told me I had to have half my stomach removed.
I’d suffered from Barrett’s oesophagus for many years, but my symptoms had been kept under control. In 2013, I travelled in Europe for several months and when my reflux got worse, I put it down to irregular eating habits, but I felt no better after I got home.
My GP sent me for a gastroscopy and was very concerned about the results. There’d been some changes in my stomach cells. One thing led to another and within a few weeks I lay in a hospital bed hearing my surgeon tell me that my stomach had been riddled with dysplasia, so he’d had to remove it all. My gall bladder was in a perilous state, too, so that had been whipped out as well.
Not to worry, one of my nurses told me, you’ll still be able to eat your Christmas dinner. It’ll just take you all day!
Since then, I’ve had to develop a completely new attitude to food and eating. Eating had been my last remaining pleasure, but now it had become an obstacle course. I’ve learnt a lot on this arduous journey, and on this website, I hope to share its results with you.
As well as everything I’ve learnt since my surgery and in researching this collection, I’ve also put in everything I’ve learnt from being a single person who’s never been an enthusiastic cook. I cook because I have to eat, so my recipes are first of all nutritious, but also quick and easy to make with affordable and accessible ingredients.
One of the reasons I’ve created this website is because I was hearing too many stories of people who’d had gastric surgery and instead of making the best of it, found it was all too hard and subsisted on a diet of ice cream. I hope this website shows you that there’s a better and happier way which is well within your reach.
Disclaimer: The advice on this website has come out of my own experience in my own particular situation. Where it contradicts your nutritionist’s advice, please ignore mine. Your nutritionist knows best.
The best of luck on your journey!
Pauline Montagna
Melbourne, Australia
2024