Domenic D.

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I always had a bad temper when someone would look at me as if to say hey why don't you lose weight or if you go to aa resturant they look to see what you ordered .I have tried all types of weight loss diets and none of them worked for me . I was on Redux and that took off some weight but then I just put it all back on. I hated to look at myself in the mirror everyday all I would do is say to myself why don't you lose the weight do something.I would very rarelly go out . I even stopped ridding my Harley because i am so big 5 Ft 10 407 lbs that people looked at me and would laugh, or my thighs are big and they rub on the engine so i just gave it up.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

being made fun of by other people even your coworkers make fun of you. they think that you can't hear them or someone would tell you that they were saying this or that about you..Not being able to do normal things like thinner people that would be another

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

I like to walk alot now and i really didn't like to before because people would look at me and laugh, now i walk and ride my bike and feel good about it I like to run now also

How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

I first heard of it last year on tv about the Wish center with Carney Willson , I tought about it but then I never went through it beccause i TOUGHT IT WAS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, Then I seen it again this spring and said to myself hey I have to do something and I also told a friend of mine at work about it and he just had it done on Aug.1,2002 and he is doing great with it

Describe your experience with getting insurance approval for surgery. What advice, if any, do you have for other people in this stage?

went to BTC on May 14 ,2002 they said they would handle everything for me and then I got a letter from them saying the insurance company need more infor so i got it and sent it to them . Then i call the insurance company 1 or 2 times a week until i was approved on Aug 15 ,2002 and recieved my letter in the mail on Aug 30 ,2002. Keep calling and they will approve you

What was your first visit with your surgeon like? How can people get the most out of this meeting?

he explained indetail about what he was going to do and showed me the diagramof how it is done. I think he could be a little more friendlier and not as cold

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Tired of loosing the battle with dieting, tired of being out of breath every time I would walk up a flight of stairs, Tired of looking at myself in the mirror with discusst

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

open RNY that is what they only do

What fears did you have about having complications or even dying from from the surgery, and what would you tell other people having the same fears now?

very nervious, very very nervious

How did your family and friends react to your decision? Would you have communicated anything differently if you could now? How supportive were they after your surgery?

lot of support from them, they want me to lose weight

How did your employer/supervisor react to your decision? What did you tell him/her? How long were you out of work?

tehy are a bunch af donkey butts just want you to get back to work asap and don't care about you at all

What was your stay in the hospital like? How long where you there? What things are most important to bring?

My stay at the hospital was very good.The nurse staff was there to help you in what ever you needed even if it was just to bring you ice to suck on.. I was in the hospital from 12-11 day of surgery to 12-14 day I came home. Only thing s i need to bring were my close for the ride home and a robe to where in the hospital

Did you have any complications from the surgery? If so, how did you deal with them?

no comlictions as of

What aftercare support group/program do you have? How helpful/important is this?

none

What is your scar like? Is this what you expected?

long scar heald well, yes it is what i expected.. but i thought it would have been a little smaller

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

when i reached about 310 lbs i seemed like it was not going to go down any more I think it was about 5 weeks before i started to lose the weight again.. Now i hit another plateau again 16 months after my surgery (4-17-04 ) I am now stuck at 230 lbs and have been this weight for about 2-3 months.. I would go between 235 and 230 but now stuck at the 230 mark for now.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes they do ... people that i know don't even reconsie me at first, and the seem to treat me a lot different than when i was very heavy
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