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

It was finally suggested by my family doctor to get bariatric surgery and then after months of research and talk to people in my office I went to the pre seminar for surgey to see the available options and then eventually talked to my surgeon to see what was the best for my situation.

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

The surgeons office had experience in dealing with my insurance company and there were no problems with getting approval for my situation.

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

I had researched before I finally decided on my weight loss surgery so my first visit was asking a lot of questions. I think researching on the many surgeries and trying to find out what will work best for you it the right way to go.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had decided that I wanted surgery many years ago but since my insurance company conisdered it cosmetic surgery and would not pay for it, I resorted to continue to try and lose weight through diet and exercise. AS i got older, had kids and less time for myself, it became harder to stay up with that routine. My doctor had convinced me that I could do it with the correct diet and exercise and he focused on sending me to doetitions and the such. After requesting to my doctor to have surgery he finally recommended me to a doctor based on his evaluation and my insisting that I get one who had extensive experience in preforming the surgery that I wanted.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

By talking with my surgeon and asking him lots of questions. I took my surgeons suggestion based on all my complications and my health situation.

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?

Most of these fears were only brought on by others but I knew in my mind that any type of surgery has these risks. You just have to weight the advantages and disadvantages. The risks could be the same if you do not have the surgery.

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?

My family and friends were much more supportive than I expected. Especially my mom who has always found the negative from every surgery I have had. She also was a former nurse.

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

I was out of work for about six weeks and they were very supportive and told me not to rush back to work. They even suggested that I work part time for awhile.

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

It was nice but I could not relate to the experiences that other who presented their situations. Mine was not like theirs. Most of them seemed to have more serious problems that forced them to have the surgery or other seemed to only have a little weight they wanted to lose that they had gained from having children. No one had a lifetime of weight problems like me.

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

It was difficult in the hospital only because of the swelling and my blood pressure was elevated from the swelling. Also since I was unable to eat much and drink much they had me on tube feeding which was very uncomfortable having a full stomach all the time and trying to get fluids and some food down me to get out of the hospital.

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

Everyone swells after surgery and I was no exception. I never had problems with high blood pressure but because of the excessive amount of swelling, my blood pressure was very high and I had to stay in the hospital 13 days becasue I could not eat by mouth and my blood pressure would not go down until they started me on a diuretic and some blood pressure medicines.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

I guess I felt anxieties but since there were a few people in my office who had WLS I talked to them a lot. I was excited mostly because I knew I would finally lose the weight I have been needed to lose. I also was a little scared since I am diabetic and I could posibly have complications with healing.

Describe your first few weeks home from the hospital. What should people expect from this period?

I stayed in my bed most of the time because it was warm there and I could nt tolerate the cold so well. When I did start to getting out of my bed it was painful since I had to get off my pain meds since I was on blood thinner. I should have gotten up and walked everyday becasue I regretted it once I started back to work. My leg muscles got week and I had to build them up again.

How far did you travel to have your surgery? (If far, how did this affect your aftercare?)

I had surgery right in my hometown so I did not travel far at all.

Please describe in detail what things you could and couldn't eat in the weeks and months following surgery. What foods have been off limits? Please explain how your dietary tolerance changed week-by-week, and then month-by-month since surgery.

The only thing that restricted me from eating anything I wanted was that I knew I needed to get my proteins in first and I could only eat a very, very, very, very small amount of food at a time. After a few weeks I learned to eat a little bit and wait for a little while and eat a little more. I had to be careful not to drink and eat at the same time at first but eventually I was able to drink more and eat more. It had been over 3 years and I still cannot drink anything for at least a half and hour after or before I eat. I can drink little sip if I need to but I have to be careful. I can definitely tell when I eat food that my body won't tolerate such as food that makes me gassy or foo that is too greasy but for the majority of time as long as I eat sparingly and slowly and chew my food well I can tolerate most anything. The key is to chew your food well, and I mean very well. I eventually get tired of eating if I take my time and chew my food. I still can bearly eat a whole sandwich. Most of the time it is a quarter of a sandwich every half an hour and by then my lunch time is oveer or I am tired of eating and it's time to drink something. So by the time I finish that cycle, its time to eat the next meal or snack.

What was your actvity level in the days and weeks after surgery?

I was very sedentary but I wish I could have done more and I regret it. It took me about ayear to 18 months before I began working out. My knees kept me from even walking and whn I started it was limited time in the pool doing water aerobics.

What vitamins and/or dietary supplements have you taken since your surgery?

I take over 22 pills a day most of them my vitamin and mineral supplements that are required for my type of surgery. The rest are medicines that I have been prescribed based on my annual blood work.

What side effects (nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbace, dumping, hair loss etc.) were worse for you? For how long after surgery did they persist? How did you cope with them?

The worst problem I had and I still have is getting a burp out. I seem to have lost that reflex. Which in turn causes me to feel full faster and use to cause me to dump. I had no unuaual hair loss. I learned to eat slower and when I first experience the feeling of being full I will immediately remove my food from the table and store it away to keep from continuing to eat it.

What was the worst part about the entire bariatric surgery process?

For the most part, the surgery went well for me. It was not anything more or less than I thought it would be for a major surgery other than my blood pressure problem.

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

Right now I talk to all my co-workers and friends who have had the surgery. That is the best support anyone can have. Talking to people I do not know does not make me confortable and I get nothing from it because it is hard fr me to relate to them.

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

The scar is big but it healed very fast. Less than a week and it was already drying up and the stitches were dissolving. I was very surprised how clean it was and that I needed no protection when taking a shower the very next day. It is pretty much just a match for the scar I got when I had my hysterectomy and it took over 10 years for that to disappear. Hopefully this scar will go by then.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Most of my plateau is from me eating too much salty foods and not drink enough fluids. So if I take care to watch that and get in my proteins so I stay fuller long, I continue to lose even after the 18 months I was told I may stop losing. It has been over 3 years now and I am still doing well..

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I do not have to notice it becasue people actually come out and tell me. It is amazing how through most of my journey I have had people notice me even those who I thought paid not attention to me. I have always been a forward and outgoing person so I would always speak to people and I have never been shy and hidden just because I was overweight. I still have not gotten a promotion yet so I guess I need to work a little harder. SMILE