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

I met a lady at my church's Singles group who had been fired from a job for being "too fat" She sued & she won. From the settlement funds she had DS. She shared her experience with me and ever since then I have wanted to have the DS done

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

After some false hope I was told the DS was not covered by my insurer. Rather fight and waste any more of my life on negativity I became a self pay and went out of the country to have my procedure done.

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

Wonderful Dr Marchesini is so charming. He makes you feel so comfortable and that you are the most important patient there is.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Tired of being unsuccessful at weight loss and also having more health issues as I continue to age and gan weight.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

By studying up on all available procedures. Attending informational meetings for all procedures and attending support group meetings for all types of PO patients

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?

I would rather die than continue to live in this body as it is. I was also afraid of not passing the "leak test." Though rare just before I had my surgery Dr M had a patient who not only failed the leak test but had some other serious issues with her liver bleeding and needing blood transfusions. So close to my date it really shook me up. I did talk to Dr M and other patients who were in Brazil when I was and did a TON of praying..

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?

Have been talked out of it twice by concerned co-worker/boss but now that I have made a firm decision to have it most everyone is supportive. The people who aren't supportive are those who are not educated about the DS and see all WLS as the same. Sometimes I take the time to explain the differances to them then at other times I just can't be bothered. After all it's all about me this time and I won't apologize for that.

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

My suoerviosr was neither supportive nor unsupportive. She is younger and thinnerthan me and truly could not relate to my choices. I returned to work 3 1/2 weeks post-op. It was slow going at first but at abut 6 weeks out it was much better.

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

I was in 4 days and had excellant care. Dr M was there 4 times a day those first few days and as my BP rose & my temp went down I saw him twice a day. I would say don't bring too much. Slippers, a robe to cover the backside if needed, toothbrush & toothpaste along with deodorant, shampoo etc. Other than that I needed nothing else

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

No complications. I did develop a few small seromas about 6 to 8 weeks post-op but once I returned to wearing my binder 27/7 they went away and never returned even when i quit wearing the binder for good at about 16 weeks post-op

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 had nothing buy pure joy it was finally happening. Only time I was anxious was waiting for the leak test and it's results. To cope I prayed and prayed & PRAYED.

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

None eventful. I was in Brazil the 1st 2 weeks and basically wished I was home. I was so homesick for my pets and AMERICAN TV.

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

From Michigan to Brazil.. My aftercare will not be affected as I have made arrangements with a Bariatric practice to do my follow-up care.

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.

Almost from the get go no ffods felt off limits. Instead it was quatities. But now at 4 months post-op I can eat pretty much anything just not as much as pre-op but more than I expected.

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

Not a lot those first 2 weeks in Brazil but the day I got home, which was exactly 2 weeks post-op, I unpacked, did a few loads of laundry and then rested the rest of the day. The next day I went to the corner grocery store and hardware store. After those trips I was pooped. Sunday I drove myself to church and since there was some snow on the car I had to clear it off. I am not sure if the driving or the snow clearing was it but when I arrived at church I was feeling faint. After a little while I felt better. Yesterday I did some more laundry and felt so-so. Today I drove into my town to do some banking and felt a taf light-headed when I arrived at the bank. So my stamina is still not 100%. Now at over 4 months post-op I feel great. So much more energy and it's almost like I never even had surgery. BUT my abdominal scar is there to remind me. (grin)

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

2 adult chewable daily vitamins. 1 B Complex, 1 B 12 sublingual 500 mcg, 4 water soluable D, & one water soluable A&D and 2 Citrical Calcium Citrate Caplets +D daily

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?

Naseau. HATED IT and felt like I was going to rip my insides out the first night at the hotel. I had dry heaves in the middle of the night. After that episode I took a piece of a saltine about the size of a pencil eraser and made it to mush before swallowing. It helped so I did it again with a few larger pieces. That seemed to be the turning point of stopping the nausea

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

The hassle with my insurance company and then having to be a self-pay. Aside from that nothing but the nausea. Well now at 4 mopnths out my weight loss is slowing down and that has me very concerned as I need to lose another 70 pounds to reach my goal.

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

I attend a bi-weekly support group that was mandatory by the doctor who was originally going to do my procedure. I have attended this support group in years past when I was previously considering this procedure and then again faithfully since March of this year. I find it invaluable and necessary. As the surgery is just part of the over-all process in this journey.

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

It's even better than expected. I have had other surgeries and have been stapled and was dreading them. This time I think the stiches were either internal or I was glued shut, (grin) as I only had 4 external ones of "cat-gut" so that was a pleasant surprise.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I hit my first plateau about 5 weeks ago when I was 3 months post-op! WAYYY too soon. Didn't expect it this quick. Now at 4 months I am still there and VERY frustrated.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. Co-workers especially upper management seem to be treating me with more respect.