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

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

I had to call and bug the people who filed the insurance for my DR. Once they found the file, I was approved in 2 weeks. The file sat at the insurance desk ofr over a month! Then I had to bug the DR's office and put my name on a waiting list to have the surgery done. It took 7 months total to get scheduled.

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

I enjoyed his wit and personality. He was very well organized and had visuals to pass around made of felt. I made a typed list of information to take with me to the meeting and he looked surprised when I asked some of the techincal questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was afraid of dying young. Having diabetes was the last straw for me.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I went with teh surgeon I felt most confident with and wanted a new procedure at the time.

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 felt a bit afraid of nnot waking up after the surgery, but went in deciding that they wouldn't have done surgery on me if they didn't think I would make it.

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 Mother was not supportive at all. She said, You will die if you have that done. She is an R.N. and was afraid of complications. My older sister was supportive beforehand as well as the one friend I told. I told everyone else I had my gallbladder out! When they saw me like 6 months out they asked what happened, and my other friends were proud of me. They said, You are very brave. Now my Mom, Sister, and one obese friend are jealous of me and not very kind to me. My Mom says you must be gaineing weight, if I have injured my back or knee. She is wrong. I tell her my weight and she says, Oh God, you are still thin. My Dad said, Too bad you couldn't have had this done sooner! A friend's Mom who said I was just attractive, now calls me beautiful and so does her older brother, who is jealous that I married someone else!

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

I was and still am disabled.

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

My hospital stay was horrible! I was undermedicated for pain, and the nurses were mean to me. They let teh IV meds run totally out the first night! The hospital rooms were also too hot so, I spent one night in a chair near the nurses station! I will not go back to that hospital again for care! I had bbeen there before for one surgery and was also treated very badly by the staff. I could hardly wait to get out of there. I was in the hospital 3 and a half days, on a regular floor. The most important things to bring are: toothbrush,toothpaste, hairbrush, robe, slip on sandles or slippers with a tread, a robe, and something easy to put on for the ride home/ I also was able to bring an obsolete pillow home from the hospital to splint my stomach when the car hit a bump. It would be a good odea to have your person giving you a ride home bring a pillow for that reason.

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

I had a tiny infection at the base of the incision by the belly button. I simply cleaned it out with a cotton swab and hydrogen peroxide and put a butterfly bandage on it. It happened on a weekend and I wasn't willing to go back to the hospital! By Monday morning, it was back together. I just called the DR's office to report it. I also had pneumonia from a case of bronchitis that I got from the surgery.

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 would tell myself that I could think of food all I wanted, but not eat it. When I first got home from the hospital my dog kept jumping on my incision to wake me up! My dogs also barked to wake me up and I vomited up water! I was surprised. I called the DR and he simply said, Wait until the nausea goes away before eating again.

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

Pain at first, then learning how to eat all over again! I began with 1 oz of baby food meats or fruits and graduated slowly to 4 oz at present. I also had to beware of reflxive vomiting when I first tried solid food. The only warning I had was a lot of saliva in my mouth. I did have a bit of "buyers remorse" at that point.

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

15 miles. I went for 3 years, but decided not to go back when I was hospitalized in another area for a complication from the surgery and DR Newhoff was not available. I also kept moving farther away from his office, then out of the area.

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.

I still can't eat many veggies, but it is slowly improving. Chinese food, Mexican food in a restaurant, brocolli, cauliflower, anything fried, and rice are atill off limits as I can't digest them.

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

My activity level was back to normal in about 2 months. After that I exercised every other day.

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

I began with children's chewables, then the sprayable vitamins, now Viactin chewables.

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?

I had nausea at first, usually caused by stress. I did loos about 1/3 of my hair at 5 months out! It came back in it's entirity after 2 years. I had a lot of dumping in the second year as I was adding more foods to my diet. I still have dumping occasionally and have to limit sweets from my diet. I also continue to have postural hypotension and have to be careful when getting up after sitting for a while. I also don't have the reserve energy from having stored glycogen when I was heavy, so when I am hungry I must have a snack to avoid fainting.

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

Getting used to eating less as my stomach was smaller and learning to eat the right amount to avoid vomiting, and problems from low blood pressure

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

I had one associated with the DR's office at teh hospital where I had the surgery. I went once before the surgery and once afterwards. I found that my peers were not at the groups and that it was too far away for me to want to attend. I liked OH's chat room as it was online and open all of the time.

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

My scar is still pink and visable in the center of my stomach area. It expected this, but it has faded quite a bit. It was 10" long at first. It was my first vertical scar and was much more painful than a horizontal scar was and took longer to heal.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I only had 2 plateaus. During those weeks, I would continue eating the same small amounts of food, but would exercise one more time a week and drink a couple of extra glasses of water and they subsided. This was the first time I was ever willing to stay on a diet when I hit a plateau as I knew the surgery was my last option. I still play with about 10 pounds in my maintenence and I finally understand teh thinner women who complain, if I could only loose 10 pounds, I would feel better. I recently reduced by 19 pounds as my stress level has dropped and feel much better. Weight fluctuations do happen occasionally!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I like being accepted in a group and by new people. I am also aware that I am happier and less worried about being judged. I like being accepted and not having to stand out in a crowd for being the heaviest person in the room.