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

I first heard about bariatric surgery when I would read the Enquirer about Al Roker. They would mention other people who had the surgery, but he was the first person I actually followed through the process. I was impressed by his pictures and watching the weight fall off him. I also remember reading about his depression of not getting to eat his foods again. I remember thinking I wish I could lose weight like that, but wasn't sure it was for me, being permanent and all. Afterall, I loved eating.

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

When I first looked into weight loss, my insurance denied me because it was not a covered expense. I was disappointed, to say the least. Then, less than 6 months later, our annual renewal came with an update saying gastric bypass surgery is now a covered procedure. I started the process over again with my doctor. When the surgeon submitted all my information, the insurance approved it in only 2 days.

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

Unfortunately, I never met my surgeon before surgery. Not a great experience. In the office, you only see PA's. I was told at the hospital I would meet my surgeon pre-op since I was the first case. They knew I had not met him yet. However, it was not to be. I was taken to OR where they told me I would meet him, but I was put under before he even came in. It was very unethical in my book. My first and only meeting came 2 days post-op after telling the PA making rounds to check on me that I had never met the surgeon. He said he'd mention it to him. A couple of hours later, he came by, shook my hand and was gone in about 10 seconds. I haven't met anyone else who had this problem. I think if I had it to do over again, I would have insisted on meeting him before ever going to the hospital.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I realized the only way for me to lose weight and keep it off, was to do something drastic. This seemed like a good choice for me. I've had several other surgeries, this didn't scare me. To me, this surgery was an answer to prayer.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The most common surgery in this area is the gastric bypass. I had never heard of any of the other types of surgeries until I went to a seminar required by the surgeons office. I had already made up my mind that I wanted the gastric bypass. I wanted the permanence of the surgery.

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 was never worried about the surgery itself. I knew the mortality rate from this surgery had to do with leaking from the site and blood clots, which would occur afterwards. I figured I could prevent the blood clots, and I didn't have any co-morbidities to complicate matters. As far as getting a leak, I had to have faith, not in the surgeon I never met, but in God. He alone is in control, and I prayed that God would oversee everything in the OR and guide my surgeon's hands. I felt peace in knowing I was in God's hands. I tell others about that peace they can only get from our Creator.

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 was very supportive because I had 3 other family members before me. I think if I was the first, my parents would have been very worried for me and questioned my decision. My husband and kids were the greatest. My husband went with me to as many appointments as he could and never once questioned me about my decision. My friends seemed hesitant at first, but always supportive. They were more concerned with how our relationship would change after the surgery.

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

My employer only knew I was having surgery. I did not share what kind of surgery I was having. I was off work for 6 weeks.

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

I was in the hospital for 3 days. I had surgery Wed. morning at 7:30, and was discharged home Friday evening. Fortunately, I had family or friends with me most of the time. Sometimes on the food tray, they sent regular jello instead of sugar-free. I also had problems getting pain meds in a timely manner because they didn't have the liquid medicine stocked and had to get it from pharmacy. I ended up waiting an hour for pain medicine, which by that time I was extremely uncomfortable. The staff was not very good at meeting any of my needs, which was why I was go thankful to have family and friends with me most of the time. I didn't get a bath, or a bed change until the day I left. Nobody ever brought wash cloths or anything for me to clean up with. I never had fresh water and when I would call for ice, never received it. Usually my family would go ask someone for it, but on one occassion I was alone and never did get my ice chips. I shared a room with a pneumonia patient, which I thought was strange since I was on the surgical floor. I was hoping to share a room with another gastric bypass patient. The only thing I really needed at the hospital, other than my wonderful family to take care of me, was slippers and a brush. Because I had an IV until I went home, it was easier to wear their gowns. I would recommend bringing your own kleenex, theirs is rough. I brough a book to read, but was usually groggy from the pain meds, and visited with family and friends while awake. My kids would come sit on my bed and watch the TV when they visited, I was happy just getting to hold them.

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

I remember waking up in the recovery room and the first thing I did was look under the covers to see my tummy. The nurse told me I had a drain. That surprised me because the surgeon I had rarely used drains. From what my family told me (since the surgeon talked to them after the surgery) was the surgery took 3 hours (double the normal time) because my small intestine was too short to connect to my new pouch and he had to route it behind my old stomach, thereby creating a much longer surgery, and thus needing a drain. Unfortunately, I never got to speak to the surgeon about this to get a clear picture. I received conflicting information from the PA when I was getting discharged, him saying I would go home with the drain in place and get it removed at the 1 week office visit. Apparantly, the surgeon or PA called the nurses later and told them to remove it before sending me home. So I didn't have to deal with this, other than being in the hospital. The drain did not hurt at all coming out. I had anticipated it hurting a great deal and was pleasantly surprised. At home, I had to keep it dressed and it took a couple of weeks to heal and close up. It was hard not getting it wet in the shower and always having to cover it up, but manageable.

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 only had to wait about 3 weeks from getting my surgery date until the big day. There was so much to do, pre-op tests, classes, work, that it seemed to fly by. I was not anxious, just inpatient waiting for the day to get here. I never felt nervous until I was on the operating table. It seemed to take forever for them to prep me and your just lying there looking at the lights. The anesthesiologist must have seen my pulse speed up, or my blood pressure rise when I became nervous because he gave me some medicine to relax me right away. I kept thinking, they better put me under soon because I may just chicken out. Thankfully, they put the mask on my face and said "sweet dreams".

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

The first week following surgery I was on a liquid diet. It was the worst part, seeing my family eat normal, yummy foods, and sipping broth. I started eating separate from them. When they were at the table, I went to my room. It was just too depressing watching them. For the first 2 weeks, I was tired, especially after any exertion. Even eating wore me out. I slowly started getting my energy back and I found that walking outside, around the block, and eventually up to 2 miles a day really helped me feel better.

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

The surgeon and hospital were only 1 mile from my home.

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 first week was liquid only. Had to be sugar-free. Water, broth, SF popsicles & jello, Crystal Light, Propel water, and decaf tea. After that it was soft protein foods only. Pureed meats, eggs, cheese. After 1 month, all protein. No vegetables, no beans, no nuts/seeds, no fruit. Only protein until 75% weight loss acheived. After that, we can add a serving of vegetable to our meal, only after eating the protein. The hardest part is not drinking 30 minutes before a meal, no drinking during a meal, and no drinking for 90 minutes after a meal. At first it was difficult getting all the fluid in (8 glasses a day). Once I was able to swallow better, it got easier. I found out within the second week I cannot eat pork products. I tried bacon, ham, sausage, & ribs. None of them stayed down. I finally learned to stay away from all pork. I can now, 3 months out, eat a little ham, but nothing else. I tried ribs again but they don't like me. It causes severe pain in my stomach, like a pole is going through my stomach and out my back. I then become violently sick until it's out of my system. We are not to eat bread or pasta, any carbs actually. Of course, being the non-compliant person that I am, I had to try bread because I miss it the most. Not a good idea. Very painful and it doesn't come back up to end the misery. You have to wait it out a few hours until it gets out of your pouch.

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

I was easily tired after surgery. Any little exertion wore me out, especially for the first 2 weeks. Even eating wore me out. I took it very easy, tried not to push myself too much. I did get out and walk 2 times a day. At first I could only make it to the end of my driveway. After a few days, I was going to the corner of my block, and then around my block. In 5 weeks I was up to 2 miles a day. Getting outside in the fresh air really helped me feel better. Our whole family would go, even the dog. It was a great way to spend time together in the evenings.

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

My surgeons office recommended a fairly new vitamin on the market called Optisource. They are chewable, orange flavored tablets that you take 4 times a day. I take them with each meal and at bed time, so it's easy to remember. They claim to be specially formulated for bariatric patients and have everything we need in them. However, I also take an extra B12 sublingual once a week to be sure. At my 3 month post-op visit, my blood work showed I was low in iron, so I now take an extra iron pill with my vitamins.

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?

Hair loss is a big one for me right now, being 3 months out. I'm losing so much I'm afraid I'll go bald before it's done. I usually where it up now so that it's not so noticable. I have long hair and it's naturally curly. I used to staighten it because that's the style I like, but I'm leaving it curly so it looks like there is more volume. I had a lot of nausea and vomiting when I first started eating meats. I'm not sure if I was eating too fast, too much, or not chewing enough to cause all the nausea and vomiting, but it took me a while to get it right. After a couple of months, I rarely have a problem anymore, unless of course I eat the wrong thing. That's a whole other story.

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

I think the waiting was the worse part. Thankfully I didn't have to wait that long for approval from insurance (I knew within 1 week), but it took 3 weeks to get a date for surgery, then another 3 weeks for the surgery. I'm not a patient person, so it was the hardest part for me.

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

The hospital has a monthly support group. It is held at the hospital and run by their staff. There are also several other groups that have broken out on their own to meet in smaller groups.

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

Being 3 months out, I still have a noticable scar. They are pinkish-brown, 6 total, and about 1 inch long each. The one scar from the drain is a little bigger, more round instead of a straight line. It's what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I've have a couple of plateau's. They are furstrating because you wonder what you are doing wrong, or if the surgery is not going to work for you. My first one was at only 2 weeks. I had lost so much weight in the first week, my body had to catch up. Then at 2 months out, I was on a plateau for about 3 weeks. That one was very difficult. I kept thinking I went through all of this for only 60 pounds of weight loss. I did everything I could to start the process of losing again, but it just took time. It seems like I hold my weight for about a week, and then boom, I drop 5 pounds.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really. At first, when I had lost about 40 pounds or so, people were asking if I had changed my hair or something. I looked different but they couldn't figure it out. I had lost so much weight in my face, but they just couldn't place it. Now that I've lost about 75 pounds, people say to me, "Wow, you look great. You look like your losing weight." People who know I had the surgery comment on how good I look. It's a nice feeling. My little brother kept telling me over dinner I looked good, real good. He's happy for me. My dad also keeps telling me I'm doing a good job. My parents are proud of me for the effort I've put into this. My husband tells me all the time how proud of me he is. Even when I'm on a plateau he tells me I'm doing good. He's the best!