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

I asked my regular doctor what could I do, I have tried everything and I am a mess. My knees hurt from walking, I am out of breath when I climb the stairs in my house, I am depressed and I cant loose the weight. He told me that he had another patient that had weight loss surgery and that it was working well for him and it was something to consider. I didnt know it was an option and I had never even thought about it because I thought it was only for rich people, like Elvis Presley having his stomach stapled.

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

My WLS doctor told me that he could help me get approved, that I was a good candidate for the surgery. There are a lot of hoops to jump through, sleep apnea test, phsyc evaluation, heart stress test. It took about 9 months from when I first talked to my regular doctor that day in his office and asked him what can I do, until I had my surgery with my WLS doctor.

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

My first visit with WLS doctor I asked him if he could help me and he said yes he could give me the tools for me to help myself and that was a smaller stomach. He explained that I still had to have some control because I could eat all day long and be fat, or I could use the tool to eat my regular meals and eat smaller portions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The fact that insurance would pay for surgery was the only deciding factor I needed.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I talked it over with my doctor and I wanted a permenant change.

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 worried about dying but I also knew that my life was going to be short if I didnt do something about my weight. I had to turn my fears over to God and know that if its my time to go, I am going to go if I am crossing the stree and get hit by a bus or am lying on a table having 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 very supportive. I didnt tell a lot of my co-workers because I was embarrased that I had to have my stomach stapled 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?

I was out of work for 3 weeks. My employer knew about the surgery and my boss was very nice about giving me the time off. I had intended on only being out 2 weeks but I ended up in ICU for a couple of days do to complications. My neck is fused together and when they tried to intubate me they struggled with it to the point that my throat swelled closed and they had to do a Tracheostomy.

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

I never attended a weight loss surgery seminar. I attended support groups afterward. It was very helpful talking to other people and finding out what I was experiencing was normal and getting ideas, recipes, and clothing swaps from others.

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

The hospital stay was nice. Due to my being in ICU I had a private room which was nice. Bring something to read and your reading glasses.

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

Yes, I had a Tracheostomy because my neck is fused and they didnt realize it and I never thought to tell them. They struggled when trying to intubate me for surgery and my throat swelled shut. They went out to ask my husband should they still go through with the surgery and he said you had better or she is going to be really upset.

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 didnt have any anxiety about the surgery, I was anxious for the date to come.

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

I felt really good and wanted to get right back to work. The time I had off was more than enough.

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

20 miles

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 was on a liquid diet for the first 6 weeks I think it was. If it could go through a colander I could have it. I remember trying to get tuna fish to go through and it wouldnt. I was told that sugar would make me sick, so I tried a 3 or 4 m&m's and I didnt get sick. So I ate a handful making sure that I chewed them up really well. I was sicker than a DOG! I felt like I had the flu. Hot, nausious, dizzy. All I could do was lay down and wait for it to pass, which takes about 30 minutes. I did have a problem a few times with food getting stuck and have had to throw it back up. I still have this problem sometimes. In fact it happened the other night. I had some chicken and I didnt chew it well enough and I ate it too fast and too much and was so uncomfortable that I had to throw it back up. Fingers down the throat. I dont do it often, but it does happen. It beats being miserable for an hour. I instantly feel relief.

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

I had lots of energy.

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

Flintstone 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?

Dumping and hairloss were the hardest to deal with. I still experience dumping. My hair grew back. My nails are very fragile and split now and I think this is due to vitamin deficency. The only vomiting I have is self induced when I eat too much, something is stuck or I have eaten a bad combination of sugar and fat. I can have sugar or fat in very small portions, but not together. Cake and ice cream will send me over the edge. But I can have one small peice of halloween candy and be fine. I had cheese cake for my birthday 3 months after my surgery. I dont think I will EVER eat cheesecake again for the rest of my life. It was a favorite, not after that experience though. I felt so flu-ish. Really bad dumping experience.

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

my hair thinning

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

I did support groups on line and at peoples houses we would meet. But we moved out of state and I have not reached out to anyone or felt like I really needed to anymore.

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

My scar was from just below my breasts to the top of my belly button. But I have had other surgery since then. I have had a tummy tuck after the weight loss because I had an apron in the front. They moved my belly button and cut away a lot of flesh so now my scar is from under my breast all the way down to my pubic area.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I actually gained about 25 pounds back but just lost it again and am now the smallest I have been since I had the surgery. I am into a size 8 but would really like to lose another 40 pounds. My daughter just got married and being the mother of the bride I didnt want to ruin the wedding photos being the FAT one. When my parents came to stay with us for the wedding and I told my mom I had lost 36 pounds she asked me "well how fat were you?"

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes people treat me different now because I have self confidence.