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

I first found out about bariatric surgery from a comercial I saw on t.v. several years ago from the Bariatric Treatment Centers of America. I received information from them and I didn't like the thought of my stomach being "stapled". It scared me at the time so I never investigated it further until a few months ago when I found out that my nutritionist works with bariatric patients. My hubby and I discussed finding out if I would be a good candidate for surgery and I did lots and lots of research on it. Now I feel really positive about having the surgery. I finally feel like it's the appropriate action for me. I didn't in the beginning because I felt like it was just too drastic. But now, I'm ready and looking forward to it.

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

My surgeon's secretary actually did all the work for me. She faxed in the letter of medical necessity to my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield BluePlus of Minnesota) and within 24 hours, we had my surgery approved. It was incredibly quick. I would tell people to be patient, the approval will come eventually. You may have to fight for it, but it makes it all the more worth it in the end.

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

I thought Dr. Kothari was incredibly helpful. He was very thorough with his explanation and made sure to answer my questions to the best of his ability. He has a wonderful sense of humor and really made me feel at ease with my decision. He makes me feel like I've made a well-informed, educated decision to put my life in his hands. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate him a 9 only because I haven't had surgery yet. He'll get the 10 pointer afterwards! LOL Don't be afraid to ask questions from your surgeon. If they can't answer them, or worse yet, won't answer them or beat around the bush, maybe he/she isn't the right surgeon for you. Your relationship with your surgeon and his/her surgical team is very important to how successful your surgical outcome is.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I felt the time was right for me. I wasn't losing the weight like I thought I would with the healthier eating lifestyle and exercise.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I didn't want to wait for 2 years to have an open RNY at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, which is an hour's drive from me. I chose to go to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, for the laparoscopic RNY because it is only half an hour's drive from me and I feel that I can trust the surgeon.

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?

Honestly, I feel that the risks of complications or dying from the surgery are going to be about the same as from any other surgery that I've been through. If I'm going to die, then I'm going to die. But I'd rather take the chance of having a healthier life with many many years ahead of me, than to go on living the way I am with few years left to me because of the morbid obesity. I'm not afraid to go under the knife, not when I know that it could save my life. Not everyone is as confident as I am, but that's just me. Everyone has to do what makes them feel comfortable. What works for one may not work for the next. My only fear is not being able to say goodbye to my loved ones in the event that some complication causes my death. I want my family to know that the love in my heart will go on even if I don't.

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?

Actually, everyone was supportive. I got drilled for information and everyone wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing, but I haven't had any negative remarks yet. I have discovered that those that I worried about for support have actually become my biggest supporters. I can only wait and see how supportive they will all be after the surgery. It's one thing to tell me now that they are on my side, but it will be a totally different animal to deal with after surgery. I can't say for sure how my family and friends will support me afterwards, but I can hope that it won't change for the worse.

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

Not employed for pay. I told my friend that I volunteer for at her ceramics studio and she seemed to be okay with my decision. As I've only begun to volunteer for her in the summer and my surgery won't be until this winter, I don't think it'll impact our work relationship at all. I don't work for her at any other time of the year so I won't be missing any work.

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

Overall, my hospital stay was uneventful. I was there three days. The only parts of the whole stay that were uncomfortable was my intolerance of the morphine pump (the morphine made me nauseous) and the pain when the drain was taken out. The most import thing to bring to the hospital, in my opinion, is a great support system. And a book...LOL.

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

No complications other than the fact that I found out after surgery that I have hypothyroidism and that wasn't a complication of the surgery at all.

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 felt a little anxious because I wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing for myself and my family. I heard so many stories of the high divorce rate sometimes associated with surgery because the one having surgery gets increased attention from the opposite sex and the spouse gets jealous. It really worried me to the point that even the morning of my surgery I kept asking my husband if he'd be okay with me getting smaller. If he had any doubts, I would have called it off immediately because I didn't want to lose the love of my life, even if I might have lost my life in the process. But thankfully, he was totally for this to proceed and it made me feel happier about myself that I was finally doing something for me. In the six weeks that I waited between getting the date and having the surgery seemed to take forever and yet it also flew by and was here sooner than I could ever have believed. I tried to keep my days and nights busy (that was no problem because I was helping my friend thru her surgery and the subsequent hospital stays because of dehydration). I just kept telling myself that I was doing the right thing and I got thru it with my husband and my family.

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

The first few weeks consisted of recovering from the mild pain left over from the surgery. I didn't get that burst of energy right away as the weight started coming off. I was still trying to get adjusted to a whole new way of eating and at the same time tried to be a full time mom, wife, and college student. It was wonderful that I didn't have too many food issues early on. My biggest problem was trying to get myself to eat regularly on my hectic schedule. Either I would have to fight to find the time to eat, or fight to eat because I just didn't feel hungry. I found that it became really important to me to sit down and have a meal that consisted of the right stuff.

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

30 miles one way, 1/2 hour trip. Total 60 mile round trip (1 hour drive). Won't affect aftercare 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.

For the first couple of weeks I had to stay to a pureed diet which consisted mostly of cottage cheese, applesauce, protein shakes, and canned chicken (turned into chicken salad). I found that I couldn't tolerate the smell of canned tuna fish and I dump off of many kinds of coleslaw (unless it's KFC or my homemade stuff) and yes, I have tested my dumping abilities. I do have a higher tolerance of sugar than lots of post-ops, however, I do dump. Some weeks I have no appetite and other weeks that I feel like I could eat everything in the house. During these times I just make sure that I have lots of raw fruits and vegetables available as well as yogurt and frozen fruits to turn into homemade smoothies. I have discovered that I now love strawberry banana anything (couldn't stand it before surgery) and my favorite protein shake has become Vanilla Isopure mixed with Breyer's No Sugar Added Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, banana, and milk. Talk about a protein powerhouse! LOL For the most part, however, I use very little protein supplements (bars or shakes) because I have a diet rich in eggs, cheese, nuts and meats and that's where my protein sources come from because that's what I tolerate well.

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

Gradually, my activity level increased from just sitting around the house feeling sorry for myself to walking three miles a day (either outside or on the treadmill) and riding five miles two days a week on a recumbent bike as well as adding free weights two to three days a week. I find that I spend much more time outside doing the activities that I'd always wanted to do before surgery and never had the energy or was in too much pain. Now it's a pleasure to go for walks around the lake and take the kids to the parks and spend more time enjoying nature in it's entirety instead of just watching it on television.

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

I take a multi vitamin, B12, and calcium supplements every single day and have added vitamin E, Wellbutrin and Zoloft (last three are for menopausal symptoms).

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 only had two instances where I vomited and that was because a piece of chicken and beef jerky got stuck. That was horrible pain! My body just wanted to throw it up and I let it. The only other thing that was very bad for me was the hair loss. It got to be so bad that I eventually cut 18 inches off of my hair. It went from thick and waist long to thin really quickly. Now it is just below chin length and I'm glad I did it. I do have new hair growing in and it's coming in thicker than before. I still have a little hair loss, but nowhere near the way it was before.

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

At the moment, I'd have to say the waiting...I'm not a patient person by nature and waiting gets me every time. Waiting for the seminar, waiting for the consult, the brief wait (1 day) for the surgery approval, the waiting for the complete physical, the wait for pre-op and getting a surgery date, the wait for the surgery date to arrive....grrrrr, I HATE waiting!

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

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center has a bariatric support group that meets the last Thursday of every month at 5:30pm in the Overholt Auditorium. Besides that support group, we have the Bari-Friends support group that meets every other week around the main support group meetings. We are comprised of a group of friends having the RNY journey together. Also, a few of us in Winona, MN, are getting together to support each other in our WLS journey. What helps is that we three girls all live within 6 blocks of each other. One lives two blocks in front of me and one lives two blocks behind me. Lots of support there!

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

I had about 5 small scars from the laparoscopic surgery. They were just what I expected because I've had laparoscopic surgery before when I had my gallbladder taken out, so the scars don't bother me a bit.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had several plateaus since surgery. The longest one lasted about two weeks. It was nerve wracking and I had a hard time trying to stay focused and off the scale. My husband threatened to throw away my scale if I didn't stay off of it except for once a week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people do treat me different. Especially family. Since I usually see most of my family sporadically through the year, they are constantly amazed at my progress. However, there are a few that don't care for the way that I like to occasionally wear makeup now. That bothers me a bit. And guys look at me differently now. I worry that my husband will get upset and we talk about it often. He says that yes, it does bother him a bit but then he remembers that I married him and I love him and only him and then he gets proud of the fact that guys look at me occasionally.