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

I attended a simenar. my first impressions were finally something i can be sucessful with. but i was a bit apprehensive due to the fact that this was perminant and there was not a lot of long term studies to research to look at long term complications and repercutions. So, i still remained reserved about the entire procedure.

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

I was lucky, I think BCB was just starting to pay for the laposcopic RNY and I did not have to do much of anything. i filled out the paper work with the case manager,office manager, , who was of top of the line assistance, both emotionally and making sure i had all the paperwork in right I did not have to do any of the pshyco evals, maybe that is one problem, or diet logs, they could look at my family history and decline health and realized this may be a good option for me. my advise is not to give up you will finally come across that one person wanting to make a difference in your life.

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

My stay in the hospital was short i went home on the 3rd day post-op. Most important items to bring were my house coat and slippers, my surgeon was very quick to find you sleeping post-op and get you up and walking threw the halls with you i think he really liked to win. i also brought hard candy to suck on to assist in beginning digestion before i would even take a drink. I am not sure if that is good advice but peppermint helped me with the nausea.

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

i really had little complications at first, besides not being able to eat solid foods for qiet a long time. i had a lot of meal planning and changes to be made in my everyday life that i did not realize, like i cooked all the meals for our family and now the food they had so come to love was impossible for me to eat. But, for years i made the same meals with gravy at each meal, the meat fried and potatoes fried or mashed with butter and heavy cream. this contibuted to my constant nausea and inability to function at home. i finally after many years of conforming to this line of thought that if i loved them there would always be dessert and a home cooked southern meal on the table. then i realized just a few months ago honestly that if i did not start cooking in a way we all could eat i might not be here because i was loosing weight drasticlly down to 100 pounds soaken wet. because i couldn't eat the food i was cooking i just wouldn't eat at all. My most recent complication was an intusseption of the bowel, being a registed nurse in the NICU we see infants with this problem somewhat frequently, but never in an adult. So, i went for my first surery in early October where a bariatric surgeon new to our hospital but not new to bariatric surgeries did an exploritory laprascopic procedure, he manuelly manipulated the bowel and tack the bowel down in hopes that this would fix my problems. Unfortunately, i continued with the abdomenal pain and after a few more GI studies he stated it is just a matter of time before we need to do a bowel resection, but he stated he would wait until i was ready. We secluded the procedure for the 26th of December. not knowing this would mean clear liquids for me for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!! HaHa it was worth it.

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 was really pretty excited and we did not have to do the long drawn out pre-bypass diet. i think i might have been a bit more anxious if i was not able to eat on top of the feelings if anxiety. i acually almost backed out of my surgery in the pre op holding area. Dr Davidson had to come in and assured me and told me this was elective and that this choice was truly mine and only i could make the dcision. He stopped and asked me what me fears were and he talked to me for about 5 minutes and then off we went.

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

This is a honestly horrible time. a time when you ask youself that have i gotten myself into, am i going to starve to death, and no one told me about this part all run through your head like lightening bolts. but you must bring yourself back to way did i do this for my health and a better lifestyle for myself and the others i impact. just remember to sip on something continiously, and advance as your surgeon has told you do not skip out now this will form your habits for a lifetime.

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

i am finding this is a great void in my life. i moved out of the DFW area just at 1 year post bypass to a small town in southwest Missouir where the WLS craze had not yet hit. So, i did not have a support group to attend and my computer techniques are still a bit laxed. this is my first web site to post any information on or seek for guidness and help. So, i look forward to the adventure.

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

my RNY scars were small and really undetectable, it is my 3 emergency c-section sars, my last 2 abdomenal laps that have left signifigant scaring.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i would reach plateau's just like any other diet or life changing eating style. but with this i am able to go back to the basics quick after a 5 pound weight gain, that is a number i have choosen for my self due to the fact that i am short. 5 foot to 5foot 1 inch if i stretch really hard.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

i have already addressed this issue and how it so disturbs me as an indvidual. I unlike a lot of overweight people lived in a skinny body for most of my teenage and early adult life. So, i did the dating thing and never through all of my weight gains and losses lost who i was. i was always confident, out going, and never met a stranger. i noticed as i began to gain the weight others treated me so differently. my sisters and mother had always struggled with there weight and i saw from the outside the invisible shield that the world put around them and now it was happening to me. i would wait in lines way past my turn and no one would say anything or try and get assistance for me it was truly crazy. i really noticed in a hunting clothing fishing store now that are located all over the US. T at i had been in every year in our small southwest missouri home town to purchase my husbands christmas gift. The change in the personel was unbelievable. they had went around several men waiting and jumped to wait on me first, me in my size 2 levi jeans and a festive red sweater. i was so thankful that maybe there had been a change in attitudes in our small town. But as i walked away i saw another sad face waiting in line patiently, there way before me grown and roll her eyes and said under her breath another cute one that just could't wait her turn, this broke my heart and i stood with that young lady probably 10 years my junior until we could get a manager to take care of her and allowed us to tell our story. i don't know if this changed practices in this store but i sure hope it made a difference somewhere