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

My doctor has worked with me faithfully and suggested I explore WLS. At first I was very unsure I wanted to go in this direction, but then found some friends that were having it and told me to research it. This site has helped convince me.

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

Stay informed: as to when letter is sent to insurance, followup to make sure they received it, even if have to call the doctor's line at insurance company.

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

I looked at www.obesityhelp.com alot before the first consult & jotted down a few questions I had. He was super in answering them.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I have come to the conclusion this is basically the only option left.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My doctor helped with that and is the only procedure the surgeon does.

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?

The risks of complications are low. From what I have read & seen most of complications are self inflicted by not following preop & postop instructions. But time will tell on that.

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 hubby is fine with it, children a little apprehensive, but most are when a parent is sick or has surgery. The only person that was remotely not happy with me having it was my baby sister, but, I kinda sense that maybe she has considered it but never pursued it fully. She needs to lose more than I do & had more severe medical problems that could possibly benefit from the WLS. Time will tell on the support issues.

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 actually better than when I had both my children. The staff in the bariatic unit were outstanding. They seemed to know what you needed before you did and were there to assist. They did not jolt you awake to take vitals, they whispered and were very gently and quiet about it.. I found I really did not need a gown until day I was ready to come home. It was easier to just use the hospital gowns...I was in the hospital 4 days and almost hated to come home the nurses were so great. I did enjoy some scented spritz and lotions etc. and lip balm dont forget your lip balm! Otherwise the hospital provided most of what I needed to be comfortable.

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

Thank the lord, no serious complications, all went very well. They kept me an extra day due to some breathing problems, but, those were resolved quickly.

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 came home on a Thursday evening (halloween)and did fine, the trip was a little rough... tell your driver to slow down for overpasses (the dips hurt). I got nice and comfy in my chair and dozed right off. I spent the next week or 10 days sleeping in a recliner most of time cause was hard to get in and out of bed, and I was unable to get comfortable in bed. The first full day home went well. 2nd day of pureed foods going ok.. 3rd day of pureed, starting to feel a tad peculiar. 4th day of pureed, some vomiting involved.. alot of pain alway to backbone it seems. I called the surgeons office, they advised me to keep drinking. I reverted back to liquid diet for most part and was still in discomfort. Surgeons office told me to come in, they xrayed and did bloodwork. He changed my stomach medicine and sent me back home. The new stomach medicine seemed to do the trick. Surgeon had suspected I was developing an early ulcer. So all is fine... after that..I really did not feel alot of anxiety because the support from the surgeon and his staff were wonderful.

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

The first couple of weeks, I moved around in the house mostly due to bad weather outside. I logged my foods and liquid intake to make sure I was maintaining the required amount of protein intake. I basically took a tiny portion of what family was having for dinner and pureed for me... beats the heck out of baby food... I found it hard to get enough in at first and supplemented with EAS-Myoplex Low-Carb ready to drink shakes.

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

It was only approximately a 40 mile round trip to hospital and back. So there was no affect on my aftercare.

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.

When I arrived home, I was on pureed foods of mostly a bland nature. Which a few days later I ended up returning to liquids due to stomach discomforts. I noticed that I could not tolerate the unsweetened applesauce. Another thing I knew immediately I could not tolerate was unflavored water. I tried propel lemon flavored but that was too sweet. So I have remained with ice tea, decaff coffee and s/f koolaid. I am coming to end of 2nd month post-op, so I am still learning. I found out over Christmas will have to watch close on things with mayo...tried some potato salad and did not agree on the 2nd try. 1st try did ok.. I found once trying solid foods I could tolerate a small portion of a chicken quesadilla, but tonite 12/28 found they did not sit well at all...and did not like taste. My new favorite food in the world is SF Butterscotch pudding made with skim milk. So, I have found it extremely interesting how taste changes, one time something tolerated and the next it is not. Gets a tad frustrating at times. Heaven forbid I become lactose intolerant. I have stayed away from sweets, (as I was told would make me ill). I did have 2 cookies over christmas and did not have ill effects. But that will not be a habit. The first couple of weeks home it was difficult to swallow pills. I have stayed away from diet coke also. To date I am 41 lbs down. Amazing

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

In the days after surgery, just normal do for myself moving around, such as dressing, bathing, fixing my own meals etc. In the weeks after surgery, I gradually built up to more activity such as walking more, even got on treadmill some at the warmup speed. The holidays were coming so I got out more to do the walking.

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

I did 2 months of Flintstones with iron. I also used Myoplex low-carb shakes available from GNC or online from EAS.com My surgeon has me on B-12 shots 1x a month, calcium and vitamins for rest of my life. My regular doctor added Folic acid to that. I am off all meds I took before surgery except for one diabetic pill in morning only. Wooo hooo!

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 have not experienced much of any of these effects.

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

I believe the initial get up after surgery. The effects of anesthesia and morphine together made me dizzy as a loon... But! The worst part was going next day for the upperGI to make sure no leaks... gad that was awful! Then the next worst part for me was the up and down getting out of bed every 2 hrs try to go to bathroom.

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

The hospital and surgeon group has a Gastric Bypass Club that has monthly meetings, clothing exchanges, a nice holiday dinner out. We join for $10 and get a card signed by the surgeon entitling us to eat off kid's or senior menu's in restaurants. I have email addresses and phone numbers for all of the staff including nutritionists, which makes communicating real easy. I think this takes some of the worry out of it, knowing I can contact who I need so easily and get a prompt response.

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

I have 6 tiny ones. The ones higher up seem to have faded away quicker than the lower ones along waist line above belly button. They are still kinda red but only 2 months old... but, healed very nicely once the staples were out. I dont think my skin like the staples much because got sorta red where they were. I am hoping by spring that they will become more skin toned and less new scar redish. I am very pleased I dont have another long ugly scar like my gald bladder one. The scar I got in belly button years ago from tubular i can not see at all. So I am hoping that eventually you cant see them...

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Only thing I notice is I seem to stay the same several days or almost a week and then have a 2-3 lb drop. As for a long term plateau, I have not experienced that yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not yet, except for the ones that know I had the surgery and are estatic I am doing so well.