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

From my primary care doctor in NJ, Dr Wilczynski ( no that is not s easy as SMITH) I told him I was intrested in it after hearing about Carney Wilson, a couple of weeks later he came up with a name for me and I called him for a consultation. Initially I looked at it as a way to save my life and help me to live again. The hard part was getting fiends and family to understand the need. Not that it mattered because I was detemned to go through with it no matter who said what.

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

I asked the surgeon to send in paper work, and I was informed that I was approved within weeks.

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

I felt like he did not really tell me much, just that I was definitely a candiate, and that this is where the incision would be. Then he handed me prescriptions for an upper GI and an ultrasound of the gallbladder. I was informed I had to acquire medical clearace from my primary, cardiolgist,oncologist, pulmonologist, and hematologist, and I needed psych clearance, and the insertion of a Greenfield filter due to my pulomnary embolism. To get the most out of the visit, I suggest you do some research on your own about the procedure, and ask questions of anything that concerns you both pre and post op.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I wanted to live again.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I ddn't, my doctor did

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 knew that there was potential I could die, I was willing to take that chance. I also felt as though my options were limited, I could either sit around waiting for death or I could beat it and do something to save my life from certain death. MY ADVICE: go in with your eyes wide open and hope for the best, it has to better than how you feel right now. and Post-op do as the doctor orders he has seen both success and failure, and most times failure is not due to his error but the person who had the surgery goes back to their old eating habits, then life becomes worse then before you had the 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?

Before surgery they were concerned and tried to talk me out of it, over time my family saw that I was DETERMINED no matter what and they became more supportive. Ofen times they kept asking if I got the consents, and had the procedures necessary and made the appropriate appointments. Afterward, they called me every day, sometimes several times a day to make sure I was eating, taking my meds, and to see how I was feeling. Post op no one stayed with me, because I live in a condo where everythig is on one floor, and didn;t want anyone to stay with me. I didn;t want to feel like I had to entertain them, and I didn't want the noise of the TV.

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

I am not working, I am on disability.

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

Never really attended a seminar. Just met the MD, saw a psychiatris, set a date, had surgery.

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

I was admitted the day of surgery, was there 5 days, 3 of which were in the CCU. The most important thing to bring is YOU,and a positiv outlook for the future

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

Directly post op was retaining CO2, but that was their problem. Other than that my icision developed 2 open spots after the staples were taken out,but it was dining copious amounts of seroma since I left the hospital. One day after I sneezd developed some bloody drainage, which ended up being from exertion on my abdomen after doing too much around the house.

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 excited and anxious. couldn't believe I had to wait 6 months. But as the date drew near I became more afraid tatI ould die onte table, so I called friends and family and said my good byes, and Love yous just in case.

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

It was dificult, I had pain and could;t sleep in my bed fr the first month. I slept on a recliner. Expect to rest alot,don't do too much lifting or bending.

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

I live in Philadelphia and had my surgery just over the bridge in Camden NJ, distance ws about 1/2 hour.

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.

Initially I could tolerate yogurt, applesauce, tuna pureed, V-8 juice, fruit juices, jello, pudding, cream of wheat,egg salad and some baby foods but not many. I could not tolerate chicken pureed and scrambled eggs. I can now tolerate campbell's chicken noodle soup, crackers, and peanut butter. Present day I can handle most foods, except those with a high fat content or are very greasy.

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

Lots of rest initially, then I did some dancing one night but it took me 3 days to regain my energy back. Now, I can walk about a mile before my feet start to hurt.

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

A chewable Flintstone vitamin daily

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?

Nauseaad vomiting only if I ate too much or too fast. Mld sleep disturbance, dumping only after I ate cream of chicken soup or ensure with no solid food. No hair loss noted.

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

Post op having to wear the c-pap mask over my nose and mouth, my mouth got very dry. I happened to pull out my nasogastric tube in recovery, or else that would have been difficult to handle.

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

At this time the only after care I have is online. My MD is moving to a different hospital in March, he said to wait until then because thathopital was better prepared to offer his patients a support group.

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

My scar is about 6 inches long, for the first 6 weeks it was draining copious amounts of the seroma, an it had 2 openings. Now my incision has an opening at the bottom because a dissolvable suture did not totally dissolve and my MD had to remove it, now I have a small crater in y belly 2cm by 3cm by 5 cm deep, a visiting nurse comes daily to pack the wound.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have maintained my present weight of around 250 for the last 3 years and can't seem to oversome the standstill. I need help figuring out my problem and remedying it, as soon as possible.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No, but people do notice that there is a change in my appearance. My face has thinned out some, and my cloths are getting bigger on me.