Angela123

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  • BMI 59.1

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

My battle with weight began after the birth of my children. I just couldn't get the weight off no matter how hard I tried. I went to weight watchers, nutrisystem, you name it, I tried it. I couldn't follow the "diets". I just kept getting bigger and bigger and convincing myself that I wasn't the one doing anything wrong. I would eat small meals and pick all day and night in between but couldn't figure out why I was gaining weight. The meals that I chose to eat were healthy, but the stuff that I was sneaking inbetween is what was killing me. The bigger I got, the more sad I became and the more sad I became, the more I isolated myself from the outside. It was a chore to get out of the house to do anything, I was just too embarassed to go. I was feeling more and more down everytime I though of all the things that I could no longer do which included getting up and down stairs pain free. That is when I finally decided to check into getting surgery.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

For me the worse thing about being overweight is the embarassment. I can't go shopping for clothes without looking for the "fat people" section as I called it with a laugh, hoping to get someone to laugh with me instead of AT me. Just doing the simple everyday things that I had always taken for granted no longer applied to me. I couldn't sit in the dentists waiting room chairs because the handles dug into me and I would feel like I was trapped. Even taking my kids to an amusement park was horrible because I couldn't join them on any of the rides, I wouldn't have fit in the seats. How sad.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

I will update this when I get closer to my goal weight.

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

I was working for a Doctor in my town and a patient of ours had had the surgery a year or so before. I never really had a chance to talk to her about it, but I did mention it to the Dr. and he completely stopped me in my tracks and said he would not recommend me getting this surgery, that I was capable of losing it on my own if I just went to the gym and stopped eating junk. WOW.. if it would be that easy, I must be crazy to think I should get surgery. So I didn't pursue it. About a year later and another 50 pounds on my butt made me decide to look into the surgery anyway. I called my former boss and asked him to send a letter away for me to see if I would qualify. I waited a long time to hear anything back, almost a year and a half, but the ball was finally rolling, I had some serious research to do. My first impression of the surgery before I did my research was fear. Wow, what was I thinking. But a year of reading and talking with countless people who have had it done made me decide to go ahead with the process.

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

Living in Canada makes my experience with insurance a little different. My private insurance through work didn't cover anything to do with bariatric surgery at all, but thankfully Medicare does if you qualify. After meeting with my endocrinologist and going over my history, he decided that I definitetly qualified and sent my request for Medicare approval. At this stage I wanted to get the LapBand procedure but found out that Medicare will not cover the cost of the Band but will pay for the more expensive Bypass, can't say I can understand the logic of that, but I was approved and at this point, I was thrilled. I didn't have to wait that long, 2 months to find out if I was approved and I was approved on the first try.

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

My surgery was scheduled for early afternoon, so I arrived at the hospital for 9 am. I was prepped and ready, the OR nurses came to get me early, which I was glad of because I was starting to get nervous. When I woke up in the intensive care unit, my nurse was there with me and assured me that everything went great and if I wanted my loved ones to come in and see me, she would go out and get them for me. I was very groggy for the rest of that day and can honestly say I slept for most of it. I got out of bed late in the evening to use the washroom (assisted of course). The next day I was informed that I would be staying on in the intensive care unit because there were no other beds, wooo hooo!! private room for free for me. I sipped on fluids for the day and slept quite a bit. Thank god for the self administered morphine drip LOL. Day 2, I was out of bed a couple of times to walk around the halls. Day 3, time to go home. I got a shot of Demerol for the drive home (which is over an hour) and I was on my way. As for bringing things, the only thing I can say that I needed to bring was a book to read before my surgery and my toiletries. I brought jammies and slippers and things, but I never wore them anyway.

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

I had no complications from the surgery to date. I am 7 weeks post op and feeling fabulous. I had trouble with my gallbladder before surgery, and am still having the same trouble now, which means before long, I will have to get the darn thing out. Lets hope it's sooner than later because it is very painful when I have an attack, and NOTHING helps with the pain.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

As soon as I received my surgery date there was a lot of anxiety. Thoughts about how my life was going to change forever, but I kept a positive attitude that this change was going to save my life and give my a new lease. A chance to start all over with a better outlook and an energy I didn't know I had. When I felt scared and worried about the outcome of my surgery, I talked about it. I spent countless hours talking my fiance's ear off about all the things that worried me. I would come to the support boards and talk to others that had this surgery done and they were all so helpful and kept my spirits high.

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

My first few days home from the hospital were not what I expected. While in the hospital, on pain meds, I was feeling great, no pain at all, able to move around quite easily and fearlessly. Then I came home. The day after I got home, my body was tired and it was sore. The pain meds that I was prescribed to take at home did not take the pain away like it did in the hospital. Moving around was difficult as every muscle in my body was sore. I was a lot more anxious as well. I was worried about my staples coming out (which never happened) and I think I tried to do too much. I thought I could come home and jump back into being super mom!!! That didn't happen. I learned my lesson and decided to take the time to heal.

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

The closest bariatric clinic is just over an hour away. I dont' find it too difficult to travel, and usually try to plan a bunch of things to get done on the same day.

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 am only 8 weeks out right now, and I can tolerate pretty much anything but fat and sugar. Meat gives me a hard time as it makes me nauseated to smell it cooking, then I dont' feel like eating it. Anything with cheese on it makes me feel ill as well. I am able to eat any type of potatoes (baked, roasted,mashed...) Fish (white) is easy to eat and my favorite food to date is my homemade vegetable soup. mmm mmm good.

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

After the first 2 weeks, I was able to do pretty much everything I did before the surgery except carry things up and down the stairs. I started to add walking to my daily routine and after my staples came out, I started climbing the stairs in the house like a stairmaster. At 7 weeks post op, I have added Turbo Jam to my daily routine and loving it!!!

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

I am still taking Centrum Forte daily. I will be adding B12 soon.

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 didn't have a lot of side effects. I do have hair loss, but not huge amounts. I slept well, but I did have nausea. The only side effect that I still have is my gallbladder attacks occassionaly.

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

The worse part about the whole bariatric experience for me was the waiting.

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

There is a support group that meets every few months, and there is a schedule to meet with my surgeon. I think it will prove to be very important, not only to keep track of my health, but to be accountable for my weight loss progress.

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

My surgery was done laproscopically, so I have 5 small incisions. Three at the top of my tummy and 2 by my belly button. They are no longer than an inch and a half and to me this is much better than what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Where I am only 8 weeks out, I haven't had any plateau experiences yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No. I didn't expect anyone treat me differently.
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