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

My mother had it when I was growing up when it first was introduced into the U.S. then one of my friends/co-workers had it. I liked the results that my mother had because she was able to spend more time with us (my sister) doing more activities.

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

I had learned from my research what the insurance companies were asking for and looking for so I began doing these things on my own so that when it came time to apply the insurance company could not turn my application down because I had done the foot work a head of time.

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

Very informative. He made sure that I was ready and committed to making the changed necessary to be successful.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My insurance would not cover it when the next open enrollment came around. Plus I was just so tired of being "FAT"

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted to have the most impact w/the most wt loss.

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'm a nurse and so I'm more familiar w/what can happen during and after the surgery. My biggest fear was waking up during the surgery and not being able to communicate w/the surgical team that I could feel all they were doing! NO THIS DID NOT HAPPEN but that was my biggest fear. Then have a blood clot in my lungs was my next fear. As far as what I would tell people now. BE HONEST W/YOUR SURGEON AND THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST (the person who puts you to sleep). Tell them if you take sleeping pills how much & how often, pain medication how much & how often; drink ANY alcohol how much & how often; illegal drug use how much & how often. Being put to sleep is serious and if your not honest you may not be put under as deeply or put under too deep and my not wake up. A lot of people don't realize how IMPORTANT this honesty is!!!

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?

All my friends and family have and are supportive. I've not had any negative reactions from my decision. Even if I did I would have gone through w/this as it's not about them it's about ME!

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

Being in the health care profession it's very important that we support a healthy lifestyle. My employer was very supportive and even had yoga classes in place for all employees. My employer had many healthy lifestyle programs for employees who wanted to use or take advantage of them.

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

I didn't attend one.

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

I can't remember how long I was there but what I do remember was the staff was wonderful. They were not used to caring for bariatric patients since the surgeon was a general surgeon and he only had done a few surgeries at that hospital. One important thing to bring is loose fitting cloths. I had the open RNY and the clothes I had were a bit too tight due to swelling so it caught on my staples.

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

The one complication I had was I didn't feel full to begin with so I was able to eat everything and a lot of it. I later found out that was due to the healing process and the nerves in my new pouch were not healed yet so they were not able to respond to the "full" response to send the message to my brain. I didn't even throw up when I over ate. A few weeks after the healing process began I was able to eat smaller portions and began to have that "full" response feeling.

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 wonderful yet terrified. I researched for a long time and did a lot of testing in preparation for the surgery that when it came down to the wire I was terrified. Mostly of waking up during the surgery or being only half asleep and feeling every thing and not being able to tell anyone. I ate a lot during this time too.

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

The most prominent thing I remember is the pain when I tried to lay in a flat position. I could not sleep in my bed for weeks! I slept in a recliner/rocker. I had 2 drain tubes (J-Tubes) that I had to empty several times a day for 2 weeks. People will feel sore and hurt. It will be painful to laugh, cough, do anything with your stomach muscles including getting up/down from any position. Again the one thing to remember my surgery was an open RNY.

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

My surgery was done at a local hospital. Didn't have to travel far 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.

At first I didn't have trouble eating anything. But over time as my pouch healed it because apparent I couldn't eat raw carrots, of course carbonated drinks (burned like the dickens). Eventually I've been able to eat and drink anything once again. Just have to remember to chew VERY well or the food & drink will get "stuck" yes liquids do get stuck-air pocket will cause the blockage.

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

Equate version of Flintstones vitamin

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?

Hair loss and dumping are the most common things that I've experienced most. I can't vomit it just won't come up. It's an awful feeling. Making the right food choices; eating slowly; chew, chew, chew!

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

The worst part: I don't know. My process has been pretty much problem free.

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

I had a lot of family support. My husband and girls are very supportive. Even though I'm not married any longer he is still supportive and so are my girls. We've all moved since the surgery but those I come in contact with and I share my story have all been supportive. Even my current boyfriend has jumped on board though he is a rail and can eat ANYTHING!

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

My scar has faded but it's still long and visible. It's stretched. No it's not necessarily what I expected. I expected a scar and it to be faded but I didn't expect it to stretch as wide as it has.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

There will always be plateau's. Once the wt has been lost you are to remain at a plateau for the rest of your life. The problem w/plateau's is you get comfortable once you've lost the weight and begin to "try" the old things and find "hey! a little won't hurt. I can do this and nothing will happen". The old ways will creep back in and before you know it you've put on weight and if you don't work out it will happen faster.