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

Oops guess I covered part of that in question one....Carnie Wilson. I thought "WOW! When and where do I get that done???", but I was afraid of what the long term consequences were....still am kinda.

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

It was surprisingly quick!!! I had written approval within three weeks!

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

He covered a lot. A lot of statistics. Statistics that sounded great but I learned later were very far off. You name the complication I think I've had it!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

It was something I had considered for YEARS! It was time.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I liked the "limitations" that the open RNY left you with (intolerence of sugar and such), I didn't want to have the lapband and then fail.

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 didn't. Not at first. But by my third surgery I was terrified! Still am. I am due for a hernia repair soon and scared to death!

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 friend Dee didn't want me to do it. She had friends that did and was scared for my safety. My family was worried about complications and such. My other friends were very supportive.

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

The staff at Barix is the greatest. I was there initially for 4 nights, they kept me an extra night because the doctor didnt feel I was quite ready to go yet, the bowels weren't working as well as he would have liked. I went home Monday afternoon and was readmitted around 6am the following morning and sent right down for a second surgery. I spent another 10 days in the hospital before finally being released.

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

Yes. Needed to have a second surgery to correct the connection to the "old" stomach. I couldn't keep any food OR water down. I was in lots of pain and was so uncomfortable even sitting. I couldn't get into a comfy position on my sofa, floor or bed. I ended up with a VERY high fever and went back in to meet the doctor and after a few xrays he told me the "wonderful" news....I had to have a second surgery :( The next 10 days I had a tube stuck out of my stomach that went into my "old" stomach that they would drain the bile from because my body wasn't naturally processing anything correct.

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

THe first few weeks were horrible really, now that I look back. I was miserable with the "food" choices I had. Pureed foods were just NASTY. Not the taste...but the consistancy...horrible. Soft foods were better, but SO darn boring!!! I had a tube stuck out of my stomach for another two weeks after I got home, that made sleeping very unconfortable. I honestly didn't have much incision pain, my pain pills were only used at night to help me sleep because I was SO uncomfortable. I really started to wonder "WHAT HAVE I DONE????!!!!!" But, now....now is SO much better!!!

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

SORE! Hated pureed food! Was very very tired.

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

Was about 40 miles from my house originally. Now I'm about a hundred miles away, which was a real pain for my husband when I had to go in for my third surgery.

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.

Almost anything, in small amounts. But, still have problems with sugar.

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

The complications and long stay in the hospital.

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

I haven't. I want to, I hope to someday, but it is SO far away and the traffic I have to go through to get there is a nightmare.

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

It's ugly. But, I honestly don't hate it. In some sick kinda way I love it. It reminds me of what I've done to get to where I am and where I am still going. I don't ever want to do anything to risk that.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I haven't yet....I'm dreading it happening.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes...I'm still "huge" LOL....but on my morning WaWa stops for fruit and egg for breakfast and morning snack I get "Good Morning"'s and "Hi"'s and the door gets held open for me.