Carlos P.

Obesity & Me

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

I was trained by my parents to eat all that was on my plate and that there were crappy foods (i.e. healthy) and delicious foods (i.e. junk). The delicious foods were used as a reward and when I left home I went "hog wild" on them, as I could eat as much as I wanted of the delicious foods.

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

Not "fitting in", figuratively and litterally. Normal people have a hard time accepting you and everything is made for these same people.

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

To be continued as I am only 1 week post-op.

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

My bariatric doctor strongly recommended the surgery to me, as I was nearing middle age and had yet to develop serious complications, and he did not want me to. I was not convinced at the time and it took me nearly 3 years to decide.

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

I accepted my bariatric doctor's advice and he arranged for the surgery. Approval in my case was quick, but I had tried several supervised diets previously and I had a very high BMI.

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

I stayed overnight at the hospital after my RNY gastric bypass. The most important thing to have is someone with you for support - Luckily I had my wife.

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

I had bloody stool for the first half dozen times. The surgeon kept me under observation for an extra day and time cleared the problem.

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 the date approached for the surgery and I put my affairs in order (just in case), I became more and more at peace with any eventual outcome. I was real lucky to have tremendous support.

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

To be continued as I am only on week 1 post-op.

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

To be continued as I am only 1 week post-op.

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

The scars for the laproscopic procedure are very small and look no worse than other skin blemishes or, in my case, stretch lines.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

To be continued as I am only 1 week post-op.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

To be continued as I am only 1 week post-op.
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