Terrie P.

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Obesity & Me

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

BC (before children) I grew up athletic and loved sports, running, walking or riding my bicycle were my favorite passtimes. I climbed trees, rode horses, competed in baseball games, could eat anything without gaining weight. THEN AC (after children) what an immediate change, couldn't eat anything without gaining weight, pain everywhere (fibramalgia), became diabetic, lost 50 lbs gained 85 lbs, lost 85 lbs gained 100 lbs! Tried every diet ever advertised or MD recommended diet pill or over the counter diet pills, or drinking tons of H2O and eating salads before eating a meal, BUT I ALWAYS FELT HUNGRY! Unless I ate and ate and ate!

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

Not being able to do anything about it that worked for very long! And the very worst was I could not handle the looks from others when I would forget I was soo very fat and would reflect on my love of a sport or that I used to ride my bicycle to and from college (over 50 miles a day) and how I wished I could get back into riding again. Then I realize from the looks of horror and disbelief that again I had forgotten, I needed to look down at my size and admit I was not able to run and play anymore! Other peoples looks are very long lasting and hurtful especially when unless I was in front of the mirror or trying on clothes I would stupidly forget I was so fat because all I feel are the painful insides not the fluffy outside!

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

CLOTHES THAT FIT! Outfits I could never wear with belts! Being able to reach my FEET! I can ride a bicycle again, go shopping and walking without my knees killing me.

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

Several people in I met in 2005-2007 had surgery or was involved in trying to get approved to have surgery and then my sister went through a year plus of testing and insurance requirements to have her surgery in December 2007 so I didn't think I would qualify but I became brave enough to contact my insurance and found out it was a benefit if medically necessary.

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

Blue Cross was wonderful. The first letter submitted by the hospital, the nice insurance lady that called just asked why I wanted the surgery. I said because I did not want to have diabetes anymore and she said Blue Cross WLS success rate was 88-91% for getting rid of diabetes, 85% success rate for high blood pressure medications, so she said YES I WAS APPROVED right then.

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

The hospital was noisy. My roommate was non-English speaking, very loud with lots of visitors and I could not rest. I was glad to go home.

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

No. Everything has been easy. I was prepared for the worst but everything was not as bad as expected.

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

JAZZED! I DREAMED OF GETTING BACK TO MY COLLEGE WEIGHT! I had already been practicing low-fat, no sugar but was having a problem with portion size.

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

I slept alot at first. I would go through spirts of energy and then no energy. The pain was controled but the meds made me more tired.

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

I do not have any group program in my area.

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

The scars are little tiny marks now. You can not hardly see them.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I only had a few short plateaus. Where I would be the exact same weight every day for four or five days and then all of the sudden I would loose another 3-6 lbs.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. Strangers are starting to smile when we meet again. Even other women will smile and say hello. When I was fat then did not even see me. They would look down to avoid looking at me.
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