Timothy S.

Obesity & Me

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

It was an up and down battle for years and know i see a light at the end of the tunnel.

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

A lot of factors such as clothing, teasing, walking and sitting in places i could not fit in.

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

Too numerous to mention in this forum.

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

Back in 1999 a friend of mine had bariatric surgery in Washington state and i could see myself do that in the future.

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

I was there for three days. Remember this was back in 2002.

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

Just little plateaus that we all go through and dealing with the ignorance of so many others not educating themselves about Gastric Bypass, especially in the realms of employment.

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 was anxious.

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

Have a support system in place with your family and close friends because it is so necessary.

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

It was around 180 miles each way.

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.

Things like a tough cuts of meat have to tenderized or pulverized and chewed slowly. Watch yourself for sugar content, some things you do not realize have sugar in them will come back to bite you!LOL

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

It gradually increased over the months and years post-op.

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

Chewables, it still is what i do this day.

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?

Nothing major.

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

A short delay that was caused by my hometown hospital for some blood work.

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

The Tucson Weight Loss Support group, which i attended for the first year. Then after mu life got so busy, i stop going their becasue of the distance factor and the strength of the support i have from other people closer to me.

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

My scar is basically gone, not musch in the way of a trace of evidence.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really, they are just able to notice the new me more and more over the years.
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Before & After
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before photo after photo

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