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

The first bariatric surgery I ever heard of was from a friend who had had the old intestinal bypass back in the 70's. She lost a TON of weight, but had lots of intestinal problems and later developed all kinds of problems with vitamin absorption, etc. Thank God that later I met a co-worker who had a stomach staple in the late 1990's, and she did extremely well. She felt good, started feeling good about herself and was just an inspiration to me. I began studying everything I could find on WLS at that time and I knew that WLS was what I would have to do to lose the weight for once and for all.

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

Document EVERYTHING and make sure your PCP does the same. Be persistent but do follow your insurer's guidelines.

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

My surgeon was very informative, very impressive with his skill level and I really liked him at once. His staff has made the entire journey bearable, even during the denials by the insurance company. Ask questions - a good surgeon will tell you the good along with the bad.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

After much research into WLS and meeting more and more people who had had WLS, I knew it was what I would have to do to lose the weight permanently. In addition, the birth of my beautiful granddaughter in March 2003 convinced me that I wanted to live to see her grow up into a beautiful woman and I wanted to be able to share her life with her - to be able to run and play with her and be there for her when she may need me.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Since the RNY has both malabsorptive and restrictive benefits, it was the best for me. (and my insurance company will only pay for RNY or VBG)

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 have fears, but you pray about things and you will get answers. I know this is the thing I am supposed to do. Besides, no one knows when their time to die is going to be and you might as well be as healthy as you can while you are living. God will answer you if you ask.

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 family is very supportive because they've seen me struggle so hard with the weight.

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

My supervisor is a gem and very supportive of my decision. I told her that I had researched WLS for quite some time and I know it will be the best thing for me to get healthier.

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

I was in the hospital for 4 days. The staff was wonderful! They all were very knowledgeable about the surgery and its side-effects, what I needed to "eat", etc. Everyone was very wonderful and had wonderful attitudes. The most important thing to bring is a brush, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a pair of slippers and a good attitude.

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

Absolutely no complications at all! The surgery went very well and I have had no problems since.

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 feel wonderful and haven't regretted the surgery for a moment. I look at the surgery date as the first day of my new life. I have had no problems and I know it is because of the many prayers that were said for me and having a positive attitude about the surgery. The surgery won't make everything "perfect", it won't change the person I am, but it will make me feel better - and it already is!

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

I was a bit sore the first few days but that's a lot better now. I never had the pain killers filled that my doc sent home with me. I have only taken 2 Tylenol once to help me sleep. Walk, rest, and make sure you eat what and when your nutritionist told you to. It's really not that hard. My husband has helped me by reminding me that it's time to drink something or "eat" something - he's been wonderful.

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

I only had to travel about 10 miles and the hospital is just up the turnpike from my house so the ride was smooth.

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.

I haven't had any problems with any food yet. I chew for a long time and eat very slowly. I have been able to eat chicken, a piece of beef enchilada, and a small piece of sliced turkey besides the "soft" foods that we are allowed. 12/2003 - learned not to eat hamburger with white bread. (see the complete "details" below! LOL 01/29/04 - learned not to eat McDonald's filet-o-fish, even without bread. They must put breading or something in the fish patty itself because I felt the same pain when I had the bread blockage, but luckily I only ate about 1/2 teaspoon of the fish patty and was able to throw up. 01/17/04 - still not eating white bread! LOL. I have eaten tamales, green chile, refried beans - pretty much anything I want to, just small amounts. Sometimes food tastes good one evening and the left-overs just aren't that tasty the next day, but other than that, I find that I can eat whatever I want. 04/2004 - still learning what to eat and what is hard to digest. I cannot eat ground beef patties in any way, shape or form. Baked chicken takes a long time to digest but oven fried and boiled chicken are ok. I have concluded that it has something to do with the texture of the meat when it's baked vs. fried or boiled. I still do not eat white bread, but have been able to eat multi grain muffins with no problems. Cheese digests well, and it has calcium and protein in it. I found that I no longer like some things that I "loved" prior to WLS. I tried to eat gyro meat recently and almost gagged on the first bite. It's strange to find out that we don't like things that we used to eat regularly and that some foods taste good one day, but the left-overs are absolutely intolerable. Maybe it's because we now have to eat slowly and savor every bite - I don't know. 01/06 - Still learning about personal tastes in food. Ground beef still gives me grief unless it's a hand-made hamburger patty. I cannot eat pre-formed hamburger patties to this day. And still at times something that tastes good today is "yucky" tomorrow - an ongoing process, I guess. It's a fascinating journey, however. I have stabilized at between 161 and 167 pounds and am perfectly happy with this weight range. I am now wearing size 8-10, depending on style, manufacturer, or design of the clothing. My feet have shrunk from a 9 1/2 or 10 to a 7 1/2 -8 (heels). A most amazing journey with still absolutely no regrets at all.

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

The first few days were a bit tedious because the staples were uncomfortable but that got better after about 10 days and I'm getting around fairly well now. I went to the store last weekend and walked around with my hubby while we did some grocery shopping. 01/04 - my energy and stamina are coming back slowly but surely. I feel 200% better than before the surgery!

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

Multi vitamins and calcium. 12/03 - my surgeon had me start taking sublingual B-12 (which is disgusting, but we do what we have to do. LOL) If anyone has ever had the 5-hour glucose tolerance test, the liquid sublingual B-12 tastes rather like the orange syrup they give you to drink for the glucose test. (yuck) 04/2004 - my surgeon added an iron tablet to my daily regiment and it's small and strawberry flavored. My labs are still fine and everything looks good. 01/2006 - still a multivitamin, citracal, iron and B-complex. :-)

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?

So far I've had absolutely no side-effects. I accidentally drank some fruit punch before I realized it had sugar in it but nothing bad happened. December 2003 - I just spent yesterday evening in the ER having a esophagogastroduodenoscopy. In other words, I ate 2 bites of hamburger and the bread wrapped around the meat and got stuck in my outlet, and a GI doctor had to go in and remove the blockage. It was the most miserable feeling I've ever had. I ate the burger at 10 pm on Thursday evening and noticed I had indigestion all night and couldn't eat or drink anything Friday. I went to work at 2 pm, but by this time it was really hurting. My sister took me to the ER and by the time I got into the exam room I couldn't even swallow my own saliva! I finally threw up in the X-ray room, which relieved some of the pressure in my pouch and made breathing easier, but it still hurt. Finally they took me to outpatient treatment and put me to sleep and removed the blockage. I will never eat white bread with meat again. It makes bread balls in your stomach and believe me, it hurts terribly when nothing will come up or go down in your digestive tract. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, the pain got to around 9 before they did the procedure. The pain was worse than the pain after surgery! It was absolutely awful!!!! Now I have to go back on soft foods for a few days until I see my surgeon next week with the pictures the GI doctor took during the procedure. Luckily, this was the only "bad" thing that has happened and up until this everything has been picture-perfect. (Just say "no" to white bread!) :-) I still have no regrets and would do it all over again.

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

The G-tube which comes out tomorrow - 3 weeks after surgery.

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

I haven't been to any support groups because I work second shift and the support group meets during my work hours. I have emailed and chatted with many people on the obesity help.com chat site and that helps me a lot.

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

The scar is pretty long, but I expected that. The little round scar where the G-tube stayed in is really ugly but who cares? The weight loss and better health are what matters - not a little scar! :-) December 26, 2003 - the scars are looking much better. I feel so much better already so the scar is just a reminder of what it took to make me better.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

No plateaus, but I have experienced a very minimal bit of hair loss this past week. Mind you it's ok because I have tons of hair which usually has to be thinned when I have it cut, so I don't really notice it that much. Will keep you posted when and if plateaus occur. 6 months post-op: Hit a small plateau for two weeks but my surgeon assured me it was normal. I have also been exercising more which I know builds muscle which weighs more than fat. I just feel so good! I have energy like I don't remember having before. I would do this all over again - absolutely no regrets.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES!!! I notice that I'm not "invisible" anymore (although you'd think that at almost 300 pounds I would've been visible to anyone around)!!! LOL. Gentlemen open doors for me now, people talk to me more, and treat me differently - with more respect and like I'm a real person with feelings. I really don't like that society is this way, but at least I don't feel like I'm being ignored like I was before WLS. 6 months post-op: I still notice people acting differently than before I had surgery. It amazes me now that men can't wait to open a door for me when before the surgery, they would just walk by and let themselves in the door and let it close on me. I don't know why this is so fascinating to me, but it is. How could they not see me at 300 pounds but at 203 I'm very visible???