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

I ran across a lady who I had seen a few months before and she had lost so much weight. I had NEVER run across anyone before who had actually lost a lot of weight.

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

I did not have insurance. I had talked to the hospital about setting up payments and they said they would do that and work with me. I also had plans to take out a loan from the bank for the surgery. As it turned out, that was not the case. I was sending payments and within 2 months they sent my account to collection, without even talking to me. I was notified only by the collection firm. Further attempts to talk to the hospital were met with comments like "it wasn't necessary surgery" and when we told them it was, they said from the code of the procedure, they could only go by that and did not have time to review the chart to determine if it was indeed necessary. Everything ended up in a mess, no loan would be available now as our finances deteriorated; culminating in my husband losing his job. We were left with undergoing a debt reorganization which is still in legal limbo and has not been finalized or approved. But creditors, including hospitals, tend to get very nasty these days. What hope is there for people who do not have health insurance?

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

The surgeon was great. He really knows about the surgery and the history of this treatment. He cares about your health first and foremost. Just talk to your doc and ask questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The first time (20 years ago) I had decided I did not want to live the rest of my life being overweight, with discrimination in jobs and absolutely NO social life. I got to the point that I would rather die (as if there were surgery complications) than go through life fat and alone. I think one almost has to be at that desperate point and no that you have tried everything. This time I was suffering some major health problems and did not realize that my esophagus was failing. It seemed better to fix it before it failed than to wait and chance going through a failure and emergency surgery and reconstruction.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Took my doctor's recommendation.

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?

Be sure you really want to have it done. You can also die from other problems related to obesity. You just have to pick which one.

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 was supportive. They were worried a bit I think but they supported me and encouraged me. They were always offering to see if I could eat something. They were a bit worried about my getting enough to eat. After this revision to a Roux-Y they have been sooooooo very glad to see that I can now eat all foods and that is much more healthy than the point I was at.

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

Self-employed, working at medical transcription. I missed only 3-4 days of work. That was only missed because of being tired. I was in the hospital only 2 days.

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

hospital stay was great. The surgical staff on the floor were very helpful. I was able to go home in two days, and this was NOT laparoscopic. Bring something to read if you are not a big TV fan.

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

No complications. This was a revision but not for weight loss reasons but to correct a major esophageal problem, to prevent more major complications down the road.

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 felt good. I just got tired a lot and so I would go lay down for short periods of time. It seemed like a short rest or nap would help many things, being tired, weak, concerned. I also walked every day. That would help make me feel better too.

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

Just tired mostly. I delegated house chores to my family and just concentrated on getting my work done at my job, getting my walking in every day, and any needed rest breaks. My family (including 5 children) were very helpful in doing things. I could not have managed the home without their help.

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

Only 1-1/2 hours away.

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 stayed on liquids for 2 months, longer than most people due to the fact that we were fixing an esophageal problem. My adding foods was very slow and cautious but I did very well and did not have any problems. I can eat foods I have been unable to eat for 10 years now, such as salad, fruit, veg. etc. The only problems I have now are with meat. It seems to stick. So I only can manage very fine ground up hamburger in a casserole or hot dish type meal. Sometimes I have found tender chicken cut up in foods okay, but this has to be very crumbly and tender and I cannot always find that, and it never turns out that way at home. So the only meat I usually eat is a turken bacon product I have found (Louis Rich). I cook it in the microwave and it crumbles up easily. I add that to salad. There is also the Louis Rich Turkey Bologna I have been able to eat but that is the only other meat I have been able to tolerate. But I do not miss meat. There is a Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread that I can eat, it is like a piece of bread has been sliced into 2 pieces, it is that thin, and that works great. Toast seems to be better. But I do have a hard time finding this bread, it seems to be just in certain areas of the country but I have found it is coming more and more to our area, slowly. I can eat fruit now, but not always every day. Some days it still gives me a little trouble. Usually canned ones seem to be easier for me. But I have been enjoying a little watermelon this year. I do get a little gas bloat from that. Apples are a bit tough for me, so I still prefer applesauce, but do eat them in salads if they are cut very fine.

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

I do not attend one as it is 1-1/2 hours away and work schedules and family schedules make it difficult. I think it would be helpful for people just getting started as you need those resources.

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

My scar is as expected. Very large as this was a redo and repair of other issues, a major undertaking but the scar actually was better than I thought it would be.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

In December, I put 10 lb. back on, and cannot seem to get that back off. But my husband says I look better now, so maybe that was 10 lb. lost that needed to be put back on. As long as I maintain my walking and exercising, my weight seems to be stable. But I do find if I miss very many days of my walking, my weight will start inching up a bit. So I try to make my walking a priority and I think one will always have to do that.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. Sometimes it can be annoying, when you realize you are the same person inside but people did not recognize you before. It is sad that we as a culture put so much emphasis on size as we judge people. I am teaching my children to find out what people are like on the inside before they make judgments based on size.