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

Well, I am an ultrasound technician. About 8 years ago we started to get patients that were being worked up for bariatric surgery. We would do a pelvic and abdominal ultrasound on them to make sure there were no gallstones and they had no "female" problems. These ladies were all young and hell I thought they looked way better than me and I had more weight to lose than they did. Still I was convinced that my insurance would never pay for me to have bariatric surgery. Then my son-in-law had RNY in December of 2004. The weight just melted off. I was so amazed. I decided about April of 2005 that this was the way I wanted to go. I had to do this for my life.

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

I have Tricare. Which is the medical insurance for military dependants. My husband is retired Air Force. There was never any problem with getting approval. It went right through. Now getting approval for all the pre-op testing was a little more difficult. But once we got all the little duckies lined up in a row it was smooth sailing.

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

My first visit with Dr. Mohammed Ali and Dr. William Fuller came the last week of May 2005. The sat and talked to me and wanted to know why I wanted the surgery and what I expected to get out of it. What kind of health problems I had and my medical history to date. They are both very kind and caring men who have dedicated themselves to giving people a tool to help them get out of a miserable state of life.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

We had a cruise in March 2005. It lasted 19 days and was through the Panama Canal. I did not have the best of times. It was so hard for me to just walk the length of the hallway on our deck to get to our room. I would calculate how far I could go before I had to stop and rest. Plus I had a wheelchair and my husband hated pushing me in it. He would be really mean and rough with me and that shamed me. Plus we couldn't go on very many excursions. I just wasn't up to it. Especially if I had to walk far. Then we took the train from the east coast to the west coast and it was horrible. I felt horrible the entire time . I could just barely squeeze down the tiny little hallways. Not to mention trying to fit into the tiny little booths in the dining car. I was just ashamed the entire time. That was the straw that broke the camels back. At my next doctors appointment I told him I wanted bariatric surgery.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I pretty much knew that I was going to be having RNY. At the initial doctor interview they explained that RNY was the "gold standard" for bariatric surgery.

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 didn't have any fears. I had pretty much done all my homework and knew what the risks were. I really felt that if I didn't have the surgery I was going to die an early death. And you know life is just to good to throw it away like that. I wanted a chance to be normal again and I grabbed it with both hands and never looked back.

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 mother in particular was horrified when I informed her of what I was going to do. My husband had seen our son-in-law after his RNY and knew what the amazing results were. He also understood the risks. Basically I didn't care what anyone else thought. I knew what I wanted and decided to do it regardless of what others opinions were. I'm just that kind of person. Now everyone sees the results and are very supportive.

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

I am retired. So employers were no problem. I guess I would have been out of work for about 4 weeks. It really took that long before I felt "together". Being an ultrasound technician is very hard work and I wouldn't have been able to do it before 4 weeks.

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

My stay in the hospital was really just OK. I felt like my nurse was nurse Rachet. I was just across from the desk and the phone drove me NUTS. They forgot to hook up my leg compressors and the doctor chewed thier butts out over that. I could have gotten a blood clot. I stayed two days in the hospital. On the second day I was running a low grade temp. They let me go home on the third day. Most important thing to bring. Lip Balm. You probably won't feel like doing much of anything but sleeping. So no crossword puzzle books, no books, no crafts, no mp3 player. Really I think it's just the after affects of anesthesia, but everyone is different.

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

No I had no complications from the surgery.

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

Immediately after surgery I will say it was a long haul. Hard to walk, hard to get all the liquid protien in, really hard to crush all my meds and take them. Bitter gag, gag, gag. I didn't really feel anxious, but early on I realized that I had lost my best friend.

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

As I mentioned above I had to crush all my medications and I was taking a fair number. Then to choke them all down. Horrible. I did alot of sleeping. Didn't really get back to normal activities till about 2nd week. I still had alot of back back from a protruding disk in my back , so it was hard to walk too. Got to where I absolutely hated the ready to drink Isopure because of the aftertaste. I was so glad when I could start adding regular food back in. Then I discovered that food was no longer my best friend. That was quite a surprise and hard to describe untill you go through it. Let's just say it was a real mental adjustment.

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

We live fifty miles from the hospital. We go into Sacramento regularly so it was not a problem at all.

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.

There is a very strict list of things you can and cannot eat in the weeks following surgery going week by week. The main thing is to try and get 70 grams of protien a day and 64 ounces of fluid a day. With those goals in mind and the dietary week by week restrictions it was quite challenging. Week 1- Liquids only mostly I used Isopure ready to drink It has 40 grams of protien per bottle and is 20 ounces of fluid per bottle. But I swear if I never see another bottle of Isopure I will be happy, it has a really wierd aftertaste. Week 2- You can add in creamy foods. Yogurt with no fruit bits, cottage cheese, cream soups, broth Week 3_ Pureed foods. Baby food, cream cereals Week 4- Finely minced foods including meat, soft vegetables soft (canned) fruits Week 5- Anyway you get the idea Then by two months you can pretty much have anything, but by then you have learned what you can and cannot tolerate. The pouch rules your life. It is necessary to supplement with protien shakes, usually a couple a day at least. Now 18 months out, I really can have anything I want. But usually a couple of bites still fills me up. That's the difference.

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

I felt very slow to recover my energy after surgery. It got better I guess at about week three. But still very limited as you don't want to shake up your insides too much.

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

Centrum Silver Chewables twice a day Vicativ Calcium twice a day till recently Citrical has come out with chewables. Now I take them twice a day. Biotin once a day b-12 sublingual once a 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?

I had really bad diahrrea right after surgery. The office didn't tell me this, but someone else suggested 1/2 an immodium. That worked. It was like my body had to remember how to make poop. Of course some nausea, but I don't think it was that bad. I had some vomiting and dumping, but I can probably count the number of times on two hands. That's not bad. Plus it was not neccessarily immediately after surgery. I usually had myself to blame. Not following the rules. Eating too fast, too much, not chewing well enough. That's MY fault. You just do one day at a time to cope with things. Everyday is a new day and brings different things with it. My hair, Hmmmm well, it got pretty thin on top , but it has gotten better.

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

I think the diarrhea I had right after the surgery was the worst. Oh and the pre op prep to get your bowels really clean. That was pretty horrible.

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

My husband was there for me every step of the way. He took such good care of me. Right after surgery and right up to now. He is always making sure if I've had enough protien, have I had enough to drink. One thing that is weird is he worries that I excercise too much. He's afraid that I will overdo it. Plus I discovered OH. What a blessing and help this website has been. If I had a question there was usually someone out there who has been there and done that.

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

Five tiny little 1/2 inch incisions that I can just barely see now.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had a couple of plateaus, but I don't think they were really bad ones. Really when the scale stops I could usally go to a size smaller clothes so it is a tradeoff. Go buy smaller clothes and a week or so later, the scale starts to move again. Even after 18 months, I am still surprised when the scale drops a pound or even a half pound.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Can I say hell yes!! I don't like it neccessarily because I am still the same person inside. What was I before chopped liver?? I think it's part of the image concept and how first impressions really are lasting. People that I knew before can't believe it. People that I am meeting for the first time can't believe it either, so I had to start carrying a little picture book to prove it!!