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

i was sent for a bariatric surgery consult about 25 years ago but the risks were far too great for my liking. after all the research i have done recently about it i am comfortable with it & the risks involved. i actually am looking forward to having it done so that i can hopefully restore my health.

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

so far my experience seems to be okay because my insurance company will approve anyone who is 100+ lbs overweight. they said i dont need to be pre-approved other than letting them know 48 hours in advance of my impending hospitalization & surgery. bc/bs approved my surgery 2 days after the drs office submitted the request.

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

my first visit with the surgeon was very informative. first visits begin in a group setting with the dr doing all the talking. at the end there is a q&a, but, he answers all the questions when he gives his talk. the second part of the first visit is in an exam room with ur vitals being taken & then an exam by the dr. he tells u at this point if u r a surgery candidate or not. if u r a candidate, his office manager takes 'before' pictures of u after u get dressed, measures u & makes sure all ur paperwork is in order so it can be submitted to the insurance co for approval. she also tells u when u can call her to get ur surgery date as she does the scheduling once a week. if u want to get the very most out of ur first consultation bring a list of questions with u, no matter how foolish they may seem to u. listen & concentrate on what the dr is saying. take someone with u because u tend to be anxious & excited & u might not hear everything.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

all the research i have done has convinced me that the procedure is much safer today than it was 25 years ago. my turning point was when i literally woke up one morning & my first thought was...if i dont do something i am going to die!!!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

dr newhoff does open rny with silastic ring only.

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 no fears. i figure i will die faster from not having the surgery than i will from having it.

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 husband is frightened for me to have the surgery but he understands my feelings & supports my decision. my sister & brotherinlaw feel as my husband does. my oldest son supports my decision 100%. my other 2 children havent been told yet because they are very protective of me & will be very frightened by my decision. i need to have my surgeon consult first so that i am armed with loads of info before i tell them. i recently told my 2 youngest children (26 & 18 yrs) about my decision for wls. my 18 year old was very supportive. my 26 year old wanted to know why i cant just stop eating so much food & lose weight. she recently met a co-worker who had wls & had a long talk with her & now she supports my decision. now that my surgery is only 2 weeks away my children r actually excited for me. march 16 2002 3 months post op & i have lost 54 lbs & 48 3/4 inches. my family keeps telling me how proud of me they r, how great i look & get excited for me every time i tell them my new weight and/or measurements. my husband has started calling me 'skinny' altho i am far from it. lol.

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

my hospital stay was ok. the staff was very nice but i thought a little inefficient. my hubby took more care of me than the staff did. i was there 4 days. i brought preparation h wipes, a long handled spoon for bathroom duty, a list of phone numbers to call people when i felt up to it & a phone card. i didnt need anything else.

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

yes. i have a very bad allergy to tape. bandaids even burn my skin. underneath the steri strips i had a reaction to the adhesive & 4 inches of my incision became infected. i went to my pcp who did a culture of the ooze & he put me on antibiotics that would react on my infection.

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 very very excited about getting my surgery date because i want to be HEALTHY & feel this is my last chance to help myself. i felt & still feel absolutely no anxiety at all. i am confident that god is watching over me & if its my time to go its my time to go. hey! i could cross the street & get hit by a bus right?

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

lots of pain! but i wont give in to it. i move around, make my own meals, sleep whenever i need to & am awake when i dont need to sleep. day 12 my incision is split open slightly & infected. i went to an emergency room & after waiting 2 hours was informed i was not an emergency. i left. i am keeping the incision clean & will call my pcp first thing in the morning on monday. i do feel very good tho. not much pain. still getting into the habit of eating & drinking slowly. i forget sometimes & my new little tummy reminds me.

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

i traveled 5 hours. no problem. i am my pcps first wls patient & he is very supportive & excited about caring for me.

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 cant seem to tolerate anything that has sugar in it. it gives me diarreah. altho the protein drink i make myself with no fat milk & 9 grams of sugar in the milk doesnt bother me at all. go figure. i am on a pureed diet for 6 weeks. its old but it works. i puree everything. i can eat eggs, cottage cheese, gefilte fish, soup, pineapple packed in its own juice, juice drained, canned cling peaches in lite syrup, syrup drained, & shrimps. when i need a tylenol my honey smashes it into small pieces for me. i take flintstones complete but hate the taste of them! ugh. i will introduce a new food every week. poultry & meats will be the very very last. im not crazy about them anyway so i dont miss them. i have switched vitamins to bugs bunny sugar free. much better tasting. eggs seem to be bothering me unless i use them in a cheese omelet. i have tried just egg whites & i think they r the culprit. just kinda sit real heavy in my pouch. i have been eating broiled fish. i also can tolerate met-rx chocolate fudge bars. i can only eat about 1/4 of it at a time tho. but the taste isnt bad at all. 8 weeks post op-i cant eat turkey or beef. they dont go down well at all. 11 weeks post op & i have discovered a great way to get protein from eggs & cheese, a small amount of fat & fruit carbs in. i make a cheese cake recipe from the philadelphia/kraft cream cheese box. i use one block of fat free cream cheese, one block of reg cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup granulated splenda, 6 large fresh-frozen strawberries & one whole banana. i mix it all up with my stick blender & then bake it in cup cake cups so that i can freeze them & still get an individual portion. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...theres nothing like desert for a meal. 6 months post op & i still cant tolerate beef or turkey very well. 11 mos post op & i still have problems with beef so i dont attempt to eat it at all anymore. i do best with shrimp & fish so thats what i stick to. i am able to eat balanced meals now. i eat at least 3 fruits a day & at least 1oz of cheese a day. i eat whatever i want to eat, including an occasional bite of cake, cookie or even my favorite candy.

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

not too bad. i did have to 'force' myself to get up & go, but i did. day 13 finds me moving around very well but i still cant bend to put on my shoes & socks. 8 weeks post op-my energy & activity level r definitely up.

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

flintstones complete. ugh. when i am finished with them i am going to try bugs bunny sugar free. i am now taking the bugs bunny sugar free complete vitamins & i have to say...thank god. they taste pretty good & i can actually chew & swallow them with no problem. 6 months post op & i am taking centrum silver 2x a day. those kids chewables r nasty!!! i am looking into vita4life vitamin products. at 11 mos post op i take a centrum silver, sublingual b12, calcium & magnesium every 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 dump on sugar big time right from day 3. even the smallest amount so i stay away from it. i use splenda & it is a great substitute with no aftertaste most of the substitutes have. i also dump on too much fat. i am glad i dump because it keeps me very disciplined. i cant eat breads but if i toast whole wheat pita bread to a crisp & put pollaner's all fruit on it i have no problems. 11 mos post op & i still have dumping episodes, thank god!

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

the pain

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

i use obesityhelp.com as my support group. its very important because all the members r more or less in the same boat & we can all relate to each other. there r only 2 support groups in las vegas & they r for specific doctor's patients, altho one is open to the public. i am in the midst of starting a support group for people who live here but have gone out of town for their surgeries. i think a support group is very very important because i need to talk to other wls people about how i feel. 8 weeks post op-i attended a support group meeting that i initiated getting started in las vegas for wls patients who went out of town for surgery. there were 7 of us in attendance & it was wonderful to sit around & chat about our surgeries, complications & the challenges & changes in our post op lives.

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

my scar is a foot long. yes its exactly what i was told it would be.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

from week 4 to week 5 i didnt lose any weight but i did lose 11 3/4 inches over all. 2nd plateau week 6-7 but week 8 found me at another 10 lb loss.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

11 mos post op & i notice a big difference in the way i am treated by strangers. i no longer get rude stares, just a cursory glance & they move on. when i eat in public places nobody seems to notice or care what or how much i am eating. in stores, people dont get that 'scared rabbit' look because they r afraid i might get too close & take up their space.