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Obesity & Me

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

Endless diets over the last 40 years. I can lose weight but cannot keep it off. I had finally gotten to the point of not even being able to make myself diet anymore because I knew I would fail at some point. I had thought about bariatric surgery for years and finally decided to do it.

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

Everything. Shortness of breath, sore joints, esp knees, hips and feet. Couldn't fit in a lot of chairs, which is embarassing. The list is endless.

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

Everything is easier now. I can run up and down stairs, I can mow the lawn for hours, I can work in the garden endlessly. And my favorite thing-shopping! It is so nice to be able to just buy clothing right off the rack in any store and have it fit.

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

I work in a hospital and new about the bariatric program here, which is excellent. I signed up to attend one of the info seminars and was very impressed with how thorough the program was.

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

I had to change jobs to get coverage because my husband's insurance wouldn't cover WLS. It took few months of completing all the required tests and paperwork, but approval wasn't a problem. You do what you have to to get this end result-never give up.

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

I had the Duodenal Switch done laparoscopically and was in for 3 days. The stay is less for some of the other procedures. Bring your own pillow from home as you will want it in the car on the way home to help brace your belly incisions. PLEASE try to find a surgeon that does the procedure laparoscopically, which most do now. There is no excuse for still doing open procedures other than a lack of skill on the surgeon's part and not updating themselves to learn this surgical method.

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

NO

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 only had 10 days as they put me in a slot where they had a cancellation, so I didn't have much time to worry. I was more excited than worried by this point.

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

Take your pain meds the first week or so-no need to be miserable. Learning to eat again was the biggest adjustment and was more difficult than I thought it would be. Just be patient, things will get better as time goes by.

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

About 40 miles.

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.

Started out with full liquids. All of my food for the first couple of weeks was provided by the surgeon's office. Mostly protein soups and drinks and bars. I found food smells really bothered me a lot at first-I couldn't even go near a grocery deli as the smell would make me gag. This improved a lot, but has not gone away entirely even now at almost 2 years out. I can now eat almost anything except deep fried foods, but in much smaller amounts. I eat a lot of meat and veggies and whole grain breads, as well as fats.

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

Started out with short walks of maybe 10 minutes 3 or 4 times a day and worked my way up to a couple of miles after a few months. I love to work outdoors, but really hate to exercise and still don't do it as much as I should. But I am very active in other ways.

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

I take a prenatal vitamin daily as well as 50 K of dry D, 50 K of dry A, 400 of dry E and 500 of dry K. Also iron supplement and magnesium as well as calcium citrate 1000 mg. Twice a week I take a B 100 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?

I still occasionally will vomit, but it is usually because I ate too fast or ate something I shouldn't have eaten. I had hair loss at about 4 months out and it lasted for about 2 or 3 months. I took biotin and zinc to help with regrowth and it is no longer a problem.

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

The misery of not being able to eat without major discomfort for so many months. I had not expected this much difficulty, but it eventually resolved, and now I am fine as long as I am careful not to eat too much or too fast. A small price to pay for finally being thin.

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

My surgeon's office has a surgical support group that meets twice a month. It was very helpful to me the first year.

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

I had a laparoscopic procedure so only have tiny scars that are hardly visible any more.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I never had an extended plateau, but did have times where I would not lose for a couple of weeks. I did not allow myself to weigh more than once a week. It is very easy to get scale obsessed after this, and normal weight fluctuations will get to you if you weigh every day.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, I think people do treat me better now. I never really noticed it before, but people tend to avoid obese people in certain situations.
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