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

I had a friend that had it done....at first apprehensive, now I want that life change for myself.

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

Don't give up, it is worth the struggle because you are worth it! Be deligent in all your efforts, keep good records, i.e., dates and time of all you speak to, copies of any records and letters. Make friends with your primary care physician's staff, they are your front runners with the insurance company. Get as many doctors on your side as you can. I had letters of endorsements from my GYN and knee surgeon as well as my primary care physician.

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

I was glad to be there, Dr. Sooriash was stern and disaplined, yet personable. I went in parpared, had my letters from all my physicians, as well as my weight loss card from weight watcher. He wanted to know why did I think I could do this....losing weight has never been a problem for me, keeping it off was the downfall. I was at the end of my rope and was willing to do what ever it takes to achieve a healthier life style.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I want a life chage. I want a LIFE!!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon has made that decision as well as my insurance.

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?

We cannot live in fear of life or death, we can no longer hide behind food, it is slowly killing us. I know that God is good and all the doors have opened for me to have this surgery....so, a positive attitude is your best defense.

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 of course are worried, but want me to be happy so they stand in support of my decision.

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

My boss has been the best, she is not only my employer but one of my best friends.

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

I had my surgery on the morning of the 21st of November, 2002. It was a rough start as they could not get my IV started, which is a norm for me! I was rolled into the operating room fully awake and put down with gas, which is not the best way to go, but all in all it worked out OK. I came home on the 23rd of November, 2002, was doing excellant or so I am told. I really wanted to stay another day, but Dr. Sooriash felt I was good to go. The most important thing to bring is a good attitude and someone to stay with you. Hospital care "sucks", I had someone there with me the whole time and beleive me that makes a difference.

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

none so far

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

In the weeks (three so far) following my surgery have been better than I anticipated. I have had major surgery in the past and knew some of what to expect, but this time has been different as I think I have bounced back a little faster. The only thing that has been a constant is I get tired pretty quick. My primary care physician decided to put me on Foltx (B12 complex), I will take my first dose tonight(12.11.02), I hope it helps with the fatigue. As far as anxiety, the only concern of late has been dealing with constipation, I decided to use a liquid glycerian made by Fleet and that has helped as well as taking Peri=Colace. This is not something I had to deal with prior to surgery, so I hope it will straigthen itself out soon. Drink lots of fluids!!!

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

I find it hard to drink enough but making an attempt to improve. My first few days home were a blur, I am sure do to the drugs. The best thing is there is no hunger, only in the mind. I am on my third week of full liquids and will remain on this for another 10 to 14 days, then Dr. Sooriash recommends I start a regular diet. Do all that you can do, I started walking within two hours of being in my hospital room and continued to move and walk as much as possible after coming home.

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

I only had to travel across town, so it was no hardship 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.

Frist two weeks I was on clear liquids and graduated to full liquids in my third. So far I have found no foods that did not agree with me. I have yet to experience any nausea and hope I don't. Sometimes I do have a little pain in my chest, maybe when I drink too fast or when I first drink or eat, by eating I mean cream soup, or yogurt...

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

Walking, started driving my car in ten days. Plan to return to work on 12.16.02

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?

Nausia only came for a very short time, I started on Previcid within 6 weeks of surgery and have been taking it ever since (14 months post op). I do experience dumping if I eat a large amount of surgar, it is a terrible experience, I break out in a sweat, have increased heart palpitations, I get disoriented and weak feeling all over, it is the worse feeling I can imagine. It is funny, I have just begun to realize that that is the problem, we are such food addicts! I have very loose bowels on a regular basis, usually ever 6 to 8 weeks. It sucks, we are talking can't hardly make it to the potty stuff! I take Lomotil (only during the occurance) and have just begun taking Fiber-Con everyday to help with the problem. I saw a gastro specialist and he recommended I come off some of the medications I take, stay away from sugar and milk products. I tried coming off the meds, some I just can't live without, my Previcid being one of them. The hardist part of all the side effects was loosing my hair. Before surgery I had hair down to the middle of my butt, being a past hair stylist I knew how to take care of it in a proper way, so it was very healthy and beautiful. About 6 months out it began to fall out, I mean really fall out. I was almost bald on top (I had a short bang section), everytime I looked in the mirror I was just devastated, but I kept telling myself that I knew this could happen, we trade one thing for another at times in our life and I was gaining a healthy body in return. I finally went to my favorite hair stylist, she took one look at my hair and asked if I had had cancer, yes it was that bad. So, we went with a short sassy style. I am 14 months post op and it is now beginning to come back in. I will probably never had it that long again, I am getting a little old (46) to be wearing hair past my waste! God was right whe He said that a womans hair is her crown and glory....I felt the loss for awhile.

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

So far my hair loss.

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

Dr. Sooriash has started a support group, we meet once a month in one of the class rooms at Memorial hospital. Our next meeting is 1/15/03 starting at 6pm.

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

11/23/03 My scar is relly not bad, the loose skin makes it indent, but the bright color is fading with each passing day, actually it is very light these days. My scar is approximately 8 inches long, running from my breast bone to about 1 inch above my belly button. Dr. Sooriash did an excellent closure, my scare is tiny and has healed very well. 07/25/03 - My scar is looking very well, it is beginning to fade in color from pretty red to pale pink. I have now lost 105lbs and it has a few wrinkles!!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

11/23/03 I have ben holding at 148lbs for weeks now...not a comfortable spot for me. I still want to lose more, my husband tells me to throw the scales out the window, stop weighing, get on with life...but not something I can do. I hope this holding patteren is a passing thing... None so far as of 07/25/03...I still seem to be loosing on the average of 2 1/2 lbs per week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I notice that people do take notice, expecially the ones that have seen the weight come off. I of course feel better about myself and it comes with a certain attitude and people notice that....positive is contagious!