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

I first really started to consider WLS after I saw a magazine article on Carny Wilson. When I was a kid (in about 1974) I had an uncle and 2 cousins who were severly obese and decided to have intestinal bypass surgery which was considered very experimental at that time. One of my cousins (the youngest of four brothers) was very hesitant in having the surgery but after seeing how much weight his father and brother had lost they convinced him it was the thing to do. He started to run a fever after he came home from the hospital and about 2 weeks after surgery he died. The surgeon had left a pin hole in his intestine and bile was leaking into his blood stream. His parents didn't take him back to the hospital right away and by the time they did it was too late. So me deciding to have this surgery was not only tramatic for me but my mother went balistic. It took me 3 years to finally get approved for my first surgery. I say first because in Oct 2001 I had the vertical ring and in Feb 2004 I had a revision RNY. I had 3 long years to research and think about this surgery and still found myself not sure if I were doing the right thing.

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

My first surgery in Oct 2001, vertical ring, I was in the hospital for 4 days. I was supposed to get out in 3 but the day after my surgery all my IV lines dried up and I could no longer take pain medication, except orally (YUCK, rather suffer). I have a terribly high threshold of pain and so it didn't bother me, however it did make my blood pressure shoot up and so they kept me another day to make sure it came back down. My stay was wonderful the nurses at St Vincent in Carmel were awesome. I was walking good and getting along fine. My revision surgery in Feb 2004 was great too. I had better luck with the IV's they lasted 2 days, LOL. I didn't have too much pain with the second either, it also was an open incision. I stayed for 4 days this time also and the staff (if possible) were even better than the first time around. This surgery was also at St V's. Had the same surgeon both times, Margaret Inman,(awesome surgeon and person).

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

Dr Inman had a little trouble with me the second time around. She went in to do the revision and found that my spleen and my liver had adhered themselves to my stomach. Luckily Dr. Huse was with her in surgery she said she had never seen anything like it and was glad he was there to help. He later told me HE had never seen anything like it either. I just started growing scar tissue for no reason and my spleen was wrapped around to the front of my stomach which is way out of place for it. Yes I like to be different!! Well they patched me up and shipped me home and things went along, I was tireder than I remembered being the first time but chalked it up to the extensive problems and settled in for a longer recovery. Things went along but I never actually "felt" any better. I ran a fever about 2 weeks out of 103.3 for about a day. I called the nurse and she said to come back to the ER right away so I did. They ran a blood test on me and found nothing with the exception of a slight elevation in my white cell count which they chalked up to the fact that my spleen was bleeding slightly when she closed me up. But they assured me that everything looked as expected. I went home my fever went back down and I continued. I ran a low grade fever often over the next 5 weeks. I had been having this horrible pain in my back. It was excrutiating and remember, I delivered 2 babies naturally so I can handle my share of pain!! Finally the day before spring break was over I couldn't take it any longer and my husband suggested I sit in our hot tub which I hadn't done since before surgery. I sat in that tub for at least an hour and just let that jet beat against my sore back. It felt wonderful as long as I sat there, but as soon as I got out it was back to pain. The next morning when I got up I realized I had a fever, not the low grade kind I had been running but a real fever. We were in a hurry to get to a basketball game (we coach) so I went and didn't check my fever. By the time we stopped for something to eat I could feel my trunk was really hot, I said we better go home so I can take my temp. When we got home I took my temp and it was 103.8. I called the doctor on call and explained the situation and told her about my first ER visit and she said to go ahead and go to the ER I'm calling for a catscan. I went to the ER and they ran a catscan and found that I had three absesses. One right below my left breast and right behind my ribcage (it held 5oz) and one right behind my belly button (it held 3oz) and one on my spleen that had very little in it. The technician told me he was going to try and drain them with the CT scan and a long needle, which he did. He didn't touch the one on my spleen for fear of nicking my spleen and making me lose it. He said it didn't have enough in it to mess with and it would go away with Antibiotics. I could not beleive the transformation. The day after they were drained I felt as though I could run a marathon!! WOOHOO finally I felt like a person again. The doctor said that because my spleen had been nicked during the revision surgery that old blood had become tainted and formed the absesses and they had grown for 2 months. And most likely me getting in the spa got them all riled up and caused the fever. Thank God I did that because who knows how long I would have continued to feel that way or if they had of ruptured they would have had to open me up again. I felt very lucky to be alive and getting better at this point. By the way I was already well on my way to losing weight, had lost about 60 lbs at this point.

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 great both times but gained weight both times before, "last supper syndrome"!

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

My first few weeks home were difficult to say the least. The first surgery I did start to feel better after about 2 weeks and by 6 weeks I was well on my way and feeling great. But the 2nd surgery well I didn't even start feeling better until after the second hospital stay. Finally after the abcesses were drained I started healing properly and feeling great. And through the grace of God I have gotten better ever since.

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

Not far about 30 minutes 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.

There were many things I couldn't eat after surgery. I didn't tolerate chicken well even after it was in my plan to eat it. I now tolerate most things well. I have noticed that my "dumping" syndrome consists of diarhea and gas the day after. If I eat too much sugar or grease then I "dump".

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

The first surgery my activity level increased every week and I did great but the revision surgery left me weak and with the complications I had my activity didn't start to pick up until after 2 months out and I had my abcesses drained and started to really heal. I now work out at Curves 3-4 times a week and am very active and lovin it!!!

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

CVS Multi w/iron and Viactiv calcium chews and a B12 shot every month.

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?

Hair loss was the worst for me. I thought I would go bald there for a short period of time. Everytime I've ever had a surgery or even when I delivered my kids I lost hair. I only threw up 2 or 3 times with the second surgery and haven't had a great deal of dumping. But have plenty of gas, real rank too!

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

That I had to have it to begin with and that I didn't do it sooner!!

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

I think beyond a shadow of a doubt the very most important thing you can do after this surgery is get on an exercise program! And secondly but just as important is be sure you meet with your dietician and have some support group of some kind. Whether it be the support group meeting most hospitals that do the surgery have or even coming on this site and posting, you will need support from those who know the surgery or have had the surgery, you will have questions.

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

It is about 6-7" long from right below my breast bone to right above my navel. It is what I expected and a small price to pay to have my life back. I had a revision in February and although my doctor could have done it laproscopically she didn't because she had done an open in 2001 on me and so it made no sense to hinder her vision just to not open me up. It turned out to be a good thing after the complications I wrote about previously were found.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I plateaud for the first time at about 8 months out. I mean I had steady weight loss until about the first of Oct and then I stalled big time and for 3 weeks I didn't lose an ounce. I wasn't overeating but I soon realized I was undermoving and so I immediately went out and joined my local Curves. The first month at Curves I lost 21 lbs and so far this month have lost 16 lbs. Moving is the most important part of this process.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Sure people treat you different, but only partially because you look different. It is also partially because you ACT different. Healthier is happier and it's bound to show in your everyday personality and lifestyle.