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

My cousin in N.C. had surgery 6 years ago and it was a success at the time, he lost a couple of hundred of pounds, but has since gained the weight back, so I decided it was NOT FOR ME. Then, my best friends's sister had it 2 years ago and I although I was so proud of her and happy for her, I felt jealous that someone actually was able to overcome something that I had been battling for years, so I decided that I had nothing to lose.

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

My insurance experience was not bad, but I have heard horror stories. My advice is - be persistent, apply for appeals, do not giove up, change insurances, write letters to congress asking them to make insurance company recognize obesity as a problem that can be helped with surgical methods, etc...

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

Before I went in, I wrote a list of the 10 most inmporant questions to me. Also, I had talked to someone who had the surgery so I knind of knew what I wanted to ask. Jot down what you feel is important to you and ASK those questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I knew I was turning 40 in 2 years time and I had a personal goal to NOT be overweight for that birthday. That, coupled with a friend's success of the surgery, made me decide to have it.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Dr. Anez did an exam, he ran pre-op tests, he made the decision on what was best for me and I went with his decision

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?

My worse fear was dying on the table during the surgery, not even waking up from it. First, I never tell people to have the surgery, that is a decision they have to make. But I do tell them that they should get all the facts, ask all the questions that they have fears about.

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 was against it from the word go. My mother said "your cousin had it 6 years ago and he gained all of his weight back", and she figured I would too and my husband said "well, can't you just diet instead." They have no CLUE, they are not overweight! My kids were too young to really comprehend it all.

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

I only told my employer that I needed to go into the hospital for surgery - they thought it was a female thing - so did not question me and I did not tell them any different because I felt this was a private thing for me at the time. I told them I would be out 6 weeks which probably lead them tot he conclusion it was a female thing. I work for the govt., had the leave built up and could afford to take that amount of time off, and unfortunately, my recovery took 8 weeks, but I was able to return to work without any questions asked. Of course, soon after returning to work and I started losing weight, everyone wanted to know my secret and I shared it with people only as they asked and as I gained more self-esteem about myself.

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

I hated my stay in the hospital. It was 5 of the most painful days I have ever had in my life. The nurse told my husband that the first hour after surgery, while in recovery, I pushed the little pain medication button 107 times, so I must have really been in pain. It's all a blur now, but I really hurt. I remember that I had to have someone give me a shower, as I could not even lift my arms above me waist to shampoo my hair. I feared going home after 5 days because I wondered if I could get along by having to step up into a tub, wash my own hair, etc...

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

yes - pulled muscle in my stomach, removal of gall bladder, they had to use some type of forcepts or something on me to open me up because my gall bladder was in such bad shape and then after removal of gall bladder they did surgery, and all of this coupled together made my recovery horrible and long, 8 weeks long

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

After surgery, I had severe leg cramps, I had NO energy, I was tired all the time. I sat in a chair to sleep so I would not pull anything getting out of bed. I did not cope well with anxiety. I would call friends on the phone sometimes to get through the day. I thanked GOD daily for my patient husband who guided me through the whole ordeal. He was my hero.

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

I expected to recover and bounce back in days, wrong. Some people do just that, I was not one of them. I had to rely on my family for care, I was almost an invalid - I needed help eating, washing, grooming, etc...I could do nothing on my own for at least a week or two.

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

I traveled 20 minutes - 20 miles. The drive home from the hospital was rough - but I was medicated.

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 hated the hospital food - I ate virtually nothing while there - everything had to be fixed puree style, or I just ate baby food. (Today, 18 months later, I still buy baby food - but I don't have too, it's my choice, I like the fruits). I found it difficult to get the protein mix down, I could not eat protein foods that I needed, like peanut butter, but a few weeks into this, I could eat eggs and other soft foods that were not blended. Now, I can eat anything (that had NO sugar) as long as I chew it well. For some reason, if I eat things with real sugar (besides natural fruits), I become ill. I am equivilant to a diabetic, which I did not count on.

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

I did very little, it was 3 or 4 weeks before I started getting active as in walking any distance.

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

Every day, I take two chewable Bugs Bunny vitamins complete (sugar free) and I also take 2 chewable zinc and 3 chewable viavtiv calcium tablets. I also get a B-12 shot every month. I have been faithful to this since the surgery, never miss a day of taking my vitamins or B-12 shot.

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 has been terrible and it started immediately after surgery and it is 18 months later and I still hvae hair loss. I had a thick head of hair and now it's thin and brittle. I, fortunately, have a good hair dresser who has helped me select products to add protein to my hair (such as Finess hair care products) and she gives me a monthly protein treatment which helps.

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

recovery - I just did not expect it to take me 8 weeks to recover.

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

I attend the Staples Club meeting on occasion although they meet monthly. In addition, I have the phone number and email address of the nutritionist and fitness expert that holds the meeting and she also works with my surgeon, so I feel I have a lot of channels for advice and guidance when I have a problem or question.

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

It is long, from my breast bone to my navel (plus I have a cut from my navel to my pelvis from two c-section deliveries), so I am cut from opne end to the other. The scar is faded, pinkish, but not deep red and it is a little wider than I hoped. If I wear a blouse, I make sure it meets the top of my pants so the scar is not seen.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have pleateaued about 4 times in 18 months. But when I start to get upset or depressed about it, then it usually seems to change and I start losing again. The pleatueus have been less than a month or at a time.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes - at work, I got a BIG promotion and have traveled to far away countries since having surgery and losing weight. I was never asked to do certain things like overseas travel before. At home, my hubby likes my new looks and friends and family comment all the time about how nice I look. O seem to get invited to more functions now then ever also.