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

My sister had this surgery 20 years ago. Her surgery failed. She never went back to the doctor, and she also did not research this, obviously as she would eat cakes, cookies, etc. She thought she could eat anything, anytime. She lost 50 pounds and failed. She probably weighs about 300 now. Approximately 4 years ago, she had a case of colon cancer. She had 12 inches removed from her colon along with quite a large tumor. She is fine today, however, when the surgeon opened her up, he found that the doctor who did her weight loss surgery had routed her colon to the top of her new stomach, not her intestine. He rerouted her backwards! How she managed to live that long like that, obviously was God's work. She was blessed! I had a stroke in Jan. and this is what prompted me to look into weight loss surgery. A friend had it done at Christmas and she looked and felt great, so I decided it was time to start considering it.

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

My primary approved immediately, my secondary made me have a psych analysis. I suppose this is a good thing, but the insurance companies need to screen their providers better. Mine was totally against the surgery and cost me $380.00 and failed me anyway. I ended up going to another doctor. I reported this doctor/psychologist to both insurance companies. I did NOT have to pay the bill!

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

Very informative, direct and to the point. I was told how, what, when, and why things would be done. I was sent for a gallbladder ultra sound amongst other pre-op testing.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My overall health. I got tired of being sick and tired and could barely lift my own weight anymore. I couldn't breath because I was so fat. The stroke made me make up my mind.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The open roux en y I feel, is the safest type and I knew people that had seen my doctor for this and I trust what they tell me. I am very confident in my doctor.

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 biggest fears are having to throw up or having diahrea or getting too thin.

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 daughter is 100% for it, my son was ok but not thrilled, my husband is afraid of the surgery. My friends, that was typical, some pro some con.

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

She didn't have any problems with it. She is a big woman also. I told the truth, I was having gastric bypass to lose weight and to get my hiatial hernia fixed. As far as work goes, my surgery is scheduled 4 days from now. My work approved up to 12 weeks of FMLA (Family Medical Leave)

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

I was in for surgery on Monday morning. I had a little delay as my surgeon had problems with the person before me. I did not have any drainage tubes, nor was I sent to ICU. I went right to recovery and was only there about 2-3 hours. Then to my room. I was up around 10 p.m. that evening going to the bathroom and walking with a nurses aide. I did very well. The nurses and aides were very good. I brought things to the hospital that I never used, however, I did forget to bring my lip balm. The hospital provided that for me and it was a good thing. My lips were VERY dry and cracked. I was released on Wed morning.

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

The only complications I had was a small spot on my incision that would not close up. I washed it with soap and water, then put peroxide on it, and used a bandaide to pull the skin together. I did that each day for about a week and it finally healed. I also applied Bactroban cream that my surgeon provided.

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 did extremely well my first couple of weeks. I was walking about 1 mile per day by the end of my first week. To date, (June 9) I have lost 27 pounds. I feel good, although I find myself tired and basically bored. I do nap during the day sometimes. I am beginning my fourth week since my surgery and I am having issues with swallowing food. I believe it is from not chewing well and eating too fast. I have not disciplined myself in that area yet. I have days where I am "mildly" depressed, but there are other issues that are included in that depression other than being house bound and bored.

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

My first two weeks I was just full of energy and couldn't wait to shed the pounds. The weight loss was averaging 2 pounds per day. At the beginning of my fourth week out, I am slowing down in my weight loss which I believe is from eating normal foods now. I do have trouble getting my fluids and proteins in. It doesn't seem like there is enough time in a day for all of this. I am not much of a water drinker, but am learning. I believe today I will get serious about keeping a journal. I believe that will help me actually realize what I am doing.

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

My surgeon and the hospital are at least an hour from my home. It has no bearing on my care. I will travel without regret. I have lived in a country setting my entire life and have to travel for everything. I don't have an issue with that.

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.

At the hospital, the first night I didn't have any food, just water and ice chips. The morning after I was brought Apple Juice, (I dislike apple juice/didn't drink it), chicken broth, milk. The next meal was pureed foods right away. I didn't understand that, but I had little bites of it. I figured they knew what I was supposed to have. The rest of my meals were pureed. My doctor came in to see me each morning, on the second morning, he noticed that I was eating pureed peaches, cream of wheat etc. and asked me if I was holding that down and I said yes. It's not bothering me and he said, "Ok, you can go home, you are doing great." When I got home, I put myself back on the liquids. I didn't feel it was right to push things that ordinarilly wouldn't be allowed. I ate the liquid diet for the first week, then went to the pureeds. I ate mostly baby foods. I did puree some regular foods for myself, but not much. By day 10, I was at my surgeons for my first post-op check up. He told me I could move to a soft diet. This is a daily chore for me however. I am not sure I am eating correctly. Some days I am hungry for REAL food, and get a little out of control and learn very quickly what I can tolerate. I tried some dairy queen ice cream and dumped really bad. I don't vomit, I will usually have explosive diahrea about 30 minutes after eating something I shouldn't. I have dumped 3 times so far. It's not fun! Live and learn. I do have these issues with eating and forgetting not to drink with them. If someone puts a drink in front of me, I will pick it up out of habit. Most of the time I catch myself, but there are times when I slip. I miss not being able to have an ice cold diet pepsi. I know I can drink flat soda, but that just doesn't work for me. I haven't tried it, and won't. But I sure miss my diet pepsi!

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

The first two weeks, I was on the move! I couldn't wait to start a walking regimine and stick to it. I did well the first 2 1/2 weeks, then I started falling off. I think my energy came from the fact that I was not feeling any pain in my joints and could really walk good and fast. Now I realize that was because of the pain killers I was taking. My pain killers are gone now and it is sometimes a chore for me to take my walks and I have actually cut back on my walking because of the leg and hip pain from the arthritis. It is not near as severe as it was prior to my surgery, but I know it's there. I didn't have any real pain to speak of after the surgery, other than the pain and discomfort around my incision.

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

I have been taking a flintstones chewable with calcium and one with iron. One at night and one in the morning, for a total of two a day. I also take a Complete Nutritional System chewable tablet from Healthy n fit. I found this on the internet. I purchased some liquid protein. I thought it was going to be more than what it turned out to be. The stuff is nasty. I thought it was going to be 10 g or so, and it turned out to be 3 g per tablespoon. I wasted my money on that, it is so bad! I am reverting back to the shakes and will try adding the powder to my foods instead. That is the worst part, trying to get all the proteins in per day. The protein bars are getting pretty disgusting also. I have about 6 half eaten ones in my fridge. Can't stand the taste of them anymore.

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 have only dumped 3 times. The first time, I didn't realize what was going on. I don't even remember what I ate. The second time, I had eaten 6 little Gold Fish crackers while drinking my protein shake. The third time, I ventured into a small vanilla ice cream cone from Dairy Queen. I didn't realize that it was making me sick till about an hour later. WOW, lesson learned!

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

Trying to manuever in the hospital afterwards was a problem. I couldn't bend very well. The only other issue is after the fact, trying to train myself to eat properly and get all of my fluids and proteins in each day. Other than that, the wait to lose the Weight!

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

I dont' have any programs or support groups that I have opted to join. I am pretty much a loner and prefer to keep it that way. I will function on my own. I do get involved in the web site however and the chat room is very informative and helpful.

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

It looks nasty right now, but in time it will eventually fade to almost nothing. I am one of those lucky people who do not scar really bad. Right now it is still tender and itches. It will probably be like that for a while. I would like to be able to sleep on my stomach, but right now, I really can't. It does irritate my incision.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

This last week I have been teetering between 218 and 215. But just when I start to notice a problem, it seems like it corrects itself. It is too early in the game for me to worry about plateaus. I'm sure the most aggrivating and disappointing plateaus will come later. But, common sense should tell you that the body is fighting back to keep that warm cuddly feeling. It will do what it takes to protect itself.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People are asking alot of questions about the weight loss, when does the body know when to quit, etc. There are those that are snippy and jealous. They appear to be concerned on the outside, but the snippy tone to their voices tells me different.