tryanmybest

Obesity & Me

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

I niched out a sweet little place in life where I felt comfortable and loved by those I surrounded myself with. Yet inside, it was a battle of how I disgusted myself and what a worthless, weak person I was. One minute I accepted the fact that I was going to be overweight my whole life and the next I was trying ever diet fad that came along. It wasn't until my battle against cancer that I really had a taste of what weight loss was like and how good it made me feel...I was on top of the world!! I felt like I had a place in society for once with maybe only a few judgement calls being made.

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

The worst thing for me was hearing this line...You are so pretty!! Look at your face..you are gorgeous! That is as far as the compliments ever went. I hated not being able to shop in the trendy stores and worrying about getting to a plus size store to find something to wear to a special outing. If there was a wedding or funeral or what not, I panicked!!

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

I just had my surgery on Jan 9th of 2012. I am looking forward to many life changes!

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

I knew a few of my sister's friends had the surgery and I couldn't believe they followed through with it. I guess I wasn't at that place in life yet. I envied them for being so brave!

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

This process went fairly easy for me. So I do not really have any advice to offer I suppose other than to say NEVER GIVE UP :)

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

It went great!! I sensed immediately that he was more than just a caring surgeon. After I heard why he chose this field of work I knew I had the right man taking care of me. Ask questiong!! Ask your surgeon flat out whey he decided to become a bariatric surgeon. Most of them have a story behind them like we do.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Well, I had a taste of weight loss when I was sick from the cancer. I had lost 80 pounds and even though I was SO sick, I also felt SO much better with the weight loss. Then after I went through my chemo and radiation, I was left with neuropathy damage and started on a course of medications that caused weight gain. In a year's time my weight was back and then some. This my turning point. I really started to look into the option of having surgery.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

By reading, reading and more reading. I also knew a few people that had the vertical sleeve and I was able to talk with them and then one of them told me...well, I can always finish it off and get the Roux-en-Y. That really floored me. I thought why in the world would you butcher yourself twice? I guess that is what really helped me to decide.

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?

I had fears. Many of them! I told myself, every day is full of complications and risks. Car accidents, heart attacks, freak accidents. There are many things that can take our life is how I viewed it! My biggest fear was having an open procedure because of so many previous abdominal surgeries, I knew I had a lot of scar tissue. I was so afraid of having to be opened up and deal with that pain!!

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?

Some of them were very supportive, right from the start. Some were leery and tried to steer me away from the idea. In the end I had everyone standing beside me in support of my decision. I would like to think that I communicated everything in the correct way. I was the one researched it so I had an answer to every question. It's only been 4 days since surgery and my support system is still in place. Time will tell, I suppose!

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

I'm not employed right now. This is one area I did not have to deal with!

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

I walked away with so much information and felt HOPE in abundance in that conference room. There were so many people there looking for a new lease on life.

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

My hospital stay was really good. I was there from 5 a.m Monday morning and was home on Wednesday afternoon. Nurses were wonderful and my surgeon and his associates checked in on me throughout the day. I promise you, you will not use HALF of what you bring..haha. I say one pair of pajamas and a robe, slippers and your shampoo/conditioner, body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste. You probably won't even use the p.j's because you will have an I.V . I ended up wearing my pj bottoms home because they were so comfy and didn't hurt my belly!

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

No complications...Thank you, God!!!

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'm only 4 days out but I seem to be doing good. I deal with my anxiety by reminding myself of what I was told. It will take a few weeks to get a routine down. I just do the best I can each day.