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

I was cautious, hopeful, and interested. I hoped this may be a solution for me, but I have been misled before. Intrested enough to look further into it.

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

Not a problem, but I have worked with insurance companies all my life, I did back ground and followed their procedures. United Health is great!

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

Good, he is informative, and as I previously stated, he gave me the impression he wanted to help me. This is something I have rarely felt from a doctor.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

A business trip where I had to fly. The seat belt extenders was the final straw!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I think that is more my doctor's decision, I have been doing research on the RNY, so I went to the doctor for this procedure, how he decides which way to do it is 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?

Lets not go into this, I am 50 severly overweight, and I think thats about enough. I have only had 2 surgerys in my life not counting having my children.

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?

Good, supportive and agreeable that this is probably the best chance I have.

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

Her, again supportive, we are planning shopping trips!

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

Pleasant, if laying in bed in pain could be pleasant! I went to St Marks Hospital, they have a unit dedicated to this type of surgery and the nurses and aides were trained for patients with this surgery.

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

Yes! My gallbladder was bad and had to be removed, Dr Halverson said it had to be the worst he had every seem! He said it had fused itself to my liver and to parts that it was not suppose to attached itself to and he had a dicken's of a time removing it! Because of this he had to do some other repair work which led to me having to go home with a drain out of my side. This was to have slowed down draining but did not, which required another stay in the hospital to find and repair where this leek was coming from. After the first surgery I was feeling much better by the time 2 weeks had passed, I was walking better, I had even gone to the airport to see my sister off, after the 2nd surgery you could have buried me and it would not have made any difference! It took me 3 to 4 weeks to even feel somewhat normal and it was almost a month and a half before I could return to work. I am not even sure it was entirely the pain, I could not walk easily, going up and down stairs was very painful, I could not lay down, so I spent a lot of time in a reclining chair. Three weeks or so after the second surgery I began throwing up, I threw up everything, even water! Nothing tasted good, nothing liked being on my new stomach. After 6 weeks or so of this, about 3 weeks in to the time I returned to work, I had to go in for a 'scope'. so to answer this question, I definatly had some complications!

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 was very depressed, not just the surgeries, it was as much the not being able to keep food down, and especailly water. Before this surgery I was a water freak, I drank it all day long I loved my water, I still cannot stand the taste of water, and I am now 6 months out. The loss of food is hard as well, you don't realize how much you eat or how much it comforts you, until you are totally deprived. How did I cope? Not well, I think I made my husband miserable for a while, but he stuck by me! I am kind of a sci-fi freak so I watched all the sci-fi I could get my hands on, just to escape what I was feeling!

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

Don't expect much! It will all depend on the type of surgery you have and if you have complications or not. Mostly it is a test of endurance! You will be sore, and unhappy, but hang it there, it does get better! I know I am almost at the point where I am glad I did this.

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

Not far for me it was local.

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.

What I can't eat is Chicken, poultry of any kind does not set well. I have not as yet tried any kind of sugar, I am scared to death of feeling bad again, and now that I am doing well I will not let anything bring me backwards... Who knows I may never try sugar again! In the beginning I ate a lot of soup, jello and drank crystal lite. After the second surgery I stopped tollerating even these things. Anything with nutra-sweet in it still sends me to the porcelin bowl! I started drinking Gatorade, and this is my main liquid in take to the present. I drank tomato juice until I wore it out, Gatorade has enough varied flavors that I haven't gotten tired of it yet. Though I will warn you it's an expensive habit! I really didn't get too brave and start trying new stuff till after they 'scoped' me. I figured if the stuff I was suppose to eat didn't stay down, why even bother with anything else? I can eat most foods now in very small quanties, and chicken still does not like me!

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

Activity has come back slowly.. especially after the second surgery, and I found at the last meeting I attended, that your 'stamina' stays low for almost a year following surgery. For a long time it was all I could do to just go to the curb and get the mail, during the first week or two after surgery I hardly had the strength to take a shower without some assistance. I was very weak, my husband was quite wonderful and supportive during this time. My biggest activitly which started about 2 weeks after the 2nd surgery, was doing laundry. My husband would bring it down stairs, and when I had it done, folded and all he would bring it back upstairs. I tried to make myself go up and down the stairs at least twice a day and I would build on that, until I got the drain out and the staples from the 2nd surgery I was not able to move much. I think the improvement really started when I went back to work, after working a couple of weeks I was able to get back on my tread mill and stationary bike. To date I simply don't have that 'staying in' power that I used to have, but I am planting bulbs in my garden for spring, and working out daily. I am now considering starting some water arobics!

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

I went from childrens chewables, to 1-a-day for women, plus a iron pill that my Dr prescribs, and I also take Viactive for Calcium

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, vomiting were the worst. Once they did the scope bit it inproved a lot, I still throw up if I eat too fast or too much, so I don't do either very often. I had some trouble sleeping for weeks after the surgery, first it was the pain and not being able to lay down. Then it was not being able to move I would wake up everytime I needed to turn or change positions. I have just recently begun to sleep like I used to, good for the most part. Hair loss started about a month and half ago and is still going strong, I keep wondering how much more hair I can lose till it becomes real apparent. So far so good though. No dumping, I haven't had the courage to try sugar, so I will just leave that alone!

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

Nothing, I was prepared, I knew what to expect and by the time I had the 2nd surgery I was outside walking around the house and except for the drain I was feeling very good. If I could have stopped there I think it would have been relatively easy, it was the second surgery that knocked me on my butt!

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

don't use them, i never have been good at the group sharing stuff, tried weight watcher, tops, etc. not a join=er type.

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

not bad, i have had a c-section now it just looks like it goes straigh up, except for the 2nd surgery of course, but I never expect to show anyone and my husband is very supportive so what does it matter?

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

my life is a plateau... not really there were a few the latest one has lasted almost 9 months and i find if i am not very very careful i can gain back... (horrors!!). honestly though i feel so good where i am at now that losing more is not really as important as not gaining back!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes... some are just nice and have nice and curious thing to ask... i find that strangers are more willing to speak to me now... that i find odd but maybe not...