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

I met a woman in a bar who weight about 400 pounds. She told me she had had surgery and so far had lost 100 pounds. I had been on a vigorus exercise program and although I had only lost 40 pounds I felt good. I decided the surgery was to drastic of an approach for me.

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

I had no problems getting approved. The staff from the surgeon's office took care of submitting the request and supplying the required information to Blue Cross. After about a month Blue Cross called the office and informed them that I had been approved.

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

My surgeon is so understanding. He realized obese people are looked at differently for thin people. I cried when he asked me when the last time was that I weight less than 200 pounds. I couldn't remember. He was nice and answered all my questions, he seemed to have a lot of patience.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I read up on everything I could find on the internet. I talked with 2 people who had different types surgery. It was information from Dr. Kirkpatrick on what we eat determining the type of surgery to have. He had two groups, sweet eaters and carb eaters. I fit in the first group. It made sense to me. That is how I decided.

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 really didn't have any concerns about complications or dying from the surgery. My basic philosophy through life is if something is supposed to happen it will. I guess I basically just try to "play the cards dealt to me" as far as 'bad' things happening. I don't worry about it until it happens and then I deal with it. My advise to others is to do your research, make your decision, and then go forward with in a positive state of mind. As my grandmother always told me there was "no use borrowing trouble."

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?

Everyone in my family was very supportive. I didn't hear one negative word from anyone. My boyfriend was supportive but apprehensive. He has never been in the hospital for anything and was scared of the operation. As far as the type of surgery itself, he met me fat and fell in love with me that way. He said he would support me (and did and still is) but didn't see the necessity for it. He likes me the way I am. As far as friends go, I only told 4 people who I knew would be supportive. I had made up my mind and was positive about it. I really just didn't want to waste time listening to people who felt they knew what was better for that I did myself. Since the surgery I have told maybe 3 other people what type of surgery I have had. I wouldn't do anything differently.

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

I didn't tell supervisor what kind of surgery I was having. I told him I was scheduled to have surgery and would be our 4 to 6 weeks. My surgeon sent a letter saying I was scheduled to have abdominal surgery. I told him far enough in advance that we could have someone ready to substitute for me. I was out of work 4 weeks.

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

My stay in the hospital was almost 'pleasant'. My stay was 8 days long. In that time I had many wonderful nurses taking care of me. In fact out of all of them there was only one that I would classify as not very caring. Although the nurses were very busy they were always pleasant and curteous and took the time to make sure every concern was addressed and every question was answered in a manner that could be understood. The surgical team visited several times a day and were also right on top of any concern or need. The item I needed most during my stay was chapstick. I had two robes with me, one warm and one lightweight. The room temps. weren't consistant and also sometimes when I wasn't feeling well I would be either hotter or colder than everyone else. I used both robes almost every day.

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

The only complication I had was a small section of my incision that was draining excessively. I went to the emergency room and the doctors opened that area. I had visiting nurses come for a week, twice a day, to clean and pack the area. After that my daughter took care of it once a day for another 10 days. It really wasn't much of a problem.

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

In the weeks before my surgery I was excited and impatient for the day to arrive. I never had any doubts until the week before the surgery when I ended up in the hospital for 6 days with an extremely nasty gall bladder attack. My room mate was a WLS patient who had had surgery the year before, lost the weight too fast and couldn't eat protein without getting the runs. She had a feeding tube and the doctors were trying different kinds of protein supplements that she would then have to feed to herself when she went home. It scared me for a few moments but we talked about it and I decided that just because that happened to her didn't mean it would happen to me so I put it out of my mind and 3 days later I returned to the hospital for my surgery with a clear mind.

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

The first weeks home are sort of a blurr. I was pretty week, I was run down when I had the surgery from the gall bladder attack the week before. Then I had C Dif (fungal infection of the colon) in the hospital that sent me running to the bathroom every 20 minutes for several days. For almost 2 weeks I was so weak that walkng was a challenge. Then all of a sudden I started feeling better and stronger every day. Getting up from furniture and bed was probably the biggest problem for those two weeks. Having someone there to get drinks and popsicles, etc. is probably the most important thing. I needed someone to help me put on my shoes and socks because bending at the waist was difficult. Finding a comfortable position to sleep in was very difficult. Sometimes I slept in bed for a few hours propped up with a bunch of pillows. Most of the time I slept in our recliner. If people don't have a recliner I suggest getting one. It will probably be the best investment they will ever make.

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

15 miles.

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.

For the first 2 weeks following surgery I was on clear liquids that included sugar free jello and fudgesicles. Had to have liquids, one ounce, every 20 minutes when I was awake. For the next week I was allowed to have one tablespoon 3 times a day of oatmeal, cream of wheat, tuna or chicken salad or mashed potatoes. the tuna and chicken salad seemed to 'sit' very heavy in my stomach for a long period of time no matter how well I chewed but I ate them at least once a day for the protein. At about the 4th week I was allowed to eat about one ounce of meat and a tablespoon of vegetables, beans ( I eat no fat refried beans and use beano), cottage cheese. I am at 6 weeks now and still following this. I drink as much water as possible, for a change I will have some iced tea sweetened with Equal or a popsicle. Occassionaly, when I experience leg cramps I will eat part of a banana. I don't use the fudgesicles anymore because they have 45 calories each and I don't want the extra calories since I am eating more food. It's been 9 weeks since my surgery. I am still eating meat and vegetables. Sometimes I eat beans but I am pretty much still keeping my diet the same as before

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

As I said before, the first 2 weeks home I wasn't very active. I would take two short walks a day, sometimes going to the grocery store or a department store to walk around for a change of scenery. I would experience leg cramps and become tired very easily. Around the 3rd week I started feeling much stronger. I could walk further and went out socially for about an hour at a time with friends. The 4th week I traveled to see my parents for Thanksgiving, a 5 1/2 hour trip. I did fine, the third day there I was a little more tired and needed an extra nap but I was fine. The 5th week I went back to work, I went back full time (9 1/2 hour days) and worked Overtime 2 to 3 hours every night. I am in the 6th week now. I started back to the gym last night. I did 20 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes on the tredmill. I went slow. It felt good to be exercising.

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

I take on children's complete chewable vitamin a day and 2 TUMS a day for calcium. My doctor didn't prescribe these but I felt better after I started taking the vitamins.

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?

Only problem I had was finding a comfortable way to sleep. Mostly I slept in my recliner. At 6 weeks I can sleep on my side and am doing fine.

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

I use egroups, adoctorinyourhouse.com, several yahoo clubs and this site. Obesityhelp.com is always the first and last place I check.

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

My scar is big. It starts at my waist on both sides and meets in the middle in a big upside down V. It kinds of looks like an envelope flap. Although it is big the surgeon did a great job and it is healing nicely. My revision was laproscopic,what a difference!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

1999 I have had 2 plateaus that lasted almost 8 weeks each. The first time increasing my calorie and protein intake helped. Now it just seems as if nothing, including increased activity has helped much. I began regaining weight in 2002 (40 pounds). In 2004 I had a revision, I lost the 40 pounds quickly, I never reached my goal, I guess this is the weight I'm always going to be.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

When I weight 260# men would ask me to dance. When it reached 314# they looked the other way. Now they are asking me to dance again. At work people who never spoke in the hall or even smiled are acknowledging me.