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

A co-worker had the surgery and died the day after. Needless to say, I had no interest in Bariatric Surgery.

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

My insurance company was very helpful. I even spoke to a nurse on their staff who had undergone the surgery I was looking into. I had an approval in less than a week. No problems at all.

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

Homework is essential. The more you know about the proceedure you want before you see the surgeon, the better equipped you will be to ask the questions necessary for you to make your best decision. My first meeting was very positive. I found Dr. Anthone to be very warm and patient and willing to spend as much time with me as necessary to give me all of the information I requested.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Simply put, I wanted to get my life back.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I had done about 4 months worth of research. This included the internet,library, and having frank discussions with several physicians that I have established relationships with. In the end, I felt the Duodenal Switch with Gastric Bypass was the best option for me and my lifestyle.

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?

Hard to believe as this may be, I was so confident that I had made the right decision and had the best surgeon I could possibly have, that I had no fear. I slept well the night before surgery and was joking with the hospital staff during my pre-op preps. I just knew with every fiber of my being that I was going to be fine. Also, bear in mind that I had been bordering on becoming immobile, and my quality of life had diminished so dramatically, that by the time I had decided to go ahead with surgery, I was convinced that I was going to die soon. My only choice was die doing nothing, or die trying to live. To me, that was a no brainer.

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?

Telling family and friend of my decision was a big decision for me. I was afraid I would start hearing lectures from people - well meaning and otherwise. But I thought it best that I just put it out there and deal with the responses and necessary. I was surprised by how positive and supportive everyone was, and is to this day. Tomorrow I will be 10 months post op and I can say I would not have done anything differently. My coworkers and family have been perfect in their support of me.

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

I told my supervisors and my co workers of my decision several months before surgery. Many of them followed me through my pre op journey. I can't say I had any sort of negative experience. My supervisors were very supportive and helped me make sure everything was squared away for my payroll before I went out for surgery. I was off from work for around 8 weeks and when I returned, I had a bit of difficulty for the first two or three weeks. All of my supervisors were very understanding if I needed to leave early or go to the "quiet room" and lay down for an hour, they would make sure my work was covered until I returned. No problems at all.

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

My first night in the hospital was spent in intensive care. I do not remember much of that first night except that my phone was ringing every five minutes with coworkers checking on me. I was in the hospital 6 days all together. The worst part of the stay for me was the fact that I was in a teaching hospital and at the mercy of Residents who did not fully understand what was going on with me at times. You really have to be a strong advocate for yourself. Aside from that, a positive attitude and request a "trapeze" so you can move around in the bed and you should be fine!

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

No post-op 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?

On the day that I actually had a surgery date I felt terribly panicked. That lasted for two, maybe three days and I was fine after that. I noticed I was a bit "hypersensitive" and emotional for about 2 weeks before the surgery. I dealt with that by simply trying to stay positive about it. Interestingly enough, as the day approched and I was counting down days instead of weeks, a calm came over me. I was fine and I knew I was going to continue to be fine. I did not have one moment of second thought or regret.

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

The main thing I rememember of the first weeks post op were that I was so very weak. For some reason, I did not anticpate being quite so drained. I was sleeping probably 14 hours per day. Even the simple task of showering was difficult, I would get so tired I would become frightened that I may not be able to make it back to a chair or to my bed. The other thing I remember is being so very thirsty and feeling like I just could not drink enough of anything. My lips were cracking and my skin was beginning to crack from dehydration. It took a bit for me to realize that the J-tube was left in for this very reason. Once I began putting water and ensure into the J-tube, well, it was like night and day. The thirst went away and I actually felt a significant boost in my energy. Most importantly though, I think it is the fact that you can see and feel improvement every single day. It was a slower process than I would have liked, but it was always forward moving.

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

I was fortunate in that I have one of the best surgeons in the world practicing at a hospital that is five minutes from my house!

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.

Immediately after surgery, I tried a lot of foods and I can tell you the worst ones for me were pasta, rice, bread, and for some reason - eggs! I tried eggs every way you could cook them and they would make me sick after one bite!! The easiest things for me to handle were dried foods like crackers or soft foods like yogurt, ice cream and italian ices went down very easily. As well as hot tea and hot chocolate. Chicken was the easiest and first meat I could eat. I continued trying foods and over time, my repertoire expanded. Now, at ten months I can eat pretty much anything. I still have trouble with solid red meat such as steak. I dont do spicy foods well - but then I never did. I can eat small amounts of pasta or rice. I dont do well with fluffy breads. I still cant eat a burger from McDonalds because of all the bread. I do fine with flatbreads or tortillas. I would say from about my fifth or sixth month post op, I have been able to eat just about anything with the above exceptions. Coffee is an interesting issue though. It was about 7 months before I could drink coffe and I can only drink about a half of a cup or I get a sour stomach.

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

I was pretty wiped out the first few days but was still up and around the house. By the 10th day post op, I was doing laundry and running short errands. I would say though that is was bout 8-12 weeks before I was able to maintain anykind of normal days activities such as cleaning, working, shopping. Aside from a short period of stomach trouble at 6 months post op, My energy level steadily increased until at about 7 months post op It kind of it me all at once that I could run around all day long and not get tired!

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

I take Flintstones chewable vitamins, bariatric advantage calcium lozenges,vitamin a&d.

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?

For me, the nausea and dry heaving were the worst post op side effects. It seemed that I was constantly nauseous for the first 3 months. I was just feeling miserable, like I had the worst stomach flu of my life. I was afraid to eat because I never knew what would start the dry heaving and nausea. Once the stomach acid that contributed to the nausea was under control, things went much smoother. I did have a fairly significant hair loss in my 4th month post op. It was so pronounced that you could see my entire scalp. I just went to WalMart and bought a couple of hats and kept my head covered for about 2 months. By then my hair had begun to grow back in.

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

The first three months post op. Although I was feeling very positive and could see improvement daily, I was so weak, and so nauseous, and just plain not feeling right that it became at times overwhelming. I just constantly "didnt feel quite right". I did not anticipate the extent of the drain the surgery would have on my body.

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

I think a support group is extremely important. I also have had an established relationship with a therapist and I can not begin to tell you how important to me that has been. Both in the months leading up to my decision to have surgery as well as the post op issues.

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

I have a long scar that runs from the bottom of my breast bone to my belly button and it has 4 "hash" marks on either side of it where some large sutures were placed. I also have a couple of smaller scars to the right and left of the main incision line where drains had been placed. I pretty much expected the scar to look like this because several of Dr. Anthone's patients at his seminar showed us their scars.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

For months I was not taking in enough food, as a result my weight loss was extremely rapid. When my stomach finally settled down and I was able to eat, I went about 2 months without losing a single pound. I suppose my body was just holding onto what ever it had since it had been starved for about 6 months. I was not frustrated by it, but I did find myself worrying that I may have hit the end of my weight loss. I remember thinking "this can't be, I still have 80 pounds to lose!". But weight loss resumed only at a slower, healthier rate. The first 6 months post op I had been losing 30-40 pounds per month, now I lose about 15 pounds per month.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

My initial response to this question was to say no, I am still significantly overweight at 250lbs. But there was one incident that I have to share with you. I fly from coast to coast several times per year. Before my surgery, I would always try to sit next to an empty seat because I barely fit into the airline seats and I would "encroach" on the other persons seat. I can remember everytime I ended up on a full flight, the person having to sit next to me would see me and get this look on their face. I can't discribe it, repulsion, annoyance, "oh crap", either way, this was one unhappy traveler. This past Christmas I flew to New York and was amazed that I was able to fit comfortably in my airline seat. I did not need a seatbelt extension and I could put my tray table down. My return flight was fully booked and as I approached my seat I looked at the gentleman I would be sitting next to... He smiled at me! Said Hi! He didn't scooch over to the opposite side in repulsion. THAT speaks volumes to me.