Weight Loss Survey Responses

The following are Pamelyn W.'s responses to the Weight Loss Survey:

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

I have battled weight my entire adult life, and occasionally have been successful at losing weight and maintaining that loss. In the past five years, though, when I started going through menopause, I found it was just down right impossible to lose any. In fact, despite my best efforts, I continued to gain about 10-15 pounds per year.

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

The worst thing is feeling crummy, having no energy, and feeling like a failure, not to mention not being comfortable in my own clothes, much less my own skin.

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

My PCP recommended it after he reviewed my file and saw the trend over the last few years. Looking at that and adding in my family health risks led him to conclude that I needed help, lots of it, and I needed it pretty quick.

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

Aetna is awful. They approved everything leading up to the surgery then refused to approve the surgery itself. We are in our second round of appeals and have to appear before their board just to be reimbursed for what we have been out. If we had any other choice for our insurance, we would take it.

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

Dr. Kim is awesome, very kind and very up front about what will take place, what his expectations are for you as his patient.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Several things, not the least of which was a desire to see my grandchildren grow up and graduate from college, get married, etc. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

How did you decide which procedure to have?

I went with the recommendation from Dr. Kim. He certainly has a better working knowledge of this than I do and I figured if I was going to trust him to help "fix" me then I should trust him all the way. I did and I do.

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 wasn't afraid of dying from the surgery; I was more afraid of dying from the weight. I have an unshakable faith in God and was absolutely convinced that God would be with me and Dr. Kim every step of the way. Nothing has happened to change my mind about that.

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 sister-in-law was the only naysayer and she sent my brother over to my house to talk me out of doing this. I explained to him that I was not rushing into anything and had done plenty of homework in preparation for this. Since then, my brother has been very supportive and his wife has said virtually nothing. Given that, I don't feel she has been supportive at all but the entire rest of my family has been incredible! I couldn't ask for anything more. They love me and want me to be around for a long time. I guess that's the real difference.

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

My principal was a little shaken at first but after I explained everything to her, she was very supportive. I was off from school for our spring break (1 week) plus an additional week. That was actually a pretty quick turn around but if I got too tired, someone would cover my class so I could go lay down for a bit. Everyone at school was/is very supportive. In fact, two other teachers are preparing for lap-band. We're going to be one healthy campus!!

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

I was in the hospital for 4 days. Everything I needed was provided. The only thing I used that I brouht was my toothbrush and toothpaste! They took great care of me!

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

Anesthesia makes me nauseous so I dealt with that to begin with. Then I lost quite a bit of blood and had a couple of "episodes" of losing consciousness. After I got a couple of units of blood, I was much better!!

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 only had one day that I felt wretched and that was 5 days out. I started running fever and was sick to my stomach. I felt fine up to that point and have felt fine ever since.

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

Getting the food thing down is so different. You have to think about everything you eat and prepare in advance. Slowing down and chewing everything completely is another adjustment. I eat so slow now and my husband has slowed down so he's not done long before me. He's lost 12 lbs. (That's just not fair....)

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

I didn't have far to go at all. The hospital is just a matter of a few minutes from our house so this was not an issue of any sort.

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.

I sometimes have issues with eggs, especially very early in the morning. Milk is the same way; sometimese it bothers me and sometimes it doesn't. Nothing else has been an issue but I am just getting to fresh fruits & vegetables so we'll see how those go.

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

I walked quite a bit and that certainly helped with recovery. I am still walking and, with the warmer weather, am swimming nearly every day. I also feel like working in the garden again. Hooray!!

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

I am still taking two chewable vitamins per day (I just didn't like the regular vitamin cut in half), a B12 tablet, an iron supplement (to try to build my blood back up after losing so much after surgery), and 3 Tums daily for calcium. I tried Viactiv but they're just too sweet.

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?

Nausea was the worst thing for me. I dealt with that for a couple of weeks but it's left me now and all is well. When a wave of nausea would come over me, I would lay very still and wait for it to pass.

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

The drain....and even that wasn't so bad. I did feel much more comfortable after it was removed, though.