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

The sister of my wife's ex-husband had the RNY surgery done over a year ago. She is looking great. My doctor also suggested the posibility. My initial reaction was relunctance. I never had surgery before and rearranging ones guts seemed dangerous. When I learned about laproscoptic lap-banding many of these fears were resolved.

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

My health insurance is with BlueCross BlueShield of Minnasota. It was not much of a problem. The first application was rejected until they got more information. They wanted a phychological evaluation to see in a could comply with the weight loss program. I made an apointment with a pschologist. The insurance then approved the procedure even before they got the evaluation report. The repot was positive but I found this a bit curious. All I can say is that it is important to make a good medical case when applying for pre-approval.

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

The meeting was very businesslike. I answered his questions and he answered mine. I had questions about some of the risks and posible problems with lap-banding/ Most of the data that I had read was from a few years ago and at that time there were a significat number of band slipages that needed further surgical correction. He explaned some of the newer methods that he used that made these problems much less likely. My advice is to collect as much information about the surgery in advance so that you can ask specific questions about the risks and what you can expect from the surgery.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was decided by the upward creep of my weight and the escalation in my medications to prevent diabedes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The RNY seems to be the best bet for those who are carbohydrate junkies. But that was not my problem. Basically my problem was with portion sizes. The laproscoptic lap-banding looked like it would help me deal with that problem with the minimal amount of permanent change to my digestive system and the minimal amount of surgical discomfort.

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 some fears but when I compared the risks of surgery to the risks of staying morbidly obese I figured that I would be improving my odds of a long and healthy life. I would suggest getting as much solid information about the risks and the numeric probabilities of problems of surgery and getting similar information about the heealth risks of staying obese. There are no certainties in life but it makes sense to play with the best odds that you can manage. That is why one should not smoke even though there exist pack-a-day somkers who live to a ripe old age. They exist, but there are a lot fewer of them than the non-smokers who get there.

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 wife has been very supportive and encouraging. I know that she was more nervous about it than I was but she worked hard not to burden me with her apprehentions. I fear that that took a toll on her. Now that I am recovering well from the surgery she is much relieved. Her closest girl friend, Sandy, has been a pillar of stregth and assitance. She came to Sioux Falls with us and stayed with Kay while I was being opperated on.

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

I am retired so that was not an issue.

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

I arrived at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, early on Wednesday morning and left late on Thursday afternoon. The most important thing for me was to bring some reading matter. I hate TV so I kept the one in my room off the whole stay.

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

The only complication was being unable to get my urine to flow after surgery. Eventually the nurses used a straight catherter to tap my bladder. This had to be done twice and it was very painful. Afterward I was able to urinate but it hurt each time for the next two days.

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 first two weeks after my surgery I was on a liquid diet. So I was feeling hungery. I lost weight quickly though. I also had diarea. The next two weeks I gained back 5 lbs of the 20 lbs that I lost in the first two weeks. I have not been anxious so I have not had to deal with that emotion. I have felt frustrated that since I went back to solid food I have not lost wieght. I hope that when the band get filled that this will change.

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

I don't know what people should expect. Everyone is different. I did not suffer any of the problems that I was warned about but obviously many others do. With the laproscoptic surgery there was much less post surgecal pain than I expected. I had no problem getting up and down from my bed or moving around.

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

I had to travel 100 miles to get to Sioux Falls. I can get to my medical appointments but travelling that far to go to support group meetings in the evenings is not feasable.

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.

After I got off the liquid diet I have tried to be carefull and follow the guidelines. But at one month after the surgery it appears that I can eat anything with no noticiable problems, except that I don't lose weight.

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

My activity level quickly came back to normal. I have been diliberately increasing my exercise levels. At one month after surgery I am up to 2 hours a day on my exercise bike and rowing machine.

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

I am now taking Flintstone's Complete chewable vitamines twice a day. After surgery I stopped taking my food supplement pills such as multiviatamines, glucosomine chondroitin, 1000 mg vitamine C, vitamine E, and fish oil.

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?

I have had none of these side effects yet.

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

Not being allowed to drink real coffee.

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

none

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

It was a laproscoptic surgery so I have six small scars. This is pretty much what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

After I came off the liquid diet I stopped losing weight. In fact I gained a few lbs back. This has been for 2 weeks. I hope that by further restricting my diet that I can start back to losing weight. I hope that the filling of the lap band that is schedule for next month will help me eat less.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No