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

I found out about this weight loss surgery from a friend of my mother in laws. I met her and just fell in love with her. She gave me such an inspiration, this was years ago when I weighed a lot less. She has since died (not as a result from wls). When I had found out that she died it really hurt me. She was my inspiration for this. Her name was Jule Marie. I miss her. Thank you for telling me and showing me what you did.

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

3-8-2004 Insurance was submitted for approval. I called about 3 days later, it was in review still. 3-18-2004 I had called everyday, they finally came back and had requested an updated TSH (Thyroid Panel) mine that was submitted was from January. They also requested a Dietician Report. I got the blood work and dietician report done. They refaxed it in on 4-1-2004 the insurance did verify they had received the paperwork. I called 4-5-2004 they said that approval can not be completed because they are missing the dietician report. I told them that was all faxed in, they said that apparently it was the wrong information they had received. I called surgeon's office and they are not sure what is being asked to be sent in. My surgeon's secretary is calling the approval department and going to get them to find out exactly what they are requiring. In the mean time I called BCBS back again, this time I asked exactly what they wanted from a dietician. She couldn't give me a for sure answer again. Said that they would have to call, the only thing different that was said is they think it's a dieting report for past attempted diets under a dietician review, which I don't have. I'm just very sick about the whole thing. I want this surgery so bad. I hope they can get an answer this week on what exactly they want. 4-13-2004 This has been a very fun thing to deal with. I just wanted to make a few points. Make sure to call your insurance often. If you know what they are missing you can advise your approval department. That way you are not waiting for some letter to reach them to tell them what is missing. If you can get copies of all paperwork that is being faxed. That way in most cases you can get a fax number and fax it directly to the insurance company. That's been my case. Come to find out the diatary evaluation was never sent in as first thought. This whole time the surgeon's office and I have been wondering what the insurance company was wanting. Now I found out the additional information was not sent in to begin with. It was not that they turned it down like we thought. 4-21-2004 I just wanted to share that I have BCBS of Georgia HMO, hubby is a state employee. I got my approval today! They didn't have all the paperwork in the beginning because of a fax misunderstanding. It took from the time they refaxed which was showing in the system 4/16 to 4/21. They are closed on the weekend so basically 3 days total. Make sure to get all copies to EVERYTHING. That way if you call BCBS and they say they are missing something you can fax it your self. They will provide the fax number. Also I would HIGHLY recommend calling them every two days. That way you know if there are any problems. It takes nearly two weeks for anything to get to your surgeon's office if there's something missing. I knew way before they got the letter what was missing. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A DIETICIAN EVALUATION TOO! BCBS HMO Requirements for Approval 1. PCP Letter Letter should include you need surgery and that you are medically cleared 2. Surgeon's Letter (usually this is something they know that to write) 3. Thyroid Panel (Bloodwork) 4. Phsy Evaluation (There are ways to get BCBS to pay for this email me if you need some help on this) 5. A letter from YOU, talking about how life is hard being your size, health wise and living wise. Make sure to include any diets that you have attempted and estimate how much you've lost and gained. You can Approximate. 6. Dietician Evaluation This includes seeing a nutritionist or dietician and understanding what the surgery will Intel and what you will be allowed to eat after surgery. MAKE SURE TO KEEP A COPY OF EVERYTHING!

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

My first visit was very exciting. It's best to be prepared before meeting your surgeon with questions and concerns. Make sure to address those issues head on. The surgeon should take the time to answer all your questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

One day I just had a wake up call. I realized that I was not wanting to deal with my real issues. I had tried for so many years to convince myself that I was happy and I never have been. It started to take a toll on my marriage. It wasn't that I was going to have a divorce, I just was not feeling like I was giving to much in the relationship. I knew that something had to be done, before I killed my self. I was just getting worse and worse.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I did a lot of reading and research on what would be best for me. I also went by what the surgeon recommended to me.

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 very few crying spells before surgery although it did happen. When I went in I had a full faith that God would get me thru this surgery because I have a purpose to continue to live.

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?

I was very blessed to have a wonderful family support and love. If I had not had my husband this journey would have been much much harder to deal with.

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

I stayed in the hospital for 6 days. It went well. The first day was somewhat rough, once they got the pain meds straight I was doing much better!

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

I was very lucky to not get ANY 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?

It was really tough once I got the date. I was on one hand very excited to finally have a date, but on the other I was worried I might not make it through the surgery. Very rough time. I prayed a lot and that did help me.

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

I was on a full liquid diet for 4 weeks. This was very difficult for me. I really did miss food. Some people don't miss food, but I certainly did. Once I was out of that 1 month stage it was so much easier. I was able to eat things again and I got that full feeling I was missing on the liquid stage. Made it much easier to deal with.

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

I was lucky to have surgery locally!

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.

The first months because I was on full liquid diet, I felt like I was about to die, how in the world was I going to live without food! It's a mental battle with yourself over missing food, I went through a mourning period, that I missed foods I didn't even like. It was all in my mind, I didn't need those foods, but because I wasn't suppose to have them I wanted them even more. I went through a period of just trying a bite of things again, just to say I can have a bite. It's not the best idea to do, but it helped me to realize I would be "normal" again.

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

I did absolutely nothing until about the first 100 pounds literally fell off. I was just sitting on my couch. This was my biggest fear because I was unable to move much that the weight wouldn't come off. To my surprise it did and once that happened my activity level just sky rocketed. No one could keep me down!

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

I take: 1 mulitvitamin 2 500mcg B12 once a week 1500 calcium daily I've been watching my iron very closely getting blood with 3, 6, and 12 months out.

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 missed food! That was the worst side effect I had. I also about 7 weeks post op, had an issue with my leg. I developed cellulitis from my Lymphedema. I couldn't really take the pills they needed right after surgery, it was rough.

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

The first month was just very hard. Once you get over that hump it's really so much better.

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

I had gone to a few surgeon ran support groups and I wanted something that we can be open and honest in the meeting. I paired up with Obesityhelp Chapters and started a chapter in the Augusta area. www.augustaobesityhelp.com

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

It's very much faded out, it's visible, but doesn't stick out hardly at all.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had not really had any plateau's. I'm now 19 months out and had my first official plateau of not losing anything for about 2 months, the scale has gone up and down. I've tried my best to stay persistant to my diet and I've added more activity and exercise into my program.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I really in my mind going back don't believe that all people were bad, it was more of me. I realize now that I let people run over me, because I was too nice. I feel much more assertive to people and try to be more open. There are still times I want to hide away and be alone. That seems to be my personality. I do like "my" time. I feel that people don't stare as much now. When you are over 600 pounds you are VERY noticiable to children, I would just want to disappear. Now when kids look at me they don't see this huge person, although in my mind I think they still see her.