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

I heard about it 17 yrs ago but opted for the VBS which I out ate after an emotional relapse. I didn't like the idea of my stomach being punctured with the stapes. Now I wish I'd done it back then.

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

I paid for the surgery myself. I had no insurance.

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

On the first visit there were 4 other people. The doctor told us all about the surgery and we asked questions. I was glad there were others there because they thought of stuff I didn't think to ask. I think it's a good idea to write down everything you can think to ask about and take it with you. Then we each had an individual meeting with him. It was a very positive, informative visit. I scheduled my surgery that day.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I set the date of my surgery the day of the consultation. I knew I was going to do it before I went. I'd done some research online. But mostly I knew I HAD to do something...that I would NEVER be able to do it myself. I'd been trying for 40 yrs. And I had been to this surgery 17 yrs before when I decided on the other surgery. So I knew his rep and I really liked him.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I didn't know there were different proceedures. I would have liked to have Lap but it wouldn't have been possible with the revision of the old surgery.

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 did have some thoughts of dying during the surgery. Twenty yrs before I almost died during gallbladder surgery. But it wasn't a big concern. I felt like I would have no quality of life if I didn't. I would tell others to address their fears. I prayed about it and turned it over to God. I believe my time of death is known before I was born. I can effect HOW I go by my choices but not WHEN. And I also know that there aren't many morbidly obese people in Nursing Homes! The rate of death from MO is 100%. Way better odds with the surgery *S*.

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 family was VERY supportive. They know that I've tried so hard over the years and just couldn't do it myself. I think we MUST be pro-active for our health. And this is a decision for our future health. Even if our family doesn't understand we must make the decision for ourselves...not them. I'm the kind of person who would just tell them "this is the decision I've made and I would like your support (not your negative opinions)". But that's just me *S*.

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

I am self-employed. Infact I have a 24/7/365 business. I started back to work the morning after I got home from the hospital. But since it's an answering service I just sat in a recliner to answer. The getting up and down to answer the radios I feel helped me to keep moving.

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 5 days. The staff was great! They were so helpful and attentive. My son stayed with me the whole time. Even sleeping there. It was a great help to have him help me get up and down. I thought I would have problems with the food since I don't like broth and do not eat jello. But I found that by day 3 the broth was pretty darn good. I didn't use much of what I brought. The gowns they had were big even on me so I didn't use the new ones I bought. You do need to take slippers for the walking since socks are so slippery. I did use the toothpaste I took and my brush and hair bands (I have long hair).

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

They had to revise the VBS surgery from 17 yrs before. And when they removed the band it was stuck to my liver and started a leak. So they kept me in ICU for the first night. Also, around the drain tube the bleeding wouldn't stop. So before I was released the doctor put a drainage thing under the skin around it. It did the trick and healed in no time. Two weeks after surgery I began retaining fluid and the lasix pills didn't help. I went to my regular doctor and she gave me 2 shots for 2 days in a row then pills and I lost 19 lbs of fluid in 3 days. About 2 weeks later it started to build again and I took the pills for a week and I've no more problem with it. Two months after surgery I got to where I not only couldn't eat anything but even had trouble getting fluids down. My surgeon sent me to another doctor who scoped my throat (which was ok) and dilated my stoma. My body was trying to heal it closed. It helped for a few days then seemed to be doing it again. But I toughed it out and at about the 5th month I began to be able to eat better. I have problems with what I can eat but I think that will slowly improve too. I am just now at 6 mos. starting to try and eat some meat (the time or 2 I tried before I threw it up). However I can eat bacon, very crispy and deviled ham. I had major food problems from the old surgery. This surgery has improved it allot. I can now eat bread, pasta, rice, veggies, fruit and some meat that I couldn't for nearly 20 years. It's amazing that the improvement continues even now at 2 yrs post-op. I find that meat is much easier if it's in something...like a casserole or meatloaf.

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

Well...I had my surgery pretty quickly after the consultation since I didn't have to deal with insurance(2 1/2 weeks). I felt very anxious to get to it. But then I've always been that way. Once I make up my mind I don't like to wait. I felt very little axiety.

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

I've never heard anyone else mention this....but I couldn't sleep in my bed for 2 weeks. I was terribly uncomfortable laying down. And I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get up if I needed to during the night. So I slept in my recliner. My Mom slept on the couch in the room with me just to be there to help me. And I did need her a few times. I thought it went very well. I did have diarrhea a few times. A couple of days after getting home I put some strawberry syrup in milk to have something different and it was a mistake. Realized too late there were 24 grams of sugar in it. Then I tried to eat a little of a baked potato and thought I would die for about 24 hours. It really scared me but the doctor sent me some meds and it cleared up. It's mainly a time to be very careful and very slowly try anything new. I realize from all the postings I've read that everyone is different so it hard to say what to expect. I was not ready to add solid food back as soon as they said I could. But you only learn these things by trial and error.

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

I live 45 miles from the town the hospital is in....another state. The only effect on my aftercare is that when I had the fluid retention problems I went to my doctor instead of the surgeon.

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.

So far I've only met 1 other person who has had as much trouble with food as I have. So don't worry about it for yourself ahead of time. I stayed on liquids for 6 weeks. But when I tried adding back solids I had ALOT of trouble with it. Threw it up mostly. I found I could eat only cheese, pancakes, soup (but had some trouble with the salt in it) and crackers for about month 5. Now at week 6 I can eat crisp bacon, deviled ham, fruit if it's cooked really well and pureed (I put it over No Sugar Added ice cream)and avocados. I can eat asparagus if I puree them. And I cut oranges and suck out the juice...it's so much better than the frozen juice. Once in awhile I juice a carrot and add sweet and low and drink it. I would be scared to eat any meat other than bacon unless it was pureed. I am only just now getting to where I'm willing to try some other stuff. I tried a very soft stuffed bellpepper....the little bit of ground hamburger in it did ok but the pepper came up. I found out at about 18 mos that I could eat meat much better if it was in a casserole or say a meatloaf(I use ground turkey...no red meat). I was told this is because the meat stays so much moister this way. Now at 2 yrs post-op I can eat almost anything (I am lactose intolerant now but only for milk...not other dairy products). I still don't do well with solid, dense meat but can eat small amounts of it sometimes. I must say though that the food problems I have stem from the old surgery I had not the RNY.

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

I would get up and walk around the house a few times a day. But to be truthful I have been very sedentary for many years. I started arm exercises with stretch bands at about 4 months and added walking on a Fast Track (sort of like a treadmill) at 5 months. I had very bad knees from arthritis and this is the first time in years I've been able to do this. I started to a Life Center at 1 yr post-op. I finally admitted I just wouldn't exercise regularly at home alone. I LOVE IT! I went 5 days a week for 9 mos. Then had to cut back to 3 because I didn't have anyone to work while I went. But now that I am at goal I believe the 3 days will be fine to maintain the weight loss.

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

I take a multi-vitamin....I've had some problems getting them down and missed them maybe 2 days out of the week. So this last week I bought the liquid vitamins and started them. That's very helpful for me. It tastes nasty but it's quick *S*. I've tried 2 kinds of powdered protein but couldn't stand them. I'm going to try some more since I think the hair loss is because of lack of protein. I got used to the taste of the Centrum Liquid Vitamins and found if I take the when I get up in the morning I seldom forget them. I did find the Pre-Digested Liquid Protein at GNC and that has been a big help with getting protein in. I mix it in Crystal Light Raspberry Ice and it tastes great. However, I recently heard they are discontinuing it so I don't know what I'll do now.

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 vomit 2 to 5 times a week. Sometimes because the food hangs up on me but mostly because my stomach doesn't empty well by it's self. At 5 months the doctor started me on Propulsid. I take it 1 hr before each meal and it helps alot. If I eat something in the evening though I'll wake during the night gagging from reflux. If I go ahead and throwup I can go back to sleep with no problem. But if I don't it will keep waking me. I was able to stop the Propulsid after a month and a half and I've had no more trouble with reflux. I don't throw up nearly as much. It gradually got better and better. Maybe once every 2 weeks now because of food hanging up on me. I will dump if I eat over 8-10 grams of sugar...that has gradually improved too. It was 6 grams at 6 mos post-op. I don't want it to increase though so I try to watch it. I do have one problem from time to time. It took awhile to figure out what was happening. Ever since I had my gall bladder out 23 yrs ago about once a yr I'd have these attacks. I'd have diarrhea several times then 8hrs or so later I'd begin to have the spasms that were extremely painful. I would go to the ER and get pain shots to stop them. About 18 most out it start again but happened 3 times in 2 mos. One night I went to the ER and before they gave me a shot I had the dry heaves and the spasms stopped. A friend with allot of medical training told me that that had interrupted the spasms. So now if I have them and they get too bad or last too long I can drink a glass of water fast, throw it up and stop them. A month or so ago I had the diarrhea then the spasm. Then I started having the diarrhea again...everytime I ate. It lasted for 2 weeks so I called my doctor and she said she thought I had Bile Salts Diarrhea and sent me some meds for it. It stopped it with 2 doses. A couple of weeks ago I read an explanation on what the gall bladders purpose is and it was a light bulb moment!! What I believe is happening to me is dumping from fat. I think that because I don't have a gall bladder to help the liver break down the fat over the years I would occasionally build up fat, not have the bile salts to break it down and I'd have the spasms. So NOW with the bypassed intestines it addes to by bodies inability to break down fat. And the thing is it's not that I ever eat much fat in one day....it can build up over several days. I had gone to a restuarant and bought a Taco Salad. I ate about 1/4 of it...brought it home and ate it over 3 more days and had a major attack after that. So now I know I can't do that. I've only had a couple of small attacks since then and with no diarrhea. I hope this helps anyone who might be having this problem. I've only had maybe half a dozen dumping episodes. Several were because I'd eaten something I wasn't ready for. But I haven't done that since maybe 3 months after the surgery.

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

Getting up and down the first few days after the surgery. Which I figure is quit normal. I've had more problem with food than the surgery. After the horrible gallbladder surgery I had 20 yrs ago this was a cake walk *S*

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

I don't have a support group. But I do frequent an online site. It has been very helpful. I also talk to the patients in his office when I go for checkups.

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

My scar goes from just below my right breast down to my left side. They had to make a bigger incision because of the old VBS and could go across because of the scar from my old gallbladder surgery. And yes I expected a large scar. It doesn't bother me though. I'm 54....no bikinis for me *S*

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Maybe 2 times I've had a week where I didn't seem to be loosing. But then it would drop alot. It was weeks when I couldn't eat hardly at all.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I don't go out much because of my business but when I do see someone I get a WOW!!!