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

I found out when I saw an article on Carny Wilson , in Womans' World magazine. I figured it was something only rich people could have done. I think working on getting approved for WLS makes you admit that you are morbidly obese, and that is something that's hard to accept. I think that's why a lot of us want to eat or hide until the surgery. We have to fianlly face what we've been avoiding, and that at least for me was really hard.

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

Call and e mail. Find a service rep who you feel comfortable with and talk to them everytime. I found one and she was wonderful. Most are really caring people, and once they see you as a person, not an account #, they are more than willling to help. Be po;ite, they are people, too, and are only doing their job.

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

He was wonderful. Be prepared to ask questions, and also be aware that your 1st visit probably won't be covered by insurance. If you don't feel comfortable with them, find someone else!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I knew it was time to take care of me. I didn't want to end up like my mother, who was a wonderful woman, and we lost her at the age of 52 to a massive heart attack. My father had massive heart attack the next year, and we nearly lost him. I just knew, with the doc's warning me about diabetes, and high BP, that I had to take a stand for me. No one could do this for me.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Open RNY is considered to be the Gold Standard for WLS. I don't think others are as safe or have as high a weight loss rate. Some of the others aren't approved by the FDA.

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 really that frightened, to be honest. The only thing that bothered me was the possibility of leaving my husband and son alone without me. I felt very calm about my decision, because I was dying the way I was, and the WLS was saving my life!

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 husband was the worst. He wanted to be supportive, but he was so frightened. He actually got angry with me at times, like I was having the surgery for fun. Some of my friends were a little discouraging, but most, especially the really close ones, know me, and know that I wouldn't go into something like this without serious thought. They were very supportive.

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

I went straight to Human Resources, as I work for a nation wide company. I got all the facts straight before I went to my immediate supervisor. I was honest about what I'm having done. I explained that this would possibly help a lot of health problems I've been having, and I was determined to have it done. She proabably wasn't happy abot it, but it is my life I was saving, not anyone else's.

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

The hospital stay was okay. I had a hard time getting help with things like bathing. I'm a "lightweight" WLS patient, so if I had problems, I can't imagine what a stay for a larger patient would be like. My I.V. was turned very high, so I had to pee alot. They had taken the catheter out, so I had to try and hurry to get out of bed. One day post op does not enable you to hurry when recovering from an open RNY. So I spent a lot of time embarassed, sitiing on wet sheets, cold, wishing my help would hurry up and get there. The four best things I took were a slip on robe, slip on house shoes, and a good chapstick and facial moisturizer. My face got so dry it was peeling.

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

I haven't really had any out of the ordinary complications, just pain, nausea, and vomiting.

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 tried to stay busy, but it was really hard. The anxiety wasn't that much of a factor for me, I was more excited. Waiting for approval, surgery date, and then waitng to go into surgery were all hard. I only got nervous the morning of sugery when I was in the holding area for 4 hours....

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

You will be tired, and there are a lot of adjustments to make.

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

Four hours to see the surgeon. It makes it kind of hard , I have to plan my visits as a day trip.

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.

Chicken, chicken, and steak! LOL

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

very mild to maybe moderate. But 3 days after surgery I was up and walking around my neighborhood.....

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

Calcium citrate, iron(ferrous sulfate ) women's multi, B-12 shots 1 q month

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- mostly due to pain pills Vomiting due to my stubborness on trying to eat anything normally at first. Went back to liquids whenever this happened and it got better.

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

The mental adjustment is hard. i still see myself as fat, and I'm in a size 5. I catch glimpses of myself and think, is that me? Is that how I look? / Now wearing 3/4 and size 5/6 and still feel fat. I'm aat least going to have a boob job, and would love to have a tummy tuck, but right now it's not financially in the cards!

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

None as far as my surgeon goes. I had to call and ask for bloodwork to be drawn when I wasn't feling well. I have found a support group here locally, but AMOS is still my one and only best support. Thanks, Kevin, and all the others who make it possible.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Lots, but I was always losing inches, so it was easy to get through.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Constantly. I don't know whether it's because my attitude has changed, maybe I"m friendlier....Or maybe part of it is that I'm socially acceptable. My husband says that I am absolutelyy beautiful now, but that is hard forme to accept. Like most women, you could give the worlds' most perfect body and I would find something wrong with it. But I am proud of what I have accomplished, and happy, so it's alot easier to meet the worlds' eyes and give them a huge smile....Great, isn't it?