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

I found out by web surfing, even though they are here in Grove City, Ohio, practically in my back yard. My initial impression was nothing but the best, in getting answers to my question & to receiving courtesious treatment

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

Insurance approval went in for submission in August 99. By end of September, I was sent a letter for further medical history including five years of weight history. My regular physician's office staff sent only the weight numbers, not actual office notes with weights on them. After needing the actual dates, history & weight documents to be resent, I then finally was given a determination of a medical necessity.

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

First visit was great and Dr. Choban answered all my questions & concerns.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Gallbladder surgery was a piece of cake for the most part, so I knew I could do well with the RNY

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

B.T.C. only does the RNY

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?

Basically I was nervous, but had no fears. I felt this whole process was going smooth & was "meant to be".

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?

Only my overwight sister & her extremely obese husband know about the RNY. The rest of the family thinks it is going to be a Hiatial Hernia repair surgery. This way I get much less negative imput into my decision.

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

There was so much stress at work before my gallbladder surgery that I quit when I was due to go back. Knowing that I wanted this RNY, I just worked part-time & temporary jobs thru New Years. I then took the whole month of January off the work on house projects/repairs. I'll job hunt come March or April.

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

Hospital stay was good...great & helpful nurses. I had my open RNY on a Monday morning, 1st one under the knife & I did well enough that I went home Wednesday. It was important to staff that you get up & walk,use the bathroom etc. I had no trouble there...staff was suprised I made it a total of six time that first afternoon/evening. Buy the second night I was out at the nurses station hanging out quite a bit and walking the total length of the hallway For me, the most important thing I took along was my auto-reverse cassette player with healing music & Dr. Neil Neimark's tape: "Less Stress Surgery" (from Amazon.com). It is a guided imagery relaxation mind /body tape to help one have a healthy & speedy recovery. He recommends listening 4-5 days prior to surgery, as well as during & after. Being able to come home one day in advance was all the proof I needed that this tape works. It gets a 5 star rating from me, a Certificed, Clinical Hypnotherapist with the state of Ohio.

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

none

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

no anxiety, most days I felt great. Only had a couple of days of the blahs and being tired in the first 2 weeks. Not bad!

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

Try to walk as much as you can. We had snow on the ground too much to go out in, so I bought a walk-in-home video.

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

Lucky for me, just 15 minutes

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.

Right now, just two weeks post-op, I find the smells even ever so slight of garlic, onions, leeks, etc. rather offensive. Three weeks post-op and the smells no longer bother me. I expected to have more food cravings than I actually did. The only things starting to bother me was the "flavored" protein powder supplements. I've never been a big sweet eater, so vanilla / chocolate / & the fruit flavors got boring for me very quickly. Fourth week post-op: I finally found a veggie & soy based protein powder that's neutral in flavor & can be added to soups, hot cerals, etc.

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

Once a day, 1 week 15-30 minutes walking. Second week I like two twenty minute walking trips. Ditto for weeks 3-5. Now I want to learn to roller blade & I'm looking forward to horseback riding this summer once again.

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

recommended ones from Dr. Choban at BTC

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?

week 5: I got so ravenous at one meal, I didn't chew well enough (duh) & had food come right back up. No pain, just instant reflux.

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

about every other day or two I felt tired for the first 3-4 weeks; however this is normal with any kind of major surgery.

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

Since I live alone, the first two weeks was mainly internet contacts as the snow on the ground limited my going out. At week four I went to the support group monthly meeting & met some really great people, saw & heard fantastic weight loss stories; and even reconnected with a former co-worker from a decade ago.

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

At 4 weeks post-op, it looks great, feels smooth. Can't wait for the red-purple color to fade with time.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

into week 5 post-op & I've had none so far. 5 Weeks to 6 Months post-op, I've had minor plateaus lasting a few days to one week. Now at six months post-op I hit a major plateau lasting so far, three weeks. I know the body needs time to re-adjust and hopefully this too shall pass.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Week 5: friends & neighbors are starting to see the loss of 30 lbs. Family & friends were very supportive at six months post-op when I lost an immediate family member to cancer. Most of them did (do) not know of the R-n-Y surgery, (I'd hear too much flack). However, they were extremely concerned with my (seeming) lack of desire for food.