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

I first received and email invitation to visit this site. I was amazed. I would never have thought that there were so many people that have had this surgery, were thinking about having it or were in the process of getting approval to have it. I thought that it was fantastic that surgery for this condition has improved so much over the past 10-15 years and I am glad that it is available. Now, if the insurance companies would all get up to speed to understand that this is not an elective procedure but a necessary one, there would not be so many heartbroken people trying everything they can to get approval.

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

I contacted my insurance company directly to find out what they would require to get approval for the procedure. They were wonderful and my case worker explained to me their requirements. One requirement was that I have a psychological consultation. They chose the doctor and set the appointment and this I have to say was the most horrible portion of all. The doctor told me that he didn't think that I needed this surgery and that I should just go off all the medications that I was on at that time for about 3-4 months, see a therapist and try dieting without being on medication. He said that I was "petite compared to others that he has seen". I told him that petite or not, I qualified for the surgery and that going off my medications would cause other problems and that I did not agree with his comments. I spoke with my case worker at my insurance company and told them that if he did not state in his report that I was competant to have this surgery that I wanted to see another doctor immediately. I told them what this doctor had said to me and sure enough when they got his report, he made the same reccomendation to them. Well, since I had already told them about this, they told him that they were not asking for his medical thoughts about me and the surgery, his only response was to let them know if I was or was not aware of what I would need to deal with after the surgery and if I was competant and he said well, of course she's competant! The insurance company told him to write that in his report and fax it to them. He did and I was approved the same day! I believe that if this is something that you want done, you need to take matters into yourown hands and not necessarily wait for the surgeon's office to file for your approval. Gather all your information as early as possible and check on submitting it yourself. It works and it also frees up alot of time at the surgeon's office.

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

My first meeting was my consultation and it was very informative. Do not be shy, write down your questions ahead of time and leave space for the answers. Ask all of your questions. Don't worry about feeling like you are insulting the surgeon, if their work is outstanding, they will not mind telling you so. Remember that you are interviewing the surgeon and you are the one that decides.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

After being thin all my life and then gaining weight over the past 9 years and then trying everything possible to lose the weight I had gained, nothing worked. I went to several doctors and tried just about every type of diet as well as medication and nothing worked. I just kept gaining weight. After I spoke with my surgeon and checked with my insurance company I had no second thoughts. I was more than willing to adjust my eating before depending on the diet I was on so why not adjust it and work with this tool. It was worth the try and I have been losing ever since the surgery. Whatever it changed in my system, I don't know and I don't really care, it's working and that is all that matters.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I was debating between the RNY and the D/S. After my first consultation with the surgeon that performs the RNY, I had my questions answered and some pertained to the difference in food intake, and reactions including dumping. I felt that I did not need to go to the extreme that I felt the D/S procedure was and that for me the RNY would help me accomplish what I wanted to do.

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?

Any procedure of any type can have complications. You must have faith in the surgeon you have chosen and if you have medical clearance from your regular physician, then you should feel comfortable.

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?

Most of my family and friends were supportive of my decision. Most of them knew how unhappy I was with my weight and they were aware of the other health problems that the weight was causing. Some people were surprised at my decision because they were not aware that I weighed as much as I did. They couldn't understand why dieting wasn't working for me and for those that would see what I ate, they knew that I was not overeating but I was still gaining weight. Since surgery, they watch over me to make sure that I am eating and drinking and that I am doing well and that doesn't bother me, it is a little annoying at times having so many people checking up on me but I prefer it this way than if they didn't care enough to ask. They are all very happy for me and they tell me that they are proud of me for making this decision.

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

I did not tell anyone at work what I was doing except for 2 people that work for me and that I also consider friends. Once I had my insurance approval, I didn't care who knew, it was kind of along the lines of the thought if I didn't tell anyone and I didn't get approved, I wouldn't have to have people looking at me funny. Since I was approved, if they did not agree with me that was their problem and I was doing what I felt was right for me. I went back to work at 2 weeks post op because I am a supervisor and I had to cover for someone that was out on vacation. I worked for the full week and then the following Monday and then I took an additional 4 weeks off. The additional time off was mostly due to the fact that my job is very hectic and I am in charge of a good amount of daily activities in a very precise and very visible area of my company. When I returned to work at 2 weeks post op, it was difficult for me to get food down and to drink liquids. I was not able to relax and eat quietly and concentrate on my intake. This caused me to become dehydrated and slightly malnourished. When the doctor took me back out of work I was determined to make sure that I could handle my new way of eating and that I was not going back to work until I knew that my health would not be compromised.

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

Stay in the hospital was wonderful. The nurses at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ were fantastic. Not one was rude or insensitive. They were very understanding and helpful and I never felt as though it was an inconvenience to ask for anything. I had my surgery on Monday morning and was in my room that afternoon. I was discharged Thursday evening of the same week. I had no complications. The most important things to bring I would say are the following (in no special order): personal telephone book (you don't want to try to remember anyone's phone number after general anesthesia), walkman or discman w/headphones and music (with the noise in the hospital, this will help you to relax and let you tune out what is going on around you and be able to rest), the last thing I would suggest is to bring your own pajamas (if you are in your own clothing, you actually mentally feel better).

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

The only complication I have encountered is upon returning to work, at 2 weeks post-op, it was just too much for me. I have a very hectic schedule and have no way of doing half the workor working shorter days as I tried. Even if someone does not need the extra time, I think it is good to take several weeks to let your body heal and also to get used to your new eating and drinking regime. I became dehydrated and very sore due to the lack of time I could give to even just drinking.

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

After I got my surgery date I was very excited, I started to get the insurance approval process moving myself. I worked and tried to get everything in order for when I would be out and I kept checking this website for information and went to the chat room whenever I could. I also set up my own support group that now as a post-op patient I am continueing as I feel that it is very important to not only email and chat online with fellow WLS people, it is important to know that there is local support for you.

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

Remember that you have just had major surgery and your body needs time to heal. Give your body the time that it needs and take things slowly. Even if you feel great, don't push or overdo as you may not feel as good the next day. It is better to do a little each day than push one day and feel lousy the next. Since I have had 2 c-sections, I took my recovery the same way that you would having a c-section. For a c-section you need at least 8 weeks to recover and that is what I told myself. I gradually added more household chores to what I was doing but I was still careful with lifting, bending and such.

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

I could have had my surgery at a hospital closer to my home but I went about 20 miles away because I knew that the hospital was excellent and I wanted the surgeon that I had chosen and that is where he is on staff. This did not affect my aftercare at all since it still was not that far away and it was actually closer than where I work.

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.

I have tried many things and I have had problems with bread, pasta and hard boiled eggs. I, at 4 months post op could tolerate some pasta if it was cooked very well and I still avoid bread and hard boiled eggs. I feel that I can do without bread and even the pasta too, it is only carbohydrates that I don't need. As for the hard boiled eggs, Oh well, I'll try them again later on down the road. I try what I want and I take small bites and chew it well and see how it goes. I eat anything that I can get down and anything that has flavor after 30 chews.

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

My activity was slow after surgery and at 5 months post op, I guess my activity level must be pretty good. I would love to find the time to exercise but I work fulltime, run a weight loss surgery support group out of the hospital where I had my surgery and I have an 11 year old and 4 year old sons. My little just started kindergarten and I am on 2 committees for the school so on top of everything else, I am at more meetings for his school functions. My days start at about 6:30 am and don't end until I have checked on our support group emails which could take me until after midnight. I guess this means that my energy level is doing pretty good.

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

In the beginning I was taking 2 children's sugar free chewable multi-vitamins. Since then I have switched to an adult's mutli-vitamin that I have found that is the size of an M&M. I take one of these per day. I take no other supplements and my blood work has been great! (I do watch what foods I eat and I try to eat healthy just as I did before surgery).

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 dumped only a couple of time because I watch my sugar intake. I have had more episodes of coughing up something that I have eaten that does not want to go down. Hair loss started at about 3 1/2 months post op and seems to have pretty much stopped at about 5 1/2 months post op. For the hair loss, I got my hair permed so that I did not need to dry it everyday and also so that there was not as much tugging and pulling when I was drying my hair. When the hair loss actually had started, I got my hair cut shorter since the sheer weight of longer hair can cause it to fall out. My hair has been short since about 4 months post op and as I stated about, much less was falling out and since about 5-5 1/2 months, it seems like it has pretty much stopped falling out like before, (knock on wood).

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

The psych evaluation required by my insurance company.

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

Aftercare/Support group is very important, any question you have, someone else has probably asked and before calling the doctor, it is helpful to run the question by someone that you don't feel is too busy to share with you what they may know. Since I started the support group, I have many people that I can ask for information and likewise there are many new people to our group that call and ask me questions. We all feel that it is our way of giving back to the group what we have been able to get from them.

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

I hap the Lap RNY so I have 5 very small incisions. They are very minor to the point that I forget that I just had major surgery. I have had 2 C-sections and this is much easier as far as the incision goes. It is harder however to keep reminding myself that I did in fact have major surgery because I do not have a large incision. I would not trade the Lap procedure for anything.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have not yet hit a plateau. At this point, I am 5 weeks post op and I just keep reminding myself that I have to look at the overall time and pounds lost and if I hit a plateau and add that amount of time into the amount of pounds lost, I know that it will still be a much larger loss than that of any diet I have been on. I am now almost 6 months post op and I have lost about 67 pounds so far. I know from our support group that everything is relevant and that 67 pounds for me is a great deal while others with much more weight to lose have possibly lost thismuch weight in a much shorter period of time. I still look at the situation this way, I am continuing to lose weight and no matter how much it is, it is more than I was losing with regular dieting! At 67 pounds and almost 6 months, that is still over 10 pounds per month and I think that is fantastic!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Since I was thin for the better part of my life and I saw how people changed towards me as I gained weight, I am now paying more attention to how they are treating me as I am losing weight and you would be amazed at what they say and do and especially how I am treated at work. I am surprised sometimes at how rude and thoughtless people are. I am very proud to say that I never have judged anyone on their size and I am glad that I still do not do that.