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

I work at a hospital, so that's where I had first heard of it. The first time I really thought about it as an option for me was when my sister had it done.

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

The doctor's office handled everything with the insurance company. I didn't have to do anything.

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

The meeting was a little chaotic, as I had my husband and son with me, but he was very patient and answered all my questions. The best thing you can do is have a list of questions ready with you, so you don't forget everything you want to ask.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

There were a few factors. First, my son. I want to be able to do things with him. Also, I've had gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes runs in my family, so losing weight to maybe not get diabetes was a definite plus. Also, my sister and her husband had it done and the results have been amazing.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My doctor and I decided together which surgery I should have based on my eating habits and expectations.

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 don't really have a lot of fears regarding complications or dying from the surgery. I work at the hospital I'm getting it done at, and as a transcriptionist I get to hear about the surgeries and complications all the time. The complications have been minimal and I haven't seen anyone dying from it yet. What I would tell people who are afraid is to talk to your doctor, support network, therapist, and also become as well-informed as you can. Sure, there are complications, but they are rare and the more you know, the better you'll understand what's happening.

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 younger sister was wonderful, if long distance. She had the same surgery a little over a year ago and has been giving me pointers. My husband has been doing pretty well, although whining about having to do the housework. He's really impressed with all the work I have been doing (walking and meal planning) and is excited about watching me lose weight. The only person who has had a problem with my having the surgery has been my husband's biological mother, but she has a lot of issues with me anyway, so one more is no biggie.

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

My supervisor has been wonderful. I had the surgery at the hospital I work at and my supervisor and most of my coworkers came to see me, plus sent flowers and a card. I'll be off for a total of six weeks.

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

My stay at the hospital was kind of fuzzy, because of all the drugs. I was in for five days. The staff was really nice. I was near the surgery waiting room, though, so it was noisy if the door was open. The most important thing to bring is lip balm. If I had thought about it I would have asked about nasal saline spray too, as my nose was really dry.

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

I had some respiratory distress that required nebulizer treatments, but that went away once I was off the morphine pump. I also had hypophosphatemia, for which I was given IV supplementation; hyponatremia, for which nothing was done; and hyperglycemia, that went away once the D5 IV was taken out.

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 really didn't feel too nervous until the night before surgery. I had done a lot of research, plus I was familiar with the surgeon's work from being a transcriptionist at the hospital I had the procedure done. I just chalked the nervousness the night before to normal preop anxiety and didn't let it get to me.

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

I'm almost four weeks out. Expect to feel a little run down at first. I'm starting to get some energy back, but I'm keeping myself reined in as I tend to move too quickly too soon postop. Also, expect to have a little trouble adjusting to some foods as you adapt and with trying new foods. Sometimes the only way to know if something is going to be okay to eat is to try it and see if it stays down.

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

I only had to go about four miles. Like I've said, I had the surgery at the hospital I work at and the surgeon's office is right across the street. There are also aftercare support meetings at the hospital that I can run over to during my shift.

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 could eat yogurt and cottage cheese right off the bat without any trouble. I can eat tuna, and shrimp, but not smoked salmon. I couldn't eat eggs at first, but now I can as long as they are chopped up finely and with a little low fat mayo added. I have not been able to eat chicken at all. I was drinking protein drinks every morning, but now they make me queasy just to think about. About three weeks out I tried diet soda. It goes down, if I only drink a little and I let it defizz a bit first. Oh, I was able to eat 1/2 of a cheese blintz and that made me happy.

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

I've been doing mostly walking. I can't stand in one place for very long. I'm not doing housework yet. I tried my recumbent bike yesterday for a few minutes with all the tension out and that seemed to be all right.

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

I take a Centrum chewable and a Caltrate 600 twice a day. In a couple of weeks I'll be shown how to give myself a monthly B12 shot.

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 haven't had any hair loss yet, as I'm only about a month out. I've had some nausea and vomiting as I'm trying new foods, some of which have not agreed with me. I've also let myself get too hungry a couple of times and ate too fast, which caused me to vomit. I'm still in the trial and error period with food, so I just live with the possibility of vomiting sometimes. I just try to avoid new foods when I'm at a restaurant.

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

The bowel prep and the second day after surgery when everything hurts.

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

I go to two aftercare support groups and a social group that meet monthly. I find them to be very very helpful. It's nice to be able to talk about things related to my journey with others who have been there or are starting the journey.

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

My scar is pretty long, from breastbone to bellybutton. I knew ahead of time that my doctor does have long scars, but I do get a little jealous of the people with tiny scars.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

The way my weight loss seems to run is that I will drop ten pounds fast and then sit at that weight for 3 weeks. This has happened 3 times now. I figure the 3 week pause in weight loss is when I'm losing inches and my body is adjusting its set point again.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not too much differently yet, but we'll see in a few months.