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

I'd seen shows on television about WLS and, honestly, had no feelings either way about it. About a year ago, a woman came to work in my department and told me she had had WLS four years ago and lost 150 pounds. As I got to know her and we talked more about it, it sounded like something I should check into. I spoke to my PCP and she gave me a referral to Dr. Michael Snyder--and changed my life.

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

Insurance approval was definitely the easiest part of this whole process. My insurance company had already paid for two heart attacks and years of medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Given my history, there was little doubt that my WLS was medically necessary.

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

Dr. Snyder gives monthly seminars and requires potential patients to attend one prior to the initial private consultation. The seminar was extremely helpful and provided a lot of basic information. He also has patients attend and share their experiences, which provided real-life experiences for me to hear about. So many people had had their lives dramatically and positively changed and it was quite an inspiration for me. As for the first consult, I can't stress enough the importance of finding out as much about the process as possible. Talk to people, find things on tv, search the Internet. These are the best ways to know what to ask your doctor about the process.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My complete confidence in Dr. Snyder and my belief that this would be my last best chance to overcome the grip that food had on my life.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted to have RNY because I needed a way to defeat food. I needed to have food hurt me if I didn't follow the rules. No rationalizations, no excuses, no exceptions.

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 had surprisingly few fears. Having survived two heart attacks, I've always felt like there was a reason I was still here. The pre-op testing was arduous, but after it was done, I felt like they had done everything humanly possible to ensure that I was ready for this.

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 parents are both deceased and I've never been married nor do I have any children. I have three brothers and they have been as supportive of me as they can be considering the fact that two of the three of them live a great distance from me. My friends were concerned, but also knew the amount of research I'd done on this. I think the important people in my life were relieved that I was ready to take control of a situation that would surely have killed me.

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

My boss is an amazing man and was so happy I'd decided to do this. I explained what I was doing and he knew a couple of people in his life who had had great success with WLS. I took six weeks to recover, as I have a fairly high-stress job and I wanted to make sure I was ready and able to resume my duties. My boss and co-workers kept in touch with phone calls and visits. I think I consider them my main support system.

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

I had some problems during the procedure. My blood sugar shot up to 450 and my surgeon had me put in ICU for two days following surgery for monitoring and getting my blood sugar under control. My surgery was on September 24th and I was released on September 28th. The things that were most important to me that I brought were books and puzzle books.

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

See above for the blood sugar complications. I found the post-surgical pain to be more than I expected, but at that point, I didn't have much choice but to take the pain medication and grit my teeth and bear it. What was done was done.

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 felt quite a bit of pain for several weeks and stayed on oral pain medication pretty much around the clock for the first two weeks. I slacked off little by little until the fourth week, when I was medication free. I felt tired almost all the time, but still tried to make sure I got as much exercise as I could and followed the dietary regimen. Then sometime during the fifth week, I woke up one day feeling amazing - pain-free and energetic. And I've stayed that way ever since.

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

I was on oxygen coming home from the hospital and for about a week afterward. I was, however, able to take care of everything for myself. Being on a liquid diet was fairly easy and actually made taking care of myself easier. Removal of the final drain made things much better, although the actual removal was extremely painful for me.

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

The hospital is about five miles from my home and took about 15 minutes to get to. My doctor's office is part of the hospital, so I had no problem getting to and from follow-up appointments.

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've had surprisingly few food issues. Things I can't tolerate (fried foods, high fat foods) are things I shouldn't have anyway. Had a couple of dumping episodes, but I chalked them up to learning experiences. I've also has one episode of simply eating too fast to realize I had exceeded my capacity. Luckily, after a couple of hours of writing in agony, my body let me throw up and things were better immediately. I learned my lesson!

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

Walking in the hospital following surgery was very slow and very painful. When I got home, I was moving a bit better, but there was still pain. I gradually increased from just a few minutes of walking to 1/2 hour probably by the third week post-op. I'm a little over three months out now and I don't have too many limitations. I joined a gym this week and hired a personal trainer. I'm also doing water aerobics a couple times a week and love the movement and activity. Losing over 60 pounds has made my life a much more pleasant place to live in!

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

I take two kids vitamins three times a day. I use sublingual B12 from GNC every day, as well as 1000 mg of chewable calcium. I'm having labs done next week, so I'll see how I'm doing then.

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 had some heartburn following surgery, but my doctor prescribed Protonix (which I'm still taking) and haven't had any problems since. I have only had a few instances of nausea and sumping and I just waited them out or threw up. I haven't had any hair loss so far. This has been a surprisingly easy experience, considering all the things that could have gone wrong.

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

Probably the post-surgical pain, but the memory of it fades away like I always heard happened with childbirth. Nothing I experienced was so bad that it takes anything away from all the positives I've experienced.

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

I go to my support group twice a month and the people there have added so much to my life. They're positive people who have shared so much of their experiences with me. Everyone who does this should avail themselves of support groups. Who else can really know what you're going through? My family and friends have offered what support they can, but my group-mates are the ones who really know what this is all about.

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

I have five one-inch scars in a circle on my belly. They are actually much less than I expected and they make me smile when I look at them. Those tiny marks changed my whole life - and for the better!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I'm only three months out and haven't had any plateaus yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I'm still significantly overweight, so people who don't know me still treat me like a fat chick. It matters much less to me because I know the steps I've undergone to take my life back. My friends, so far, have been positive and supportive. We'll see what happens as I continue on the path.