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

A coworkers husband had the roux en Y done in November.

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

I was able to get my insurance approved even before I had my firsts appt. with the surgeon.

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

He asked me alot of questions. I me him several times while attending seminars that he and his partner put on together. They are so caring and really listen to me..

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Like I stated in the above question. I was very tired of being tired and felling sick all the time.. This is not me and I noticed the more weight I put on the worse I feel...

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The drs and I talked for a very long time and decided to go with the RNY lap. Unfortunately they were unable to proceed with the lap and had to do the open. I felt very confident that they would do what was best for me and I was right. I

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 did alot of praying about the surgery and had no doubts or worries. There is only one person who decided when we will die and I put myself in his and Dr. Ikramuddins hands. If I had to do this again I would again put myself in their hands.

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

I was out of work a total of 12 weeks due to complications from the scar tissue from alot of previous surgeries. My employer was ok with it as long as I was back in the 12 weeks as the policy where I work is 12 weeks a year and if I was one day over I would be out of a job. My immediate supervisor didn't comment one way or the other. I have found that alot of my coworkers are against this surgery and since returning to work have had alot of very nasty comments about how rediculous the surgery is and lots more I choose not to go into. I feel I did what was best for myself and my health so I am just ignoring the comments they make. I have a few who are very supportive with my surgery so the negative ones don't bother me. I have finally told them to keep their feelings and comments to themselves .

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

I was in the hospital for a total of 13days with 3 of those days in the ICU. I was then moved out to the step down unit. I received great care from both units and alot of support from the staff from the housekeepers to the RN"S.

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

Yes I had a little complication from the surgery in fact I still am. After 6 hrs of work I am in such terrible pain in the abdomen and am going to call my dr. to see if this is normal. I also had a couple of places in my incision that became infected and it was open for about 1 1/2 months before it would close completely.

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

If you have and open and if you have any infection you are still in some pain. I found that if I walked around the house some it would help the pain to become a little lesser. Also I used the heating pad on my back and it hurt quite awhile.

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

I traveled about 230 miles to have my surgery done. The hospital in this town does this type of surgery but they are just beginning it so I wanted the best of the best and that is what I was able to get thanks to Dr. Ikramudding.

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.

for the first couple of weeks I ate pureed pears and peaches (babyfood) .. the progressed to eggbeaters and the peaches and pears .. then proceeded to the chicken lunchmeat and lettuec. I can now eat most anything. It might agree with me one day and disagree with me the next. Mayonnaise is one thing I cannot eat... Milk I can drink if it is only 2 - 3 ounces.

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

my activities were very limited for the first few weeks due to having the drain and feeding tube but once they were out I was able to start walking more and driving.

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

I take 2 Flintstones vitamins, 1000 mg of vit c.. vit. b12 tums and liquid iron.

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 alot of hair loss right now but not as bad as others. I have nausea when I eat mayonnaise or spicy foods. I have the dumping dumping alot when I eat these foods toon.

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

I think the worse part for me was waking up in ICU as I was so sure they would be able to do the lap. But I think the alltime worse was having the tubes in my stomach for so long afterwards...

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

I go to the monthly support group program that Dr. Schauer and Dr. Ikramuddin put on. It is very informative and eveyone there is such help. They answer any questions that you might have... I don't see how there could be any better ones than that.

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

My scar is from my breast bone done to my naval. Well I guess it is not what I expected because I thought I would have the lap and it is only 5 small holes. But once I was awake and realized that they did the open yes it is the size I thought I would be.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes I do notice alot of people treating me different. Some coworkers not so good but for the most part yes alot of people are telling me how wonderful I look.. Alot of people were concerned with my weight and I never knew it..