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

I found out about Bariatric surgery my coming across this website. (Do not even remember how I found this site) My first impressions were hope and wondering if it really works.

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

I had CDPHP Select Plan for NY State and it was a managed care medicaid program. I thought that since it was medicaid that I would never get approved. Paula, who is a godsend to my docs office, got my approval within HOURS of sending my letters and stuff in to them> I was so excited. My best advice for people at the insurance stage is to have confidence that you will get approved and if not approved, DO NOT give up.

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

My surgeon is fantastic. He totally explained the entire procedure to about five of us who were in for a special orientation meeting. PAY ATTENTION to that meeting with your surgeon. Hopefully he will be as fantastic and thorough as Dr. Oscar Lirio at Ellis Hospital Bariatric Center. Everyone deserves a surgeon that is like him.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I have a young daughter who is 7-yrs-old and she constantly begged me to get on the floor and play with her. The problem was not getting DOWN, it was getting UP. NOW I can actually get down there and play with her. NOT all the time due to my Fibromyalgia, but I can do it more than before which was not at all. She is much happier.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon's office at the time only performed the Open RNY. He now has a great addition to his office, Dr. Terrance Clarke, who does the Laporoscopic.

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 was afraid that I would not come out of anesthesia. My bypass was my fourth surgery of 2004 and it seemed that each time I went under general anesthesia, that I went out much quicker. That scared me. I would tell people who are contemplating this that they WILL be scared. That is normal no matter what kind of surgery they are going through. Think positive thoughts always and have a large support center. IE: Friends, family, everyone they can think of. I did not have much support and that was scarier than the actual thought of the surgery. DO NOT undergo this without a great group of support people and an excellent support group like ours at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. If it were not for the support group family, I never would have made it to where I am now.

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 family seemed to be supportive but never actually GAVE me support. They did not really ever discuss it with me though I really tried. I am almost a full six months out and it is as if NOTHING about me has changed. Nobody makes comments either negative or positive. My best friend has backed somewhat off of our friendship. She keeps making comments like, "Here comes Barb and her fat friend Rita." I can't seemt to tell her how much this bothers me. I am NOT going to hate my friend because she chooses to stay obese. She is still the person I became friends with. She does not approve of the surgery, but that is her right to feel that. I cannot nor would not want to change her feelings. She DOES keep telling me now that I look great, but it seems as if her heart is not really in it. Seems like she is envious of me or mad at me sometimes for it.

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

I was and am, awaiting disability due to fibromyalgia so I did not have an employer to worry about. I am not 2 years out with degenerative disk disease, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, etc.

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

I went to a highly respectable hospital but only because it was where my surgeon worked through. I would not have personally chosen it if I had a choice. My stay was comfortable except for the fact that NOBODY bothered to tell me that I should push my morphine pump at least every ten minutes to get the best pain management. I assumed it was like pills, every four hours or so. I found out the hard way that you can push it every ten minutes. I awoke the "morning after" feeling awful and as if a truck hit me. IF I had known how the pump worked, I would have been more comfortable. I was VERY disappointed in the fact NOBODY told me. I was in the hospital for three nights and four days. You do not really need much at the hospital. I brought slippers, a brush, toothbrush, and magazines but did not even feel up to the reading. Best if visiters waited till the day after surgery to see you when you are more aware.

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

I lost over a litre of blood and my doc had wanted to do a transfusion but my blood count went back up on it's own thankfully. I was very weak and tired, but extra iron and my vitamins helped that. I was worried about having to have a transfusion, but ended up ok which made me happy.

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

When I got a call from my docs office AND my insurance compay in the same day, I was wondering if there was a problem. (I was not home for the calls and they did not leave messages) I was very nervous and it was too late to call my docs office back so called the insurance company. They told me that they had only contacted me to congratulate me on my APPROVAL. I was thrilled to death and could not WAIT to have surgery so the very next morning I called the docs office to get my date. (December 6, 2004). I was on cloud nine right up until the day before surgery, then got nervous. I dealt with it all ok though.

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

Your first few weeks home you will need a lot of help. I had NONE except my little girl of 7. She was a wonderful help though. My gallbladder tube was taken out before I was discharged but went home with the gastric tube in. Be extra careful of that tube. It can pull and irritate. You DO need some adults to help you out though. You will be very uncomfortable at first, so if you had open surgery make a point to have a small pillow to hold on your abdomen. It sounds nuts but it really does work with the pain so you are not in agony every time you move. Just take it easy and let your body heal. The more help you can get, the better.

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

I lived about 40 minutes from the hospital but it did not affect my aftercare. The only problem was no driving until my gastric tube came out and I had to find a ride to get it taken out. Surgry was a good experience for me all the way around.

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.

DO NOT even attempt to eat sugar or fat. Do NOT eat too fast. You may dump. I ate mostly pureed chicken, turkey, and green pureed vegetables. Always eat your protein items first. They are the most important. I was not taking in enough protein which caused my weight loss to be slower. If your doctor reccommends BeneProtein or any other kind of protein, use it. Eating fatty foods and foods high in sugar or carbs is a no-no. I used to be able to eat LOTS of stuff (which is how I ended up fat) but slowly you CAN succeed in teaching yourself the RIGHT way to eat. Just go by what the doc and nutritionist tells you and you will be fine. PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN!!! At first I was eating too fast and was "dumping" within five minutes of starting to eat. As the weeks away from surgery came and went, I was able to keep foods down better. The first time you dump, you will say it will be the last. Just eat the protein, veggies, and drink fat free milk. NO Carbs or Sugar. Splenda is great and the fruit flavored waters with splenda are also great.

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

Activity levels after surgery were nowhere on the map. :-) I was fatigued and did not sleep well, so therefore, no energy. It does get better. Take your iron, calcium and vitamin supplements. Two years out and a diagnoses of Sleep apnea, have my energy level STILL nil.

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

I go to www.prismmedical.com and purchase the Bariatric Dispenser Pak. It consists of your multi vitamin (kelated), your iron in choice of 15 or 30 mg, and your calcium in a convenient rip off pak for the times they need to be taken. If you are going to be out for the day, you can rip off your three paks for the day. The 8 am one holds a vitamin and calcium, the noon one holds your iron, which cannot be taken with the calcium, and the 5 pm one holds another vitamin and calcium to give you your daily needed supplements. I love it and it is $29.95, which to buy all of these separately would be a bit higher according to when I shopped around.

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?

The hair loss was the worse side effect for me. I have always worried about my looks, and with hair loss I was very upset. I was pulling big wads of hair out of the tub when I showered. NOW that I am faithfully using protein power, I only lose a very small ammount which was what I normally lost BEFORE surgery. I still have minor hair loss at almost six months out but am coping well now by using the protein powder. FAITHFULLY use the protein powerder your doc reccommends.

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

The worse part of the entire process was the second and third day post op for me. I felt like a truck hit me, but that gradually got better. Also the pureed food did not help things for me. I HATED it.

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

Our support group is at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady NY. Support groups are a necessary part of the entire heeling processs, both mental AND physical.

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

My scar is about 4 to 5 inches and has faded quite a bit since December '04 when I had surgery. I expected it to be longer and darker, but it is fading very well. As of today, my 2nd anniversary, I have a very thin white scar. You can hardly notice it.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had a plateau when I got to a weight loss of about 87 pounds. I have since then started losing again, but slower. I have, as of today, lost a total of 97 pounds in almost six months. I am now 2 years out with a maintaining weight of 106 pounds

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Absolutely, people WILL treat you better once you start the weight loss. NOBODY ever holds doors for fat women. They hold the doors for me now and MEN look at me more now. Oh, and even WOMEN hold doors. People who start to walk away and let a door close, actually go back to hold it. Too bad they weren't that thoughtul when I was FAT!!