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

I had a friend that had a stomach stapling surgery in the late 1970's. She threw up all the time, she would eat and then run to the bathroom. I didn't want any part of that. Then in 2002, I started searching on the internet for weight loss solutions, every ad said "the only permanent weight loss solution" Permanent is what I wanted...

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

The insurance approval was mainly jumping thru the correct hoops at the right time. You have to be willing to contact your insurance company and talk, talk, talk to them.

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

I was scared going to meet new people. It was exciting to see all the pictures of weight loss success, and talk to the nurses and office staff that were post op. The doctor was very informative, drew pictures, asked questions to be sure me and my husband understood the procedure.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

the hope of permanent weight loss

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

RNY was the preferred procedure at the time, and it was believed that Open RNY was the best -

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 didn't consider this surgery any more dangerous than any other. My medical conditions had not been so severe to be a problem with other surgeries.

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?

Some friends asked didn't I want to try one of the other weight loss methods again, some were very fearful of me having "elective" surgery. Right after the surgery everyone was supportive, once I started eating solid foods people were a lot more judgemental or they would offer foods I shouldn't have just to see what I would do.

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

I took 6 weeks off of work, they were basically supportive in my desire to lose weight. I explained the surgery and also explained my doctor's recommendation.

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

Yes I was glad to attend. Of course I was full of questions about how much and what you could eat. Some people talked about how hard it was to stay away from regular ice cream and how it would make them sick. I couldn't believe that after all the preparations they would go back to eating regular ice cream. Boy was I full of myself! I had not idea that the same triggers for overeating were still there. I wish we could have kept a support group going in my city.

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

The hardest part about being in the hospital is it was 2 hours away from my home and friends. The hosptial I was in had a wing for bariatric patients with nurses that had also had the surgery, there was a great amount of support and encouragement there. I spent 4 days in the hospital.

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

No complications from the surgery.

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 was excited about having a surgery date, the anxiety came in when others kept telling you, you could still change your mind.

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

Because I had the open RNY, my belly had been cut the whole length, so there were no abdominal muscles that didn't hurt. Took pain medicine that helped, but also made me sleepy, so didn't get up and move around enough.

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

2 hours, The first trip back to see the doctor had to be planned with food intake, since I wasn't to go longer than 2 hours with food. The ride made my stomach queasy, it was hard to eat in the moving vehicle. But followup visits were easier, I did have to plan a whole day off of work for each visit.

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.

No Pop, this was a biggy, I was used to using sugar free products, but really missed the pop, had the caffiene withdrawal in the hospital, so I was on meds for pain so the headaches were controlled. Food did taste different, didn't even crave chocolate for the first 6 months. After the first 6 months pretty much any food could be tolerated well, just smaller portions. At about 6 months is when I tried a piece of chocolate, not sugar free, I expected a violent reaction, unfortunately that didn't happen, that when I started added more and more sugary things back into my diet.

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

Didn't move around much, just getting up from the recliner was a challenge, because of having the open procedure. After 6 weeks I went back to work, I work in a very large building so just walking in from the parking lot was a task. I resumed some of the walking I did before surgery (I walked a half marathon 4 months before surgery). But I was tired alot, didn't have the energy I expected.

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

Daily mulivitamins, B12 and 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 only had slight nausea, no other side affects.

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

All the paper work before. Healing from the open procedure.

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

Had a support group for the first year. My surgeons office was always available for questions, not that I would ask any. I had an individual counselor to treat my depression that I've had for most of my life. When I went for my 2 year checkup, they helped with a "Get back on track" program. I need to try to get back on track, I have not been to my surgeon since 2005, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, my world fell apart, eating right was the farthest thing from my mind. I turned back to food for comfort. Ihave gained back all but 10lbs of the weight I lost. My husband passed away in 2006 and I still can't get on track.

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

My scar has faded quite a bit, but I have had two subsequent surgeries for hernia repair.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

A plateu would be nice, actually I have stayed the same weight for the last 4 years, but have not lost anything.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People commented a lot a first, my mother always had to tell people I did it the easy way by having surgery, she was too old to have it. People don't mention my weight very often, it's only when I meet new people that I'm very self conscious of still being extremely overweight.