dhlyankee2000

  • BMI 24.0

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

dieted all my life. no lasting luck with any diet.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

just didn't feel good

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

i can cross my legs and my ankles at the same time. i haven't been able to do that for 30+ years.

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

as of this date,6 of my husbands family has had one or another form of wls over the last 6 years. once i saw the others results postop,i knew i would be the third one to have wls.

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

i was approved after my first letter of recommendation. get more then one recommendation from drs., and fill out all applications as clearly as possible. and cross your fingers...

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

first visit with my dr. was great. he made me feel comfortable and answered all my questions as if i was a layperson. be honest with him and he or she will be the same.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

my age, general health and just being tired of all the dieting with no real results.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

i don't fear surgery at all, and all my family had the rny without any real problem.

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?

didn't have any real fears. all my life, my mother who was a director of nursing in a small private psych. hospital in CT. has always told me "if your born to be shot, you'll never be hung"- translation: no one can truely choose how they're going to meet their maker, so if you are lucky enough to have a great dr. and you trust him, then rest asured, then you can trust him with your life. i would not hesitate to have dr. guske do all my surgeries for the rest of my life.

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 inlaws were great, but my husband was not supportive at all. as a matter of fact, he was 1800 miles away when i had the wls, even when i developed an infection at the drain sight. i had to have a neighbor/friend pack the wound for 3 weeks.

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

i was retired 5 years prior to surgery.

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

back when i had the surgery, unfortunately, elexian bros. nursing on my floor was by far the poorest bunch of nurses i have had through out my life, and i have had over a dozen. i was in the hopital for 4 days postop, i never one time pushed the button on my pain medication pump, the nurses kept me sedated throughout my stay. i was never gotten out of bed by the nursing staff, even for a shower/bath or to check my wounds. needless to say, i developed one of the worst infections i have ever had at the drain sight. but to update, the nursing staff has been changed since my stay.just bring your regular overnight bag. clothing wise, either elastic waisted and loose fitting tops.

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

the surgery went fine, just the 4 days postop was a nightmare.

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

the weeks after surgery were some of the worst weeks of my life. i developed an infection at the drain sight. my neighbor/friend had to pack my wounds while i cried,screamed and used every four letter words i could think of. pain was unbearable. thank god my friend knew i wasn't aiming those four letter words at him. i've had an awful lot of pain throughout my life, but that pain was by far the worst ever.

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

as long as you come home, infection free, it's a piece of cake. just take it slow and don't rush things. family and friends can make things sooooo much easier for you.

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

aprox. 85 miles. it didn't effect my aftercare.

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.

my dietary staff told me lots of water and protien,and take all the postop vitamins. i was told that as long as i could chew something to the point of being pureed, i could eat it. needless to say, on my 85 mile drive home we stopped off at cracker barrel for breakfast. i had 3/4 of a scrambled egg, half the serving of cheese/ potato casserole and one bite of a bisquet. when i can't eat my protien, i drink my protien shakes.

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

activity level could have been better, but it has gotten better over time.

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

chewable vitamin, calcium, b12 sublingual and iron daily

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?

really didn't have too many problems. sometimes i know after one bite of whatever is for dinner if it's gonna stay down.

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

the only bad thing was the infection at the drain sight.

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

none, i did it myself. thank god i'm strong minded and willed.

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

no problem with the scars, the drainsight scar is the worst.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

never experienced and plateaus. i just went slow.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

no not really. i didn't go through this because of what people might have thought about me, i did it for myself and for how i physically felt.
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