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

I first heard about it from a friend of mine who was dating a guy who had the surgery. His name was Patrick from Alabama and he had lost a couple hundred pounds with the surgery. He was so thin I couldn't beleive he could ever have been fat. Finallu after seeing Carnie Wilson and Al Roker come on TV with their success stories I said this is for me!

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

Karyl at Cleveland Clinic in Dr. Raul Rosenthal's office handled all my insurance. She submitted it about 1 month prior to surgery and I was approved the first time in only 2 weeks. My advice is if you can find a Dr's office who will handle your insurance let them do it, they are trained in this and they now waht to say, who to say it, and who to say it to.

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

My first meeting was with Dr Szomstein at Cleveland Clinic. HE was very approachable and amiable. He had a great sense of humor, and he was very sympathetic and non-judgmental. HE told what I could expect and told me he thought I would be a good candidate for the surgery. A few weeks later I met with Dr. Raul Rosenthal who is head of the Bariatric Surgery Dept. at Cleveland Clinic, he told me he would be doing the surgery because he had more experience with larger people doing Laproscopic Surgery. He is very thorough, but he's not a big talker. HE knows exactly what he is doing, and sometimes it shows. ASK QUESTIONS, GET ANSWERS before surgery so you don't wake up with any surprises after the fact!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I got up the nerve and I had some time to study the procedure and see results in about 7 diffent people. They were doing great and I knew I could be doing just as well. So I went for it!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon made that decision for me. He told me about several procedures, but he felt I would achieve the longest success with RGB.

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 been through two other major surgeries in 1983 and 1989. I knew the risks, but I always woke up. In my case I have so many physical problems with back, knees, wrists, etc that it was a risk I was willing to take. For others who are afraid, think of a life or Morbid Obesity, spiraling down, down, down with more and more health problems. OR, think of this life-saving surgery that will give you a second chance to LIVE!

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 and friends were in full support before and after surgery. They knew that I had no LIFE being fat and they wanted me to LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!

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

I am currently on permanent disabilty due to permanent physical damage to my back, my right knee, both wrists and my hips. I have degenerative disc and joint disease and severe arthritis.

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

My stay in the hospital was great. Cleveland Clinic is a new facility, the rooms are more like fancy hotel rooms and they are ll private room. I was in CVICU for 2 days and then in my regular room for another 3 days. I just brought myself and Joey was there everyday , what more could I have asked for?

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

Due to a pulmonary embolism following a surgery 20 years ago, I was put on heparin ( a blood thinner) the morning of surgery as a precautionary measure. After the surgery my JP drains were filling with blood every 45 minutes to an hour, which is quite abnormal. I actually lost so much blood I had to have a transfusion of 2 pints of blood. They kept me in about a day longer than normal just to make sure that everything was back to normal. I must say that the surgeons do not rush you out the door at this hospital. They make sure you are in optimum health before sending you home.

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

After I got my date I was just so excited I couldn't wait for the day to get here. I never got anxious becuase I focussed on other things in my life. It wasn't until the day before that I got a little anxious, but my family and friends were there to encourage and support me. Also got lots of emails from people on this web-site that kept me looking forward.

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

My first week home was little painful. It was hard to sleep in my bed the first night. Each passing day was easier, and I was able to exercise a little more which helped decrease the pain and increase my metabolism. Expect some pain for the first week, the second week is much easier. Once you get to third week you are following a routine which is pretty normal.

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

I had to travel from Fort Lauderdale Beach to Weston, FL. This is about a 30 minute drive west out I 595 and then south on I 75. It is quite close, I am fortunate that I live to close to this wonderful facility, and so far my aftercare has been great.

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.

During the the first two months of surgery I have been able to eat beans, tunafish, eggs, protein shakes & deli sliced meats.

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

I had plenty of energy up until the 8th week post surgery. At that time my energy levels plummeted to the point that I could barely walk. This could be attributed to my severe back pain. I had back surery in 1990 following a severe electocution.

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

I took vitamins Davinci Laboratories of Vermont "Spectra" Vitamins (2) each morning, Co-Q 10 enzyme 100 mg (1), Nexium 40 mg (1) Calcium Citrate 1000 mg (2) per day.

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 nausea was bad at times right after the first week post surgery. I just didn't eat when I felt that way. I also had a lot of trouble sleeping about 8 weeks post surgery due to severe back pain as a result of an electrcution and subsequent surgery in 1990.

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

The worst part of the surgery was waking up in recovery feeling like I had a dump truck parked on my chest. I had severe pain in my upper left shoulder and an excruciating headache.

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

Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston has 3 meetings per month for support. The have a nutritional support meeting and they have a per-op and post-op support meeting on the last Monday of each month.

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

I had LAP RNY. I have 7 very small scars less than 1 inch in length. Two of the scars are like crosses but they are very smal and I expect that eventually they will fade away and will not be very noticeable at all.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None so far but I am only 2 months post-op. Finally had my first real plateau at about 4 months out. I lost only 2 pounds in a period of about 2 weeks. After the third week it finally broke and I lost 5 pounds the next week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people no longer stare at me. I can walk anywhere with complete anonymity because I no longer stand out in a crowd.