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

I have known about weight loss surgery for many years. I use to think it was a cop out, that I should be able to maintain my weight without surgically changing it. I now have a whole new feeling about it and am so greatful that this treatment for my disease was availible!! I am now a well person with a quality of life that is a direct effect of weight loss surgery.

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

Flat denial. No need to fight it, it was a direct exclusion.

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

I was very impressed with Dr. Oh. He spent a great deal of time explaining what he was going to do to my intestinal tract and involved me in the decision of the best option for me. He drew pictures and asked many questions of me to be sure that I understood what I was about to do. He was very clear about the complication I may experience and was easy to ask question of. I think that best thing you can do before you have your first appointment with the surgeon is to do as much research about bariatric surgery, go to support meetings and talk with people that have had this procedure. I learned alot from these people.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I knew it was the only way that I could take control of my obesity. I had tried many things, all the programs, all the drugs, you name it I had tried it. I truly felt that this was the best way to save my health and my life.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I had a Medial Gastric Bypass. I wanted the best weight loss with the least amount of post op complication. The complications I feared most was the liquid stools and malabsorption of the distal bypass patients and felt that with more common channel that I would have the best of both worlds. So far this has been the situation.

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 really scared. I knew that I was going to die of some surgical complication and I would never wake up. I even considered not having it when I was sliding my 322 pound body onto the OR table. Surgery is a scarey thing to go through in any situation. I did go through with it and when I woke up in the ICU I knew that the rest was going to be easy. I would do it again and again and again if I had to. This surgery has really saved my life and was well worth the risk for me. You can only decide that for yourself.

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?

I have had the best support of my family you could ask for. I included them from the beginning. I have been completely open about this decision with everyone in my life and would not change a thing. This is no secret and I am glad to share my experiences with anyone that wants to know.

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

I teach high school so I did it during my summer break. My supervisors were very supportive and have continued to be happy with my progress. I also work on call as an RN in a local hospital when I am off from my school job. They were very accomodating and I was able to work a modified shift at 3 weeks post op.

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 2 days. I would say that there was nothing special to bring except slip on sturdy shoes, a bath robe that is ease to get on and off.

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

No

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 really busy with work, grad school and when I did have down time I kept busy. I knew it was the right thing to do.

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

I stayed with my parents at their home. This turned out to be the best thing I could have done. There was always someone around to visit with and help me if I needed it. I was lucky to have this great support. My mother was better informed then I was when it came to the things I was suppose to do or not supposed to do in the intial post op period. I was very tired and had a hard time sleeping. I could only sleep a few hours at a time and was up and down all night long. I had little problems with pain, this was not the reason that I could not sleep. I am not really sure what caused that and it lasted about 2 weeks. I have had this problem after the other two surgeries I have had. It may be related to the anesthsia?

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

I was lucky, my surgery was in the same town that I live in.

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.

The first month I only drank low sugar protien drinks, half strenghth 100% fruit juices, broth, and tomatoe/V8. They wanted me to get in 90 mg of protien in each day and I was doing that by the end of the first month. I also was working up to 8 glasses of water per day during this time. The second month I was able to eat about 1 ounce of food 5 times a day. No milk or sugar are the key to the post op management in this practice. By 4 months I could eat most foods except for bread, pasta, carbonated pop, yorgart, and most meat unless they are well cooked and very tender. I just find that if I eat things that are dense or absorb moisture that my pouch gets too full and is very uncomfortable.

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

I did start walking 5 days post op. About 1 block at first and by 10 days could walk 1 mile. Now I can do 3 miles in about 1 hour.

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

Vita for Life. I take 8 capsules 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?

Hair loss at 4 months post op. Lasted about 6 weeks and then stopped. Morning nausea in the first 3 months, not severe and would not interfear with my job or activities. I found that a sugar free popcicle was a great help with this. Gas has been a problem at time, mostly when I over eat or eat sugar free candy.

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

The cost. The way I look at it is that it is only money and the benifits of this experience are worth every penny.

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

We have a monthly support group provided by Dr. Foxes office. We also have a few non-formal groups that are very helpful as well. I think that the people that do the best are the ones that stay active in these groups. They are a wonderful source of support and really the only people in your life that have experienced this process.

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

It is about 6 to 8 inches long from below my bra to the top of my belly button. It is not any worse then I expected and is getting smaller with the weight loss.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

At this time I have been at the same weight for about a month. I am still about 30 pounds from my ultimate goal and 7 months post op. I have not experienced any other plateaus in the past.