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

I had heard of the surgeries years ago but knew that finacially I could not afford them. One of my current Doctors told me about the program at UCLA. After I started seriously researching the possibility of surgery I felt that the risks would be outweighed by the benefits. I knew that surgery was my last hope to live a normal life and loose the extra 200 pounds I had put on. And Medi-Cal(Medicaid) has finally started approving surgery if you meet the criteria.

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

I have Medi Cal(medicaid) and there were a lot of steps that required prior to submitting a request for surgery. My surgeons office informed me of everything that was required and once they had all of the information the process went very quickly and smoothly. Make sure you have all of the medical records and tests completed and copies in your hands to be able to give copies to everyone who will need them. Keep your own copies of your medical records that can save a lot of unnecessary phone calls and worry.

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

My first visit went very smoothly as he had an information packet that answered all of my questions. He informed me that with all of my health problems and my weight I was a very good candidate for the surgery. Make a list of all of the questions you think of prior to the visit, then you don't forget to ask any of them.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My health just kept getting worse and my weight kept going up. Also I have the cutest little grandson who is 3 years old and I want to be around to see him grow up. My surgeon and his staff made me feel very comfortable about the surgery and gave me reason to believe that I would be a success story, so I decided to GO FOR IT.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

UCLA school of medicine reccomends the roux en y procedure for people who have a problem with sweets and I did. That was the main reason for this type of surgical procedure. Also it seemed to have a very good result factor.

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 fine until about 2 weeks before the surgery. I then started being afraid that maybe I would be one of the minority who had major complications and did not survive the surgery. I had not led a very good life until this point so I thought maybe I did not deserve this last chance at happiness. I started on my "New Life" in December of 1994 and felt this was my last obsticle to overcome. I then decided to write letters to my sons, sister and Mom to explain how much I loved them and that if for some reason this surgery went bad, that I was very proud to have had them for family members and loved them very much and that this was a "must" if I was to have any type of "normal" life again. I explained to my sons that I was very honored to have been their mother and most proud of the men they had grown into. I mailed all of the letters the day before my surgery. The letter to my Husband of 25 years was never mailed but put away for another time if needed. I have found that putting my fears on paper makes them less frightening! And this seemed to be a "safe" way to vent my fears. As things turned out none of the BAD things happened and THINGS WENT GREAT!

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?

Most of my family was in favor of the surgery but worried about the long term outcome. How do you stop loosing after you reach you desired weight, will I be able to stay on the strict diet required, and am I sure this is what I want? Mainly they were a little envious because my mom and sister both have weight problems but their insurance will not pay for the surgery. Now they are very pleased with the outcome so far and extremely supportive. My husband has had the most trouble understanding that I cannot "Have just one bite"! But we are both learning to eat healthier now.

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

I am disabled because of health problems directly related to being morbidly obese so this was not an issue. I am hoping to be able to go back to work again later.

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

My hospital stay was really not to bad. I was brought from recovery to my room in a bariatric bed. That means the bed adjusts to a chair with you in a sitting up positin with the touch of a couple of buttons. Very easy on the tummy for getting up to walk the day after surgery. The nurses were very kind and careing, and most friendly. They made me feel like my cleanliness and general well being were very important and a private matter between me and them. That help a lot when bath time came around.I was not embarrassed about needing help to bathe as they were so kind. The most important thing that I found to bring was my non slip slippers and a positive attitude. Also LOOSE and COMFORTABLE clothes for the trip home.

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

I developed an allergy to the stapels. I was treated for a drug allergy to no avail. Stopped pain meds, stopped antibiotics and still had hives. Finally 2 weeks post op the staples were removed and the itching and hives were completely gone within 24 hours. I used a back scratcher, tons of lotion, a perscription antihistamine, and changed clothes a dozen times a day because I didn't know the cause of the itching. Next time I will know better.

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

One of the main problems I had was the need to EAT all of the foods that I would no longer be able to eat after the surgery. I gained 15 pounds waiting for my surgery date. The fear of being hungry afterwards was probably the worst fear. I was very much relieved to talk to others who had already been there and find out YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY. I was also afraid of complicatons from the surgery, the last couple of days before my surgery. I wrote letters to my children and my husband telling them how I felt and told them I hoped they like never had reason to regret the decision to have this surgery and then mailed them the day of my surgery. That let me feel that if there were complications at least they would know how much I wanted to loose weight and how much I loved all of them.

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

You are recovering from a VERY major surgery and should not try to do more than you are comfortable doing. Be careful to only ingest the prescribed amounts of liquids and soft foods. Just a swallow to much and you will find yourself so sick to your stomach you want to die. Also you need to be careful not to get your new stomach into the "HABIT" of giving the food back to the porcelin god. Your family needs to understand that you cannot try "just a bite" of whatever they are eating. You get tired very easily. So company on your walks helps a lot.

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

It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive to UCLA from where I live so for the first 2 aftercare visits it was a little much. The trip home was that hardest as I was still very sore. But I am still glad that I went to UCLA.

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.

I have been unable to tolerate any type of dairy products. Including fat free cottage cheese and non fat milk. Soy milk has been the best for me. The powdered kind can be mixed a little stronger if you want or weaker, and seems to be the easiest to digest. All foods with a lot of fat and anything sweet have been out of the question. I tried one tablespoon of my husbands "sugar and fat free" chocolate ice cream, and was ill for almost 2 hours. Also bread hurts. It fills me up too much also and doesn't leave room for the important foods. The canned tuna(in water), canned turkey and canned cicken mixed with fat free mayonaise, and eaten with fat free saltine crackers taste the best and stay down the easiest. Also I found a "cheese" type of product(it is actually tofu), called Veggie Blend, that comes in cheddar,swiss, provolone, mozzerella, and pepper jack flavors that is sliced just like cheese and a very tasty addition to my crackers and "meat". Tomatoe soup is a staple in the very beginning also. I have decided not to try to eat the "old" foods as they were what started all of this weight to begin with. One bite of pizza leads to 3 or 4 bites, and a hamburger is not allowed due to the beef so I don't even try. But garden burger makes a very tasty hamburger substitute, and their veggie patties if fried with non stick spray and quite good for a variety.I find taht I now like different foods tahn I used to like. Beans are an example of that. I now drinks lots of very cold water every day and I never drank water at all before.Salads seem to be ok too. I don't use any dressing except rice wine vinegar.

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

I now sleep less than 12 to 14 hours per day like I used to do. I sleep an average of 7 hours per night and NO naps. I have a new puppy and I enjoy takeing her for walks every day. Even the housework seems to be easier to do now. I have found a lot of my old interests are fun again and cannot stand to be watching tv all day. My energy levels just keep going up and the weight keeps going down. But it is only 6 months now so time will tell the story if this continues"?! 10/15/00 I am now 17 months post op! I am a full time college student and taking 15 units this semester! I am now walking at least 2-3 miles per day and can finally sleep without my CPAP machine. I feel absolutely wonderful and am now healthier than i have been in 25 years!I have lost a total of 155 pounds and truly feel like a new person.

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

I take a BUGS BUNNY chewable sugar free Multiple vitamin with iron twice daily. I take a 500mg sugar free chewable Calcium tablet three times daily. I also drink a protein shake with non fat soy milk (8 ounces) twice daily. That gives me 60 grams of protein per day. And a vitamin B-12 shot every month. 10/15/00 I am now taking 2 regular multiple vitamins with iron daily, 1000 mg. of calcium, 100 grams of protein, and still getting a vitamin B-12 shot every other month.

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 started loosing hair by the handful about 14 weeks post op. It is only bad when I wash or brush my hair first thing in the morning. Nausea is a regular occurance as I have trouble knowing when I am "too full". If I forget and have a drink after I eat and it has not been at least 20 minutes I get very, very nauseaus. Vomiting only occurs when I drink with my meal or if I CHEAT and have something I am not supposed to eat, like a piece of polish sausage or a bit of a taco, and of course the ever famous ice cream! When I am real sick to my stomach I go lay down for about 30 minutes and try to read and that seems to help. Dumping only occurs when I eat what is not allowed. As I add new foods I find that to know if I can tolerate them is strictly a trial and error method. One day I can eat and the next maybe I can't. 10/15/00 Most of the side effects I suffered in the beginning are now gone. Once in a while I eat to much or forget and drink during a meal, only to be sick for 2 hours afterwards. I have still not been able to anything with sugar in it. I can eat most foods in very small amounts. When I am not feeling like I want to I know I need to be more diligent about getting the correct amount of protein daily. That is the hardest thing to do now that I can eat real food all of the time.

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

The clear liquid diet for the 2 days prior to surgery, and the bowel cleanse the day before surgery. You are hungry for those 2 days, the antibiotics make you ill, and the golytely is disgusting to drink. Then you get a very sore bottom from the diarreha. But this all a required evil.

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

UCLA has an internet site thru onelist, and they also have support meetings about once a month. I find the internet site the most helpful as I live to far to go to the meetings. You meet and talk to others in the same situation as yourself and that helps the most. 10/15/00 I have been followed for the last year by a weight loss Physician in Bakersfield, which is much closer to my home. He is a very caring and thorough doctor. I see him once a month and see a dietician once a month also. I have had several echocardiograms, 2 treadmill tests, and a lot of blood wortk done regularly to make sure everything continues to be in "good working order" and blood levels are where they are supposed to be! I attribute my continueing weight loss to the very thorough aftercare program and my health is also stable for the first time since I was very young. I am now 49 and feel that the followup care is very valuable.

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

My scar is about 12" long and goes from my breast bone to my navel. I have had 2 prior surgeries in the same location so this one was only a little higher up than the other two were. It is about what I thought it would be. I guess this means no bikini for me again. LOL. But what the heck I can live with that at my age. 48!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I went thru about 3 weeks where I lost only 3 pounds. I went back to baby food and a protein drink twice a day, for about 1 week and that seems to have been the difference. I have lost steadily since then. This occured at about 10 to 12 weeks post op. I am now 9 months post op and I am still lossing about 10 pounds per month.NOTE: I am now down to 234 pounds and have lost a total of 121 pounds!!! YEAH FOR ME! I am so amazed at the difference in my life and how I feel with this much loss. Only 75 pounds to go. 10/15/00 My latest plateau was this last 45 days, I gained 3 pounds! But back to protein shakes, and protein bars and I have lost the 3 pounds I gained and am confident that I am back on the loosing track again. NOTE: I am now 6 months post op[ and have lost 95lbs!!! Happy dance, Happy Dance! only 105 lbs to go.I am finally out of size 3-4X and into a 24! so much better than size 30!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes my family and friends are nervous about eating in front of me. It has been hardest to convince my husband that it is o.k. to fix a regular meal for himself (he does the cooking at our house anyway). I have noticed that in general the public is not so rude now that I have lost 80 lbs. I am hoping to fly to Connecticut next spring, so that will be the true test. If I fit in an airline seat and don't need a belt extender, and can have someone sitting in the other 2 seats beside me! 10/15/00 I am definately treated much different now. I have lost 155 pounds and can buy regular sized clothes, can sit anywhere I want, including the small desks at the college I attend! It is great to be anonymous.