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

a friend of mine had her stomach stapled 15 years ago, also i read an article in a magazine

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

i went through the weight for life program and those wonderful people handled everything, from sending me more information, to the 1st appt. w/the dr., to scheduling all the pre-op testing and surgery date

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

my first mtg. went well, come with questions, write them down before you get there. the dr. gives you so much information it is hard to retain all of it and remember what you wanted to ask

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

i knew if i didn't do something drastic, i wouldn't probably live long, also i had other medical problems that were due to my weight, my regular physician wanted to do bladder reconstruction surgery, i couldn't imagine going to do that without trying to get my weight under control, she was not supportive in my decision to have the bypass surgery

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

the dr. and i discuss this, also the weight for life people too, it appears that right now this is the most common surgery to have, the roux n y

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 the dying fear that i wouldn't wake up from anesthesia-the dr. assured me i would wake up, but i could have other complications, i didn't worry about the other, i just wanted to wake up

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 only had 1 friend that was supportive before surgery, my family was not supportive at all. i think that was because of not knowing anything about this surgery. they are all very supportive now after the surgery and that i did well and didn't have any complications

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

my employer looked at me with fright on his face. he is overweight and said he would never be able to do something like that and that i was a brave person. i told him i have a lot of medical problems due to my weight and i want to be able to try and live until i am at least 85. i go back to work on light duty with no lifting in a few days, they are putting me in the office to help t until i can go back to driving full time. i am a semi truck driver/trainer

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 fine. everyone was very nice and helpful. i was in hospital for 6 days. make sure they bring pillows for your ride home. i had a 3 hr. drive home. in the hospital as i had the tummy tuck too, i was out of it most of the time

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

i really didn't have any complications with the exception of my bypass incision splitting open at the bottom, 4 inches, i cleaned and changed the bandage every day until it healed which took 6 weeks longer

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 scared and had lots of anxiety, i spoke to my supportive friend and i was continually in contact with the weight for life people about the pre-op testing things and they gave me all the support i needed and advised me to call them at any time with any concerns i had

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

i was in a lot of pain and had 5 drainage containers hanging off me and a million staples from the tummy tuck. i slept most of the time. they want you to start going out and walking right away, i was not able to do that. i was only awake for about 2 hrs. at a time then i would go back to sleep for a few hrs. and wake up again for a few. i would get dizzy if i tried to stay awake and on my feet

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

i have a 3 hr. drive to get to the hosp. and to the dr. office, and then 3 hrs. back again. my aftercare has not been affected, i still make the trek, i feel this all part of the surgery and i do need the aftercare, just in case there might be a problem i want it caught right away

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 3 weeks were complete liquids, then i incorported peanut butter, chick noodle soup, etc. it's only been 10 weeks, within the last 5 weeks i have added real meat, chicken, beef, tuna, turkey, i feel i am able to almost eat anything as long as i eat slow and chew, chew, chew. i found last week i couldn't eat pulp, i haven't tried raw vegetable yet

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

the first few weeks home was zero, then i started walking down the block and back, at about 4 weeks i tried going to the store, but got tired very easily, but each week it got better and i made myself do something each day, either walk down the block or drive to walmart and walk around the store, it's 10 weeks and i do okay, but after a dr. appt. where i spent 6hrs. getting to and from the dr., and the actual appt., time spent getting ready, by the time i get home, i am pretty tired and usually sleep in the next morning

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

i have been advised by the dr. to take a flintstones complete vitamin and 500 mgs. of b12

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?

nausia was only a couple of weeks, i have sleep apnea and use a cpap, i haven't had any dumping yet and hopefully i won't get any, i haven't noticed any hair loss yet either. these weren't really hard to deal with, it's all just a process to go through and things do get better, it just takes time

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

the worst part is the first couple of weeks of pain, tiredness, sleepiess, the next part is trying to figure out how much you new little stomach holds

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

i feel the aftercare is very important. i saw my dr. the very next week after i was home, then i saw him every 2 weeks for the next 2 months, now i start to go 1 time a month. there are 2 support group mtgs i can go to a month and meet and talk with other patients. it's great to talk with other people, they have new ideas on things and suggestions about food and how to deal with matters

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

the bypass scar is what i expected, as i had a tummy tuck done at the same time, the dr. removed 23 lbs. from me, that incision i didn't expect it to be that long. it starts high on my backside around and down on my side and then across the bikini line and up the other side and ends high up on my backside again. the dr. also removed my belly button from that he cut off of the tummy tuck and re-attached it to the bottom of my bypass incision, the bypass incision i feel will be a lot less noticeable than the tummy tuck, the bypass incision was sewn from the inside and taped on the outside, the tummy tuck had staples to close it, which makes that incision much larger and noticeable

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i haven't had any plateau experiences as it has only been 10 weeks since surgery

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

people right now are noticing that i am smaller, my clothes are getting very baggy and loose, when i look in the mirror at myself, i really do not notice any size difference because i am such a large person, it will take a lot more loss for me to notice, people are not treating me any different