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

I had first read and was scheduled for surgery in 1997 and again in 1999 and I chickened out both times. I thank god now that I did pr I would never have had the oppertunity to have it done in Kane Community Hospital. Since I was an employee there I begged them to let me be the first one and that way I would get to meet the creators of the pouch Dr's. Sapala and Wood. Ifelt that the surgery had come a long way and as stated above I was now ready to have it done.

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

Insurances are all different. My insurance through the hospital was great and covered all of it. Most Blue Cross plans do. Susan Budd the director got my approval within days. If you have an insurance and you purchase it and it will not cover this surgery, go out and purchase one that will. Ther eare also payment plan options through the Kane Hospital that you can look into.

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

The first visit with the surgeon was awsome. He was very firm in what he wanted from you as a pt. and what you as a patient could expect from him and the surgery. Everyone who walks away from this interview will come away fully informed of what to expect.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

It all went so fast for me after I decided to pursue this surgery and I knew it was being done at Kane I talked to them and was approved and scheduled to be the first pt in approx 2 weeks time. I asked god to put a stumbling block in my way if this was not the right thing for me and if anything, after this things seemed to move faster and smoother than before.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

There is currently only one procedure done at the Kane Hospital and that was the one for me. I would not and do not reccomend laproscopic but that is only my opinion.

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?

Everyone ha fears about the surgery and this is normal. This is a major surgery and not something to take lightly, this is also a lifetime commitment to yourself. I was very afraid, I had my will made out and letters aside for my family and my little daughter. My motto was to always be preparred and then you would not need it. Then I thought well you have been through 3 emergency surgeries of different kinds and all went well so just calm down. I think the thing you fear is that this is planned and you have time to think about it before it is done and its not something that is life threatening it is something that you want. Calm down if it isn't right for you, you will know it .

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 very supportive but very hesitant and scared of the surgery itself. My family remains supportive and this is very important. I will tell you please do not listen to well meaning poeple who are relaying information about the surgery to you 3rd or 4th or 5th hand. This is most likely distorted and though they may mean well, will only serve to confuse you and cause you to doubt that you are doing the right thing. The support of your family and friends are what gets you through the rough days. I also find that the monthly support groups in Kane help me more than anything.

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 the best experience it could have been those nurses almost knew what I needed before I did. I was in the ICU for 4 days (only because the Icu was converted to the Bariatric unit.) The staff was wonderful, I want to especially thank Patti Zook, Yvonne Canella, Jan Jones, Mary Parana, Linda Harris and all the staff of the other departments in the hospital all were great.

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

I had no complications before, during or after the surgery. In fact I was in very litle pain.

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

My first few weeks home from the hospital were real good. You need someone there to help and for the emotional support. My mother and my fiance were there for me a well as my 8 year old. I was uncomfortable but not in a lot of pain. It was just nice to have someone there to field phone calls and such. You just feel so good to be home and in your own enviroment that all seems good. You do get a small bout of depression not uncommon to baby blues but it only lasts a day or 2 and then its okay.

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.

Since I was the first patient at the hospital they were very conservitive with me. I had a clear liquid diet for about 10 days and then a full liquid diet for 10 days after that and then o to pureed and then to regular at week intervals. I still find that since I like my steak rare that I have a hard time tolerating steak. But i eat anything else and I do not deprive myself of anything. I eat what i want but in moderation. For example if I want a piece of pizza I eat it but not every day and usually only 1/2 a slice which is better than the usual 1/2 of the pizza itself. This is not a hard dietb to follow and I have the attitude that I can make this fun and not a chore.

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

In the dyas after surgery I was tired and weak but s the weeks went on and I ate my vitamins and protien I gained my energy back and then some. I went back to work at 7 weeks only because I ahd short term disability and it paid me to stay off. I could have gone back in 4 weeks had I had to.

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

I started out on Protien and childrens chewable vitamins. Now I sometimes take the protien and I take a Chewable adult vitamin and that is all this program provides supplements that you can order through them.

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 had no dumping, Dr.Labrie actually measures how much of the bowel he uses to avoid this syndrome. I had no sleep disturbances in fact I had a lady tell me today that she has slept through the night last night for the first time in 2 years. I have had others tell me thier family members say they no longer snore and toss and turn all night. I can still get nauseated if I eat something that does not agree with me, but not often. I did have some hair thinning at 3 months and this lasted for bout a month but it was only noticable to me and on doing some research I found that no one ever looses all thier hair and usually no one but them will notice the difference.

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

Liv-Lite has a monthly support group in Kane. Also I have been hired as the Clinic Coordinator of the program so I see all pts post op in the hospital on the 3rd day and I give them numbers where they can reach me 24 hours a day. I call them once a weeek for 4 weeks and then at one month, 3 months, 6 months and a year and thay can call the program at any time, This is so important to be able to get help with a problem or a question when you need it.

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

My scar is just what I expected. It is quite large but is well healed and fading fast. I tanned this summer andit blended right in with my tan and i wore crop tops and a bathing suit wit a mesh midle and you could not see it.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

At 40lbs I hit my first plataue and it was hard. I fussed about it till I read that this is when your body redistributes all the weight and gets a grip so to speak. It's true at these points that is when you measure inches and the way things may fit around your waist looser. Your body does indeeed redistribute and than you will start going down again. Just be patient and do not become frustrated just bear with it and the plautaue will level off and you will start loosing again. In the old diet days this is when we would say oh tne hell with it its not working so I am going to eat those candy bars and bag of chips but we cannot do that now, all we can do is hang in there.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes and that is sad because basically I am the same person that I was only in a different package. The sad thing is that they could never or would never look past the fat to get to know the real me. There are some poeple who look at me differently because to them I am differenct and that is my family. I used to be so insecure and hated me that I took it out on them and now all that has changed.