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

A friend had an intestinal bypass in 1970. He went from 600 lbs to about 200. He could not maintain the diet, and had to have the procedure reversed. I felt is was the avenue taken by a "coward" or lazy person. I also knew people who had the stomach stapling done, and the inability they had to maintain weight loss.

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

I was able to get approval in less than a month from start of initial contact with the insurance company. My advice is to be fully prepared. First, find out what the insurance company will require for approval, and begin collecting the information. Have as much information collected, and copied, for as long as you have records. Place the information in a visual manner (use a spreadsheet and then create a chart). I collected all the information my physician's records contained, showing weight and weight loss attempts. Mine was from an 11 year chart review. Dietary documents are extremely important. History of dietary consults and dietician records are very helpful, as are records from a psychiatric professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, or professioanl counselor).

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

I found my initial consult very helpful. Be prepared. Have LOTS of questions beforehand, and do not be afraid to ask what you think may be dumb questions. Even if you have heard it before, ask it anyway. YOU NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND! Ask about the potential complications, emotional changes, relationship changes.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I wanted to see my sons graduate from high school. I did not expect to live without it.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Although the procedure done is the only done by this group, after looking at their video, I felt that it had the best potential for long term success. The banded gastroplasty does not change the intestine, however it appeared to have the greatest chance of long term failure by allowing the pouch to increase in size and allowing more food absorbtion. While the complications appear to have less potential with the BG, the RNY seemed to have the greatest potential for long term success. In my case, the risk was easily worth the potential complication of the more complicated surgery.

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?

Although I did feel that death was a probability (I did not expect to wake up after the surgery), I knew I WOULD die if I did not do something. I could no longer exercise, and was to the point of making sure people knew my last wishes. I believe that some of these fears are necessary to survive the trauma that this surgery presents. I would go through this surgery much sooner, if I had known about it. That is my only regret.

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 has generally been supportive. Having lost my grandmother, aunt, best friend, and 4 other close friends in the 6 months prior to the surgery, my children were very fearful of my own death. My spouse is outwardly supportive when discussing it with others. However our marital relations have suffered. This may not be related to the surgery. My friends have been VERY supportive. I fully anticipate getting back to activities that I have not done in almost 10 years due to health complications.

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

I am unemployed due to disability. This is somewhat related to the obesity, but even when I get to my goal weight I will probably not be able to work more than 10 hours a week due to other health issues not related to obesity.

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

My stay was mixed. I was not really impressed with the inpatient hospital staff. The surgical staff was very good. The bed they had for me was too small, and the "compression boots" used because of my inability to walk were placed in such a manner to limit my mobility. These things should have been obvious to the staff. Additionally, the room was EXTREMELY small, with too little room for adequate care by the staff. At one point there needed to be 4+ staff in my room, the biggest on the floor, and they could not move around each other. The hospital rooms were VERY POORLY designed. The bathroom was not wheelchair accessible. Because of complications I was hospitalized for 5 days post-op. The most important things to bring to the hospital include personal care items, loose clothing, and a comfy pillow.

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

As a result of the poor placement of the compression boot inflation device I had to struggle to turn in bed, causing my sutures to tear open. As a result I lost approximately 1,500 mls of blood, requireing 7 units of blood transfusions, and several liters of fluids. Being diabetic, the wound did not close for almost 4 months. In the 6 months after, I also had 2 strictures that required endoscopic dilitation. These were easy procedures, and not a problem. Since December, I have not had any problems related directly to the surgery.

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

Because of complications, it took over 4 months for me to begin to start feeling better. As for anxiety, I have been taking a small dose of Prozac that does seem to help. I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, not related to the obesity. My family and church have been very supportive in this whole process.

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

The pain was moderate, and would have been less had I not had problems with the sutures. Moving around was difficult due to my amputation and the open wound.

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

I live 300 miles from Salt Lake City. I stayed with a relative for 1 week after my release from hospital. I have been back for 1 month, 3 month, 6 month and 1 year post-op checks. My future visits will be at 1 year intervals now.

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.

For the first 3 months almost all foods were a problem, and I needed to take Glucerna as my main food. I still have problems eating pork, steak, chicken, and baked fish. I have to have beef very well tenderized, and avoid ALL pork. Dark meat chicken is easier than white meat. Yeast breads and most pastas ball up and will not pass through my pouch, so are totally off limits. Now that I am close to my long term goal, I am able to eat almost anything. I prefer soft foods. I find that I automatically take time with every bite, and put salt on most things. I also often prefer gravy on most things, and it helps the food move through.

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

The first 4 months I was bed bound due to not being able to wear a leg and having an open wound. On 31 Oct 02 I got my first leg in almost 4 years. I walk as much as I can, but find that 10-20 minutes is all I can tolerate every 4 hours. At 1 year out I went to Boy Scout Camp, and had a good time.

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

Initially, I used Flinstone Complete chewables and Tums (4 each daily) for supplements. Now I take 3 genereic multivitamins and Caltrates daily.

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 sometimes still dump or vomit after eating. This is inconsistant day to day. I may eat something with no problem one day, and have severe vomiting the next with the exact same food. No hair loss, and sleep is better since surgery.

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

The worst thing for me was the complications and coming so close to death. I hated what my family had to go through but now they and I know that I will live longer and am much healthier

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

Initially my surgeon's office was contracted with BSCI. This contract will end in 2 months. THe support provided has been inconsistent. Since we are so far from the nearest BSCI office, I think they tend to forget about us. I am attempting to chang this by starting a support group in Lander.

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

My scar is almost 1 foot long and 2 inches wide due to the suture failure. The doctor expects this to be removed when I have the panniculus surgery. I expected less, but am not overly concerned. I have too many scars all over my body to worry about a single incision on my abdomen.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had numerous plateaus, the longest being the current. Until 6 weeks ago my longest had been about 3 weeks long. THis one may be my long term wt.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. Most people are very happy with my changes, and improved health. They still are concerned with my poor health and fragililty. My long-term friends have been very supportive, and I have not really noticed a differance with people that were indifferant prior to surgery.