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

I was referred from my general physician. He explained a little about it then referred me to a surgery clinic for surther evaluation and information.

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

This did not apply to me. I am a military spouse and was able to use the military hospital for the surgery. There was no need for insurance approval.

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

I was given a lot of information and it was hard to digest at first. I felt very overwhelmed!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I got tired of being embarrassed about my weight.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I did not have a choice. the surgeon only performed it one way. I'm not actually sure what it is called. I had the surgery explained to me, but I don't know the technical name for it.

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 very fearful that I would not survive surgery. I have three young children and didn't want them to grow up without a Mommy. I feared they wouldn't remember me or remember how much I loved them. So I bought each of them a special gift. For my two little girls, I bought gold lockets and for my little boy I bought a book a nurery rhyms. I marked the page that had our favorite poem in 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 husband was wonderful and supportive. My immediate family however, was not! They thought it was a bad idea and tried to talk me out of it. But once I had surgery, my family was supportive and wanted me to heal and be happy. They didn't agree with my decision, but they got over it and went on. I didn't get treated badly afterwards. In fact, my Mother became very supportive and protective of me. She wanted to help me heal as quickly as possible.

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

I am a housewife and stay-at-home mommy. But my husband had to ask for time off work to help me with the kids. Everybody at his work was very supportive and helpful!

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

I stayed in the hospital for four days. I was very uncomfortable in the bed and couldn't wait to come home. I have very sensitive skin and the sheets made my legs itch. In fact, I itched everytime anybody touched me! I brought in my own sheets and that helped a bit. I talked my doctor into letting me come home on the evening of the fourth day.

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

I hadn't passed enough gas before being given liquids. I ended up in a great deal of pain on the fifth day due to gas. I had to go back to the hospital for stronger pain killers and an enema until the gas pain subsided some. At one week, my staples were removed and strips of tape were placed over my incision line. The tape came off pretty quickly and the skin seperated in the incision in three different places. It looked like three big holes in my stomach. They have had to heal from the inside out and left large areas of scarring. At two weeks, I started getting diarrhea constantly, along with a fever, and had to return to the hospital for an IV and IV antibiotics. It could have been the flu, but there was no way to really tell. My doctor acted on the cautious side and gave me the antibiotics just in case an infection was developing.

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 fearful. I coped by talking with lots of people and searching out people who had had the surgery.

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

The first three weeks after the surgery were pretty miserable. I was in a lot of pain. I ended up with some pretty strong muscular pain across my upper stomach which made it difficult to do anything but lie down. I managed to get up to use the restroom and take some short walks, but that was about it.

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

Not far. Less than a mile!

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 the carnation Instant Breakfast. I tried to slowly sip it, but ended up "dumping" anyway. I slowly added differnt foods and can now eat almost anything I want.

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

I was not able to do much for a few months due to pain. But since then, my activity level has risen drastically. I have more energy than ever before and feel great!

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

I took Flintstones Complete for about 4 months, thgen went to a stronger women's multivitamin.

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 has been drastic. I loose handfuls avery day. I am very lucky that I started out with very very thick hair so it isn't really noticable to anybody else.

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

The worse part was the recouperation (after the hospital stay). I was pretty miserable and just wanted to get back to normal.

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

I belong to a wonderful support group. I have not had to lean on them much because my husband is so supportive. But it is a great feeling knowing that they are there for me!

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

My scar is very wide! Since the skin seperated a week after surgery, I wasleft with a very wide scar. It is about 5 inches long.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

No significant plateaus. I loose for a wekk then stop for a week, but that's about it.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES! I don't get the aweful stares anymore. People don't look at me funny when I am eating. I used to get looks as if they were saying "if she'd put down that food, she wouldn't be overweight." That's so wrong!