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

My sister in-law had an employee who had had it and she shared with me her success. I contacted this lovely woman who explained it to me during a 2 hour long distance phone call. I later flew out to meet her and she spent about 3 hours with me and reassuring me on every aspect of what this kind of surgery entailed.

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

My experiences were actually very easy. Everyone from my agent to health care professionals assured me that my company (Humana) would not pay but Dr. Otteman's insurance staff prepared my file in an excellent manner and we received approval on the first go around - approximately 10 days waiting period.

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

Outstanding!!! They showed me a video which covered all bases from start to finish. They provided me with my "surgical bible" which reiterated information from the video and also incuded all the information from the moment I checked into the hospital at pre-op right up until the end of the first six months post-op. They also provided support group info, contact names or previous patients and recommended retail business from the grocery store to a local resell shop for my "fat" clothes.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I think I knew after meeting with my friend who had had the procedure in Feb. of 99. When I saw her before pictures and what she looked like in September and heard her story, I knew this surgery was my last hope at leading a normal life.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I went with open incision roux-en-y with a fobi ring because of it's higher statistical success rate to any other procedure.

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?

The chances of the obesity killing me was much higher then the risk of dying from the surgery. Complications can occur in any surgical procedure but I do believe that if you go in with a positive attitude, your chances of success will skyrocket. I wanted this procedure to work so bad that there is virtually no room in my head or heart that complications will bring me down. Just remember, positive attitude always wins out in the end.

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?

Initially, they were skeptical (as was I)but after many hours of research and talking to lots of people in various stages of this procedure we all knew that this was the best thing for me. As far as post-op goes, I have clients calling me daily to check up on me and many wanting to come visit me. My family planned their Thanksgiving around my needs and I think that I couldn't have asked for anything better.

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

My employer was behind me 100%. He knew what a struggle I was having with my weight (I am in the beauty/fashion industry and appearance is everything)and how uncomfortable I was being in the public eye looking the way I did. He also recognized that my health was in jeopardy and this surgery would potentially be my savior. I have been out of work for 3 weeks and am anticipating a New Year return.

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

Unfortunately my stay in the hospital basically sucked. I had two fantastic nurses and about 8 very scary nurses. One nurse never turned on my pain pump leaving me in excrutiating pain for over 5 hours. Another disconnected my pain pump without orders from my doc and then went to lunch without administering oral meds. When they tried to put me back on the pump - my vein blew out and they were never able to locate another good vein. Take an advocate with you to make sure that your meds are on time and correct!!! Bring slippers and a toilet kit (shampoo/cond., toothbrush & toothpaste) otherwise the hospital took care of everything else I needed.

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

No

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 still feel like a mack truck ran over me and then backed up and did it again. I have developed a lactose intolerance but for the most part, I am doing really well. I do have days when I wonder why I did this to my body, etc. but when I feel this way I call my best friend who takes five minutes to remind me and then I am okay. The doc warned me about post-op depression and anxiety so when it occurs, I just keep in mind that I am going to experience these feelings and that they will go away. I used to take Paxil but I am trying life without it for awhile, so far it's okay. Try to take life one day at a time, don't worry about how your body will feel tomorrow until it's tomorrow.

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

Plan to sleep a lot. I let everyone around me take care of everything and I am just taking it easy. I am catching up on a lot of missed movies, books, puzzle books and crafts. I don't make any plans more than a few hours in advance that way I'm not disappointed if it doesn't pan out. I am able to go out for a few hours every couple of days but try to keep it simple and not overdo it. I have the rest of my life for that kind of stuff.

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

I travelled approximately four hours from my home for surgery. I had to stay within one hour (give or take) for the first 4 - 5 days after I was discharged from the hospital. This took a toll being away from home when I didn't feel good but I stayed with family who bent over backwards to make the best of the situation for me. My sister in-law even offered to buy a recliner chair for her house if it would be more comfortable for me. Pretty cool huh?

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.

Beef, fresh veggies & fruit, white bread, soda pop, anything with sugar, anything fried or high in fat are all off limits currently. My diet consists mainly of carnation instant breakfast with no sugar added, turkey, baked chicken, cottage cheese, soups, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles and crystal lite. I have recently developed a lactose intolerance but my doc reassures me that this is temporary and will pass in time. So, I have switched to lactaid lactose free milk and lactaid supplement caplets. Now, at two years out, I am able to eat fairly normally. I still can't eat sugar or high fat foods. I made it two years before the first time I vomitted. I have only experienced this three times and I promise that I will not go near the foods that caused that to happen ever again. I cannot tolerate carrots, apples, pears and potatoes anymore but I have learned to work around this and to make other choices.

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

right now I mostly nap or relax in the recliner chair but every other day my mom takes me to the grocery store, wal-mart or something on that level and we spend some time walking through the store. I am hoping that by next week that I will have enough energy to begin a light session on the treadmill. I am also planning on a water aerobics class.

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

GNC liquid B-12, Schiff all natural children's chewables, viactiv calcium supplement. I am also eating eggs that have been enriched with omega 3 and DHA. My grocery store carries them right next to the brown, organic eggs and the low cholesterol eggs.

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?

The worst so far has been the lactose intolerance. It caused some dumping and cramping. I have only encountered nausia once and it passed within a few hours. No vomiting, no unusual hair loss and my sleep is better then it has been for years. I did experience hair loss at about 3 months and I go through stages now where it comes and goes but for the most part it has levelled off. I have increased my vitamins and that seems to have helped. I am still taking GNC liquid B-12 and Schiff Children's Chewables but have some intolerance to calcium.

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

The nurses on the surgical wing. Also, the anticipation each day when I eat that it may not sit well, but so far so good.

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

I have developed a good support group on line. This works for me because I live in a ski resort about 150 miles from the nearest large city (Denver or Grand Junction). I also have a good friend who is about 9 months ahead of me in this procedure and she has been so helpful. She also lived about 4 hours from her nearest support group when she had hers so we have been helping each other. Support is really necessary at this point and I am always looking for whatever help I can get. I located a support group about 150 miles from where I live about 6 weeks after my surgery. I have been failthfully attending for the last 2 years and recently have been asked to help start a support group in my area because I am the most experienced bypass patient at this time.

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

It is about 7 inches long from my breast bone to just above my belly button. It is pretty much what I thouht it would be like and I have been "slathering" a ton of vitamin e on it since the staples and steri strips have come off. I think it was a small price to pay for the new lease on life I have been given. I had a tummy tuck (Peniculectomy) and my thighs done at 20 months so now my original bypass scar is gone. It has been replaced with a hairline scar (barely visible)and I also received a new bellybutton. The plastic surgery scars are very minimal and I am not embarrassed to wear a bikini.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None yet. I did hit several plateaus throughout the first year but discovered that it usually occured when I was not eating enough. I would keep a food diary when this would occur and it was plain as day that I was subconsciously cutting my calories back. By increasing my calories during these episodes, my body would immediately respond and I would drop several pounds.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Mostly they treat me differently because they knew I just had major surgery and I don't feel 100% just yet. Now that I am 2 years out, most people I come in contact with don't even know I am a bypass patient and for those who knew me when, they don't usually recognize me on the street until I tell them who I am. They are usually stunned and impressed and want details. I am now at the point where I am ready to put this behind me and only use it when if benefits another obese patient.