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

I have heard of different types of food restrictive surgeries over the year but never thought of them in terms of me. But recently Carnie Wilson has been splashed across the news, and that's when I started thinking about it for myself. I was at my all-time heaviest weight and had just started having problems with heartburn and with my legs, ankles, and feet.

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

I didn't have any trouble getting approved for surgery, and for that I am very grateful. I did, however, make up a diet history before my initial consultation with my surgeon. I had read on this website that some surgeons and some insurance companies require this. I also added two pictures of me to the diet history page. I put one on each side of the title at the top so there was no way they could be missed. Did this help? I don't know but every person who looked at my file from the insurance company to the doctor's office had to see me as a person and not as a number. I would like to think it did help me.

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

I knew a great deal about the surgery after doing so much research so the appointment with my surgeon was brief. He show me pictures of the surgery he does, explained that there are complications and that I need to be aware of them, and then asked if I had any questions. Surprisingly, I had none. I think it's very important to go into the meeting with the surgeon very well informed.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Mostly, I was sick and tired of being fat. It has ruined so much of my life, and I was tired of it. I tried to work around my bulk, continuing to do all the things I like to do. But there were just some things I had to give up because of my weight. Now I'm working towards doing all of these things again and maybe doing some new things, too.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

There is only one procedure being done in our area, the open rny, and after meeting the surgeon and hearing from many of his other patients, I knew this procedure was right for me. It was more choosing the surgeon than choosing the procedure which I actually think is more important. If I didn't like the surgeon, then I wouldn't have any surgery no matter what the 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?

I was mostly scared of leaving my husband and two children if something happened to me. But I also understood that I was heading for trouble anyway with my weight climbing monthly. I didn't want to be a burden to my husband or my kids as I got older and heavier. I've felt selfish about making this choice for myself, but it's good to be selfish sometimes. And look, nothing bad has happened to me so it's all worked out fine.

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. Most wanted more information, and my husband was scared something was going to happen to me, but they've all been wonderful. After the surgery, everyone was wonderful. My husband took such good care of me and my sister made a point of staying around home for the two weeks after my hospital stay. When my husband went back to work, I called her every day and she took me places and made sure I wasn't going stir crazy at home. My husband gave up vacation time to take care of me and my sister gave up summer camping time to do the same. I don't know if either of them realize how much I appreciate them, but I'm going to try and show them somehow.

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

I was in the hospital for five days after having an open rny. I had surgery early Thursday morning and left the hospital mid-morning on Monday. I had a wonderful stay in the hospital. The nurses were wonderful and I had a few visitors to help brighten my days. All in all, a very good experience.

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

I didn't have any complications from the surgery other than a terrible case of diahrea afterwards. Every time I went to the bathroom it was a nasty, stinky mess. I discovered later that this is actually quite unusual (although not unheard of) as most patients are more constipated and stay that way for a while. My surgeon was a little concerned and told me to call his office if it continued beyond a certain day, but it didn't. In fact, it stopped exactly one day before I would have had to call my doctor.

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 so anxious! And there was no way to cope and I waited for the day to come. I packed bags, wrote letters, cleaned the house, all the things that don't really help but you think they will. All in all, it was a very anxious, nerve-wracking time.

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

It was strange, but every day I felt a little better, had a little more exergy. It literally got better each and every day. It was hard not to do too much, but I was careful about lifting and moving too fast and all that because I knew I was feeling good because I was doing exactly what I was supposed to do.

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

I only travelled 30 minutes to the hospital which is a short distance here in Maine.

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 can eat anything I want to. I just don't want to eat most of them. My surgeon allows us most foods to be introduced a few at a time. He doesn't believe in a pureed diet but does, of course, tell us to chew, chew, chew. I haven't been able to eat steak because it's too stringy. I can't chew it enough to get it really small for digestion. I've been able to eat all other meats though. I also eat a lot of eggs. I've found I can't eat rice easily and I think it's because you swallow a lot of air with rice which is not good for our little pouches. In fact, I do have a little trouble with gas so any vegetables that are big gas producers have fallen by the wayside. But everything else is fine. Even sugar, which I'm actually okay with because I don't want to go the rest of my life avoiding sugar. And the amazing thing is, I can have a bite or two of cookie and then not want anymore. Amazing! I wouldn't have believed it!

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

Mild activity, of course. Lots of walking, building up a little more each day. After my six week appointment (which was actually one day shy of seven weeks) I was given the okay for full exercise with a warning about lifting weights, "Take it easy with weights until you build up your strength." No problem there since I don't have any strength yet!

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

I take two (2) childrens vitamins each day (they contain minerals, too) and two (2) B-12 pills and two (2) Viactiv calcium supplements each day. I was told I should be taking the B-12 subligually but I don't have any problem taking the small pill so I'm sticking to that. There's B-12 in my multi-vitamin, too, so I'm pretty sure I'm getting what I need. I also only take two of the Viactiv because I have milk everyday. I have no problem with milk and like it so I know I'm getting all the calcium I need. I was just given the go ahead by my surgeon to add an iron supplement to my diet now too. I'm dreading taking that big horse pill but I don't want to take the nasty liquid form either. I'll figure something out.

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 forget sometimes and eat a little too fast. I've done that several time but only vomited from it once. But the other times the gas was uncomfortable and I had to wait for everything to settle and feel better. It's awful! Vomiting actually made me feel better but I know how bad it is for the teeth so I try to avoid it as best I can.

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

I think the depression after surgery is tough. I was feeling good and then at about 2 weeks post-op I started getting really down. It could have been from left over anaestetia or it could have been from rapid weight loss. All I know is that I was down and I know longer had the comfort of food to help me through. Then that contributed to my depression because I started realizing that there were all these foods I might not be able to eat every again and I also couldn't stuff my feelings with food, whole platefuls of food like I used to. But the depression only lasted for about two weeks and then I started discovering all the things I could eat and the small quantities didn't seem to bother me anymore. But most of all, I love the new energy I have and I wouldn't trade that for any number of huge platefuls of food. It's definitely not worth it anymore.

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

There is a live support group in our area that meets one Wednesday and one Saturday a month. I've been to four or five meetings and each time I say I'm never going back but I do. I guess I'm hoping it will be different the next time. We have a very obnoxious facilitator who drives me and many others crazy. She has to talk about herself every time someone says something about him- or herself and she interrupts people all the time. She claims she is a health expert and is constantly telling us about this job she worked or that job. And she often gives outright false information, and anyone who tries to correct her is then promptly ignored the entire rest of the meeting. I think she uses the support group meeting as her own support when, instead, she should be going to a different meeting in which she is not the facilitator. My surgeon knows of the problem with this woman but has yet done nothing to change things. And I'm not sure he will since he has a willing volunteer who takes care of the meetings for him.

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

My scar is long and red and is slowly fading. I'm a redhead who scars easily so it's exactly what I expected. I'll never wear a two piece swimsuit!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I keep plateauing for the two weeks before my period and then I lose a whole bunch afterwards. The plateaus scare me because I'm afraid the surgery isn't working, but I try to stay positive and hope that things are going as they're supposed to.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I haven't lost enough weight for anyone to really notice yet, and I'm actually not looking forward to a lot of attention when I do. I have trouble being the center of attention. I also don't like the questions there will be such as, "How have you lost all this weight?" I'm not completely comfortable telling everyone about my surgery. It feels like a private thing that I don't want to share with others who are not family or friends. But I live in a small town and everyone will eventually know exactly how I've lost all this weight so I might as well just buck up and brag about it instead of hiding myself away.