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

I first learned of bariatric surgery from having an old friend who had had it done many, many years ago. (None too successfully, I might add.) The next time I heard about it was from my coworker who had a friend who had it done and had such wonderful success. My coworker friend was very concerned about my yo-yo syndrome and my extreme overweight so she suggested that I get this surgery myself. I am so glad that I called this friend of hers to find out how successful this surgery had been for her. I saw a big ray of hope in bariatric surgery and found Dr. Marley who is the best surgeon on the planet!! I am now 95 pounds lighter and my life is changing so much for the better, I can hardly believe it is true. I still have another 100 to go, but I feel wonderful!! Life is beautiful!

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

I was in for 5 days at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The day I had surgery was the day the lights went out at Walter Reed. I was 4 hours into a 6 hour surgery and my good doctor, Dr. Kim Marley, and his Chief Resident, Dr. Scott Rehrig, had to work without airconditioning for the remaining 2 hours. When I came to I was in the ICU with no airconditioning. Someone brought in a fan and a heat stroke victim's refrigerated blanket to keep me cool. Most patients were moved out of WRAMC to other hospitals in the area. I was kept in the cardiac ward for the 4 days following my first day in ICU. I was very well cared for by the people in the ward. But I must say I was not well treated by one medical person (an overweight woman) who was working in the ICU. She paid very little attention to my needs and seemed very negligent in providing the basest of creature comforts (like wiping me down with a cold cloth). Unlike one other ICU nurse who made sure I had a cooling fan and a heat stroke victim's blanket and water to bathe my brow, this other uncaring person did not seem to want to provide any special care for me. Once moved to the ward, the nurses were most attentive and caring. I was very happy to have many visits from my sweet husband, who took good care of me while I was in the hospital. He gave me a bath and washed my hair and wrote my notes on the computer to send off to my good WLS buddies and co-workers.

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

No, I had no complications with my surgery, other than later developing a small hernia inside my belly button. It doesn't hurt and the tummy tuck will take care of that when I get it, hopefully over spring break next year (2003).

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 felt wonderful!! Everyday got better than the day before and only joy followed that!! I bounced back very quickly and was up and taking care of myself that first week home. By my 10th day I didn't even need my little teddy bear friend to hug when I coughed. I still required help picking up things from the floor and putting on my shoes for about a month or so. I went back to work after a month.

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

We have a website (I am the keeper of this website) called Footloose and FantasyFree Angels on MyFamily.com. This website is well visited by our Angels. Our WLS Angels post their photos, their stories, their accolades, their accomplishments, their setbacks, their support and we all share in everyone's triumphs and milestones! We also have a group meeting once a month with our doctor present (if he is not out on TDY). These things are very, very important to us!! We need to have a network of friends who have had the same experience we have had so we can support and encourage each other. As my weightloss slowed down about the 6th month Post-Op (with 90 pounds off), and even I even gained 4 pounds over a 2 week period, I decided some serious behavior modification was in order. SO I rejoined Weight Watchers! It is a wonderful follow-up to WLS! It provides the guidance and the best plan out there for behaviorial modification. I am doing the 1-2-3-4 Steps to Success and couldn't be any more pleased than I am right now! The steps are: 1) Keep my Points Journal faithfully, keeping within my point range; 2) Drink that water!!!; 3) Exercise (even if it is only a 20 minute powerwalk on my lunch hour); 4) Never, Never miss a WW meeting. WLS + WW = A program that works wonders for me!!!

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

My scar is fine. It is what I had expected. And it doesn't matter anyway... No one is going to ever see it, except my husband and my doctor. And my husband has seen a whole lot worse than a scar before.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Yes, I hit a couple of plateaus and feel that they would not have last so long if I had been eating less. But then even when I was doing the WW thing perfectly I had slowdowns and even a slight gain one week. But I am happy to say that because I am doing the Point Plan on WW, I know that it will come off!! I know because I count every last point that goes in my mouth and I do my exercise. And this week after a couple of weeks of little or no loss, I have dropped about 4 or 5 pounds. It seems like I plateau for a few weeks and then it drops significantly, sometimes even 6 - 8 pounds at a time.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people are shocked and very supportive! It is fun when a former student comes in the lab where I work looking for that 'really big lady' and can't find me because I am not that 'really big lady' anymore. I have come down 106 pounds and am loving every minutes of it!!!