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

Many years ago I read an article about "Stomach Stapeling" as the media refers to it. My husband was not really up on the idea of messing with your stomach or your bowels. He says it's stupid. "If your stomach and your bowels were supposed to be that way God would have made you that way". I learned a lot off the net and this particular site (Obesityhelp). I am also a CNA that works in a Colorado hospital and I used to take care of a lot of patiets that were having follow up surgeries (gall bladdre, pancreatitis, etc.) I talked with those patients and got a lot of info from them.

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

It was a little hard but the doctor's office pushed it through quickly. The insurance company had a lot of requests and the trick is to comply fully with them and they will be more apt to approving it.

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

My surgeon, Dr. Tillquist was great in the interview- a little short but pretty informative at first. A person really needs to understand every aspect of the surgery before even condidering it. If the surgeon is pushing you to do the surgery- don't do it. Go home think it over for a week or two and read and research extensively. I found the net had a lot of positive things to say about the surgery but not many negative things. The negatives are really important because they poing out a lot of things that can happen. They may not happen but could. Some of them are osteoperosis (in 7-9 years), Enteric Complications (Abdominal distension, irregular diarrhea, increased flatus, pneumatosis intestinalis, colonic pseudo obstruction, bypass enteropathy, volvulus with mechanical small bowel obstruction); Extra-intestinal (arthritis, Liver disease, Steatosis, Erthema Nodosum, Weber-Christian Syndrom and Liver Failure); Manifestations; Mineral imbalance, Protein Calorie Malnutrition (hair loss, anemia, edema and vitamin depletion, Enteric Complications, Renal diseases. Also you run the risk of organ failure including Kidneys, Pancrease, Liver and other vital organs. Talk to your Primary doctor and other speciallists about this surgery before having it done so you know all the risks and how they pertain to you and how you may be able to avoid them.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The surgeon I thought was pushy and got me all exited by saying in a year you will be able to do the things you dreamed of doing. you will finally be able to look good in your bikini's. You will have a better quality of life. After hearing this who cares about the risks I want to have my life back. Once you have the surgery, it is hard to reverse and most surgeons won't do it because it is really risky.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The surgeon went through all and explained each proceedure and told me that Gastroplasty bypass surgery had the best results over a period of time. So I went with that one.

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?

Not coming out of it alive was my biggest fear. I have 2 kids a loving husband and two addorable dogs. I wanted to be able to continue my quality of life after surgery with improved results.

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 entire family was against my decision but they all stood by me because this is what I want. My husband's family on the other hand weren't so supportive. They were trying to talk me out of it by suggesting a better diet. They also wanted me to go to therapy so I would be mentally ready for what was going to happen. My husband was against it also but he stood behind me 100% because he loves me and if I wanted it that bad he wouldn't stand in my way. My kids 11 & 13 were scared to death.

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

My boss is a nursing supervisor and she was a little worried but gave me 2 months off if I needed it. The doctor said I could be back to work in about 2 to 3 weeks as long as was a seated-no lifting job.

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

My hospital stay wasn't too bad at first. The NG tube in my nose was really uncomfortable. When they pulled it out I felt 60% better. At first I wasn't able to hold any water down. Then finally was and then able to advance to sugar free jello. I got out of the hospital twice for a total of 4 days. I had to keep getting re-admitted because of chronic diarrhea and severe dehydration. I was also not absorbing anything I was swallowing. My small intestine was just not absorbing. I had to be fed through I.V. fluids so I could remain alive. A GI specialist gave me Imodium AD to stop the diarrhea to which I only had one bowel movement every three days and it was diarrhea about 200 c.c. each time including before the Imodium. Any soft liquids ingested caused me a great deal of pain about 15-30 min after eating. Surgery was on April 10, 2001 and at present (4/30) I am still in the hospital Swedish Medical Center, Englewood, Colorado. Important things to bring: your own pajamas ones that unbutton down the front of your shirt (I.V.'s), a blanket from home makes you feel at home. Something to do (crossword puzzles and electronic games) for when you are feeling better it gets your mind off the pain and that annoying NG tube.

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

YES!!! Listed above. This surgery is the worst decision of my life. It's very painfull (in my case). I've talked to a lot of people that has had the surgery and they experienced a very little amount of pain (once the NG tube was removed).

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 excited. I wanted to have a big party and cut loose. I was exstatic. I couldn't sleep that night. I called all my friends and relatives and they were all worried and happy that I got what I wanted.

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

Haven't been there but I really hope I get to see it one last time. I did go home twice for a total of four days and I couldn't get off the toilet.

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

45 minutes away in no traffic. Husband made it in 20 when I had to be rushed back for my second re-admit. The distance was difficult as the doctor was hard to just drop in on cause it took 45 min to see him or get back to the hospital.

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.

Couldn't eat or drink anything without having to go back to the bathroom. This includes water. I was drinking about 30 oz of water and it was coming back out. The CAT scan of my digestive tract showed the barrium was moving through my system at an incredibly fast pace. From the point the barrium entered into my mouth, it took 15 minutes to move all the way through the small intestine and was waiting to be excreted out of the colon. That worried the GI doctor and he still has no idea how to get that fixed.

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

I would get up and walk around the hospital every hour or every 45 minutes after the third day of surgery.

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

I tried "One A Day" chewables but as with the water I couldn't hold anything in. I also tried soft chewy calciums as they had the highest calcium for a chewable (didn't want to get osteoperosis).

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?

nausia started after surgery and especially after the NG tube was removed. That subsided about a day after the NG tube was removed. Diarrhea started my 4th day after surgery and that is still a problem about 3 1/2 weeks after surgery. The doctors are trying to find out why that is still happening.

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

recovery. I still haven't gotten out of the hospital due to malabsorbtion. (4-30-2001)

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

can't get out of hospital to go. There is one that takes place on Fridays at Littleton Hospital in Colorado.

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

The surgeon did the best job I've ever seen on a patient. I am a CNA and I see them all day long. There are 5 1 inch or less scars on my midsection. 2 weeks after surgery they are almost completely healed. I had the laproscopy done and that is a nice thing about this surgery as the scars are small so if I do get out of the hospital and get skinny, I can where a bikini with no long scar down my belly.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

The plateau? I can't get out of the hospital due to malabsorbtion of water or foods.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

The nurses? no the nurses are great at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado. Any outside people are extrremely worried about me.