Brenda M.

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

For the past 25 years, I have tried 19 diets...lost as much as 80 pounds on two of them, only to gain back the 80 lbs. and more. Yo-Yo dieting and feeling as if I had control in all areas of my life, except for being able to lose weight and keep it off.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

The worst part about being overweight for me was the decline in my health. I got to where I couldn't do things I wanted to do and I missed alot of work because I stayed sick and in pain so much of the time. Every joint aches and getting out of bed every morning and getting started is so painful. I woke up very tired and have difficulty staying awake during the day. I have asthma and during asthma attacks, sometimes I felt I was taking my last breath. I had back problems and finally had to have back surgery because I got to where I couldn't walk. I went to sleep driving and thankfully God protected me from serious harm. Sleep apnea was the cause of my miserable days and nights and my weight was the reason...It was time for drastic measures!

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

Holding my grandchilren...now I have a lap! Walking without giving out of breath or having my back, knees and ankles feeling like they will collapse...touching my toes...being able to reach parts of my body that weren't reachable...lol!

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

My husband told me he had seen some type of weight loss surgery on TV and that I should investigate it on the internet. At first I was offended and scared that I may have to resort to something that drastic. I only knew about cases from years ago and many of them were horror stories. I found tons of information and when I began talking to a few of my friends about it, they knew people who had it done fairly recently so I talked to them. One friend told me about the obesityhelp.com site and I read nearly everything on this site and would see what battles others were having. I began to see things in magazines about Carnie Wilson and one night I watched her biography on A & E. I was inspired...I could not wait to begin my journey!

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

The best way to find out about insurance is to read your exclusions section of your insurance policy and pray WLS is not an excluded item. I found out immediately that my primary insurance excluded anything related to weight loss...I was very angry because I felt like the insurance would rather pay for my many medical problems, but would not do the cost effective thing by paying for the surgery. I was discouraged at first, but found by calling my husband's insurance company the WLS surgery was a covered service and all I had to do was meet certain criteria...I was sooo happy! I couldn't believe that the lady who answered my call to my husband's insurance company had the RNY so I knew God was leading me on my journey to a happier and healthier life!

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

Dr. Amy Rose and her staff are the BEST! I felt free to ask any question and Dr. Rose was very patient in answering all questions!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Finding out that my husband's insurance would pay was one thing that made this surgery a reality for me. Knowing I wasn't going to be around to see my grandchildren grow up was the motivating factor! I just wanted to get healthy again and enjoy life!

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

Short stay...surgery on Wed., discharged on Friday...Bring an understanding spouse or friend!

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 super anxious and counted the minutes...waiting was definately the WORST part!

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

6 tiny puncture scars and one 1 1/2 " scar for the camera! Not bad at all!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Sometimes weight loss stops for a short period and then magically, the scales inch downward!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People are all time stopping me and saying I look so much younger, don't look at all like the same person, and many other complimentary things...some people are alot nicer to me!
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