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

I had read about surgical procedures years ago but did not seriously consider havin surgery done. I thought I could address my problem using the new diet drugs and over the counter types of products. When those efforts eventually failed, I listened to my doctors and attended some seminars. By the time I attended the seminars, I had decided to have the surgery and I used them as a source of information rather than something to convince me to have the operation. A woman that I work with had the surgery while I was investigating having it and talking to her also helped convince me. She had laproscopic surgery but there was at least a 9 month wait for the procedure so I chose the open surgery to expidite things.

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 problems with the insurance company. But from talking with others, I am the exception rather than the rule. I would try to get into a program that takes as little out of your pocket as possible.

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

My firts visit with the surgeon was before any insurance approval or anything. It was almost like he was evaluating me as a patient rather than me evaluating him. He gave me a cursory physical exam and told me I needed to have tests with a pulmonologist and an interview with a phychologist before I could be considered a candidate for surgery. The doctor also said that he only does surgery on people up to 60 years old and I was near his limit ( I was 54 at the time). The doctor had several people in his office for preleminary visits and he spent a good deal of time with each person. As a result, the wait in his office was lengthy but he spent and equal amount of time with me answering my questions and talking with me.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I went to a seminar and Tony, the coordinator asked the audience how many obese senior citizens they knew. I could only think of one person who is an obese senior. I know plenty of obese people and I know that they don't put obese seniors in a home so, common sense says that obese people die before they become senior citizens. I don't want that to happen to me. I want to retire and live a healthy, active life in retirement. Losing weight will help me achieve that goal.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I decided to have the open surgery because I didn't want to wait 9 months for a laproscopic surgery. The RNY seemed to address what I was looking for in surgery. I can't cheat on this and I will lose weight.

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 didn't have fears of dying from the surgery, just from being overweight.

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 brother was very supportive of my decision but my sister was not. She has a fear of surgery and I guess she couldn't get over that. I didn't tell too many people what I planned. But those I did tell were very supportive, especially other obese people. I don't think I would have told anybody anything differently about my decision. Of all the people who were supportive of me after surgery, my sister was the most supportive. She is overweight and I suspect she is watching my progress and maybe considering having surgery herself. I dragged her to a support group meeting but we haven't discussed her having the procedure. She is very interested in every step that I take though.

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

I didn't tell my boss what I was having done. Fortunately, I don't have to communicate with my immedtiate boss or co-workers about health issues. My job has a separate medical section that handles all of that and they had to be told what was done and they got copies of all of the papers from the doctors and the hospital. All of that had to be done before any bills were paid. I was out of work from June 3 2002 to Aug 17 2002. The surgery is supposed to take a six week recovery period but when I talked to Dr. Cahill at my six week check up he decided I need more time to recover. I had no energy or at least I would start with energy and then feel like someone had pulled my energy plug. The doctor thought I needed more time to recover from the surgery and he was right. I returned to work yesterday with no problems. I'm lucky that my job has a generous medical policy.

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

The staff a Little Company of Mary was excellent. To a person, they were attentive and considerate. I was there 3 days and never had to wait if I called for assistance and usually I didn't have to call because they were constantly checking on me. About the only thing I think a person needs to bring to the hospital is a robe and some slippers. They will have you up and walking soon after the surgery and the hospital gowns leave much to be desired. One of those bariatric bears would be nice because there is a considerable amount of abdominal pain when you cough, laugh or get up or down. Pressing it to the stomach reduces the discomfort.

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 though the drains that were left in for 10 days were very painful. I thought the insertion site for the drains had become infected but I was assured that hadn't happened. They did hurt a lot though.

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 about the coming surgery and couldn't wait to have it done. I did not follow the doctors orders about trying to lose weight before surgery. I had meals of my favorite foods the weeks before surgery. I don't recommend doing that. I gained 15 pounds from the time I decided to have the surgery and the date it was done. Maybe that was how I dealt with any anxiety. When I went for my pre- op tests, everything was fine except my blood pressure. Suddenly, I had high blood pressure and the surgery date was threatened. I saw my primary care physician and was given medication. My blood pressure went done immediately and the surgery went off without a hitch. I did not need blood pressure medication after the surgery. My blood pressure has always been normal and was normal as recently as a week before the surgery. I guess that spike in the blood pressure was due to anxiety.

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

When I got home from the hospital, my sister and my best friend had determined to be my nurses. They literally waited on me hand and foot. They also made sure I did breathing exercises and walked every hour. I was in a good amount of pain when I got home and I slept in my recliner until the drains were removed from my stomach. I could just envision trying to sleep in the bed with those tubes hanging out and accidentally pulling one out; that would not have been a good thing. The first two weeks I had nothing to eat but clear liquids and oddly enough, I was not hungry. Walking was uncomfortable but I did it because I was told it prevented life threatening blood clots. To me, the worst part about this phase of recovery was the drains. I was told that they were necessary to monitor the surgical site and to determine if a infection was starting. I understood the necessity of the drains but I hated every minute they were there. Also, nobody told me before the surgery to expect them to remain in for 10 days after being released from the hospital. The insertion site hurt the entire time the drains were in and there was more discomfort from them than from the surgical wound. In fact, the actual surgical wound hurt terribly for two days while I was in the hospital and then stopped hurting all together after that. Before you go into the hospital, make sure you stock up on clear broths, juice and liquids that you'll enjoy. Welches makes a nice frozen juice bar that you can have at that time, also, sugar free jello and pudding never tasted so good. Showering was always and adventure because of the drains since touching them hurt so much. I don't know if my experience with the drains was typical.

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

Little Company of Mary Hospital is about two miles from my home. My aftercare was not affected by distance.

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.

For the first two weeks after surgery I could only eat or drink clear liquids. This included broths,herbal tea,decaffinated coffee, cranberry juice, grape juice, apple juice, sugar free jello and frozen juice bars. After two weeks, some pureed foods were added, including apple sauce and creamed soups that had to be placed in the blender as well as a protein drink that was mixed with milk. Two chewable vitamins and chewable Pepsids were also added. Eventually, solid foods were allowed, starting with scrambled eggs. I quickly scramble up two eggs and found that couldn't eat 1/2 of one egg. Flakey fish, mashed potatoes, tuna and shaved turkey and chicken came next. Again, I couldn't eat very much of the food. I also found that swallowing a normal bite sized amount of food was not a good idea. It seems like it lodges in the middle of your chest and it hurts like the devil. Often times when I forget and swallow a big bite of food or just eat too fast, I vomit. I was told that I couldn't have sugar at all or red meat for at least six months. I haven't tried either of those foods for fear of how they might make me feel. Caffinated coffee is off limits for six months and fizzy, carbonated sodas are also off limits. I've learned to like the taste of Crystal Light and I drink it daily. By the end of 8 weeks bread, lettuce and other veggies were allowed. I have a hard time eating without drinking with the meal and I still forget and swallow too much at a time. So far, I've been lucky and have not run into any foods that I can't tolerate. You have to chew your food more than you ever thought possible so if you have any dental problems going on consider addressing them before the surgery. Eating takes a long time for the smallest amounts of food. If you are used to eating on the run and attempt to do that post surgery, you will pay a price for it. Many people become lactose intolerant after the surgery and can't drink milk. I had that intolerance before the surgery so I always purchased Lactaid or a similar product before the surgery. Those milks are expensive but a necessary evil. Any pills that need to be taken have to be crushed at this point. I crushed a Tylenol and ate it with some pudding once. It was vile. I'd rather suffer the headache than the taste of Tylenol flavored pudding. Since I'm feeling pretty good now, I've been eating out with friends. I take a doggie bag home from every restaurant. Fried foods are not allowed so choosing from a typical menu is also a challenge. Also, I've been eating food in a sandwich style of late. Since eating bread and pasta, etc, my weight loss has plateaued. I'm now back on the protein to jump start the weight loss. I haven't been real adventurous with food because I've heard so many horror stories. As a result, I've only had a couple of problems with dumping. I dumped once after drinking a protein shake. I drank it too fast and mixed it with juice. I don't know what caused the dumping but I was in a car dealership when I began to feel sick, like the flu was coming on. I broke out into a cold sweat and was light headed. Eventually, I wound up in the bathroom with flu like diarreah. It was a most unpleasant experience that I don't want to have again. I've also found that any time I eat salads, they come right out of me.

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

Naturally, right after surgery my activity level was spent trying to get back on my feet. By the third of fourth week, I was up and about and able to shop, drive and generally be independent. I tried walking every day but found that I couldn't power walk or walk any distance. I was feeling better every day but my energy level was not keeping up. People at the suport group meeting said that this was normal and I would start feeling my energy return after 10 weeks. They were right. I still get tired more quickly that I did before surgery but a normal day's activity does not tire me out. I can now play 18 holes of golf and not tire out and I exercise at Curves 3 days a week. I've been told that I should be walking everyday in addition to the Curves. I haven't added that yet.

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

I'm still taking two Flintstone chewables daily as well as two Pepcids twice a day. I haven't had a protein shake since I dumped but I'm going to try it again.

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 haven't suffered hair loss, but it's early yet. I plan to keep the protein up to perhaps prevent that. I have no problems sleeping but I have experienced nausea and vomiting associated with eating and/or drinking too fast. None of these things happened right after surgery some of the symptoms are currently going on and I've coped with them by trying to be conscious of how I eat. So far, I've only had one experience in a public place. I guess I eat correctly in public and not at home.

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

The worst part about the entire bariatric process to me was wearing drains for ten days after surgery. Other than that, everything associated with the surgery went as expected and was tolerable. Some of the problems with food are too new to discuss yet.

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

I go to monthly support group meetings that are associated with Dr. Cahill's practice. Tony Romero sets up the meeting and they appear to be well attended. The meetings are on Wednesday nights, my bowling night. I've attended all but one of the meetings. It's good to see how people are losing weight and I've gotten lots of helpful information about how and what to eat. People who have been there have a lot of credability.

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

I have a scar that runs from my sternum to my navel. There are two round scars about the size of a dime on both sides of navel that are from the drains. I did not expect the scarring from the drains because they were a surprise. The scars don't bother me because I don't anticipate wearing a bikini or showing it to many people. Perhaps if I were younger, I'd be more concerned.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I plateaued shortly after I was allowed to eat bread. I began eating sandwiches and the weight loss came to a screeching halt. I brought this up at a support group meeting and was told to eliminate the bread and eat mostly protein. I followed that suggestion and have not had a plateau since. I've been losing about ten pounds a month. It seems I'm losing slower than most of the people at the meetings but I am older than all of them and I think that has lots to do with the pace of the loss.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People are definitely treating me differently. Men, especially are treating me differently. My interactions with people are more positive than they used to be. People are not as rude to me as they once were. Men hold open doors and I am frequently complemented on my appearance and my clothes even though they don't fit very well.