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

I have heard about stomach stapling in the past. I always thought it was a cosmetic surgery, something not covered by insurance. Recently, I read about bariatric surgery in a magazine. They did a story on Carnie Wilson so I started to research WLS and found out that it is indeed covered by insurance, if medically necessary. It seems that the majority of people who have the surgery are pleased with the results. I feel it is a little intimidating, changing your physical make-up and all. Other than that it seems to be slightly miraculous.

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

My experience has been pleasant. Maybe not as quick as I may have liked, but pleasant. My insurer, Kaiser, requires me to be on a supervised Weight Management Program for a period of one year. I am in the process of fulfilling that program. I have about 3 months to go before my year is complete. I found the program to be very informative and helpful, it has actually increased my resolve to have the surgery. I truly feel that WLS is the best thing for me. I won't know for sure if I am approved until Kaiser reviews my "case". I beleive it is the surgeon who has final approval. The only advice I can give is, be as informed as you possibly can when you start the process. Know what your insurance coverage consists of, what types of surgery are available, the risks involved, what to expect before and after surgery, and ask the questions you have. Don't be shy! This is YOUR life. Go in prepared and things should go smoothly. I also reccommend getting as much medical information about any co-morbidities and previous weight loss attempts together and give them to your PCP. I also wrote, with the help of God, a letter describing my experiences being morbidly obese, weight loss history, and what I felt WLS surgery was and what it meant to me. I think that it will help in the long run. I had some revelations of my own while writing that letter. Make sure everything goes in your file, the person you give it to may not be the person that truly needs to see it.

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

Not to this point.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I now see how truly dangerous my obeseity is. I want to be healthy. It took the process of research and the application for surgery for me to realize just how much of my life has been spent trying to reach a goal that has been unattainable. I have a firm belief that WLS, although the most difficult way, will be the tool to help me reach that goal. Sometimes the hard way is the only way.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

It looks like I will be having the Open RNY. That is the only surgery that Kaiser has approved, which is ok by me, I think I was leaning in that direction anyway.

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 don't really have many fears. That may change once I am approved and have a date set. The only fear I might have is that it will not work and that is just a nagging little pessemist living in the back of my head. I have been disappointed many times in the past and it is hard to believe that even WLS will work for me. I think each person has to look inside themselves and decide what is best for them. Me, myself, I figure I will die, even without surgery. I want to at least try...

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 husband doe not want me to have surgery. He wants me to try changing eating habits and exercising, again. I have to say, I don't really care much about his opinion anymore (I do care about him). All the times I have tried to diet and exercise in the past, he did not help me. In fact, I believe he may have even sabotaged me. My sister is supportive, she would be happy to see me make this change. These are the only people I have shared my decision with. I do not want to tell my children until I have a surgery date. I don't think I would have communicted any differently. I explained the surgery and the risks involved and why I was considering it. Sometimes it is difficult for people who love you to understand why there needs to be change. It's that fear of the unknown. It's there for me too. I can't even fathom what my relationships with people will be like, what kinds of things will I like to do, how will others view me, all of these things will change. Every aspect of my life will be affected. I know I won't be the same person, inside or out, but I'm ready for that, even if no one else is!

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

I have not reached this point yet but I believe they will be supportive. The company I work for is very health conscious. They try to provide many opportunities for employees,including, weight rooms, arobics classes, palates classes, ect.

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

My stay was great as hospital stays go. I was there for 4 days. Personally, I didn't bring anything. I use what the hospital had to offer and was fine.

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

I had no complications, everything went very smoothly.

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 considering I had just had major surgery. I think the only anxiety I felt was in the eating phases, not sure when to switch to pureed and so on. I moved to solid foods more quickly then the intructions from the hopital reccomended but things went fine. I still have some anxiety about the quanity I eat at times but I try to rationalize it and remember that the quanities and amount of calories I consume are no where close to where they were.

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

I think that I may be the exception. My first weeks home were great, I did have to sleep on the couch for about the first week but other than that it was a breeze. I had no trouble getting around.

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

I traveled maybe 25 miles, 50 round trip.

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.

In the weeks after surgery I definitely reccomend the liquid diet I felt that even though I could have eaten pureed foods, it gave my stomach a chance to heal. In the months following surgery I was able to eat most everything. Some things don't sit well and may make me feel naseous, such as, breads, rice, pasta. I also reccomend chewing foods very well and eating slowly. I have eaten too fast and not chewed well enough and had to vomit to feel better. It is like a rock sitting in your stomach when you eat to fast and don't chew well. I find that the slower I eat the more I can eat, still less than before, but I can get more protein at a time if I slow it down. I also avoid sweets and junk food even though I can eat those things, they take up room in my belly that can be used for nutritious foods.

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

Days after surgery was mainly just go to the restroom, weeks after I walked around and did light house work just to keep the blood moving. I was even able to go to my sister's for a christmas eve celebration which was just 8 days after surgery, I sat most of the night but was able to climb the stairs to use the bathroom and such. I also cooked Christmas dinner for my family the next day, nothing fancy, baked ham, turkey, mashed taters, veggies. My husband helped and the ham and turkey were cooked in roasting bags but everything was great and I had a wonderful time.

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 had some nausia, still do if I don't eat right. Vomiting was only a problem for the third week or so, eating too fast or too much. No sleep disturbances. I really had no hair loss for the first three months, I have some now but it is not that bad. The nausia and vomiting can be controlled by paying attention to what is causing it and then avoiding it. The hair loss I just ignore, I know my hair will grow back and it is not noticeable to anyone else that I know of.

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

The worst part of surgery was the hour or so just before when they were doing the surgery prep, I had some second thoughts at that time. I think it was mostly out of fear for my family and how they would cope if something were to go wrong. But luckily the hospital had a preist that was going from patient to patient offering prayers and he said a lovely prayer for my successful surgery and recovery and I was fine.

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

I am not really in a support group, I do think it is important and very helpful and I hope to start going soon.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have hit a plateau at this point I believe. I don't weigh often but the last few times I have weighed the same, for about a month now. Although I haven't lost pounds I'm sure I have lost inches because my clothing size is still going down. Unfortunately I haven't been measuring so it is hard to determin how many inches are gone. I try not to get discouraged and just keep on sticking to what I know is what will help me, protein and lots of water, exercise.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, my husband is much more affectionate, people notice and listen to me more. Clerks in store and restaurants are more attentive and friendly. I can't say I have had any bad experiences, such as, people treating me poorly because I had the surgery.