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

I've not sure where I first heard about stomach stapeling. It was just something I knew existed. When Carnie Wilson went so public with her situation, that's really when I learned more about it and began to discuss it with my regular physician, Dr. Douglas Magenheim. He recommended Dr. Fallang. He already had 2 patients who had the open RNY done and felt they were having good success with it. That was in September of 2000. I then went out on the internet and starting reading more and more about it. This was cetainly one of the sites I hit during my search. Then my sister decided she was ready. She has more serious medical conditions than myself. Unfortunately, she could not use Dr. Fallang as she works at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati which is part of the Alliance. They have to have their health care done within the Alliance. She was given Dr. Alexanders name from Christ Hospital. He has recently begun doing a version of the RNY but his version does not separate the stomach, just staples it. Her procedure was on March 9, 2001. It's early July at this time, roughly 4 months, and she's lost 92 pounds. She had vertually no problems. Just occasional vomiting when she's over done it. Her health and energy level have increased tenfold. It's been great to watch her. So my initial impressions, having seen it up close and personal, are VERY favorable.

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

This was the easy part for me. The doctor's office (Dr. David Fallang) took care of everything. I had NO problems - they did the work.

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

My first visit was a 4-hour seminar Dr. Fallang requires of all his patients. It doesn't have to be your first visit but you have to go to the free seminar before you go through the surgery. He is there for the entire meeting. He does most of the presentation along with other office members. They tell you what to expect with your insurance, the surgery, medical complications, the history of bariatric surgery, post op experience, expected weight loss, and everything I wouldn't have even thought of. There was a person there who had gone through the surgery to share her insights as well. There were approximately 25 people in attendance. After the seminar, Dr Fallang stayed to answer any personal questions. His staff was there to help with any insurance or paper work. I was fortunate in that they had already submitted my paperwork and had it approved. All this was done over the phone and through e-mail. From all I've read, I was a very lucky person!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had a doctor's visit which indicated my sugar levels were high. I have a history of diabetes in my family. My doctor was saying it's not IF you get it but WHEN. I chose NEVER!!! My regular doctor, Dr. Douglas Magenheim, is who gave me Dr. Fallang's name. He had 2 other patients at that time who had undergone the surgery. Since then, he has several more and is a believer in this surgery as a good choice for those morbidly obese, like myself.

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

I had the best experience at the hospital. As I was going under for the surgery, I met someone who was on the surgical team who had lost 120 lbs. - she's the last person I saw before I went under. The surgery lasted only 1 hour. I was in my room before noon (surgery started at 8:00 am). I was hospitalized for 3 days and was very ready to go home physically. Emotionally I wanted to stay because I had the greatest nurse's assistant. She was my second mentors. She had the surgery and had lost over 200 lbs. - my hero! She gave me and my sister so much information in those couple of days. It was a super start. My sister who had the surgery 5 months before was with me the whole way too. She's my first mentor. We live together so I was able to see on a daily basis how this was going to go. Even though that helped, you really don't know what it's going to be like untill you go through it yourself. There's really not much to bring - a good attitude and an understanding that this is no resort stay. Get up and get moving as fast as you can. I was doing laps in the hallways and I really believe that helped - my mentors were there pushing me and routing me on. Also, there were 4 other people on the same floor who had the surgery the same day. We pushed each other to do more. It was great! I wish everyone could have the experience I had.

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

I did have a slight wound infection after about 5 days. I noticed redness and had a 101 degree temperature. I called the doctor's office and they advised me to go to the emergency room as it was in the evening. They gave me antibiotics and within a day or two, I was fine. The other problem I experience was with the opening from my stomach to the intestines (the stoma) being too small. I had to have an endoscopic procedure to stretch this out. It was painless and quick. It also was very helpful. Up to that point I was vomitting regularly. After the procedure it was so much better. That was my turning point. It was all good from there....

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 had my surgery date set in January but the date was for July. That was very difficult. It wasn't the doctor's schedule but my own that made for the delay. My mother had hip replacement surgery in February, my sister had the RNY in March, I went to Europe for work in May, and my boss was out all of June (scheduled vacation) so I had to wait till July - that was a long wait. I was more jealous than anything, watching my sister lose her weight. By the time I went to have mine, she had lost almost 100 lbs. I wasn't really nervous about having the surgery, I was excited!

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

I went through some strange times. I kept having this feeling that I had disfigured my internal parts, like I wasn't normal anymore. In a way that's true but I was really morose about it. That passed in a couple of weeks and I really don't think about that much at all now. I was very bored with the food. My doctor requires a liquid diet for the first 4 weeks, going from clear liquids to what they call full liquids. That was the hard part. I wasn't hungery, I just longed for something to chew. When I was able to each some mashed potatoes, I was in heaven. I was able to get around very well when I got home from the hospital and slept in my own bed which some people have problems with. I typically sleep on my stomach or side. That was impossible, that hurts way too much to do in the early stages. I had to sleep on my back. I didn't like that too much but there are worse things in life, like being obese!

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

The hospital was about 1 hour from my house. The Dr.'s office was about 45 minutes. It makes for a long trip but not too bad. There were people in his office who traveled 5 hours one way for an office visit. That would have been more of an issue. I can't imagine travelig for 5 hours 2 weeks after surgery. I would have done it if I had to.

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.

The first 4 weeks of liquids were hard. Once I started eating regular food, not everything worked, that is, it didn't stay down. And you know right away when it's not going to stay down. Vomitting is a fact of life for the first few months. The hardest food to adjust to from the beginning was bread. It still can cause problems now and again. At about 6 months I could eat just about anything I wanted, only occasionally would I lose my food. Even now, 13 months later I occasionally still have to lose my food, it feels like it gets stuck. I haven't had a Diet Coke in 13 months. I must have drank a full 2 litre the night before my surgery. I loved Diet Coke, I didn't drink anything else. Now, I have a glass of OJ in the morning and water the rest of the day. I thought I would miss it a whole lot more than I have. I had the pleasure of experiencing "dumping" only 3 times since surgery. Everyone has to do this at least once - right? Ice Cream is an absolute killer. I cannot eat regular ice cream at all. I wasn't that big into ice cream but it's like now that I can't have it, I want it - am I mental or what. The no-sugar added brands aren't too bad thought. They do in a pinch. I'm back to being able to eat pizza, dough and all, at this point. That took some time. I can only eat 1 large piece or 2 small pieces. That's different than 1 large or 2 small whole pizzas.

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

I was pretty quiet the first few weeks. I did walk as much as possible but since I was having trouble vomitting, I didn't do a whole lot. I ended up being out of work for 8 weeks instead of just 6 because of the vomitting. Once they stretched the stoma, life changed. I was much more active. I did start to get very tired around the 3 month mark. That was when they determined I was low on Vitamin B12 and Potassium. Since they've increased those dosages, I'm back on track. I can walk without being out of breath and I don't even sweat! That was something I hadn't expected to happen. I could do more exercise, I wish I had done more in those first 6 months especially. Anyone reading this, that is the biggest advice I could give you. Exercise in those months in critical. It gets you into a pattern and those are the months you will lose the most weight - don't waste a minute of that precious losing time!

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

I take magnesium, iron, B12, potassium, Folic Acid and a daily viatmin. The potassium is prescription strength due to my bodies inability to absorb what it needs from all the bananas I eat!

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?

The vomitting from week 4 till week 8 was the worst. Once the stoma was stretched and the vomitting decreased, I was doing much better. Being so tired around month 3 due to non-absorbtion of potassium and vitamin B12 was probably the next thing. I would fall a sleep right when I came home from work. Once they got the dosage for my medication where it needed to be, my energy level came right back up.

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

Waiting for it to be done. My wait was longer because of other family issues but, that was a very long wait - 6 months. After that, would be the depression I went through for a couple of weeks post surgery. That weird feeling of having mutilated my body. Maybe it was a sort of post partem depression - who knows. I've never been very good at vomitting - like you would want to be - but that is still not something I care for. In the last 4 months, I have only vomitted once so it definitely has slowed down for me. Thank goodness!

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

I have my sister, who I live with, who has had the surgery. I have 2 people at work who have had the surgery. They are my support group. As well as all of my friends who are so encouraging. My regular doctor is wonderful, he regularly monitors my health, even more so than my surgeon. I'm planning on going to Weight Watchers. I'm still "watching" my weight so I would like to be with others doing the same. It just gives you that check point that you really need. There is a support group that meets every other month from Dr. Fallang's office. I've attended one meeting which was excellent. It discussed plastic surgery options. They had an actual plastic surgeon there to discuss different types of surgery and he had slides of before and afters. It was great! It's important to have someone to talk to about what you're going through. You need to know that what you are experiencing is "normal" if there is such a thing. Even e-mail is important. I try to make myself available to others via e-mail. I've talked with many people, friends of friends, to explain what I went through. Sharing is important for them and for me.

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

My scar is actually pretty small. It's better than I expected. Dr. Fallang used "super glue" for the closure (stictches below the surface which desolved). This worked for me.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

These are the killers! Everyone will experience them. They come at the worst possible times. My first rough one came at having lost 98 pounds. It took 3 weeks for it to move and then it jumped. I think I went from 98 pounds to 110 pounds overnight! At 13 months it is moving very slowly now. I have to be much better at watching what I eat. I still stay if it ends here at 145 lbs lost, I will be a very happy camper!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Absolutely. Not my friends, they've always been there for me. They give me lots of encouragement and compliments - that helps! I don't get the weird looks from others or cruel words from people who don't understand. Some of this is probably because of how I act too.