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

In th 70's. Not for me.

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

I was denied once by my Shrink and once by my insurance. My best advice follows: Go to a Dr. who had experience with the process. Be Patient. This is for the rest of your life and a few more months will most likely be okay. When talking to yor "shrink", be honest to a fault. You cannot anticipate what this professional wants to hear, just be truthful and answer the questions with thought and searching of your soul. Each case is individual. What is good for one may not be good for another. "to thine own self be true" My surgeon sent me for my evaluation and I was not approved initally. The Psychiatrist thought I didn't know enough about myself to know WHY this type of intervention would result in a permanent weight loss. It was pretty much a misunderstanding on my part. I didn't really get to the nitty gritty, I just stayed on the surface. This Pooh-Bah can be your best resource for looking into yourself for answers. Keep in mind that all solutions create new problems.......

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

Scarry, because you have no idea how he will react to you. The best advise I have for anyone starting out is to get your hands on everything that is avaiable on this surgery, pre and post operatively. Be Informed.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My certain cremation if I didn't get a grip on my weight.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Be informed and have a surgeon that your trust to make the best choice for you.

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?

My case is very different. I have a plethora of diseases. I could "bite the dust" at any time from many of them. My best advise is the same as before....BE INFORMED

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?

All of the above were very positive about the prospect amd I don't think I would change anything. I am in a city without any family except my spouse, but everyone has followed my progress with tremendous support.

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

Not applicable

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

The room and the view was nice, but then think "Murphy's Law" I have Muscle and joint diseases. After 2 hours on the table in one position I was in agony. It is necessary to stop all anticoagulants, ie. advil, asprin etc.... seven days prior to surgery. Well, for someone with a major dependency on antiflammatories and muscle relaxers, this was no easy feat. No matter how much morphine you get it is still not an antiinflammatory. It cannot do the same thing. I went in at around 1:00p.m. and I was out by 3:00. In recovery they had to call my husband down to "be with me". That is the sign of a BAAADDDDD PT......I needed off my back and the recovery room nurse would not move me. As I attempted to move myself he just gave me more and more morphine. He was hoping to drug into oblivion, but it just wasn't happening. My wubby came down and rubbed my back for me. Got to my room and I started to beg for all my maintance meds. The words fell on deaf ears. Everybody tried to give me more morphine. I had a PCA pump that allows the pt to dose themselves at regulary scheduled intervals. STILL NOT ANTIFLAMMATORIES. I was up the same evening of surgery and I never had any surgery pain; still don't. What that tells me is that i'm really messed up and in a lot of other pain. I have high blood pressure so I take diuretics as well as other typed of anti- hypertensives. Would they give them to me.....OH NO!!!!! I wouldn't pee enough, AND I had a foley catheter, so they kept giving me huge amounts of fluids thru my IV. I swelled up like a toad frog. My poor feeble veins couldn't take the pressure and infiltrated. I had a new IV every 12hrs for the entire time I was there. My arms looked as if I had attempted to fend off an attacker with a baseball bat. Every day I begged for my meds, to no avail. On the day after my surgery, day two, they wanted to stop my morphine IV and put me on Tylenol #3. Not over my dead body!!!!! I need my celebrex and soma. During the wee hours of the morning of the 3rd day I flipped. I demanded to see a Dr. about my meds. I was told via the RN that the DR. on call only treated bellies. I told her to tell him I was the bellie and I was gonna start making phone calls if he didn't get in to see me. Well they drew blood, the Doc came and I finally got a few of my meds. The nesx morning, day 3, everybody blamed everybody else for allowing me to "fall thru the cracks" BLA BLA BLA YADA YADA YADA I had bowel sounds but I had not done the stinky yet so they had to wait until my primary surgeon came in to see me. At a little after noon on my third day I backed him into a corner. He agreed I was doing great and there was nothing they were doing there that I couldn't do at home. I knew what to be aware of as complications, AND I had a driver, And I knew the way to the ER if I got into trouble And I was only five minutes away. My wubby said "come home, be fruitful and annoy" So I did...........

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

Nope, only other pre-existing conditions

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 have major joint and muscle pain, but not surgery pain. The one time I felt anxiety I called the on call Dr. I got my answer and mellowed right out.

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

Do not lift over 5 pounds or so, Do not drive a car. Follow the nutritional plan from you Dr. to the letter. Other than that I am a very poor example. I had a visiting nurse and an aide to help me for two weeks. After the staples and drain came out I was better prepared for taking care of myself.

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

2 miles

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 2 weeks I had only Boost and clear liquids limited to 2 ounces per hour. Chewable vitamins with Iron, calcium supplememts in the form of Tumms indefinetly. At 3 weeks I began pureed foods and at 4 weeks I began adding bread and a mega-major-power-packed-protien-shake. Now at 5 weeks I am doing ground foods. My friend gave me a food grinder for babies and it is my favorite tool. My food may look already chewed but I can handle it with the greatest of ease.

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

Poor question for me. It was ZERO It is only up three points today.. Some days are slightly better and some worse. Again It has nothing directly to do with the surgery. Just a hazzard of those with other major stuff goin' on....

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

I am on the nutrional band wagon.... Call me anal-retentive but I take a tablespoon of nutrional yeast for the amino acids and B vitamins. It is specially grown on molasses for B12. I mix it in OJ. I also mix one teaspoon ( 2,000 mg. ) of Twin Labs powered buffered vitamin C with bioflavonoids in a couple ounces of OJ. I take gel liquid Calcium with Magneisum. I just place the capsule in my mouth until it is soft and I just kinda squeeze out the tasteless stuffing and then chew around on the gelatin capsule until it is disolved. I disolve one zinc lozenge per day for hair loss. Does it work you ask????? Don't know yet..... Last but not least I disolve one B12 tablet under my tongue. Just over the counter stuff. The verdict is out on that one too...... Oh yeah, still using one stoll softner a day..

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?

NONE...NADA.....NEGATIVO YET!!!!!

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

Anxeity in pre-op holding area before the Versed ( happy Medicine )

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

WLS of western New York. We meet at a library in Charlotte, New York. It is a suburb of Rochester. This is trial by fire with very little room for error. I am so grateful to have this group of peers sharing their expertise with me. At the time of this writing, April 20th, 2001 I am only 5 weeks and 3 days out. These people are my lifeline.

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

8.5 inches long and very raised. It has gotten wider, but I expected that. What I didn't expect however, was I would develop HUGE blisters from the steri-strips. These were placed over my incision after my staples and drain were removed on the 13th day after surgery. Almost immediately these areas became inflamed and within two days they were enormous blood blisters. I have all of these dime sized circles on each side of the staple scars; on each side of the incision. It looks as though someone poked me with that 1o foot pole we always hear about. My loving son thinks I should turn it into a zipper tatto. That would be hoot! Beam me up Scotty!!!! Dr. McCoy, where are you with your miracle medical kit when I need you?????

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Not there yet!!!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not there yet!!!