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

I read about it online by looking up obesity. I was amazed at the fact of how many people who were in the same place I was in life and how they had managed to come thru wls and have hope for the future. I was finally givin hope of possibly living longer and healthier.

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

Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Alabama came thru with flying colors as far as granting surgery due to medical necessity but wouldnt cover any befor or after drs. office visits which can become staggering. It may affect my being able to go back later for future dr. visits if I dont have the $100 to $250 it takes each time to visit. Its worth it but my advise is start selling everything you can from your home to get the money together. What is your good health worth to you....

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

He made me fill out a large questionaire befor that visit. It took entirely too long to get that visit. After filling out the questionaire, it made me look up and read everything on the net so I was quite prepared to ask my dr. anything and he was very thorough and honest with the answers. Theres no question you need to do as much research as you can befor that visit so you can make an informed decision. After all its your future at stake. You have to know the risks as well as the good....

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I faced congested heart failure and early death (my mom, my gradmother, my great grandmother and my great great grandmother and many great aunts died that way) I watched the horrific slow drowning of my mom and I feel I had no choice....

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I accepted what my physician prescribed. He had many years of experience and I didnt. He did the most fantastic job. But I made sure I got the most experienced dr I could.

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 had many fears after reading about others who had died but I would deffinately die one way or the other. Why not take a chance to have the chance to live longer and healthier....

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 family, on the most part were all for it. They too had watched my mom slowly die from chf and they want to see me live. I also have several obese relatives who are now watching my progress and may decide to go this route themselves if everything goes ok with me. They are all excited for me and are curious about my progress and pleased to see how well Im doing.

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

Ive not been able to work for almost 2 years now due to all of my medical problems. Even if I were able to do my job after loosing the weight, I have no job left as Wrangler Jeans sent it to Porto Rico and other foreign places so I have nothing to go back to...

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

I was only in there 2 days. But I spent all of that in ICU until the last 1 hr. which they gave me something to drink and eat, which I was able to keep down so I was allowed to leave. The ICU was so large in Birmingham, Al I was not properly seen to as I spent most of it on the potty unsupervised. I got balled out over and over from the nurses for not letting them know I had to go but to this day I dont remember seeing any kind of buzzer or button. Maybe it was the demeral (Im alergic to morphine) but I tried calling for help and finally......when you gotta go, you gotta go.....

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

The only complication was the pain in my hand from the iv, which Ive been since told this is normal from having Demeral. Its still really sore all the way down to my wrist and its been 3 weeks since surgery. I also had black stools for 4 days after surgery which freightened me but finally went away. I called the nurse about it and she told me to let them know if it continued past 5 days....

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 so excited and anxious that I couldnt sleep without taking either tylenol pm or excedrin pm. I started back walking and managed to get to 1 mile a day befor surgery which helped me to deal with my feelings. It drove me nuts when they postponed my surgery date a week but I wouldnt change anything. Im so excited about my future, its worth any problems I may have had..

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

I had emotional ups and downs since I didnt start loosing anything for 2 weeks except the water weight. This kept me from going anywhere or talking to anyone about things as I became depressed. I thought I was going to have to go back to dieting and I was already a failure at that. I was only 100 lbs overweight and I guess you dont loose as fast as someone who is 2 - 300 lbs overweight, so I just have to accept my slower weight loss but it is 3 weeks and Im finally loosing approximately 1 lb a day, or every other day....

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

I feel I was lucky. Its 110 miles from where I live to both my drs office and hospital I had my surgery in. not quite 2 hrs. So I dont mind the 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.

The only thing I had any problem with was I ate a small portion of my granddaughters happy meal hamburger patty and 5 french fries, and 30 minutes later I couldnt hardly make it to the bathroom, I had severe diarea. Other than that (my dr. puts us on regular food not protean drinks and liquids right away). Of course, no sugar, and Im learning to drink my coffee with splenda which is fine and I sugar free things. I cant tollerate most sweet things and my taste for some foods changed drastically. Over all Im doing great with most everything I try.

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

This is 3 weeks and so far Ive had great energy but the last few days Ive noticed a sluggishness I havnt had befor so I think it wont be long and I will need a Vitamin B-12 shot.

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

I take Century chewable vitamings 3 times a day and tums 3 to 6 times a day. Thats all so far.

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?

So far ive had none of these symptoms but its only been 3 weeks.

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

The length of time from the first enquiry to the actual surgery....

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

I dont have any as I live in rural r u r a l Alabama and theres nothing out here. I mannage fine, but If I need help or advice I haved turned to this internet site, It has been the most help to me when I need to ask a question or be encouraged and I feel that was real important....

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

Im so lucky and Im sure not the norm, but I didnt even have staples when I came home from the hospital. I was stunned to see just bandaids over the laprascopic rny incisions. I had such horrible scars from the incision and staples after my gall bladder surgery, maybe my dr felt sorry for me but whatever, I was eternally grateful. I know Ive been extremely lucky to have gone in now instead of waiting till I was a lot bigger, but, Im just grateful.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

The initial loss of weight from fluids came slowely back on and I just didnt start to loose anything for 2 weeks. It seemed like the longest 2 weeks of my life. I had read how everynone, EVERYONE BUT ME had started loosing at least a lb a day and I didnt so I started to beleave the surgery wasnt going to work for me. But after the 3rd week it finally started to come off.;;;2 years and 3 months later,.. My weight loss was very slow but the inches came down fast. My plateaus are longer (first 3 months, then 6 months than 9months but I am still loosing> I went from 230 lbs to 151 as of right now.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not yet...Its been 6 months and people react astonished at how Ive changed, some dont even recognize me. Ive gone from a size 22 pants to a size 13,14. Ive lost 62 lbs. Ive got 38 more lbs to loose. Sep 2, 2004. 2 years and 3 months later. People dont recognize me. Men find me more attractive. (I am recently divorced). Its not right but people are nicer to me and some of the men Ive met even admit they would not have had anything to do with me when I showed them what I used to look like.