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

I was referred to a local surgeon for surgery for gastric reflux. He suggested I look into gastric bypass to solve that problem as well as my weight problem. He gave me referrals to other sugeons that did this type surgery. From there I spent a year questioning different doctors and doing internet research. Obesityhelp.com was and still continues to be an incredible help for all this.

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

I had no problems getting insurance approval. The surgeons office took care of that for me.

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

Dr. Hart spent a long time with me, probably 1-2 hours telling me about the surgery, risks, and all the details. To get the most out of the first meeting, come with knowlege from this website first. (obesityhelp.com and its links)

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Visiting my mom and her husband and seeing how disabled they were due to age AND weight, made me realize this was not going to get any better as I aged, but would be much worse.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Internet Research and recommendations of two surgeons.

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 really didn't have fears of complications. I knew the surgeon was good and he would do his best. I had no complications so far (6 weeks post op). I have had several surgeries over the years, so I know what a surgical experience was like. This one was no different, in fact, I felt it was pretty average to recover from. My knee surgery was 100 times worse than this!

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 was very supportive. He told me to only do it for my health and not vanity reasons. My parents were against it and my mother tried to talk me out of it because of her experience with adhesions in her prior abdominal surgeries. When I sent her the information I had from the doctor's office and the fact it was laparoscopic, she backed down. Now that I'm fine post op, they are no longer concerened.

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

I told them the truth. I think it is silly to try to hide such a thing, they will figure it out anyway. I got full support from my coworkers. I have been home about 5 weeks resting up. My work is very demanding and I didn't want to go back too soon in a weakened condition. I wanted to be sure I'm healed with full strength to take on my stressful (but enjoyable) workload.

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

I was really HOT! The hospital did not bring me a fan as requested so my husband had to bring one. My physician says the most patients that have this kind of surgery complain of being hot in the hospital. The hotness only lasted 2 days. I was in the hospital only 2 days. The most important things to bring are: A robe that fits and a fan.

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

No complcations so far at 6 weeks post op. At 6-8 weeks very weak. Started on additional B-12 and Folic sublingual combination.

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 no anxiety prior to surgery. I knew what to expect from my research.

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

I spent a lot of time sleeping and hoping for the liquid diet to end soon. My husband took care of our pets and the household so I could rest.

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

I travelled four and a half hours from my home to the surgeon and hospital. There is no local surgeon. There was a closer ABS surgeon, but he was not on my insurance plan. I don't believe the distance had any effect on my aftercare. The doctor's office was available by phone and internet if I needed them.

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.

Well, first of all my taste buds changed. Things I didn't like before like water is now the most wonderful tasting. And I used to love Pasta and steak, but now it tastes funny to me, not very good. The 1-2 week liquid diet was fine. Weeks 3-5 the Soft pureed diet went pretty well, except I had a lot of trapped air pain with everything I ate or drank. I only vomited twice, once on a Gas-X pill and once on a meatball that was cooked as hard as a rock. Weeks 5-6 I could eat just about anything without pain. I couldn't eat things like steak or chicken breast or pork chops because they wer too dense. I stayed with the softer dark meat and fishes.

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

Very low. I slept a lot and watched a lot of tv. I did try to make sure I walked every day. Since it was July and August in Georgia, it was too hot to go outside, so I made a point of going to a grocery store or mall each day to get me walking. On the days I was just too tired to walk, I rode around in the electric cart. Getting out made me feel much better, and I think going out each day helped establish a pattern of exercise, even though I couldn't do much at first. At 8 weeks post op, I started using a Tony Little Gazelle Freestyle Elite. It was easy to use, fun to use, and most importantly did not hurt my knee!

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

The Flintstone vitamins tasted awful to me and I found myself not complying with taking them twice a day as ordered. I switched to a no sugar LIQUID HEALTH vitamin and mixed it with white natural grape juice and that worked pretty good. At 5 weeks post op I got really fatigued and doubled my liquid vitamin dosage. Still weak at 8 weeks, I added B-12 sublingual with Folic Acid and Iron. I'm starting to feel a little better, but not able to work a full day without a good nap in the afternoon.

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 am 6 weeks post op and so far the fatigue has been the worst for me. The vomiting has only happened twice in 6 weeks, so I feel lucky compared to many I've read about. I have not had hair loss yet. 8 weeks post op and still weak.

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

the back ache from laying flat on my back in the hospital during surgery and recovery.

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

I had laparoscopic surgery so the scars are almost nonexistent.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had my first plateau at 2 weeks post op -- the very day I went from a liquid diet to pureed diet. It lasted 2 and a half weeks, then the weight started coming off again quickly for another couple weeks. The next plateau was at 6 weeks to 7-1/2 weeks.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not yet. The only difference so far is lots of curious questions about the surgery and how it works.