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

the internet. My first impression was there was absolutely no way I was going to do that to myself

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

my insurance actually was much better than most from what I hear but I still had to write an appeal.

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

It was very informative yet informal and he made me feel very at ease with my decision when we were finished. He was very careful to inform me of all the pros and cons to doing this surgery and in no way influenced my decision. I feel that he is an expert in this field and I will trust him with my life hands down.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

It has been as long as I can remember I have been fat and emotionally I just cant bear to continue my life on this track or I will be dead at a very young age due to diabetes, high blood pressure, GERD of which my esophogus is already damaged from it and of course the Depression. I am just so tired of all the different medications and just the all around never feeling good

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I dont have an option as I have had 4 abdominal surgeries in the past so I have no choice but to have an open rny. But after doing some reading I am finding that this is the gold of these kind of surgeries.

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 decided that I was dying anyway and would be dead in the next 10 years or at least start losing limbs from the diseases that plagued my body. If I lost the weight I had a very good chance of reversing that and I was willing to take that chance. I told my family that as well and explained why I made that decision and although we were all scared it was the right thing for me to do as I was becoming more and more depressed and sick. God and my family got me through. talk to your family and lean on them and God for strength

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 children and husband were actually very supportive once they understood why I was doing this. My Mom on the other hand was very upset but it was all fear and she did come around just before I went in to have the surgery and was very supportive afterward. Now she is real happy I did it as I have not been healthier in many many years

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

I work with many clinical people and they were naturally very concerned but did in fact support whatever decision I decided to make.

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

the bed was very uncomfortable. 5 days. a fan and yourself and loose clothing to go home in

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

no other than I went through 3 IV's as they kept blowing.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

relief, stress, happy, scared and I just kept busy and thank God it was only 4 weeks from the time I got the date to the time I had the surgery.

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

to not be hungry probably, very tired from the anesthesia at least I was. I had no desire to eat. Force yourself to drink more than just water as there is no vitamins, or calories in it and what you drink will be alot of what you take in in a day. I wound up malnourished as the first month I took in no more than 250 calories a day and wasnt keeping all of that down.

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

35 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.

I could not eat eggs or anything to do with eggs ie: Mayonnaise. Broccoli, Cauliflower. It took 4 months for me to even get brave enough to try eggs again as I felt like I was having a heart attack when I ate them. Fortunately for me I can eat everything and anything now just in moderation and not all the time can I eat the same foods. Sometimes still I have a problem with something that I didnt have a problem with before.

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

the first two weeks I really did not much other than walk a little bit and slept I really get kicked with anesthesia

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

Calcium, B12, Multivitamin,

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?

hair loss since the protein sparing diet 2 months prior to surgery and 6 months after the surgery. I never thought it would stop. Dumping I still have every once in a while depending on what I eat. I really just try to be more aware of what I am eating to prevent it and it does work. Nausea if I eat too fast and too much which isnt hard to do if you dont listen to your body. Vomiting doesnt happen often at all it has been months for that.

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

learning to eat all over again. Even that was a positive for me as it made me take responsibility for what I was eating and if I didnt do it right my body let me know it.

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

there is a support group that meets every thursday evening at Albany Medical Center at 6pm to 8pm and it is very important for me to go if for nothing else just to have someone to talk to that understands what I am going through and what I feel. Also at this point to help other people see where they will be soon.

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

yes but I dont like it as it is thick in the middle

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have been within 5 to 10lbs for about 6 months now

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

of course they do. I always said that people dont look at you any different because of your size but trust me they do. I have never had so many people tell me how good I look that dont even know me in the last six months alone than I have in all my life. I have been offered jobs that I didnt even apply for. the kids friends say that I am not so intimidating now yet I never thought I was yet they feel much more comfortable approaching me now than they did before.