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

I had heard about it through people I knew who had the surgery. Initially I was scared of it, thought it was too drastic & dangerous or maybe not effective. Then as I researched and gained more knowledge I found these fears to be either unfounded or based on info. that was pertaining to that individuals experience, which in turn was based on how ineffectively THEY used their surgery tool. After informing myself with as much knowledge as possible about the different types of surgery and many other factors, I was no longer afraid & felt confident about bariatric surgery being a viable weightloss tool.

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

My hospital stay was uneventful, no problems at all. I was there for 3 days & released on the 4th day. I would recommend having someone stay with you at the hospital because I personally needed help most of the time to get up & down or be able to maneuver, use the restroom, etc... The main things you would need for the hospital are: no over the head gowns, make sure they all button in front or zip. Also a button front or zip robe, slippers, chapstick, hair brush, tooth paste, all the regular toiletries, books or magazines to read, list of phone numbers for family & friends. Just bring basics, nothing fancy, you won't feel luike fooling with much like putting on make-up.

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

No

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

After I got my surgery date, reality set in that I was going to actually be going through with this decision & I did feel scared & anxiety. I found the best thing to alleviate that was to stay informed with my support friends & family & also attending a support group of other WLS patients. Also i tried to keep myself as bust as I could so I wouldn't focus on the negative feelings.

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

For the first week home, I had help at home. My mother stayed & helped with taking care of my daughter & also doing some cooking (for my family, not me of course) & cleaning. I basically just rested & recouperated. I would take walks around my house & do light housework. I was still in pain the first week home. But by the 2nd week I was doing normal activiites and was driving by 10 days post-op. I had periods of being tired, but they weren't what I'd consider to be overwhelming. I would just try to rest during these times & afterwards would feel refreshed again. I would say by 3-4 weeks I noticed the tired spells dimish until they were nonexistent by the end of the first month post-op.

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

About an hour away, however many miles that is 60-70? This did not affect my aftercare at all. I had support to help drive me to the doctor right after surgery & then I was able to drive myself after the initial followup.

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 ate broth, water, sugar-free jello right after sugery. Sugar-free popsicles & SF Kool-aid. Then I progressed to poached eggs, yogurt, tofu, refried beans,cream soups & anything that was a soft protein. Then progressed to chicken, fish, cooked veggies and some fruit. By 6 months I can eat some lean & tender forms of beef & raw veggies. I have no encountered a problem with any food. I basically can eat whatever I want but try to either eliminate all the things like fried foods, fatty foods, sugar, caffeine, etc.. or only eat these as an occasional treat, not on a daily basis. I do not drink anything but water, not even decaf drinks or sugar free drinks. I prefer water. I have tried some sweet foods & have not had any significant dumping.

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

1-2 weeks post-op the activity level was low. I was still in pain or was uncomfortable, plus experienced tired spells. By the 3-4th week i was feeling more like my old self, hardly any tired spells. By the end of the 1st month & on my energy level skyrocketed & I felt I had more energy than I had in years. I started exercising regularly by the 5th week & found myself "going & going & going" like the energizer bunny!

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

Multi-Vitamin (One a Day), Vitamin B12, Iron, Calcium, & Pepcid during the first 3 months post-op. Now I no longer take the Pepcid but i do take all the rest & have added the following for my personal choice to help with hair loss & weightloss: Vitamin E, Zinc, Vitamin C, Selenium, & Biotin.

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 haven't had any problems other than SLIGHT dumping & hair loss. The hair loss has been the worst side effect for me. I had thinning hair to begin with before surgery. I noticed the hair loss come on fast 7 furious at the 3 month mark & added Selenium & Biotin. After adding those supplements I noticed the hair loss slow a bit. I still am loosing hair (at 7 months) but it has dimished quite a bit from the 3 month mark. I do notice very thinned areas on my head but so far I can cover them pretty well where they are not noticeable or barely noticeable. Also I went to using a very short hairstyle that could be fixed with my fingers & light spray or gel. I also babied my hair, no vigourous combing or drying & bought specialty shampoo products that are PH balanced & have hair vitamins, etc...

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

The pain from surgery. But, it was short-lived & something that I didn't mind & would go through again to achieve the same results!

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

We have a support group at the hospital that I had surgery & also a local support group. I feel attending support groups before & after surgery is VITAL in your short term & long term success. There are various issues related to our weight & surgery that need to be dealt with in a theraputic manner rather than just taking them on ourselves, most often this doesn't work anyway. You can get peer support as well as emotional counseling & nutritional counseling along with helpful advice on how to deal with any number of various issues you might face. If you want to be successful in the long term you need to make the committment to go to support meetings.

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

I have small scars, due to having my surgery laparoscopic. I have 4 small incisions, about an inch long and 2 small hole scars from the drains. These are less than what I expected. I thought I'd have atleast 6 scars & 2 drain-hole sites. I'm very pleased with them.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have only had short plateaus up until now. I've had maybe 3 prior to now. They were from 1 week to 10 days maybe. The last plateau was about 14 days-2 weeks. I am 7 months post-op now & I notice that i loose in one big spurt now & the rest of the month I just vary up & down in that range. Like I will loose 5-7 maybe even 10 lbs. and then the rest of the month I vary up & down in the bottom of that range, like if I lost 10 lbs. & was at 110 lbs. then I will go back & forth 108-112 for the rest of the month. Not sure that this is a plateau, just maybe the normal slowing down of the weightloss at this point.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

ABSOLUTELY! I get respect, I command attention, people act as if I am smarter & listen to me more carefully, I am waited on quickly at stores, I'm not ignored now. I don't get stared at or ridiculed or made the butt of everyone's jokes anymore. People will discuss things with me that they wouldn't before. I am envied now because of my weightloss, some people even show jealousy because of it. I also feel like I am in the "spotlight" all the time now when I'm around people. I get more attention from my husband, emotionally & physically. The list goes on & on as far how how different I get treated now as compared to before.