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

Someone at work had the surgery and I found out about it and went to talk to her as she progressed.

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

My experience was minimal as I was approved with my first submission but all the people I have talked to over the last year agree that you should never give up. Keep after them and do your homework. Document everything about your diet history and doctor's history of treatment for you your whole life if possible but never give up.

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

My first visit with Dr. Lin was an eye opener. I felt like even though I had read about the surgery and spoken to many people that I was still uninformed of all the risks and everything expected of me before and after the surgery. The surgeon was great about answering all our questions and I was very glad my wife wqs with me. Her perspective is different and she had plenty of questions and concerns that the Doctor gladly answered.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The success of so many people and my declining health issues. Plus my total inability to make a diet work long term. I had to make a complete life change that would last the rest of my life.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I did not make the decision. My surgeon briefed us about the options and then gave me his recomendation based on my size and health.

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 health was declining anyway and my quality of life was not so good either so the risk from surgery was acceptable. I explain the benefits from the weight loss to everyone that wants to listen and how much different life is as you lose the weight.

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 wife and my mom were very excited and most supportive. The rest of my family had mixed reactions ranging from your taking the easy way out to fears of complications and dying. I told no one but my wife of my decision in the beginning and waited till just before surgery to inform the rest. I still believe this was for the best.

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

My supervisor was not happy about my decision. One of my co-workers husband had the surgery about the same time as I told her of my decision to persue it myself. He had spent months in the hospital with complications and so she was afraid of the same problems for me. By the time my surgery date arrived he was doing fine and had lost an amazing amount of weight. I was out of work for four weeks and had no problems or bad side effects since.

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

I was in the hospital in Atlanta about two hours from home. It was not bad but it was where my surgeon practiced and so there was really no choice involved. The staff was decent and the facilities decent too. The one comment I would make is that the rooms and equipment were not designed for large people but this did not pose any major problem for me. If you are on a C-pap then take it for sure. Bring reading materials or something to pass the time. Thank goodness for my wife and her care.

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

I had no complications whatsoever.

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

It was about two months from the surgeons visit to my actual surgery date. During those days I was working and also going back and forth to Atlanta for the various tests to assure the doctors of my health during the surgery and recovery time. My anxiety level was of course heightened during this but once I had committed to this course I didn't let it get to me. I talked to people at the obesityhelp site and chatroom

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

The first few weeks home are a real eye opener on what life is going to be like concerning food and eating for the rest of your life. Its mostly a trial and error period to see what food you can tolerate and how much is comfortable. Everything is suddenly different from how much you can eat in one sitting to how fast you eat and how carefully you eat it. For me if I ate too fast I threw up. Eat one bite too much and throw up. Don't chew it well enough then deal with nausea for an hour or throw up. The better I did the more comfortable I was after a meal. Food started becoming boring because my choices were much more limited. Preparation became more important because now I couldn't eat high fat foods or anything greasy. Counting carbs became the norm. Looking at labels while shopping became important.

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

I travelled two hours to see my doctor and to the hospital for my surgery. My wife became my aftercare and also my PCP. Because I had so few problems a lot of aftercare wasn't needed.

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.

During the first week I was limited to a liquid diet but after that I went to soft foods and then it becomes a challenge to see what you can dream up to eat. Here is where the obesityhelp website really came thru. So many folks have been thru this before me that I drew on those experiences to help me with ideas on what to eat and where to find them. I found that I could not eat bread of any sort. I found that dense meats like steak and that sort of thing did not sit well on my tummy so I stayed away from that. Tuna and eggs and cheese became daily staples. 8 ounces at one sitting became my entire meal. A good food processor was needed to grind up almost everything for the first 6 weeks. I still use the processor after 6 months if I am not to sure about what I am about to eat. I stayed away from sugar. Carb counting became second nature. As the months have gone by I am not nauseus much anymore unless I break the two rules of eating. Don't eat too much nor too fast.

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

The first two weeks after surgery I was very stiff and uncomfortable but after that I joined the gym and never looked back. I try to go three times a week but sometimes its only twice. Now that I have lost 110 pounds the loss has slowed a lot but it still eases off and I have noticed the inches are still going away. I walk the treadmill and do the eliptical machines at the gym. Now the doctor is advising me to start doing weights so that I won't lose the lean muscle mass.

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

Since week one after surgery I have taken a chewable vitamin and since 3 months I added a calcium supplement.

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?

Although I had trouble with nausea bad in the first few weeks I believe it was mostly my own fault. My bad eating habits were still present and caused most of the problems. As I learned to slow down and not overeat these problems have all but disappeared. I believe that by taking my vitamins everyday it has helped me with not having other problems like hair loss.

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

The worst part is overcoming your lifelong habits with food. Your head will try to convince you to eat all those things you think you need and to overeat too. Headgames are the hardest for most of us to overcome and I am still having to deal with this to this day.

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

I have gone to a support group sporadically since surgery. It is helpful to see and hear others who are dealing with this surgery and the effects it has on your life. My work schedule does not allow me to go as often as I should like but I go when I can. The name of my support group is the minimees.

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

I have six small incisions. Slowly they are fading away.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

This is a very frustrating part. I experienced my first plateau after about 4 months but after a couple of weeks it started dropping off again. I am at another plateau now after 6 months but everyone says just change my diet and exercise habits some and it will end. I am working on that now.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Most people have been amazed at the dramtic weight loss and very complmentary and supportive.