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

from my orthopedist and my initial response was that I didn't want my anatomy rearranged.

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

Insurance (Anthem BCBS of VA) approved within 24 hours. Surgeon's office went ahead and scheduled surgery without approval, as their experience with this company was so good.

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

The first visit was my pre-op visit, a week before surgery. I met the physicians in a group setting before I decided to have the surgery at a required informational meeting. I was impressed with their knowlege and experience and felt very comfortable with their abilities to perform the surgery with great skill. At the preop visit, I brought my list of questions and all were answered comprehensively and without regard for their "silliness".

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I couldn't move without great pain and difficulty...I had to do something!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Lap-band probably wounldn't have been approved as easily, so I went with the RNY, which is the "gold standard" according to my research and the surgeon. I also know now that I needed something very permanent and am thankful to Our Lord that the Lap-band wasn't as easily available...I would have gone into that procedure with the wrong attitude and probably wounld not have been successful.

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?

They are the same as when I had my gallbladder removed. Anyone who has surgery and doesn't have those fears are ignorant. That said, I was more afraid of what would happen if I didn't have the surgery. I knew the surgeon and hospital staff wounldn't do the surgery if I was physically able to tolerate it and I put my trust in The Lord and He took care of everything else.

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?

Almost all were extremely supportive, almost too supportive. Only one had any concerns; the wife of a physician and her concerns were, understandably, anesthesia related. Everyone continues to be wonderfully supportive.

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

They still don't know...I work from home. I was only out of work a week.

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

I couldn't have asked for a better hospital stay. I was there from Thursday morning to Sunday at lunchtime. The staff was very attentive, the facility was modern and I would go to this hospital again, if needed.

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

No complications.

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

The message boards from my surgeon's site and places like Obesityhelp.com helped to calm my anxiety about this surgery. Also, talking on the phone with other postops gave me reassurance.

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

I was probably more fortunate than most. I was only down about two days. In fact, maybe from adrenalin, I had a super-burst of energy on the third day home and have felt wonderful ever since. The soreness after the surgery was very minor and of no inconvenience. The hardest part was the three weeks of liquids.

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

I was driven home (an hour and a half away) from the hospital and was comfortable but very tired upon arrival home. I was able to sleep when I got home and felt better after the nap. It didn't affect my aftercare at all.

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.

Again, I am very blessed, almost too blessed. Immediately following surgery, there's the liquid diet and I tolerated everything but pink lemonaid (go figure). That was always my alternative to soda. That is one taste I have found I can no longer tolerate. Since I was advanced to a regular diet, I tolerate everything...sweets...bread...all the things you're not supposed to eat. Because of my stomach size, I don't eat much bread and if I do, it's only half a piece of bread or roll at a time. Sweets are tolerated somewhat gingerly but if I have a sweet tooth, one bite of the sweet usually satisfies the urge.

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

Normal routine within three days.

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

daily multiple vitamin and calcium tab (both huge suckers!)

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 get extremely nauseated when I over-eat. I'm learning when to stop now and those events are much less frequent. At about three months, my hair began falling out and continues now (five months out). I had a good head full of hair to begin with, so the loss is not noticable to anyone but me. It is somewhat upsetting but I try to eat as much protein as possible (which is supposed to help but I can't tell that it does). The surgeon said this would stop eventually and I'm just waiting for that time to come.

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

learing how to stop eating, but if I had been able to do that before, I'd have never needed the surgery. Now I don't have a choice.

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

After care begins at 3 weeks postop and continues every three months through the first year. It is extremely helpful and reassuring to talk with my group every three months. We find out that some of the things we're going through are a normal part of the process. It also answers questions that may come about in the recovery process. They are also very supportive on the message board/forum for the surgeon's site.

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

Scars, five of them, all about 1" each. Not what I expected. I expected much worse. They are beginning to fade now.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

more people smile at me now, as if to say...Good for you!