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

a friend of a friend had the surgery. i didn't think too much about it at first but peridically, the thought would pop back into my head.

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

my insurance company absolutely would not pay for the surgery. at the time is was php and is now chp. when i went to the surgeon for my consultation they told me they wouldn't pay and it wouldn't do any good to fight it but they would submit it anyway. i took all my life savings and paid for the surgery. at the time, though, it was new and it didn't cost a whole lot.....about 22,000. now it's over 60,000 for self pay.

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

it was a good visit but i suggest that people do their research before they go see the surgeon. i found out too late that my surgeon was more interested in selling the surgery than in informing me of what was going to happen. use the internet, the library, find support groups in the area and attend. if there is more than one surgeon in the area that performs the surgery, attend each one's information seminar more than once and ASK QUESTIONS. talk to people who have had the surgery....ones who are at different stages. write down your questions when you go to the meeting and take someone with you or better yet take a tape recorder.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

i had a dream that convinced me that this was my last hope. i knew that if i didn't have the surgery i was going to lose my leg or legs and/or be dead within a couple of years. i didn't want that to happen because my nieces were both getting ready to get married and i knew that they would soon be having children. i wanted to be around to enjoy those children and that meant being able to play with them.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

at the time of my surgery, the surgeon only did the open roux en y.

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 no fears about complications or dying. i figured if i died that day it was my time....i would die whether i was on the operating table or at home sitting in a chair. complications never crossed my mind. i believe that alot of the success of this surgery is attitude and i went into this surgery believing that it was going to be a success.

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 family and friends were fairly supportive. i didn't tell them about my decision until after i made it. unfortunately, my best friend has had difficulty with the new me.

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

i was not working at the time of my surgery.

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 5 days and it wasn't so bad. the pain wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it would be. the hospital staff was ok but they put me on the orthopedic floor and they didn't really know what to do with me. also they didn't get me up to walk like they should have so after the first time i had to do it myself. take a hugging pillow to use when you cough because you'll need that.

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

i didn't have any complications immediately following the surgery. my complications came about a year and half after. i had a perforated ulcer in my gastric remnant, a small bowel blockage that resulted in part of my bypass having to be redone, my gallbladder had to be removed and they found multiple adhesions and incisional hernias from the original bypass surgery. since then i've had 5 more small bowel blockages, 3 resulting in surgery to remove the blockages and 2 surgeries to repair incisional hernias. i also had surgery to remove the kugel mesh that was used to repair the hernia because it got infected. when they removed the mesh they also removed had to remove all my abdominal fascia. i had kept on going. i have been told i will continue to have the blockages because i have alot of scar tissue/adhesions but that's ok. i have the bypass with all this again tomorrow.

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 was excited. i remember eating many "last meals". and a spent alot of time preparing my home for my new life.

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

i didn't have too much trouble. i did go stay with a friend for about 4 days. the only 2 things i couldn't do for myself were tie my shoes and lift my feet into the bed but after a couple of days, i was able to do that. do be very careful about lifting though....hernia!!! when you start eating it takes forever because you chew and chew and chew. everything gets cold and you're afraid you're eating too fast. then you worry about whether or not you're getting enough liquid. just do the best you can.....that's all you can do.

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

about 5 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 strictly followed what was on the sheet that the dr gave me. i didn't have too much trouble with eating...i had trouble with smells. the smell of chicken broth and tuna nauseated me. chicken broth to this day still does. to this day i still have trouble eating chicken. the first food that blocked my pouch was a burrito.....OUCH!!!! i've tolerated things pretty well except on grumpy pouch days and you just can't predict those. rice however is off limits.

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

i walked everyday....small distances at first and moved around. the more you move the better off you feel.

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

i take a multivitamin with iron, a calcium supplement and sublingual b 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?

i've just started having side effects but mine have come from the surgery following the complications and it would be the nausea. the dr has prescribed phenergrin and i take it as needed.

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

i don't know that i'd say this is the worse part but the hardest part is getting rid of the psychological fat. even 3 years out i still see myself as a fat person....not as much as i did. the bypass can help you get rid of the weight but it can't change your thinking, you have to work long and hard to do that and it's very important to get a counselor for that.

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

i attend a support twice a month and it is extremely important. not only can i help those considering/that have had the surgery but they can help me. it's good to be with people that have been where you have been and are going where you are going.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i was pretty lucky in that i didn't really have any plateaus.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

absolutely but i think that's because i treat people and myself differently. before i felt that i didn't deserve to be treated nicely and i shyed away from people. my whole attitude about myself and the people around me has changed and people pick up on that. also, i'm not fooling myself. people treat small people differently.