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

My PA (Physican's Assistant) recommended it when I asked for a referral to get orthodondic braces installed again, because I had lost 150 lbs when I had them in my early 30's. I was going to combine braces with Merida (which constipates me horribly)

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

I've just started my approval process. I'll check that the letter was sent next week and start bugging the insurance company. I'm not one to sit by and wait. I called the insurance company daily as soon as the Dr. submitted my paperwork, it worked. I was approved in record time

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

My first visit went well. I think the best advice to others in research, research, research and go to the appointment with your questions written down. Be sure every one of your questions get answered.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

When Dr. Baggs answered my questions and explained the cost vs. benefits of the surgery. I want to be around to raise my grandchildren (my son's 16)

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I did a lot of research and decided on Roux-en-Y because it is both restrictive and malabsorptive.

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 fear dying from either surgery or complications and leaving my son on his own more than anything else. However, living in the Bay Area, I stand more of a chance of dying on the car trip there and back.....

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 son and my close friends were understandably apprehensive when I first suggested it to them. But the ones who did the research quickly became supportive. The others are cautiously supportive, I think they will come around completley when I live throught the surgery and don't experience huge complications. After Surgery--My son is very supportive, as are my team mates at work and friends. This has been amazing, I'm finding out how deeply people really feel for me.

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

My manager is very supportive, he knows it will be good for my health and also good for the company when I can travel (I don't fit in airline seats now) as necessary. My team mates think it's extreme, and are worried there will be complications, but are cautiously supportive. After Surgery--Looks like I'll be out of work <2 weeks, or 2 weeks at the most. My employer all ready said they would pay my regular pay for the 2 weeks, so I'm in the clear. I love where I work.

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

Hospitals are not good places to be sick. There is always activity and noise and if you do get to sleep, they have to wake you to take your vitals. I went in Monday at 0545 and left Thursday at 1230. I took $5, shampoo, deoderant, lotion. I wish I would have also brought a hand mirror, tweezers and nail file because I had a lot of time on my hands and felt somewhat untidy. Guess it depends on how anal retentive you are.

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

I did have a mucus plug that made it really hard to breathe and scared me to death. After that came up, I vomited old blood and more mucus and haven't vomited since. My hair started falling out around 4 months post op, but I had thick hair, so even my hairdresser barely noticed. Now it's like I have a normal head of hair.

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 day after surgery is the only day I was anxious. Anxious is an understatement, I wanted it reversed. I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life, but the surgeon was out of town so there was nothing to be done for it. I just cried. I've felt progressively better each day since the surgery. The week after surgery, I feel fine and could probably return to work, but I don't want to push it so I'll finish out this week at home and return next week. Looking back, I would recommend everyone take off at least six weeks. I had no problem with vomiting until I went back to work and tried to deal with the stress there by eating. I would recommend learning to handle stress in other ways before returning to work, especially if you have a sedentary, stressfull job.

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

My first week home, I was mostly tired and rested, but I was sure to walk at least once a day. I used this time to improve my tan.

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

63 miles. There was a guy closer, but he wasn't as highly thought of as the guy I chose. In traffic, 63 miles is a long damn way to go, but it was worth it. When I got to the hospital, I found out that some of the nurses there had this surgeon do RnY on them, so I knew I had made the right choice.

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.

5 days post op--Anything sweet puts me flat on my back for 30-45 minutes, including juice. Eggs and cheese seem fine. Protien bars are so far no good, I'll try them again next week. A week later, protien bars ok, but I have to be very careful not to drink water along with them or I feel like something is stuck on my chest. Six months--I can't handle meat well, a bite or two is all I can handle and I have to chew those very well. I've made a habit of chewing everything I eat very well. I can drink along with my meal now, but I sure don't eat much at all. My son has grown used to it and it doesn't bother him anymore. I find I have a lot more energy if I drink a protein drink or eat a protien bar for breakfast.

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

I started walking right away, even went outside the hospital (no one stopped me, went right out the front door).The day after I got home, I was trying to drink juice and just wiped out. Once I was able to sleep through the night, I was fine and had plenty of energy. Six months--I have a lot of energy and enjoy walking to places I used to drive.

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

I am religous about my vitamins. I take one flintstones chewable and one vitamin C chewable morning and night. I also take sublingual B12 twice a week Wed and Sun. I plan to add Ginko Biloba liquid, Glucosimin Chondrotion powder and Protein Powder as soon as I can tolerate them. 11/21/01--I still take my chewable vitamins, and have discovered I can swallow my herb capsules now, so I've been cautiously adding herbs when needed.

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?

Vomiting has not been a problem, but I hate vomiting and so eat very carefully. Sleep disturbance has been the worst for me so far, but last night I slept through the night and feel much better today. A week later, I've been consistently sleeping through the night. 11/21/01--5 months + post-op I do have some hair loss, luckily I had way too much hair anyway, so now I have a normal head of hair. It seems to be abating now, but for a while it was really falling out. I am VERY careful to avoid too much sugar and have mostly avoided dumping, I don't like the icky feelings of dumping at all, it feels like I'm polluted somehow. Six months--The hair loss has abated, now it looks like I have a normal head of hair (always wanted that). I still avoid sugar some, avoid aspartame, etc, like it's the plague. I'm careful to make sure I don't eat more that 15g of sugar, so I read labels. I can have a small bit of nearly anything I want, but the weight loss doesn't go as fast when I indulge too much, always a trade off.

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

The day after surgery was hell. I wanted it reversed. It's been fine since then, but I cried a lot that day. I didn't vomit at all until I went back to work (2 weeks post op) and got back into the stress and trying to cope with that by eating. The guys were really tolerant, but it made them wish I hadn't had the surgery, they didn't think it was natural not to be able to eat. The vomiting didn't last long at all. One of the hardest parts was the first 3 months watching the guys eat whatever they wanted and I couldn't. I got really frustrated. As I've adapted to eating less, I find it doesn't bother me most of the time. Six months, watching others eat no longer bothers me at all. I've adjusted quite well to eating so much less, but it is a really rough adjustment, make no mistake.

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

My team at work is very supportive. Also, my surgeon's staff is helpful answering questions. I do a lot of research on the internet (and here) and will continue to attend support groups. It is somewhat important to understand the process and that you're not alone. It is very important to refocus your life and get involved in activities that don't revolve around food. I found I didn't fit in well at the support groups and haven't really gone. I've really been working on me and solving the deeper issues that I don't want to discuss in a support group. Six months--I still avoid the support groups, but continue to come to the WLS site when I have questions. The folks at work are very supportive and encouraging.

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

I had lap, so I have 7 little scars, no big deal and not a problem. They go well with the stretch marks. I've found that comfrey gel works well to heal skin (DO NOT use on open wounds, it will heal the surface and not the wound underneath) and I'm using that along with salt scrubs and good lotion to heal my skin as I go, so far it's working well.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Six months--My weight loss is slowing, but I haven't hit any real plateaus for any length of time yet. 17 months--I've hit a couple of plateaus, stayed the same weight for a month or so, but to me they were more of a relief than a problem, made me feel like I had some sort of control rather than my weight just spriralling down.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I thought so...but my son and a couple of friends said that it's not everyone else, I'm the one who's different. My son said I was standoffish and didn't want people around, now I'm more social. So perhaps it wasn't everyone else. I am different, not nearly as afraid to speak up and be judged. I'm working on appreciating my value and my contributions. I'm realizing that I am strong and I can pull off amazing feats, I just have to set my mind on it and "go for it" Six months--My friends say I'm different, more up and "happy", so I guess it was me, after all. In a way, that's very encouraging, I very much like that my only limitation is me, means I can change anything I like.