DIANE S.

Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I was completely obsessed with my weight. I had been on many deits my whoe life. some very sucessful. the older I got the harder got. Everytime I lost I would always gain the weight back plus more. I really loved to eat. I was sensitive to carbohydrates. I fI ate one cookie then I would have to eat the bag. I was really into volume. Just before the surgery I was gaining weight at an alarming rate. I could not stop. I was scared. I was short of breath, tired all the time, and I wanted to sleep all the time. The slightest thing exhausted me. I was embaressed by the way I looked. Society was very cruel. I became faceless. People would just turn away when they saw me. I was very depressed. I can honestly say there was nothing that I had not tried except having my jaws wired. This was my last chance and hope. The antisipation of the surgery and new life that it would bring me was the only thing that kept me going.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

The way I felt about my self and in general how I felt.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

TIEING MY SHOES. WALKING WITH OUT GETTING SHORT OF BREATH. LOOKING GOOD IN MY CLOTHES. BEING ABLE TO REACH MY BOTTOM AFTER USING THE BATHROOM. NOT HAVING THE TUB OVERFLOW WHEN I TAKE A BATH. EASIER GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE CAR. I COULD GO ON AND ON

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

OBESITYHELP.COM I NEW GOD HAD GUIDED ME TO A MIRACLE.

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 NEW I WOULD SURELY DIE IF I DID NOT HAVE THE SURGERY. IT WOULD BE WORTH THE TRY. ALL I FELT I HAD TO LOSE WAS WEIGHT. I THINK EVERYONE IS A LITTLE SCARED. IF YOU ARE REALISTIC AND KNOW THAT WHAT EVER PAIN YOU GO THROUGH WILL NOT BEING ANYTHING AS BAD AS THE PAIN A MORBIDLY OBESE PERSON GOES THROUGH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCOLOGICALLY EVERYDAY. THE MORE POSITIVE AND RELAXED YOU ARE THE BETTER. IT IS ALL WORTH IT.

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?

THEY WERE ALL APREHENSIVE, BUT THEY NEW WHEN I MADE MY MIND UP TO DO SOMETHING THERE WAS NO STOPPING ME. tHEY WERE ALL SUPPORTIVE AND JUST WANT ME TO BE HAPPY.

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

SHE WAS JUST FINE WITH IT. THEY HAD TO BE I TOOK FMLA LEAVE. FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVER. THERE ARE LAWS THAT PROTECT YOU AND YOUR JOB. I DID NOT TRY TO HIDE THE FACT I WAS HAVING SURGERY FOR WEIGHT LOSS. I FIGURED IT WOULD EVENTUALLY GET OUT SO I TOLD EVERYONE. I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR 8 WEEKS. I HAD SHORT TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE. I FELT I NEEDED EXTRA TIME TO ADJUST TO MY NEW WAY OF EATTING AND PSYCOLOGICALLY. PHYSICALLY I COULD HAVE WENT BACK EARLIER. I DROVE TO THE DOCTOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK AFTER THE SURGERY.

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

3 DAYS

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?

I WAS VERY EXCITED AND I NEW IT WAS MEANT TO BE AND I WOULD BE FINE. IT WOULD BE THE BEGGINING OF A NEW LIFE FOR ME.

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

SORE, TIRED AND GLAD THAT IT WAS OVER.

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

30 MILES. DID NOT AFFECT AFTERCARE

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.

EVERYTHING HAD TO BE CHEWED UP VERY WELL. IT IS HARD TO REMEMBER BUT I GRADUALLY KEPT ADDING NEW THINGS. NOW I CAN EAT EVERYTHING. I TRY AND STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR.

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

I JUST KEPT WALKING FURTHER AND FURTHER.

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

I STARTED OFF WITH LIQUID VITAMINS AND LIQUID CALCIUM. NOW I TAKE BARRIATRIC SUPPLEMNTS TO ASSURE I AM GETTING EXACTLY WHAT I NEED

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?

SOMETIMES IN THE BEGINING IF I DIDN'T CHEW MY FOOD WELL OR I ATE TO FAST I WOULD THROW UP. I STILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.

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

TRYING TO GET INSURANCE APPROVAL AND WHEN I DIDN'T, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I WOULD FINANCE IT MYSELF.

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

BYPASS BUDDIES AT MORTON PLANT HOSPITAL CLEARWATER FL. AND OBESITY HELP.COM

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

4 1/2" AND FADEING AWAY. NOT BAD AT ALL.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I ONLY WEIGH EVERY TWO WEEKS. I HAVE ALWAYS LOST.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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