Billie S.

  • BMI 24.2

Obesity & Me

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

I was overweight for most of my life. I got so I would not eat because I felt that people were watching me to see how much I ate. I tried all of the programs availabe to me including fasting, WW, etc. The onle time I lost weight was when I was pregnant. I could'nt keep on having Kids. :>

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

There were so many bad things about being overweight, I was uncomfortable going out to dinner, to movies, flying, buying clothes, being seen with my kids, being out with my thin friends. The list goes on and on.

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

I like buying clothes. I like going for walks uphill and not getting short of breath. I take the 125 pound dog for a walk and don't get tired out. I go swiming and hot tubbin.

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

I first learned about this surgery while living in Denver and working with a surgeon who did gastric stapling in 1983. I felt that the procedure was too new and the results were not permanent nor safe, and tucked it away for future use.

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

I spent 5 very long days in the hospital. I had terrible back pain from lying on the OR bed for so long, and the hospital beds were not great either. It certainly took my mind off the belly pain. I took losts of reading material and didn't read one page. I sould have taken my bed, but that was not possible. I took CDs and a player but didn't listen to a single song. I was so fixed on how bad my back was that I just wanted to go home. and did so ASAP.

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

I had several complications. In the third week post-op I got dehydrated and had a low Potassium level. I had to be hospitalized in Sonoma for 4 days with fluid replacement, also for potassium. I had so many IVs that I had no veins left. I also work at the hospital in Sonoma I didn't want to see any of my co-workers. I felt that bad. It is so hard leaving the hospital in worse shape than entering it. My oldest daughter is a doctor and I went to stay with her for a few weeks. I ended up as a patient at University of California, San Diego. I had to have two upper endoscopies, one to remove a errant suture that had not absorbed. In all I spent 3 months in misery. I even took and antidepressant for a situational depression. I took one pill and got even sicker and happened to read the blurb from the drug company in one of my daughter's medical journals. I stated that 42% of people taking this drug got nauseated. I thought 'just what I need!!'. I cried a lot and never thought I'd get better, but I did.

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 busy working and saving money for while I was off so I wouldn't have to worry about finances and just concentrate on getting well. I remember thinking at Christmas that by the time Christmas 1999 rolled around I would be a diffenent person, and I am. I felt little anxiety as I knew exactly what my surgery would entail.

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

My first few weeks home were pure hell. I don't remember a lot about them, except I was so miserable. I could't eat or drink and kept vomiting. I would fill a thermos cup up every morning and try to drink 32 ounces a day. What a chore. I had no pleasure during that time. I concentrated on maintaining my sanity and trying to make my family more comfortable with how I was doing. I watched TV and don't remember much about it. I read a few books and can now reread them and it's like a new book to me.

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

I traveled 43 miles. I work in the city so it isn't a big thing. My aftercare was hard, because I was so sick. I was hospitalized here at home and in San Diego, when visitng my daughter.

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.

For weeks after my surgery I couldn't eat anything. I was take a drink or a bite of food and vomit. I go so I didn't want to eat because I didn't want the consequences. It took 3 months for the nausea to go away. I could eat lentils until 7 months out and chinese still does a number 9 months out. I can eat better now. but still can't eat a salad and a entree, that is my goal before 2000.

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

I have great support in my family. There is a support group atttached to the hospital, but is was a distance to travel when I was off. I talked several times to a person who had the surgery the same day as I did. She was having the same problems as me. I also talked to a person who had the surgery a month after me and she was helpful. I think it is helpful to be able to share experiences, but I always felt that I had to put up a great front, because I worked with my Doc.

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

My scar is midline. Extends from xypoid around my umbilicus to below. It was this long to accomodate a ovary removal, at my request. It was exactly as I expected. the pain was minimal to me.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am 9 months out and have only this week stabilized on weight loss. I have continued to lose, never plateaued. My weight loss has slowed, thank goodness. I am 13 pounds below target weight. I don't want to lose more and work at eating everyday. I have found it not necessary to watch my intake as I can't eat enough to maintain. Food has not been very important to me, so it is hard to constantly sthink about it.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

A lot of people I know say "I didn't think you were heavy enough to have this surgery. I guess I cast a cloaking image to most people. I don't think I'm treated diffenently. I feel more comfortable in situations now.
show more answers

ARE YOU READY TO PAY IT FORWARD & SHARE YOUR JOURNEY? Your journey will help highlight the many ways weight loss surgery improves lives and makes a difference in our families, communities and world. EACH JOURNEY COUNTS as a voice towards greater awareness.

Share Now
×