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

I first found out about surgery several years ago. At the time, I was about 70 pounds overweight and was still optimistic that some combination of diet drugs, behavioral support, diet and exercise would solve my problem. I was quite honestly shocked that people would put themselves through surgery to lose weight. Little did I know that a few years later I would be 176 pounds overweight and surgery would be the answer to my prayers.

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

My surgeon's office handles all the paperwork for insurance, so I didn't have to worry about any of it. I received an approval letter from the insurance company less than a week after my paperwork was submitted.

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

The first visit was several hours long. My surgeon's office arranges for the first meeting to include visits with the nutritionist, psychologist and surgeon. In addition, I saw a video discussing the surgery and possible complications, had blood drawn, and had a "before" picture taken. My best advice for getting the most of this visit is to do your research beforehand and go in with all your questions written down.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had been considering the surgery for a while, but it wasn't until my morbid obesity started causing health problems (knee/ankle/heel pain, shortness of breath, severe fatigue) that I decided that something had to be done. I saw a news special on Al Roker's gastric bypass surgery and decided to do some research. After reading some books and researching online, I knew that gastric bypass was the answer I needed.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon's office only performs the open RNY -- the current "gold standard" for gastric bypass. That made the decision pretty easy! :-)

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?

Overall I know that I at much greater risk of complications and death by NOT having the surgery than by going through with it, but I still worry a lot about the possibility of death. I plan to write letters to my family members to be distributed in the unlikely event that I pass away as a result of surgery. I also worry that I could be allergic to the staples, since I get itchy, oozing rashes if I wear any metal other than gold on my skin. However, I have the greatest confidence in my surgeon and am not very worried about other complications.

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?

I had expected some dissent, but it turned out that everyone I told (immediate family & close friends) was extremely supportive right from the start. I was really afraid of how my husband would react and sent him an e-mail detailing my decision and the reasons for it. That probably wasn't the best way to handle things, but I was too worried that he would be against the surgery to bring it up in person. Everyone is worried about possible complications, but still willing to support me 100% in my decision.

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

I didn't want to feel like I was under a microscope at work with people waiting to see whether I would succeed or fail, nor did I want to subject myself to "advice" from people who may not necessarily have been understanding or supportive. For those reasons, I did not reveal the nature of my surgery to my boss & co-workers. I told them that I was having health problems and needed to undergo major surgery, but I did not reveal that the surgery was gastric bypass. My surgeon was supportive of this decision and provided disability paperwork that kept the description of my surgery generic ("major abdominal surgery"). I was out of work for just over six weeks, then returned part-time (20 hours a week) for two additional weeks before jumping in full-time.

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

My stay at the hospital was 4 days long. I brought books & magazines, but was so out of it that I never even unpacked them. Things I was glad that I had brought included a small fan, lip balm, my own pajamas, and a Cough Buddy bear. I hated being in the hospital, but the time went by quickly and everyone was very helpful and supportive.

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

The only "complication" that I had was that my incision sprung a leak on the way home from having my staples taken out 10 days after surgery. I didn't even feel it -- I looked down and saw a wet spot on my shirt. When I lifted my shirt, I found the front of my pants completely soaked through with fluid. We raced back to the hospital in a panic, but it turned out to just be seroma fluid. In the end, it was more of a laundry issue than a health concern. The leaking continued at a slow pace for about 6 weeks after surgery as the incision healed from the inside out.

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 am elated to have a surgery date, but it is over 4 months away. I am not anxious now, but I'm sure I will be as the date gets closer! In the interim, I am focusing on eating healthier, exercising, and reading up on both gastric bypass specifically and surgery/recovery in general to prepare myself for the big day. That and hoping that the surgeon's office will call with an earlier date due to a cancellation! :-)

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

It was great to get out of the hospital and return home, but I was in a lot of pain for the first couple of weeks after my open RNY procedure. It was very difficult to get in and out of bed, sitting was not possible, and anything that fell to the floor was pretty much as good as gone since I couldn't bend. People should expect discomfort and understand that they will not be able to jump back into life as usual when returning home.

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

The hospital and surgeon's office were about an hour away from home, so we didn't have to travel far.

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 was on a blended diet (everything liquid or the consistency of applesauce) for the first 4 weeks after surgery. After 4 weeks, I began a slow progression into solid foods. Foods containing sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc. are off limits forever, but sugar substitutes, fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk sugar) are okay. I have been able to tolerate pretty much everything that I have eaten. Occasionally I will have problems with meat, but it generally passes within a day or two. Aside from this, any problems I have are usually because either I ate too much or didn't chew well enough.

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

I had no energy during the first week home from the hospital. I got in about a quarter mile of walking a day, but most of the time I had to force myself not to camp out on the sidewalk for a nap. My energy level increased each week, although I did find that the first month was full of wild energy swings -- I would be full of energy and then suddenly feel like I was going to keel over and die if I didn't lie down and rest immediately.

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

My daily vitamins & supplements consist of two Flintstones Complete chewable vitamins, two Vitron-C (iron & vitamin C), one sublingual B12, two Viactiv calcium chews and a chewable fiber 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 have occasional nausea and vomiting, but that usually only happens if I eat too fast, don't chew well enough, or have one bite too many. About 5 weeks after surgery, I started losing large amounts of hair in the shower. Even though I expected it, it is still devastating to lose enough hair to make a flowing toupee for the cat every time I take a shower. It has only been 3 weeks since the hair loss started, so I haven't really figured out how to cope with it yet. The final side effect is that I have gotten shorter. In the first month after surgery, my height decreased by 1 inch. That may not sound like much, but I was only 5'2" to begin with. I knew I was going to shrink, but I didn't expect the direction to be vertical!

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

Before surgery I definitely would have said the waiting was the worst. However, unfortunately the pain I experienced in the first week after surgery wins the "worst part" award hands down. I felt great immediately after surgery, but about 24 hours post-op the pain kicked in and lasted for about a week despite maxing out on morphine and liquid Roxicet. I expected some pain (it is major surgery after all), but nowhere near what I experienced.

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

It is critical to find a surgeon who puts importance in aftercare. The surgery is wonderful, but it is a huge physical, emotional, and lifestyle change. Knowing what to expect and how to handle the various steps and challenges is very important. My surgeon requires lifetime followup appointments (every 3 months the first year, every 6 months thereafter) to make sure vitamin levels and nutrition are up to speed and all is going well. They also offer support group meetings several times a month to get together with others who have had (or are planning to have) the surgery. That, in combination with the support I get online at obesityhelp.com, has been a significant factor in my success.

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

My scar is about 6 inches long, which is a couple of inches shorter than I anticipated. It seemed huge at first, but at 1 year post-op it is nearly invisible.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

In my first week out of the hospital, I lost 24 pounds. The weight loss then came to a screeching halt and I went 10 days without losing anything. I resumed a loss of about 1 pound a day after that, but I still have no idea why I hit a plateau so soon. At 9 months post-op I stopped losing weight for close to 2 months. I was afraid that I was done losing -- nothing I did (exercise, more focus on protein, etc.) got the weight loss started. Eventually the weight loss started back up again on its own. My best plateau advice is to try not to let it bother you (easier said than done!) and to check measurements when the scale isn't moving. I found that I tended to lose the most inches when the scale wouldn't budge.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

It is sad but true that prejudice against the morbidly obese (and especially the super morbidly obese) runs rampant in our society. The same people who wouldn't make eye contact with me pre-op go out of their way to talk to me now that I am a "normal" weight. I am happy to have escaped from the constant stares, snickering, snubs and comments. At the same time, I am angry and hurt that people are too shallow to realize that I am the same person whether I wear a size 28 or a size 6.