Vicki W.

  • BMI 23.5

Obesity & Me

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

Like most of us,I struggled for years trying diets, weight loss pills and various other fads to loose wieght.I would loose up to 40 pounds before the weight would begin to climb back up. I finally gave up and convienced myself that I was just fine the way I was. In March of 2003 I was diaignosed with type 2 diabetes. I already had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and a host of other problems. I went on the diabetic food program. I wiil admitt that I did not exercise as suggested, but I did follow the food program to the hilt, I lost 40 pounds with in 6 months. In the 7th month I gained back 5 lbs. The following month even more. I became frustrated and depressed. For the first time in years, I felt like a failure. My Doctor had suggested I check into baireatric surgery and I scoffed as the thought. I told my best friend about my conversation with my doctor and she directed me to certain web sites that could help me make an "educated decission" as she put it. You see, she had been trying to locate a dependable doctor with what she thought would be the best proceedure. She had already made her choice, but kept that information to herself until I had checked out some of the information. I did as she asked, as I knew she had worked hard to find these sites. When we next talked she told me she had chosen a doctor, she had been approved for surgery and had set her date. So we began our discussion on the pros and cons of the different possible proceedures and why she had chosen this particular one. I was convienced that she had chosen well and then I made my call.

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

The worst thing about being overweight for me was shopping for clothes. It seems to me that designers think that because people are overwight, that they don't are capable of looking good in clothes. Therefore, those of us who are not wealthy enough to have personal designers, or able to afford to go to the exclusive shops. were left to purchase clothes that labled me an overweight person.

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 find that the simple things like, bneding over to tie my shoes, or crossing my legs are exciting. The thing I most enjoy about loosing the weight is that I no longer have to take all the medications I was takeing. I also enjoy being able to set in my favorite chair in the evening with my legs folded, Indian style. These are things I haven't done in years, and believed I never would again.

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

My doctor was the first to suggest bariatric surgery to me. My best friend helped me to choose my proceedure and my doctor. At first I thought that anyone who chose to have an operation to loose wight must be out of their minds. I wouldn't suject myself to undergo something that drastic, not to mention dangerous, as a means to loose wieght. Besides, isn't that the easy way out.

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

When I made my decission to have the surgery, I chose to go to the CORI Centers of Michigan to have it done. They are connected to Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. My stay was three days. I had surgery on Monday and went home on Thursday. The staff and nurses at Harper hospital were wonderful. Each bariatric patient had a private room. There were a number of staff personel to assist me with each step of my recovery, such as nutricianist, respitory thraipst, nurses to assit me in getting up and moving and explaining why each step was important to my recovery ans my sucess.

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

The surgery went very well. Not only do I have no complaints, but although I have had many surgerys for different reasons, this proceedure was the easiest I had ever had.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

At first I felt like I would never eat again. Nothing that I was able to have tasted or even looked good. I struggled to get some things down. I still have difficulty with protien dreiks, eve though I have them EVERY day.

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

I don't attend any specific support group. I have my best friend who also had the surgery. I go to Obesity Help, and my doctor and his staff are wonderful about answering questions or making recomendations if asked. I find it extreemly important to have my best friend to talk things over and to come to this site to chat with or to receive e-mail from people who understand what you feel, think and give suggestions as to what one might like to try to assist with a particular situation. I have had situations in which I needed to ask someone to make sure that I wasn't loosing wight to fast or that I tried a new food to soon. I was reasuring to hear that the same things wew happening to others and that I was doing just fine.

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

My scar in about 7 inches long and at a slight angle. I am now 14 weeks post-op and it is still dark pink, with a distict ridge/humpto it all the way down, and ay times it either itches or burns. Is it what I expected? Having had a number of other surgeries I have to say that I was very pleased with the out come and it is better that Ii had expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am 14 weeks post-op and I weigh myself twice a week. At this point I haven't really had a plateau. I have, however, gone 10 days without loosing an ouce and then on the 11th day found that I had lost another 5 lbs.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

The people that I work with have been wonderful. Most of them were shocked to find out that I had had the surgery as they didn't think I was large enough to qualify. When I expressed to the I was 125 lbs. overwight they were shocked. So I can truthfully say that I have experenced no changes in they way eithr my fmaily or my work associates treat me.
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