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

My first impression about bariatric surgery was "NO WAY". At a doctors appt. surgery was mentioned, he said" Get on the internet and look it up, find the pros and cons and when you come back to see me we will talk about it". So after six weeks on the web I had knowledge on all types of surgery(lap,open,rny,etc), you name I knew it. I was pretty much hooked by then, this was something that I could do.

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

Fortunatly for me I did'nt have any problems.I dealt with a military facility and it was all in house.

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

My first visit was great. To get the most out of this visit be prepared, do research on the surgery, ask questions good and bad, listen to what the doctor is saying.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

After doing all the research and talking to the surgeon I felt this was my last hope. There is'nt one thing I can pin it on but the success of other patience and their attitudes afterwards helped. Even the people that had complications still seemed brighter.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I did'nt actually get to decide it was the doctors preferenc he did both lap and open rny but preferred lap , which was fine by me, I would of chose lap.

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?

My fear was dying, that I would'nt wake up. My explanation is that these feeling are normal, I personally kept a diary so I could write down how I was feeling. Just plain being scared was another, this was going to change my life, I'm I ready? YES

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 personally did'nt tell anyone except my husband and my sister. I did'nt want them to try to talk me out of the surgery. I don't think they would of done it on purpose but they would of had so many questions,that I could'nt answer till after the surgery. They are very supportive, they were a little upset for not telling them but they got over it. I would do it the same way again if given a choice.

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

My employers really did'nt know what was going on till afterwards , I told them I had to have surgery on my stomach and left it at that. I had my surgery on a Mon. was home on Wed. went back to work the following Tue.(part-time) Then back full-time the following Mon. So I guess I could say two weeks.

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

I had surgery on Mon. went home on Wed. I was ready to go home too. I personally did'nt take much to the hospital. I took my journal some magazines, camera,robe. I wore the clothes home that I arrived in. I wore their gowns, I didnt wear underwear it was to troublesome,(they had my I.V. in the bend of my arm so I could barely move it) I did take a shower ,sort of. You sleep a lot so I would'nt take a lot of stuff.

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

My only complication was I got dehydrated. I had left over blood clots in my stomach so the first week even the smallest amount of water would make me full. I would try to eat some soup and after a teaspoon I would be full. I got really weak the Sat. after surgery so I went to the E.R. they hooked me up to an I.V. A couple of hours later I was good as new. I went home tried to eat some soup and felt really sick I made it to the kitchen sink and threw up. When I looked it looked like little chicken livers YUK. But did I feel good so I ate some soup and all was fine. I did tell the doc about it and he said sometimes that happens. Looking back I remember my N.G tube had a small kink in it, I think it just did'nt do its job right.

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 did'nt have to much time to feel anything. It was only about three weeks in between from seeing the surgeon to getting surgery. I felt scared and fear of dying, but I kept a journal which helped. Writing down my feelings really helped take the weight off my shoulders:) (no pun intended), relaxed me more.

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

REST REST REST. don't try to over do it. You need to push yourself to walk, get up and move around but relax when needed.

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

Only traveled about 20-25 min. No it didn't affect my after care.

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.

First few weeks were liquids then it went to soft foods. I was eating pretty much anything about the fourth week. If I ate it and it stayed down I ate it. Sugar is the big thing, I can eat very small amounts, like one oreo, one teaspoon of ice cream pretty much just one bite of anything. I pretty much stay away from it, I have to have a big craving just to take a bite. It gives me a bad feeling. Fried foods I don't eat. If I ate something and I threw it up I would'nt eat again for a long time,eggs for example, it took me 3 mon. to eat eggs again.

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

Actually I had o.k. levels. Kind of like spurts. I really did'nt start to exercise till about 6-8 weeks.

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

I take a chewable vitamin and a B-12 pill that dissolves under the tongue every day.

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 only had the vomiting if I ate to much to fast or if I did'nt chew it well enough. The hair loss was the worst it started around 4-5 mon. maybe a little sooner. I'm going on seven mon. now and its slowing down I tried to up my protein and I used Nioxin(sp) shampoo.

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

I think the worst for me was the first 10 days. Your body is getting rid of stuff and you are trying to cope with the new eating habits.

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

I really don't have a support group/program. I was on a message board for a short while but it closed down. I think it's important and helpful to share information with others. I guess it just depends on the individual.

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

My scars are almost invisible. I had a Lap RNY done so he used 5 tubes, one in my belly button (can't see) and the other four are very thin and as long as a dime is wide.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Well I experienced my first plateau at 6 1/2 mons., it lasted three weeks.It was very frustating it seemed no matter what I did the scale did'nt move. Then I realized as long as the scale was'nt going up I'm happy.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I have'nt noticed them treating me different, but its the way they look at me now. Its like their trying to think of something to say, checking me out.