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

I heard about it in the early 80's. It was all the rage. After the women lost the weight, it seems they lost their marriages too. I didn't want that to happen to me! I now understand there was a lot more to it than that, but I wasn't so sure back then. update: 9/6/00 I'm getting anxious! My surgery date is 9/14 - one more week! I attended a support group last week in Augusta. I felt almost out of place - mainly because I thought I was the only one there who was having this surgery for medical reasons, not just to loose weight. What I mean by that is my acid reflux had gotten to a point where ulcers have been invading my esophogus and were slowing disintegrating it and if I didn't have this surgery done, I might end up with Barretts Esophogus, which can be cancerous. Even tho I had considered this surgery years ago, I had given it up and decided to live with myself the size I am now and be happy being me no matter what size I was. It all changed when the doctor said that I could either be on massive doses of anti-reflux medicines for the rest of my life or I could have it surgically corrected. I chose surgery. Now, I understand how dumb I was to dare assume that everyone was there for vanity reasons! Some times I can be my own worst enemy. I met some really sweet people there and can't wait to go to the next group.

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

I wish I had some words of wisdom here, but I don't. I believe I was lucky enough to have good coverage and was accepted.

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

It was emotional after I left the office. I was elated, but I was scared. I was full of questions. I wish I had written them all down and had taken someone in with me to remember what he had said, because when your in an emotional state like that, you can't remember half what you hear.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I want to feel better and look better.....bottom line

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

with my doctor's advice and expertise. I trust he will do a good job.

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 have lots of fears right now because I haven't gone through it yet. I've had other surgery's in the past for other reason's, but this one is really scaring me. I don't like the idea of having to have an NG tube in my nose and in my stomach. I worry about nausea and vomiting after surgery (I don't tolerate anesthesia well). I worry about not being able to consume enough fluids to keep myself hydrated after surgery - I don't drink enough now as it is....how am I possibly going to drink enough afterwards????

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?

very supportive. I love my family - they are planning on helping me during and after surgery.

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

I'm a full time therapuetic foster parent and I work in my home. I have 2 foster children and 2 adopted daughters. They are fully aware of what is going to happen and are excited, scared and happy for me.

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

I'm so nervous! The time is so near........only 7 days until surgery. I'll update further after 9/14/00. Jan. 2, 2001 Wow, a lot has happened since I've updated this page. I had my surgery 9/14, all went well. It was lap rny. I had to have the "swallow" test 24 hrs. after surgery. I thought I was going to die! OMG, it hurt to move, let alone stand for the exray! Little did I know that I would be rushed back to surgery the next day "just to see what's going on" because I was in immense pain. The only thing that I know for sure is that when I woke up I felt 100% better. The doctor said he didn't really find anything, but I wonder and think that some of the C02 that they inflated me with during surgery wasn't totally expelled and it got trapped inside me with no where to go - major pain for sure. My hospital stay was 6 days long. I was treated very well by all of my caregivers. I read here on these pages what you should bring to the hospital, and I concur - bring a back scratcher! It will be priceless.

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

When I got home from surgery, I had no appetite at all. Food tasted terrible, so did water! For the first week, it wasn't bad, but after that I would get nauseated at the mere thought of eating. I didn't drink enough and I ended up getting dehydrated....my worst fear DID happen. I second guessed myself and really wished that I hadn't had this done....I was soooooooooooo miserable. I realize now that I was grieving. I had to grieve the loss of food as I had known it. I had to grieve the loss of how I felt when I used food as a comfort because it certainly was NOT a comfort to me now! I had to deal with loosing weight at a rapid pace and even though it was a wonderful thing, I had to grieve the loss of my body as it was.....it was my coat of armor - nobody could penetrate it unless I gave them permission. Now, I realize that my weight that I allowed myself to hang on to all of these years could go away, I didn't need it anymore. I've found strength and confidence in my new body, while still realizing that I'm still the same person I was inside and out. I had been taking Zoloft for depression related to fibromyalgia symptoms. I am still taking it. I don't know how long I will need it, but I've tried weaning myself off of it a few times, but I know that I'm not ready to do that. Some day I will, but not now. I need to allow myself the luxury of time. It helps with the anxiety.

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

only had to travel a little over 60 miles, so it wasn't too bad. It only affected my aftercare in terms of return office visits and seeing the dietician. I've made arrangements to see someone locally for my nutrition needs and I now receive vitamin B12 injections monthly at my PCP office.

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.

This has been a trial and error sort of thing for sure. I got very sick of the bland taste of cream of wheat and soups. I started on solid foods a little too soon and had a real scare....I had a blockage. Its very important to listen to your doctor when he tells you how long you need to wait before eating solids! He said I could have died from that if my staple line had leaked food into my abdomen! That scared me. I wish he would have scared me like that sooner so I wouldn't have done that! I managed to get the blockage through without any medical intervention, simply by doing what the doctor said and going without food or water for the rest of that evening and all night long. The next day I was able to eat again (liquids) without pain. Once I got on soft foods, scrambled eggs tasted so good! It settled well and left me wanting more. The next day, I had some more and promptly threw it up! Chicken soup and tomato soup have been my life savers throughout this ordeal. I now, however, will gag at the sight of chicken soup! Chicken and beef make me throw up. That really sucks because I loved them before surgery. Oh well, I'll live. Broccoli makes me throw up. I loved that before surgery too. Most other vegtables settle well with me. Now I can eat things that I was told I would never be able to eat again....that scares me a bit, but I'm managing it pretty well - sugar. I can eat chocolate, ice cream, popsicles, etc and not dump. Carbs were my biggest down fall before surgery - they don't "call" to me like they did before, so I think that's good.

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

not much when I first got home, I was very uncomfortable and didn't have much energy. After the 2nd month, I was feeling much better and now into the 3rd month I'm back and better than ever!

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

I take a multi-vitamin daily and get a B12 shot once a month.

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?

nausea!!!!! vomiting!!! yuck! I just rode it out until I felt better and ate a lot of crackers.

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

the nausea and the feeling of no energy. I'm past all of that now - boy am I glad!

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

February 5, 2002 I attend a bariatric support group in Portland, ME facilitated by Dr. Roy Cobean & his staff. I have met some very sweet people there and have made a couple of friends through it all. The group mainly focus's on new people and their pre-surgery questions. Some of the post-ops like myself are there and can answer lots of them, but we need some time too. Right now, I am 18 months post op, gone from a 43 BMI to a 26 BMI. That's morbidly obese to overweight. I'm one point away from being in the "ideal" category. That's my goal for the next few months. The weight loss has slown to a snail's pace. That's ok though. I'm healthy and that's what matters.

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

I have 5 little "poke" holes and 1 about and inch long. I developed keloids on them, so they are quite a bit darker than the rest of my skin and a little raised, but it's worth it all for the weight loss! I think they'll fade a bit more eventually. Makes me scared to even consider having any of the excess skin removed, for fear the scar would be horrendous.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Lots of plateau's during this process. The longest one I had was 3 months. I thought I wasn't going to loose another pound ever. When that one finally broke and I went down another 10-12 pounds (I fluctuate from 157-162). The scary thing for me was just recently I actually GAINED a couple extra pounds - I went back up to 165. That scared me, but it also gave me a wake up call. This surgery is only a tool and the small pouch created by the surgery will stretch as time goes on. I am able to hold about twice what I could a year ago. That scares me a little, but I think it might also keep me honest. Some people say to just stay away from the scales. For me, however, I need to stay near them so that I can keep on top of little gains before they become big ones. That's how I ended up so much overweight to begin with.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes, people who knew me from before act differently in sutle ways. They don't always know what to say. People who haven't seen me since before surgery and see me now ask many questions....it's like I have no privacy. I've drawn some boundaries for myself. I don't feel compelled to tell everyone my who life story. For those who are genuine, I might let them know what I did. For the genuinely NOSEY people, I just grin and say thank you. I've developed a pat answer for those nosey one's who say "How did you do it?" I just say I "eat a whole lot less of what I used to eat a whole lot of"