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

I found out about the surgery from my Primary Care Physician, who is at the UCLA Medical Center. She knew my lifelong fight with weight control and suggested I look into surgery as a way to take control of my life. I was very impressed with the UCLA program.

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

I had little problems with my insurance company. I would suggest that anyone having problems get as much documentation as possible about your medical history and have your personal physician lobby hard for your procedure.

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

I had a good first meeting with my surgeon. He explained everything and answered all my questions about the procedure. I suggest that people going to a consultation bring EVERY question they can think of, and remember there are NO stupid questions!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I wanted to live a NORMAL life!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The UCLA Bariatric Surgery center only does the RNY proximal procedure. They do mostly open RNY but have started doing the laproscopic procedure as well.

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 had several major surgeries in the past so I was comfortable with surgery in general. I did not worry about the procedure because I was prepared all the knowledge of what to expect. I felt the risk of surgery was no greater than the risk of what may have happened to me if I DIDN'T have the surgery.

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 live alone so I had no family to deal with, but my friends were very supportive of my decision. I didn't tell anyone all the specific details of my surgery but gave them an overview of what to expect of the "new" me. Everyone was VERY helpful to me after surgery, from bringing supplies to me, driving me around to appointments and helping me see myself in a new light.

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

My employer was not happy I was going to be out of work for 8 weeks, but UCLA is very specific about allowing time off for medical procedures/problems. I had no problems in being off and going back to work.

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

I didn't have any problems with my hospital stay. UCLA is one of the best hospitals in the country and I was treated very well. The Internists and Nurses were familiar with the Gastric Bypass surgery and could answer all my questions at the time.

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

I was very lucky - I didn't have any complications at all. My scar was nice and straight and needed very few staples. It has healed completely and I was prepared to do everything asked of me to assist in my healing.

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 had no anxiety about my surgery. I had had two major surgeries before so I was comfortable with the fact of surgery, including its risks and complications. I only had to wait three weeks from my acceptance to my surgery (due to a cancellation by another patient) so I really didn't have a lot of time to worry about it!

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

I live alone, so I had prepared my apartment for the first few weeks after surgery. I fully stocked up on all the essentials -- protein shakes, juices, water, water, water, vitamins, prescription meds, etc. I also had a few good friends stop by my apartment in the morning before their work and evenings after work to check on me. Preparation is very important, so I'd stress that the most. Also, try and make yourself as comfortable as possible for that first week -- that's when you'll be the least mobile and in the most pain.

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

I live 3 miles from the hospital (and work two blocks from it!) so that was a non-issue for me.

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 stayed pretty much with the planned suppliments and foods immediately after surgery. When I started back on "real" food I stayed with soups and broiled chicken and fish. I've not gone back to red meat since the surgery (14 months) and I don't miss it at all! I've found that by modifying my eating habits and behaviors I can eat almost anything I choose -- it's just that NOW, I choose to only eat healthy foods!

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

I stayed in bed as much as I could for the 10 days after surgery until I had my staples removed. After that, I would walk as much as possible around my apartment complex (wearing my binder -- it is VERY important to wear the binder when you're moving around) and after about three weeks I would walk around outside as much as I could.

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

I take a Flintstone with Iron (chewable) and Caltrate 600mg (chewable) every morning and a sublingual B-12 in the afternoon. I also take an aspirin every day (unrelated to WLS) I still use a protein shake or bar once a day as a meal replacement and as a nutritional supplement. I'm hooked on Met-Rx!

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 only had a few dumping episodes since surgery and once you have those, you do your best to NEVER have them again! I sleep great now (used to have apnea but was able to get rid of the CPAP machine after only 6 weeks post-op) and am seldom nauseous. The hair loss thing was a little disturbing, since I had already lost a lot of hair naturally! Yikes! Then again, balding thinner men are sexier... ;)

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

The worst part for me was the psychological aspects. After 30-odd years of being obese it is an ongoing process to see the "new" me. It's strange to see people who didn't know me pre-op to treat me for myself and not my appearance. It's just as strange to see people who did know me pre-op to treat me differently. I've had a few women at work (I'm a single guy!) ask me out after losing weight. It was interesting to see their reactions after I turned them down. Go figure... :)

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

I beling to the UCLA Bariatric Surgery Support group. We meet bi-monthly on a permanent basis, have a great web site and an egroup e-mail list. There are about 150 people in the group. The group is VERY helpful with any problems a member may have, both in physical and emotional support.

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

My scar is perfect (for a scar!) It's much better than I expected - very straight and not too big. I have to admit though, being a man with a very hairy chest you can't even see my scar! :)

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I only had two plateaus after my surgery, one at 5 months and one at 12 months. Drinking more water and increasing my walking and exercise seemed to help break them.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

The people I knew before treated me a bit different for about 9 months, then it was just back to me being "me." People I meet new who don't know about the surgery seem to treat me for who I am, not what I look like. At first people would talk about how much weight I lost, but now things are back to normal.