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

I had been looking into the possiblility of surgery. So, I just started doing research and looking into the options of surgery. At first it was something I was not sure I could do, but then thinking about my future and the reality I started making small changes over the course of 2 years.

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

Going thru the process of being approved was really stessful. The not knowing is always the worst. My best suggestion for those waiting in the wings is to be patient. Things will fall into place as long as you follow the Dr.'s directions, nutritionist advice and know what is expected from the insurance will help along the way.

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

My first visit with my Dr. was at the Bariatric seminar. I went to see if this is who I wanted to have do my surgery. I can honestly say, I felt at ease with him from the moment he said hello. He was honest, direct and you knew what to expect right from the beginning.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

When my 2 1/2 year old at the time, got away from me and ran out into traffic. I could not get to him fast enough. That is when I decided I had to do something, not only for myself but for my children as well.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I went back and forth on the lap band and the Rouxen -y procedure. I really thought long and hard on both, spoke with people who had both and thought long and hard on MY personality. I know me, the lap band allows to much room to cheat, and if the chance is there for me to cheat, I am going to do it. With the Roux-en-Y, there is not much room to cheat, I need solid boundaries. I was one of the lucky ones who had the Roux-en-Y who do get dumping syndrome. For those who think this is a bad thing, its not, it is a GREAT thing to have. I CANNOT tolerate sugar now, and for this I am thankful. Anything I have that is sweet must be sugar free and since I do not like the experience of the dumping syndrome I do not crave sweets or chocolate. I cannot cheat wih a small peice here and there. One small piece makes my life miserable for a long time. So, for this I am truly thankful.

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?

The chances of complications vary from patient to patient. I have had a lot of surgeries over the course of my life. And thankfully I have had no complications. My thoughts on this is, everyday is a roll of the dice, and being overweight you tend to hold yourself back from taking chances, this surgery is a chance at taking control of your life back. This is were I just put my life in God's hands and took a leap of faith.

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?

My family and friends have always supported me. My mom was on the bench with this one at first, but I am having the surgery to please her, I was having the surgery to please me! And that is what you have to consider, many times those of us who are/were overweight have tendencies to try and please everyone. I just reached a point where it was about me and to hell with those who did not want me to have the surgery. My husband, bless his heart, supported me through all the diets, ups and downs of being over weight. He loved me when I was skinny, he loved me when I was at my heaviest and he loves me now. So, regardless of my weight, he loved me for who I am not for what I look like. My best friend was worried, but she has backed me all the way and still has been a pillar of support. My co-workers all supported me, and two of them had the Weight loss surgery.

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

My supervisor was extremely supportive. He was shocked that I needed the surgery because he did not think that I was that heavy. Being over 110 lbs of my ideal weight, he was ok with me having the surgery if this is what I wanted to do. I only took 3 weeks off of work, I could of gone back at two weeks, but I could afford to take the extra week.

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

I was in the hospital for a total of three days. The hospital was awesome. The staff was so wonderful and attentive that it made me feel great about my decision to use their facility. The most important thing to bring is something comfortable to wear home. Other than that, you will spend the whole time in a hospital gown.

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

The only problem I had with the surgery was that I was/am lactose intolerant. Being on the protein supplements caused me extreme pain after one week. I had to go into the emergency room 5 days from being released from the hospital, with SEVERE abdominal pain. They did the leak test again and could not find anything wrong. At the time they thought it was acid reflux. It was getting to the point after a sip of the shake, I could not function because I would be in extreme pain. My mom was the first to get me thinking about the lacose problem. As a child I could not drink a lot of milk because I would end up in extreme pain. I tried the shakes with soy milk, water but it was getting to the point I could not eat anything because of the pain. Then we realized, Whey is a highly concentrated form of milk protein and this is what the problem was. By the forth week after surgery, I was able to start eating soft foods, eggs, tuna and chicken. So, I that is when I realized it was the Whey that was causing all my problems. Even now, 8 months after surgery, a small piece of a protein bar or sip of a protein drink with Whey, and I am doubled over within 15 minutes of eating it. Leave it to me to be the first to have this problem. But, I make sure I get all my protein from meat, cheese, eggs, and nuts. There is now a protein shake that is egg based and not Whey based. I am able to drink this shake with no problems. So, if for those of you who are lactose intolerant and find yourself experiencing some of these problems, give it a try.

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 not really experience any anxiety after the surgery. The only time I started to get nervous was about 3 months after the surgery. I hit a plateau, and lost no weight for about 8 weeks. This was nerve racking. I started to think I had streched my pouch out. But, I calmed down and remembered that about 3 or 4 months after the surgery, your body goes into a survival mode. It starts to panic at the amount of weight coming off and in a sense shuts down. My hair started to fall out which is normal and the weight did not fluxuate. After 8 weeks, I dropped almost 20 lbs overnight and the weight started to come off again. Having dealt with diets in the past, I started to panic just a little. Past experience had me gaining weight back almost as soon as the weight came off. So, having lost a lot of weight right after the surgery and then hitting that plateau I was afraid the weight was going to start coming back on.

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

The first few weeks when you get home from the hospital are a transition period for you. You are getting used to the new eating habits, you are on liquid only, then you graduate to soft foods and build on from there. For me, I did not hide from the world like some may feel like. When I got home from the hospital, my husband was BBQ'ing steaks and had a few people over. This did not bother me, I drank my shake, poored the Steak juice into a small cup and sipped on it, no problems. I had my steak to!!!

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

The Del Sol Bariatric center and hospital are 15 minutes from where I live. So, this is not an issue.

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.

The only problem I had with the surgery was that I was/am lactose intolerant. Being on the protein supplements caused me extreme pain after one week. I had to go into the emergency room 5 days from being released from the hospital, with SEVERE abdominal pain. They did the leak test again and could not find anything wrong. At the time they thought it was acid reflux. It was getting to the point after a sip of the shake, I could not function because I would be in extreme pain. My mom was the first to get me thinking about the lacose problem. As a child I could not drink a lot of milk because I would end up in extreme pain. I tried the shakes with soy milk, water but it was getting to the point I could not eat anything because of the pain. Then we realized, Whey is a highly concentrated form of milk protein and this is what the problem was. By the forth week after surgery, I was able to start eating soft foods, eggs, tuna and chicken. So, I that is when I realized it was the Whey that was causing all my problems. Even now, 8 months after surgery, a small piece of a protein bar or sip of a protein drink with Whey, and I am doubled over within 15 minutes of eating it. Leave it to me to be the first to have this problem. But, I make sure I get all my protein from meat, cheese, eggs, and nuts. There is now a protein shake that is egg based and not Whey based. I am able to drink this shake with no problems. So, if for those of you who are lactose intolerant and find yourself experiencing some of these problems, give it a try. The only foods that I cannot eat are those with Whey and anything with Sugar. Other than that this has not been a problem. I was eating Steaks 6 weeks after surgery, pork chops, ham, turkey, cornish hens, chicken, fish, seafood. Then only thing is I make sure that I get my daily allowance from actual protein. I have not had any problems.

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

My activity level is better, but I have to say I am still tired alot. But, keep in mind, I work almost 50 hrs a week, go to school full time, have two children (4 & 17), a household to keep, and be a wife. So, yeah I am going to be tired. But, the differnce is, I can run and keep up with my 4 year old, I feel good about myself and most importantly, I can do things that I was previously unable to do.

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

I take 2 Centrum Chewables daily, a sub-lingual b-12, 6 calcium pills and one monthly b-12 shot.

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?

The dumping syndrome is still in effect for me 8 months out of surgery. Which I am thankful for. The hair loss lasted about 3 months and stopped as quickly as it started. I knew the hairloss was normal regardless of how much protein you take in it is part of the bodies defense to dramatic weight loss. Right before the surgery I had almost 10 inches cut off of my hair to help keep it healthy. This was the best move I could have done preparing for the surgery. I went in faithfully every 6 weeks for haircut and had my hairdresser take about an inch off each time. I have not colored my hair in 10 months and my hair dresser will not talk coloring my hair until its been a year after the surgery. This will help keep it stress free to help it stay healthy. The dumping syndrome does not bother me, it prevents me from cheating. Sugar objects are like Lays potato chips; you cannot just have one. So, since I cannot eat it I don't crave it or want it.

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

The waiting for approval from the insurance. Knowing that even if you do everything right and follow all of the direction you can still be denied. This is the worst, but knowing this going in and preparing yourself does help.

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

The Del Sol Bariatric Center has support group meetings once a month. These are extremely helpful in just talking and getting your concerns out in the open.

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

I have 5 little scars, they are no worse than what I had when I had my Gal Bladder removed. No big deal! This was the least of my concerns.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I experienced a plateau at 3 months after surgery. I did panic a little. Going on previous experience with weight loss diets, I had always hit a plateau and then like clock work the weight went right back on. So, I hit the plateau and started to think, did I stretch my pouch, the weight is going to come back on as with preivous experience. But, NO this did not happen. After about 8-9 weeks, I dropped almost 20 lbs overnight and then the weight started to come off again. During this time, I was loosing inches, clothes were still getting larger as I was shrinking, but the numbers on the scale did not change. (Yes I step on the scale faithfully 2 times a day) Since, my plateau, the weight is slower now coming off, but it is coming off consistantly, about 5lbsd a month. Which is good. I was in a 20W 8 months ago, and now I am teetering between a 8& 10. One thing I would like to add and there is not a section for this concern is, I still see myself as heavy. I know the numbers are different, sizes are different, but when I look in a mirror, I still see the previous me. I know this seems odd, but I have a hard time realizing that I am on the verge of being skinny again. I don't realize how much weight I have lost until I see a picture taken of me, and I am like WOW! I have lost a lot of weight.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Those that I work with, feel uncomfortable eating sweets in front of me. I have to keep telling them it does not bother me for people to eat sweets in front of me. It's okay. I am okay with it.