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

I first found out about it from my sister who had decided to have the lap band. She also gave me a great deal of info about RNY.

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

This too was a roller coaster ride. I was at first approved by my insurance, only to have it pulled and denied. this wa for out of country surgery. I then found a surgeon in Canada who took me on as a patient and I was approved to have it done in Canada.

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

This Dr. was truly amazing and very well educated in this field. Any and all questions that I had were answered in a very straight no nonsense manner. I was also thankful that I was not a smoker as he will require you to quit before he will opperate and with very good reasons. He was and has been very professional but also very kind in his dealings with me.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My inability to lose and maintain a sustained weightloss. My continued health complications.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

through questions asked and answered by other WLS patients and research on the net.

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?

Actually, while I knew there were risks, the health issues I was suffering from which were getting worse, far out weighed the concerns I had about having 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?

My husband was so AMAZING throughout the whole time. From when I made the choice to having the surgery right up to today he has been my greatest supporter. Most of my family has been great. Only a few were neither supportive or not and they honestly do not matter. Would I have done anything differently? No. I made the decision as to when and how much information the other family members got. My husband with with me from the beginning. He is still my biggest cheerleader!

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

As I was not working fulltime it was not an issue.

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

My stay at Guelph General was really great. My only regret was in not having a private room. Nothing agianst the hospital. It was an amazing stay. The last time I was in a hospital overnight was when I was born. So, I was a little nnervous about that but it was un necessary. Everyone that I met there was very nice and helpful. I especially loved the night nurses. i was there for 4 days. The most important thing to bring is something to do. If you read, bring books, if you knit bring it. Also, bring flipflops for the showers. They were clean but I just felt more comfortable in soft squishy flipflops. Also, bring your own pillow and something squishy for your tummy. soft house shoes too as you will be required to get up and walk as soon as you can. I also had a picture of my family!

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

None. The only problem was 2 days after i got home i had a severe case of heartburn. Never having really had a case that severe before, I thought it was maybe a heartattack. Went to the emergency room. Given all of the test and found out it was a severe case of acid reflux which can and often does happen to WLS patience. It is still something that I have from time to time but very strong acid reducers take care of it.

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 felt relieved and excited. I also did a calendar countdown! I didn't have any anxiety about having surgery. My only concern came when gastric polyps were found. Fortunately, they were not cancerous and medication took care of them.

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

For the first couple of days, I slept sitting up. I found this to be the most comfortable way. I also did a lot of walking around the area. I can only tell you as a RNY lap patient. Remember, it will be much different for an open surgery. I also found I was unable to eat for the first 48 hours. I did manage a couple of teaspoons of broth only because I was afraid not to get anything into my system which is probably only my old mind set.

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

about 130Km or 80 miles. This did not 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.

I had and still do have a problem with oranges and juice. Actually I don't drink much juice as it causes severe dumping problems. I also will eat beans but they do cause major problems ;-). i am very careful as to when and where I eat them. I severely limit my sweet intake as that also will cause dumping.

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

It was slow to come around. Mosty walking. I was afraid to do anything that might cause the staples to come loose. I don't really worry about that now. It has been 2 years and while I still use walking as my main form of excercise, I also do 40 minutes of arobics 5 days aweek.

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

Daily maternity multi, iron, calcium, vitamin C, and B-12.

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 had and still occassionally have had problems with my blood sugar dropping. This started a year after surgery. This caused dizziness, shakes, and heart palpitations. the first episode was the scariest as I wasn't sure what was happening. We were driving on vacation. My thought was that it had to do with diabetes of which I was developing before surgery. I decided to eat some a tiny bit of chocolate. This seemed to help. My family doc got me on a blood sugar monitor. This went on for about a 6 months. I finally went to see my surgeon about a tummy tuck. He said it was unusual to have after surgery and he suggested that I see my endocrinologist. He took me of my meds. Tthat was 4 months ago and I have only had 1 episode since then.

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

Having to give up fatty deserts. HAHA not really. Actually, I can't think of anything that was really bad. I have really thick hair so even that wasn't a problem. The really loose hanging skin has cause me rash problems and those were awful. But other than that, ask me again after my tummy tuck. ;-)

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

None but that was my choice. I tried a couple but was not please with them. I have found the OH main board to be my best help. My surgeon's after care has been great! If I have any needs or concerns, I am able to get the help I need in a timely fashion.

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

Actually since I had it done LAP the scarring is almost gone. It is better than I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I hit a plateau that lasted about 2 weeks but after that is was all downhill. I would have liked to lose about 15 more pounds but I am at my goal weight and still stay around that weight.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people look at me like I am human. Those who didn't know me before listen to what I have to day. The good thing about this is that friends who knew me before still enjoy being my freind now. I didn't lose any friends. When I walk into a dress shop the sales people aren't looking at my like I am lost.