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

FRIENDS....... THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY DRASTIC MEASURE

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

NO PROBLEM AT ALL

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

VERY MATTER-OF -FACT GET AS MUCH INFORMATION BEFORE YOUR FIRST VISIT AND ASK QUESTIONS

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

HEALTH CONCERNS

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

INITIALLY WAS HAVING THE LAP-BAND..BUT EVENTUALLY DECIDED ON THE BY-PASS BECAUSE OF RESULTS AND THE FINALITY OF THE PROCESS

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?

NONE

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?

FAMILY AND FRIENDS WERE SUPPORTIVE...BEFORE AND AFTER

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

N/A

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

SOME PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE PROFESSIONAL COMFORTABLE CLOTHES AND SITTING PILLOWS

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

NO

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

NO PROBLEM

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

INITIAL PAIN....THEN WHAT TO EAT DEALING WITH THE PROTEIN INTAKE

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

LESS THAN 5 MILES

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

MINIMAL

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

VITAMIN ANDB-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?

NAUSEA AFTER THE WRONG FOOD OR AMOUNT...STILL PERSIST

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

INITIAL PAIN

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

NONE

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

SMALL....YES

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

NONE

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NO