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

Recommended for 2 years by my pulmonologist but I resisted until he told me that if I did not do it I would probably die.

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

Was actually very easy once I complied with their pre-op requirements. Seemed like it took forever to go through process but only took about 5 months.

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

Very reassurring- he explained what the options were, the risks and benefits of having surgery and what long term follow-up would be.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Wanted to be healthier.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Really had no options as I was not candidate for lap-band and gastric sleeve was not covered by insurance.

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?

Had very bad asthma and lung function. Surgeon was proactive in planning for potential lung issues pre-operatively. He also explained the morbity and mortality rates his group had which was minimal.

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?

Everyone supported my decision and was very supportive pre-op. Post-op has shown the same support except for a few insecurities from my spouse.

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

Supervisor was worried about potential for complications and worried about upcoming need for me to not miss work but eventually came around and has become my biggest supporter. I told her exactly what I was doing and that I would schedule after we met our trauma review. I was out of work for 6 weeks as I had open RNY

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

It was good to hear the process and meet the coordinator. I was glad I attended because I had a handbook to guide me through the process.

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

Stay in hospital was good. I was in a special bariatric unit and nurses were very knowledgable about the bariatric patient and surgery.I was in the hospital for 7 days as I had open RNY and also live 125 miles away from where surgery took place so surgeon wanted to make sure I was doing well before discharge.Most important things to bring were chap stick and toiletries.

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

had a lot of post-op pain and nausea. Pain meds and anti-nausea meds.

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

Very fatigued! No energy. Eating was a chore-not enjoyable at all. I was a little emotional at times which was hard to deal with.

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

No energy!! Take it easy. Drink your fluids - I got dehydrated and ended up in hospital a week 4 with metabolic acidosis.

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

125 miles. Did not affect after care but was difficult on family

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.

have not really had things I can't eat. I have developed dislikes for certain foods such as ground beef and have acquired likes of foods I disliked pre-op such as fish. Biggest challenge I have is no appetite and difficulty finding things to eat when you don't really care!

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

started with mild walking and have continued to increase intensity and duration.

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

B12 sublingual, multivitamin (Centrum silver chewable 2 times/day), complex B, and calcium. At 6 months post-op I have started taking biotin for hair loss

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 has been a problem off & on, have not really dumped. Hair loss started at month 4 and is really annoying!

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

Sometimes meals are distressful for me- especially when not at home

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

Online- obesity help. Spark people and a couple of facebook groups. Very important as I have no ability to attend group where surgery was.

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

I have a long zipper like scar which was expected as I knew pre-op it was going to be open procedure.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

have not had any so far.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Somewhat! Not so invisible as I was when I was obese!