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

tv/newspaper I thought it was a fad until I looked into it deeply MOSTLY ON THE INTERNET AND OBESITY.COM

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

I HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL BLUE CROSS OF MA TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING GOT APPROVED ON FIRST REQUEST WITHIN ONE WEEK

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

AT A GROUP SEMINAR HELD BY THE DOCTOR.WENT VERY WELL GREATY PRESENTATION HAD A FOLLOW UP OFFICE VISIT THE NEXT WEEK.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

WANTED TO GET OFF ALL MEDICATIONS I WAS TAKING AND LIVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. AND SOI WOULD BE AROUND TO SEE MY GRAND CHILDREN GROW UP.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

PROCEDURE RECOMMENDED BY DOCTOR AND I RESEARCHED ONLINE

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 GREAT FEARS ABOUT DYING OR HAVING SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS BUT I FELT THE POSSIBLE BENIFITS GREATLY OUT WEIGHT THE WAY I WAS LIVING THEN AND THE POSSIBILTY OF EVEN GAING MUCH MORE WEIGHT AND GETTING WORSE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS IF I DID NOT CHANGE MY WAY OF LIVING. I WENT TO COUNSELLING FOR THREE TO FOUR MONTHS PRIOR TO THE SURGERY AND IT HELP TREMENDISLY. BUT THE TIME I WAS READY TO HAVE THE SURGERY I WAS NOT FEARFULL AT ALL.

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 WIFE WAS VERY NERVOUS AND AGAINST THE OPERATION,MY CHILDREN HAD CONCERNS,MY PRIMARY DR WAS AGAINST IT AT FIRST BUT CAME AROUND TO SUPPORTING ME. EVERYBODY HAS BEEN VERY SUPPPORTIVE SINCE THE SURGERY AND AFTER SEEING THE CHANGES UNDERSTAND WHY I NEEDED IT

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

SELF-EMPLOYED

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

MY STAY IN THE HOSPITAL WAS 5 DAY'S VERY NOISY UNABLE TO SLEEP VERY GLAD TO GET HOME

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

WOUND OPEND UP AFTER TWO WEEKS NURSING CARE AT HOME WAS PROVIDED TWICE DAILY TO CHANGE DRESSING TOOK 4 MONTH TO HEAL

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 VERY WEEK FOR 5-6 WEEKS THEN STARTED FEELING A LITTLE BETTER EVERY DAY. THE OPEN WOUND WAS A LITTLE DISCOURAGING BUT NOT TO BAD ESPECIALLY IF YOU CONSIDER ALL THE OTHER VARIOUS PROBLEMS THAT WAS POSSIBLE

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

I AM SELF EMPLOYED SOI WAS ABLE TO REST AND TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AND WATCH MY FOOD INTAKE AND MONITOR MY VITIAMINS/PROTIEN AND FLIUD INTAKES.

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

I WAS LUCKY I HAD THE SURGERY IN MY HOME TOWN BUT I DID CHECK OUT THREE HOSPTIALS IN BOSOTN MA WHICH WHERE 55 MILES FROM MY HOUSE AND I WAS VERY GLAD I DID NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL INTO BOSTON FOR THE FOLLOW UP AND PRE-SURGERY TESTING.

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

ACTIVITY LEVEL WAS VERY LOW TWO WEEKS AFTER SURGERY BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO DO SO IF I HAD TO I COULD HAVE DONE MOOR

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

I TAK THAT MELTS IN YOUR MOUTHE ONE FLINTSTONE VITAMIN DAILY WITH ONE B-12 SUPPLEMENT

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 ONLY VOMITTED TWICE AFTER EATING TOO MUCH OR TOO FAST. I TRY TO EAT SLOWER NOW AND I TRY TO EAT ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS OF FOODS

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

THE OPEN INCISON FOR FOUR MONTH BUT NOT TOO BAD.

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

I SEE THE DOCTOR EVERY 10 DAY FIRST FEW MONTHS BECAUSE OF INCISION PROBLEM BUT KNOWN WILL NOT SEE HIM FOR 3 THREE MONTHS A I AM DOING WELL THE AFTER CARE GROUP MEETS ONCE A MONTH I MISSED TWO METTING BUT I THINK THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND HOPE NOT TO MISS ANY FUTURE ONES THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL

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

LONG WIDE IN MIDDLE WHERE I HAD HEALING PROBLEM ABOUT WHAT I EXPECTED

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I HAD A FEW PLATEAU'S WHERE MY WEIGHT WOUD STAY THE SAME FOR A WEEK OR TWO BUT THEN WOUD DROP FOR A WEEK OR TWO GENNERALLY THE WEIGHT LOSS HAS BEEN ABOUT 3 # A WEEK WHICH I THING IS GOOD.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NO NEVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH PEOPLE TREATING DIFFERENTLY