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

My sister had the surgery - I had no intentions of having the surgery, EVER

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

I have Kaiser there were no problems getting approval. Kaiser is the best.

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

He was very nice and very supportive, it was frustrating that they did not contact me right after the apointmant, my records were misplaced when they sent them to India for transcription.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The knee pain - After a 13 hour flight to Ireland it was very difficult to walk the back of the seat botton hit the back of y knee and 13 hours of pressure was horrible. I love to travel and thought that the surgery would improve that,

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Through the classes at Kaiser -

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?

Most were supportive - family were supportive at the beginning

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

I took off 6 weeks I could have gone back earlier, but was not ready for te reaction of my coworkers. I told them all right before the surgery.

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

I did not think it was helpful.

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

I was only in the hospital for two days after surgery. They were very supportive and I was up walking the evening after surgery.

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

No complications from the surgery.

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 had decided to have it at that point so I was ready to go. I figured I would lose more weight than I did, so I was ready to just do it and get it over with.

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

The first few weeks were fine I was losing good and able to keep what I was eating down, I followed the recommended diet to the letter.

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

90 miles from Fontana to San Diego - the surgeons come up to Riverside for the follow up visits so this was very easy. On the way home from the surgery we made two stops to walk around - one at a park and the other at the 99 cent only store, we walked up and down every aisle.

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 followed the diet to the letter added as I was told very conservative on what I added. I still canot eat chicken, it is like food poisoning, it makes me nauseous and comes right back up. That is about the only thing that has bothered me. As i added the other foods I did really well. I did not have the problems others did with sugar. I added some in the end of the first year and did fine.

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

I had the surgery due to a problem with my knee an injury, I still have extreme pain in the knee - so I am still unable to walk much, no stairs, etc. Plus with the surgery I cannot take anythign for the pain - no asprin, motrin, etc.

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

Tons - I take multiple vitamin, B-1, B-12, B-6, Thaimin, Biotin, D, Calcium, hair supplement - more pills than I took before the surgery. I had horrible hair loss and still am struggling with that. My liver tests were horrible and they have been watching them, I am still having a hard time keeping my protein numbers up.

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?

Hair loss - it is horrible. That would be a reason I would not have had the surgery had I known that before the surgery. I am at almost 3 years and my hair is very thin, I use minoxidil and it seems to be getting a little thicker, but nothing like it was before surgery. I have purchased wigs - I had 20 inches cut off to try and control the thinning ends, my hair is still below my waist but the loss around my face prevents me from being able to wear it down. UGLY!

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

Hair loss - I have always done well with surgery - they attempted the removal of a tumor and my adrenal gland. My blood pressure bottomed out they attempted 5x so I still have the tumor and they are watching it not sure what they will do if it does grow.

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

None - I have 19 friends and family members who have had the surgery. They are the ones who listen to my frustrations.

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

I have no visible scars - I heal really well and the tiny cuts barely show.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I hit a plateau at about 5 months and since then it has been a fight to keep from gaining, I have put on about 35 pounds and it is horrible it creeps on and I weigh everyday and try to cut what I am eating based on the scale but no luck in dropping any more or even keeping off what I lost.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, which is hard to tolerate, I do not like the difference. I a struggling with the person in the mirror it is not me and it is frustrating that people are more accepting of her.