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

I FIRST FOUND OUT THROUGH A FRIEND AND CO-WORKER WHO HAD THE GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY. WHEN I Saw LOSSING THE WEIGHT I WAS IMPRESSED AND AMAZED.

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

WELL, I JUST PRAYED AND PRAYED . I WAS ANXIOUS TO GET APPROVED BUT, I KNEWI FGOD WANTED ME TO HAVE IT HE WOULD HELP ME OUT.HE KNEW MY STRUGGLE.

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

MY FIRST VISIT WIHT MY SURGEON WAS AWESOME. I ASKED ALOT QUESTION WHICH I HAD WROTE DOWN AND HE ANSWER ALL OF THEM. THINK ABOUT ALL THE QUESTION YOU HAVE ABOUT THE PARTICULAR SURGERY YOU WANT AND WRITE THEM DOWN IN A PIECE OF PAPER. THAT WAy WHEN YOU GET THERE YOU KNOW WHAT TO ASK.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

MY KIDS AND ME WANTING TO LIVE TO SEE MY KIDS GROW UP.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I FIGURE THAT I WANTED TO LOSS WEIGHT FAST AND THEY BOTH HAD COMPLICATIONS.

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?

WELL, I HAD FEARS BUT, I ALSO HAD FEARS OF DYING WITHOUT GETTING THE SURGERY . BECAUSE I HAD SLEEP APNEA AND HIGH BLOODPRESSURE .YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF THE SURGERY AND FOR ME THE SURGERY HAD MORE PROS.

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?

I HAD TOLD MY MOM AND HUSBAND ABOUT THE SURGERY. I TOLD THEM I WAS THINKING OF DOING IT AND THEY WERE SUPPORTIVE SINCE THE BEGINNING.

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

MY COMPANY'S INSURANCE PAID FOR THE SURGERY AND ALOT OF PEOPLE AT WORK HAVE DONE IT. SO . I WAS ONE MORE PERSON . I WAS OUT FOR 2 WEEKS.

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

AFTER THE SURGERY I WAS AT MY ROOM. MY NURSE WAS GREAT HE TOLD ME I HAD TO WALK AND ASK IF I HAD ANY PAIN. THE HOSPITAL WAS NICE AND THE STAFF WAS NICE.I STAYED THERE FOR 1 1/2 DAYS.

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

AFTER THE SURGERY MY BLOOD PRESSURE WENT UP BUT, THEY STABLIZED ME. AFTER THAT I WAS OK.

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

AFTER I GOT MY SURGERY DATE I WAS READY TO HAVE A DIFFERENT LIFE. I WAS NERVES BUT, I KNEW GOD WAS THERE WITH ME.

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

THE FIRST WEEKS AFTER SURGERY WERE A CHALLENGE. I WAS ABLE TO COPE WITH THE PAIN BUT, THE NAUSEA WAS TOUGH. I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT BECAUSE MY DOCTOR GAVE ME A BOOK OF WHAT TO DO AND EAT ETC.

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

I TRAVELED 10 MILES . IT DID NOT AFFECT ME IN ANYTHING I WANTED MY SURGERY.

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.

FIRST TWO WEEKS AFTER MY SURGERY I E=WAS IN A LIQUID DIET . THE ONLY THING I COULD EAT WAS CHICKEN BROTH NOT ALOT OF SUGARS AND FAT.JUICES , JELLOS AND SOUPS. THE NEXT THREE TO SIX WEEKS I WAS IN A SOFT DIET MASHED POTATOES , SOUPS AND JUICES. NOW I AM ABLE TO EAT MOSTLY EVERY THING WIHT NOT ALOT OR NO SUGAR AND FAT. ( I CANNOT IT BREAD OR TORTILLAS

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

2 DAYS AFTER MY SURGERY I STARTED WALKIND A LITTLE BIT EVERY DAY .WEEKS AFTER I HAD MORE ENRGY SO WALK MORE EVERY DAY. NOW 2MONTHS AFTER MY SURGERY I WALK 1 OR 2 MILES AND LIFT SOME WEIGHTS

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

AFTER MY SURGERY I STARTED TAKING CALCIUM , MULTIVITAMINS AND VITAMIN B=12, AT FIRST IT HAD TO BE CHEWABLES NOW THEY ARE WHOLE. I ALSO TAKE 40 GRAMS OF PROTEIN, I DRINK A SHAKE IN THE MORNING AND THEN ANOTHER IN THE EVENING.

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?

WELL, FOR ME THE WORST SIDE EFFECT IS NOT BEING ABLE TO GET ANY FFOD DOWN THE FIRST WEEKS THAT I STARTRED SOLID FOOD.THE NAUSEA I WAS ABLE TO COPE WITH THAT.

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

SO FAR I DO NOT HAVR ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT THE SURGERY MAYBE FARTHER THROUGH MY JOURNEY.

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

WE HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP AT WORKWITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAD SURGERY. THEN I HAVE THIS ONE.

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

I ONLYN HAVE FOUR LIITLE CUTS . I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE BIGGER CUTS.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

NOW AVERYBODY COMPLIMENTS ME ON HOW I LLOK . I CAN DO MORE THINGS WITH MY KIDS AND MY HUSBAND IS LOVING IT.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NO , CAUSE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVE ALWAYS LOVE ME REGRDLESS OF MY WEIGHT.