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

A friend did it. amazed.

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

No problem with insurance. Get your sleep apnea test out of the way first. It is what took me the longest time to get into the pulminary doctors that any other doctors.

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

Very good. go with all the questions you have, silly or not.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

diabetes

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

lots of research. and picking the one that I felt I wouldn't gain the weight back.

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 guess I had decided that I probably would die early if I didn't have the surgery.

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?

they were all very supportive.

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

My employer was fine with it. I was out of work for one month.

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

The stay was okay. I was there for 3 days. important things to bring-slippers,cell phone,something to read.

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

No complications at all.

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 fine after I got the date. The anxiety wasn't there. I was truly ready.

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

I was alittle sore, but not sick. It was hard to get in the protein and water. Couldn't stand the smells of anything. Milk was awful.

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

50 miles. didn't affect aftercare, I stayed at my sister's until after my first dr. appointment and then went to my son's house.

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.

breakfast is no longer enjoyable. Eggs in the am do not stay down, however, for lunch or dinner they are fine. Chicken was off limits for about 5 months,hamburgers, also. Milk was awful. I have just begun to drink it again. Cheese and yogurt were ok.

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

calcium, b12,multivitamins,biotin,prevacid. protein

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?

No dumping at all. Having a hard time dealing with the hair loss. Vomit once in a while after I eat too fast or eat too dry foods.

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

The wait.

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

family

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

little

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

really haven't had any yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

The people I work with do not treat me any different. However, the public is more willing to help. This I believe is too bad.