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

DENIED BY MY INSURANCE SO SELF PAID IN MEXICO-ORTIZ. CHOSE THE DOC WITH THE HIGHEST RATED WORLDWIDE REPUTATION.

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

I WENT TO SEE DR. JUAREZ IN PHOENIX ST. LUKE'S. EVEN IN 2004 HE WAS BUSY. DIDN'T SEEM TO RADIATE LAP BAND SURGERY CONFIDENCE SO I CALLED ORTIZ. FOR ARIZONA RNY, I'D DO WITH JUAREZ. FOR LAP BAND IN AZ, DR. SIMPSON-VERY PERSONABLE AND CARES FOR PATEIENTS--EVEN THOSE THAT ARE NOT HIS!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I HAD TO GET MY WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL BEFORE I DEVELOPED ANY SYMPTOMS. ALWAYS HAVE GOOD BP, NO DIABETES, ETC.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

LAP BAND -EASY. I KNEW IN 15 YEARS THE BAND AND THE RNY AND THE DS WILL NOT BE DONE. THERE WILL BE NEW SURGICAL INTERVENTIONS. DID I WANT TO BE STUCK FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS WITH PREARRANGED GUTS? UH NO!

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?

WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL IN MEXICO, MY SURGERY WENT WELL. ANOTHER PATIENT IN THE HOSPITAL ENDED UP IN THE ICU AFTER LAP BAND SURGERY. DR. LOPEZ (HER SURGEON) WAS VERY GOOD ABOUT STABILIZING HER. I ONLY WOULD DO SURGERY IN A HOSPITAL WITH A SURGEON AND NURSES WHO HAVE TRAUMA EQUIPMENT, TRAINING AND LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT. BEFORE YOU HAVE SURGERY GO TO THE CLINIC/HOSPITAL, OUTPATIENT CENTER, SURG CENTER, WHATEVER AND THINK TO YOURSELF--"IF I WAS COMING HERE AFTER A BAD CAR CRASH, DO THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAVE MY LIFE? IF THE FACILITY CANNOT HANDLE A LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCY--WHETHER YOU ARE HAVING WLS, PLASTICS,WHATEVER, MAKE SURE THEY CAN "PULL YOU BACK FROM THE EDGE" !

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?

family was shocked, scared, but supportive

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

self-employed--thankfully had three days to recover!

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

1 day. surgery took about an hour-15 minutes for the two other patents. i threw up upon awaking too late but got in apple juice just fine!

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

threw up upon waking up. just walked for hours all night at the hospital with my iv.

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

felt fine. got week on liquids but did fine

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

allow yourself time to heal.

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

traveled to tijuana from phoenix. make sure you can get care in 4 hours wherever in the world you are!

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 pbed several times. now, i can eat anything with little restriction.

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

1 hour exercise per day starting 1 week after surgery

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

multivitamin, calcium, b12, iron

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 for 3 days

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

the travel and not having local access to aftercare.

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

i have a local fill provider but no fluoro access in phx.

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

light. would have liked a belly button scar

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

reached 50 percent weight loss. lost another 20 pounds and regained. now looking to lose 60 more pounds

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

i'm an outgoing person so i have always been social and surrounded myself with kind people