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

I knew some people who had it done and had great results, but for awhile i was terrified of surgery.

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

Didn't need to worry about insurance, went through the military

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

Great. My surgeon was very informative and answered all my questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Couldn't take it any more being stuck and not being able to loose the weight on my own.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Just went with the one my surgeon said would be most beneficial to me.

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?

No fears after surgery, just going under was my biggest fear

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?

All of them (except my husband) have been very supportive.

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

Don't work

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

My hospital stay was fine. I am not a fan of hospitals, but it went well.

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

None to this date. I sailed through it.

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.

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

I was fine. The second week of liquids was a little hard, but after that, I was fine.

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

Just to the hospital

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.

Unfortunately i can eat everything. I have not food tolerances. But i choose not to eat certain foods, only on a very rare occasion.

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

Rested for the first week, and then went to the gym and did mild workouts, (light walking)

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

Calcium supplements, vitamin B and a multi vitamin

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

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

The two day fasting before surgery.

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

I haven't had one

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

I have five tiny scars, too bad i have a big scar from a C section

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had a 6 month plateau that i actually just got past in May. It was horrible. I was really stressed out and thought i was done loosing weight.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really