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

I found out from my doctor. At first I did not want to do it. I had never had a surgery in my life and I didn't want this to be a first one for me. I didn't want the scars or stay in the hospital. Plus, I didn't want to change my eating lifestyle.

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

Getting approved was not that difficult for me. Although I am much smaller than most that have the surgery, I was right at 100 lbs overweight. Things that worked in my favor is that I was borderline, I'm young and relatively healthy and that I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was also starting to have a lot of back and knee pain. I would suggest to document all health conerns you have, however minor you believe they are and put that in your letter to the insurance company.

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

My first visit was actually quite short and he explained the process to me and was fairly certain I'd be approved and basically moved like it was a done deal. Ask questions! Don't let the doctor hurry you through. This is a big event in your life so speak up!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I wasn't losing the weight and graduation was coming closer and closer. I went to school to be a police officer and I couldn't pass the PT testing at my current weight. I needed to make a decision fast because I wasn't about to let all my hard work in school be for nothing because I was overweight. I'm going to be an officer whatever it takes.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I read through material on both procedures and decided that the bypass was the right one for me. Overall it's more effective. I wanted to lose the maximum weight possible and I didn't want the risk of stretching out my band and gaining the weight back. I also figured if I was going through with the pain and expense of surgery I might as well go all the way. Another really big factor was that my insurance only covers bypass.

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 really psyched myself up for surgery and treated it like getting a tooth out. It was no big deal. I really did this not only for myself but so that my family wouldn't be so scared for me. I didn't even think about the possiblity of death even once. I was more afraid of scarring and how my energy level would be afterwards. Looking back on it now, I should have taken it more seriously because it is a major procedure and I have had to change a lot of things. I still would act the same though just to keep my family calm.

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 shocked and not exaclty supportive. They just kept telling me I wasn't that big and I should just eat better and exercise. It's like they weren't listening to me at all and all the things I'd tried to do. Also, I was working 2 jobs and going to school which left very little time for even sleep and yet my family just expected I'd be at the gym instead. Apparently I don't need to sleep. It made me very angry that the people who supposedly loved and cared about me just weren't listening. After surgery, they check in with me to see how I'm doing and I send update emails to let them know what I'm doing and how much weight I've lost. It's established good communication to show them that I get frustrated but it was a good decision for me.

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

My supervisor was surprised I guess. Again...same reaction as my family, that I wasn't that big and it was unneccessary. I just told my supervisor that I had surgery scheduled and I needed to take time off from work. This was going to hapen and I needed to make arrangements for it now. I was out of work a total of 8 days, and 3 were in the hospital. I wish it wouldn've been more but that was all the time I could get off. I would've also have liked to have taken the day before surgery off so I could've rested and gotten ready for it.

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

It was fairly uneventful and boring. The hospital has very basic cable but I was so sleepy most of the time it didn't matter. I pretty much slept most of my stay. I was in the hospital a total of 4 days. On my discharge day I they kept telling me I'd be discharged soon but would never give me a time. That frustrated me because I only wanted to know around what time I'd be going home so I could call for my ride rather than have them sit there for hours with me. I was really excited to take a shower and brush my teeth so I guess shampoo and a toothbrush/toothpaste is what meant the most to me in the hospital. That and my phone so I could text my friends.

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

The worst thing that happened to me in the hospital was the most horrible back ache I've ever had. It was so bad it made me cry and I'm so stubborn I wouldn't take my pain pills.

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 really just went along with what I needed to do and didn't think about it. I had finals to get ready for, a graduation party to plan and orchestrate and I still had to work both of my jobs. I was really too busy to stop and think about feeling anxious.

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

I was tired all the time! I didn't realize how tired I would get and I was frustrated because I had all these projects planned to do while I as at home so I could make the most of my time off. Needless to say they didn't get done. Take it easy and don't push yourself too hard.

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

Surgery was in town just a couple miles from my house so I didn't really have to travel.

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.

Food is still a really big issue. After surgery I had no appetite whatsoever. I had to force myself to eat and although I had the guidelines to the dietary progression, I was not eating as much as I should have. Foods that were allowed were not things that I liked....such as jello. I'd get cravings for things but it was more because I knew they tasted good and I was looking for comfort rather than being hungry. I am very strong willed though and was able to resist trying those foods. After a few weeks when I would try to eat, I'd end up with the feeling of food being stuck and I'd have to vomit it back up. Anything greasy or sugary makes me very ill. I went to Starbucks one day because I had nothing better to do during my hour lunch and I'm stuck in town. I ordered a mint mocha frozen blended drink and got 1 sip in before I felt sick. Eventually I stopped eating while at work at all because it was so uncomfortable and embarrassing. I just had a procedure done 2 weeks ago to stretch out the opening to my pouch and I can now eat again. At first I was scared to eat though because I thought it would hurt. While I am eating again, I'm taking it slow. I try to choose things with protein even though I'd really like a salad or some bread instead. The protein drinks were very difficult for me. I'd found one I liked before surgery but after surgery it was too sweet. I had to switch flavors and still find it difficult to drink a whole drink before it's warm and gross.

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

My activity level gets better everyday. After surgery I had to nap every few hours or so. A week after surgery I was down to 2 naps a day but I was still tired. I'm almost back to where I was before surgery though and it's been 8 weeks.

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

Protein drink, multi-vitamin, B-12, prilosec

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?

vomitting was the worst because food would get stuck and hurt and it would all come back up. This lasted from week 2 until week 6. I basically just stopped eating since I knew it would happen and tried to stick to just liquids when I felt I needed to eat something. Usually I would eat 1 soup a day or every other day just to give my body something.

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

The IV. I hated my IV. It hurt because the needle was so big and I dreaded each time they disconnected it because it would need to be flushed then when they reconnected whatever they had to and the flushes burned.

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

I don't have a suppport group or program. I guess I haven't really talked about it much to anybody and this is my first step.

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

I actually have 5 "small" incisions across my stomach and one area where my drain tube was. They're not as bad as I expected and are healing really well. The drain area is almost gone and two of the smaller incisions as well. The largest incision I have is about 2" and that is taking some time but I think in the next year they won't be visible at all anymore.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

At first people would feel really bad about talking about food or eating it. It didn't bother me though and I've told them that and they've gotten over it. People at work also assumed I couldn't bend or move or anything. I just had surgery, I'm not an invalid. They've also since gotten over that. In general the people I tell that I've had surgery are fairly supportive which is surprising since they are really acquaintances and I get more suppportive words from them than I do my family.