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

i took care of a patient that came into our emergency room who was post op. she was 16 and my daughter was 17 and also in need of surgery so we talked a long time

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

if you are denied but are having other surgeries at the same time like hiatal hernia repair of gall bladder removal get preapproval for those surgeries. you never know, they may help cover some of the costs.

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

pay attention

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

gerd got so bad i couldn't sleep at night despite lots of Rx meds

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

open is what the surgeon does and i trusted him 1000%

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?

my only fear was if i did have complications how would i pay the bill for them since i was a self pay. i knew from asking my nurse friends my surgeon had a very low rate of complications and those were the ones who wouldn't get up and walk postop so i resolved to do as i was told no matter what.

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?

most thought i wasn't heavy enough but my bmi of 39 and horrid gerd indicated otherwise. when i told them how much i actually weighed they were in shock. i guess i hid it well. i was lucky in that another person at work had ad the surgery 2 years earlier so she got a lot of sh__ and i've been spared, at least to my face. the doctors at work were very supportive, the nurses less so, especially the ones with fake boobs. go figure. family has been great.

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

she was just afraid i'd have complications and i'd be out too long if i did which would have been bad news for my team

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

uneventful except they let my IV clot and couldn't get it restated ( ironic since i'm an IV nurse) so i had to start taking liqids by mouth 24 hours ahead of schedule and i lost my friend the fentanyl pump.

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

no

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

like, what the hell did i do this for. my whole body reacted to everything differently. i stunk, had no energy, was always thirstydidn't want to eat anything again for the rest of my life. to cope i just kept reading profiles on amos to see i was normal.

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

to accomplish nothing and sleep a lot and feel depressed and question your sanity.

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.

pureed food for 6 weeks, then anything i want but in tiny amount and always protien first. never had a problem with anything.

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

i went for 2-3 mile walk everyday but did nothing else all day except sleep,read and get some nutrition in.

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

calcium, multivitamins, protien shake, iron and B12

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?

none of the above yet

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

waiting for surgery and dealing with insurance company.

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

one is offered but i don't attend.

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

painful longer than i expected and 2 months out still gets nasty sore and red at times.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

lost 25 lbs in the first week then 0 in the next month. now loosing 3-4lbs a week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes, they are more friendly.