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

When I first heard about it I didn't feel it was something I needed cause I was overweight but not morbidly obese. I was around 285 and I was still playin basketball and running around.

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

Well I have two stories about approval, when I first attempted to have the surgery a couple yrs ago and was denied by my previous insurer for a really stupid reason then last year I decided to call my new insurance provider and I went for another consult, got approved and the rest is history.

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

Well when I met with him we discussed my options and what I respected most from him was his honesty, he told me I probably want to lose some weight before the surgery just to make sure it can be done laproscopically.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had tried many different things to lose weight without much success

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I knew I didn't want to go the route of the lap band I figured if I'm going to have the surgery I might as well it do the whole thing

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 prayed alot before the surgery and even before being put under and I also had faith that God would see me thru this endeavor and He did

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?

Everyone was and still is very supportive of my decision to have the surgery and everyone including myself is loving the results so far.

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

My Manager was very supportive, her father had the surgery several years ago.

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

My stay in the hospital was pretty cool and the most important thing to bring is yourself and a positive attitude

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

By the Grace of God no I didn't have any complications

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 was just excited and ready to make it happen

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

This was probably the hardest time for me because I got to a point where I really just wanted to put something in my mouth that I could actually chew on and it was driving me crazy and everything I was eating startin tasting nasty so that made it even harder to cope with

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

10-15 Minutes

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 have only gotten sick once and that was in Hawaii when I ate at IHOP, I really haven't had any other issues

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

I walked everyday sometimes a couple times a day once I got home from the surgery and now I work out regularly at the gym

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

I take two Cetrum A-Z tablets, A calcium tab and a b-12 dissolving tablet

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?

Only had the dumping incident in Hawaii and I had a real bad case of gas and indigestion a little over a week ago

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

Being so overweight that I had to have the surgery

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

None other than coming onto OH from time to time and mingling with other WLS people.

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

They are very minor and hardly noticeable

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have plateaud a couple times for like a week or two then I will start losing again

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really but people notice the weight loss and I get complimented about it quite often