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

I was watching TV and seeing celebrities having bariatric surgery.....I thought I could never have that surgery and thought it was very dangerous.

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

For me it was easy to get approved because I was a Type I Diabetic. Make sure you have a doctor who knows what they are doing in regards to getting all the documentation in order.

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

My first meeting with Dr. Kenneth Jones was very informative. Dr. Jones was nice and knew what he was doing. He explained to me and my husband the reasons why this surgery would work versus other types of surgery. He has written books and was on numerous Bariatric Surgery Boards which was very encouraging.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

After trying every diet and exercise program and my endocrinologist at the time telling me that there was nothing she could do. I went to another endocrinologist and he suggested bariatric surgery. I researched this procedure and after talking with Dr. Jones I knew that I needed to do this to be healthy.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

After Dr. Jones described the different types of surgery and the reasons why he no longer performs those procedures in favor of Open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. I decided it was more beneficial to have this procedure.

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 was very scared about the surgery and the side effects from the surgery. I knew I had tried everything else to get my blood glucose under control, and this was my last hope. I just prayed and prayed and prayed from the day I received my approval and the date of the surgery to the day of the surgery and beyond that everything would work out and stay in tact. Have a positive support group and a GREAT DOCTOR who knows what he or she are doing.

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?

My mother and my husband were very supportive of the surgery and suggested I go for it. My family continued to be supportive after the surgery. My mother stayed with me for 2 weeks and my husband stayed with me the entire process.

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

I am not working......thank God my husband can pay the bills while I get this surgery over with and finish school and other things that I have always wanted to do.

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

It was very tiring. You get very little rest because the nurses keep coming in the room late at night to do this and do that. I was in the hospital for five days. The most important thing to bring is someone to help you move around.

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

No complications just soreness

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 nervous and scared that the surgery wouldn't work. I kept thinking I didn't want to have the surgery up until I had the surgery. To cope with the surgery I just kept praying and talking to God.

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

My first weeks home from the hospital was hard but doable. The first days home will be extremely hard to cope with. You can only eat certain thing and it is very hard to move around. Just understand that this is a phase and things will get better day by day.

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

My surgeon works in the same city I live in. In fact I live 15 minutes from both the hospital and his office.

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.

CHicken noodle soup crackers and sugar free jello and apple juice and peanut butter crackers only the first two weeks. Instant grits graham crackers and ramen noodles and angel hair pasta after the first two weeks. Everything else is off limits for six weeks after the surgery. After 6 weeks fried foods, high fat foods, juices with sugar are totally off limits. Beware of red meats and lettuce.....make sure you chew your food very well.

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

My activity level was low after the surgery. It got better day by day.

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

Multivitamins, calcium, and B12 supplements

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?

Nausea and sleep disturbance were the worst things to deal with. I eat very slow and carefully to deal with the nausea. I am still battling sleep disturbance.

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

Waiting until the surgery date and the first week after surgery because of the pain from the incision.

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

My surgeon provides a support group to talk about some of the problems that you are having and some input you could get from other people

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

I huge incision on the left side of my stomach with 2 holes from the G-tube and another tube. I thought the incision would be much smaller

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I haven't had any plateau experiences as of yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No