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

I searched the web for weightloss options. My initial impression was "wow, I could never get that done - I've never even heard of anyone, but famous people doing that."

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

My insurance required a couple of things: 1)a letter from my PCP stating that she endorsed the surgery and 2)a summary of the past ten year's weightloss attempts. Both of these had to be directly from my PCP. It took two weeks for approval. The only advice I would give would be to be very detailed about your weightloss attempts "diet, date, loss, gained back, etc."

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

My first visit was fine. The doctor was very informative. I would say the one thing that helped me is that I researched this surgery very thoroughly before going to him and that helped give me a basis for questions and helped me understand what he was talking about.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My family and friends were very supportive and I felt I had exhausted all options.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I didn't. My doctor only performs certain surgeries - he doesn't do LAPS.

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 and still is the stretching of my pouch, the closing of my stoma or a leak of some sort forming. The only thing that helps me is to keep continuously reading information on the web or in articles that show success stories or even indicate how someone has dealt with any of these problems. I read the obesityhelp.com site every night. It helps to know there are lots of people out there going through the same thing as you.

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 family and friends were nothing but supportive. I have been blessed with very special people in my life. I told all of the people I work with and they have been awesome! I have been back to work one month now (eight weeks out) and they are so great. A few of them were a bit apprehensive about the surgery, but never attempted to talk me out of it. My mother, husband and in-laws have been my biggest support system. My husband is wonderful. He tells me everyday how beautiful I am, before and after surgery. I couldn't have done this without him.

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

My employer was great. I told her about my decision in the early stages of researching the possibilities. When I decided to have the surgery, she was very supportive. I left work the Friday before my surgery and was out for four weeks (I had sick days accrued). When I returned, she told me to be sure that I was not pushing myself and that if I felt bad in any way to just work half days.

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

I was in the hospital four days and three nights. My hospital stay was pretty uneventful. I had the most trouble with going to the bathroom on the little seat that measures your urine. Don't ask me why? LOL I wouldn't say too much is important to bring because if your like me, everything is a blur from the pain meds they have you on. I literally could not focus for five days after the surgery.

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

I was lucky to not have any complications. Knock on wood...

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

It took me about two weeks before I started feeling human again. I started eating solid foods ten days out and I attribute that to my quick recovery. I think it helped get my nutrients and energy back on track. My husband did hide my scale at three weeks post-op because I was becoming obsesive with weighing. I would lose 4 pounds one day and none the next and decide that the surgery was a failure. Now, I only weigh once a month and at doctor's visits.

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

I never used any of my pain medication. I only took Tylenol for about five days after I got home. I did take Tylenol PM at night for one week because it is very uncomfortable to sleep after the surgery. I am a stomach sleeper, so I had a lot of difficulty getting comfortable. I also had to learn the hard way to READ LABELS and check for sugar content. Yogurts, for example, should be great during the pureed stage, but I keep getting dizzy, headachey, and would have diahrea (dumping syndrome) after I ate some. I was very tired during the day for the first two weeks. I could not get through the day without napping. By three weeks I was going to bed at night early, but I wasn't napping anymore. A lot of the first few weeks is not only re-learning how to eat, but working on the mental game. I didn't expect my kids and husband to stop living, so the first time my husband brought home a pizza for the kids, I had some issues. Now, it's fine, but it was hard at first.

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

I live in Randolph, New York and my surgery was in Buffalo, New York - about 1 1/2 hours away. It has not affected me at all, although I haven't had to travel in the winter yet.

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 been very lucky. With the exception of lettuce and pork, I can eat anything. I was on liquids for the first ten days and then my doctor told me that it was all trial and error and to give anything I wanted a try. Just remember to CHEW, CHEW, CHEW. I notice that as a progress, I can eat without chewing everything to a pulp and it digest just fine. I make sure that every meal or snack has protein in it and then a half an hour later I make sure I drink my water. Getting my 64 ozs. of water a day has been difficult because I was never a big water drinker.

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

Until about two weeks out, I had no energy. I am currently at eight weeks post-op as I write this and can do anything without tiring out. I work full time, mow my lawn, clean my house, run around with my children, etc. I walk at least a mile and a half every night. I lead a very normal life with very little exhaustion.

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

I take Women's One a Day in the evening.

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?

The only side effect I have had is dumping about six times if I had something with a high concentration of sugar and I have vomited four times from pork and lettuce. It is much easier to cope with these side effects because I know the cause and can avoid it in the future.

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

I have difficulty when my friends or family are enjoying themselves at a party or get together. For example, my husband and I are having a 4th of July party and it's a little disappointing to know that I won't be able to enjoy all of the food or drink. I'm only human... I guess that is the only thing I have trouble with. We had a going away party for one of my friends at work last Friday and we ordered in lunch. I didn't order anything because there was nothing on the menu I could really eat. So, while the entire staff sat around a table and ate lunch and had cake, I heated up some frozen turkey and ate that. I know it's the price you have to pay, but I think I'm allowed to feel bad sometimes.

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

There is a support group in Buffalo where I had the surgery, but I haven't been able to make it recently. Actually I go on this website daily and that helps.

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

I have about a six inch bright pink scar. It is a very nice scar, in that I had no staples or stiches, so it is not very bad at all. It actually is better than I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I actually seem to lose weight for two weeks and plateau for two weeks. This is why I don't weigh that often. If I go to the doctor and he says I've lost another 10 pounds, I don't know if I lost that ten pounds over the entire months or in the last two days and I don't want to know. Plateaus can be discouraging, but if you don't know your having one (by not weighing), then your fine. I definitely lose inches even if I'm not losing weight.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I'm only eight weeks post-op, but people definitely tell me that they see a big diffence, even with the 43 pounds I've lost.