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

I found out about it from a co-worker

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

Insurance approval was a piece of cake. I had all of my diet information for a year proving that I had attempted weight loss and failed. In addition, my doctor's provided documentation regarding my diabetes and sleep apnea.

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

My first visit with the surgeon was great! My visit was about 1.5 hours and it was one on one with the surgeon. To get the most out of this meeting find out how many surgeries the surgeon has done, how many deaths, find out the pros and cons, and of course ask about the procedure and what life will be like afterwards. So that you know for sure what you are getting yourself into.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My diabetes condition was progressing and my doctor increase my medication and then place me on cholesterol medication as well. I was fed up with all the expenses of diabetes medication, hypertension medication, and water pills.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My insurance company actually made the decision. They stated that they only covered the Roux-en-Y procedure because research showed that patients were very successful with weigt loss and maintaining it after 10 years.

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 fear was just of dying. But to be honest I could die from diabetes so the attitude I took was if it's time for me to go it will be during surgery or something else. If you have fears about this surgery truly sit and think about what illnesses you have plagueing your body at this time and how they can affect your future and then weigh that against a successful surgery that can greatly save your life!

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 was a little hesitant at first until I educated them about the surgery. My friends for the most part were very supportive as well. They were a little scared, but supportive. After the surgery everyone was VERY supportive especially when they saw me after a month and saw the weight loss and my energy.

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

My co-workers were awesome! They supported my decison all the way. Since they all new about my struggle with diabetes I just explained that the surgery could definitely get me off all the meds and possibly reverse the diabetes. I was out of work for six weeks.

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

My hospital stay was not very pleasant at first. I had a nurse that was a bit rude. However, my mother reported the matter to the hospital and they took action immediately. I was in the hospital for three days. It's important to bring comfortable pajamas, something to put your hair up with and a GOOD ATTITUDE!

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

NO COMPLICATIONS AT ALL. THANK GOD!

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

After I got my surgery date I was on pins and needles- I was so very excited. I started walking for 30 minutes everyday and I started trying to eat better to mentally prepare myself for after the surgery. However, the day of surgery I was a nervous wreck. I cried like a baby. But after praying so much that morning- I was fine when I made it to the hospital.

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

My first few weeks home from the hospital I was very tired. However, I did try to walk the 2nd week for 15 minutes a day. I stopped taking the pain medicine by the second week at home. However, I had slight fever almost every other day. It was really hard to keep my temperature down. However, it was never too bad where I had to go to the hospital. By week four I felt pretty good and started getting out shopping. Expect to be very tired and in some pain.

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

I traveled about 10 miles for surgery.

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.

After surgery I was on a liquid diet for about six weeks. (yogurt, protein shakes, oatmeal, tea, gatorade, baby food fruit- apple sauce and peaches). Six weeks after surgery I was able to eat refried beans with a little water in it to make it go down easy, oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potatoes, very mushy vegtables. Gradually, I started eating fish, shrimp and lobster by my 15th week and they went down very well. Chicken and any other meats would not go down without making me vomiting. At about 2.5 months after the surgery I began tolerating other meats and anything else with the exception of white bread. I just have to eat very slow.

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

About one week after surgery I walked 15 minutes a day and then the third week I started walking 30-40 minutes. However, there were days that my body would shut down and I had to quit at 20 minutes. But for the most part I had a little energy to get my work out done.

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

Complete Multivitamin Vitamin E 400iu Vitamin c 1000mg Calcium 1000mg B-Complex (b-12, b2, & b6) Iron tablet 65g I have been taking most of these vitamins faithfully and when my doctor did blood work at 2 months post-op, my test results were excellent!!!!

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?

I experienced nausia until two weeks after surgery and I was very miserable. Then the second month I experienced a little nausia for about two weeks. I had one dumping experience right at 3 months post-op and it was off of tea with sweet -n- low in it. Who would have thought. Splenda works better. I haven't experienced any hair loss at this point.

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

I think that the worst part was learning how to take smaller bites and to chew my food up really good.

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

I utilize the Obesity Help website and chat with different members and my doctor recently started a support group that meets once every month. This is very helpful because it gives me more support and ideas for making my weight loss a success.

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

My scar is a horizontal line that is very small and it's just above my belly button. It doesn't look bad at all. I didn't expect it to look as good as it does.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I experienced a plateau at 2 months and for about 2.5 weeks nothing happened and I was working out everyday except Sunday. Finally, one day I got on the scale and I had lost 6 pounds. Also, I have noticed that now that I'm three months post-op the weight loss is slowing down. I was averaging 5 pounds a week and now I'm averaging about 2-3 pounds a week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I must say that I have pretty much always been treated with respect regardless of my weight. However, I notice that since people are aware that I've had the surgery they are wanting to talk to me about it and they are complimenting me everyday about how great I look. Some people are already calling me "skinny" and I still have 63 pounds to lose. ;-) (I love it!)