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

Every one has heard about stomach stapling but I never gave it any thought until I read the article about Carly Wilson. She enlightened me to the rewards for having this done.

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

Getting Insurance approval was not hard at all. The doctor's office took care of the paperwork and just after submitting one time everything was approved.

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

My first visit was very uplifting. I was scheduled an appointment with another doctor, missed that appt. and because the nurses were super friendly, fit me in with the other doctor. I had a series of question ready and was open & honest with the doctor and in return he was with me.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had my mind made up before I went to my first doctor visit. I decided to persue this and did so.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Dr Halmi informed me that he & his partner highly recommends the open surgery and that was enough for me.

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?

The only fears that I had was not waking up and having a big scar. I told Dr Halmi that I wanted a small incision and he took care of that.

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?

I elected not to inform family & friends about the surgery. After awhile I have informed and talked about to some people & family and have recommended the surgery to about 6 people. I have not receive any negative feed back from anyone.

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

My job did not know that I had the surgery. I have only told a select few. I just said I was having stomach surgery. I was out of work for approx. 4 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 great. I was at Potomac Hospital and the nurses there was great. I was there for 4 days. They made sure that I did everything I had to and encourage me to do more. I just brought something to read and personal toiletries.

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

My surgery to me was a piece of cake. I went in on Thursday morning and was out of surgery apprx. 2 hours later. It hurt like hell, but that was expected. I has that magic button of Morphine but I only used that very little. No complications except I leaked from my scar area for about 2 weeks, but even that went away. The biggest problem was from not being able to breath from smoking, I couldn't cough or sneeze but that took about 2 weeks to overcome and I QUIT SMOKING!!!!

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 but I looked forward to this. How did I deal with anxiety, I ate everything that was not tied down.

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

After I left the hospital, I did not need to take any medication for pain. I did not have a kitchen tool that pureed my food, so I would and still eat soft fods and chew them up nicely. It took about 9 days after I was home, to start feeling human and could get around.

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

My hospital was only approx. 10 miles away. Not far at all....

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 cannot eat meat at all unless it is ground so small that it wont clump up. I cant deal with any type of Cookies or crackers. ITs been almost 4 months and things have changed alittle. I still can't eat beef in clumps (it gets stuck) nor can I eat soft breads

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

My strength & activity levels picked up about 2 weeks after the surgery. I started walking and that is up to 2 miles aday.

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

I get a B12 shot every 2 months and take a multi vitimin every day

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 really had no side effects except when I tried to act brave and over stuff myself and then MISERY would set in. I could only lay down for about a hour and let nature take its course.

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

The worse part of the surgery was the night of the surgery and the day after. Pain but after that, smooth sailing.

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

I am not a member of any group. I have a couple of friends from ObesityHelp that gives me support and vice versa

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

My scar is BEAUTIFUL. It is about 3" long, no staple marks, no stitch marks cause my doctor did not use neither. I told my doctor that 1- I wanted to wake up and 2) that I did not want a ugly scar and he gave me both.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Since I am only going into my 4th month. My plateaus have been small. After losing about 35-40 lbs the first 2 months I slowed down, which is fine to me. I stayed at 190 for about 2-3 weeks and now I am in the 170's(yeah). But like I said, I dont want to rush the weight lose. I got stuck on 160 for about 2 weeks and now that I am 1 year post op I am averaging about 140-145, which is goal to me.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people who did not want to talk to me when I was Fat is now trying to talk to me.