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

internet to much of a risk

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

had no problems with my insurance

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

i loved him from the very start. kind!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

my doctor did

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 always have a fear of dying from surgery. never waking up.

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 very supportive with me. my husband was there with me the whole time.

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

no employer

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

my stay was nice. the staff was very nice and treated you well.

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

yes, problems about three weeks after surgery. couldn't eat or drink. went back into the hospital for a few hours for dr. nease to scope me. swelling in my opening causing problems. everything turned out ok. i can eat and drink everything.

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 scared to death. afraid to eat, now nothing is wrong and i feel great

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

i did real well. i was up and around right after surgery. i didn't have any problems from the surgery

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

four hours, i stayed in a hotel for 5 days afterwards.

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.

pizza and anything with a lot of bread. i have a hard time getting it down. a lot of sugars with cause of lot of poop. i now am able to eat everything to a point. i watch my carb and sugar intake, have a hard time going out to eat because of the meal size.

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

full of engery

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

cal, iron

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?

vomiting and dumping. for about three months after the third month things eased down and now i don't have hardly any of these probles.

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

the few weekd right after surgery when i couldn't keep anything down. i was very scared!

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

none where i live

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

small scares around my stomach

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

none yet

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes