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

A friend had it and I really wanted to do it.

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 really easy I guess I was very lucky.

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

Write down all questions! The first time I was unprepared.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Having high blood pressure and being so depressed.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

When I had mine there was really no big choice.

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?

Just scared I wouldn't wake 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?

They did good with all of it.

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

They were very understanding and I was off 8 weeks.

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

It was good. I was there for 5 days the first time and 3 days for thr revision.

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

Vomiting slowed down my eating.

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

Tired but happy.

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

I was sore but keep moving around.

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

2 miles

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 ate anything w/o sugar and low fat. Nothing fried.

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

pretty good

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

Multivitamin, B12, thiamine, biotin, vit C and vit D

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 hair loss for several months. I toughed it out.

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

Going through all the program steps.

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

Support groups through the hospital very important.

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

It's not bad it is pretty much like I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Haven't started that yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, they always treat thinner better.