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

WEB SEARCH. I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN A PERMENANT WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM.

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

IT WAS RATHER EASY. I WAS APPROVED THROUGH BCBS ON THE FIRST TRY. I HAD PLEANTY OF MEDICAL NECESSITY STUFF DOCUMENTED FOR YEARS. MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE AS WELL AS MY CARDIAC DOC.

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

THE FIRST MEETING WAS A SEMINAR. MOSTLY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCEEDURE AND EXPECTED RESULTS. PRO'S AND CON'S WERE DISCUSSED. THE FIRST PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE DOC WAS VERY CLINICAL. MOSTLY MORE INFORMATION THAN ANYTHING ELSE. DR ZAHN WAS A LITTLE MORE EXPLICIT ABOUT THE EVENTS ON THE DAY OF THE SURGERY. KGUN 9 NEWS IN TUCSON WAS DOING A STORY ON THE PROCEEDURE. I WAS TREATED A LITTLE MORE VIP THAN MOST PEOPLE.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I RESEARCHED VARIOUS PROCEEDURES FOR 1 1/2 YEARS BEFORE I DECIDED TO HAVE THE SURGERY. THE DECISION WAS EASY AFTER BEING WELL INFORMED.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.

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 HAD NO FEARS ABOUT THE SURGERY UNTIL I WAS SITTING IN THE HOSPITAL GOWN BEFORE THEY WHEELED ME IN. THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME I STARTED TO SECOND GUESS MY DECISION. MY WIFE ( WHO IS AN R.N. ) WAS MORE WORRIED THAN I WAS.

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 ONLY TOLD MY WIFE. THIS WAS MY DECISION AND I NEEDED NO HELP IN MAKING IT. MY WIFE WAS A LITTLE APPREHENSIVE AT FIRST BUT AFTER THE SEMINAR AND A FEW HOURS ON THE INTERNET SHE WAS CONVIENCED. SHE ALSO GRILLED SOME OF THE DOCTORS SHE WORKS WITH AND THEY SET HER MIND AT EASE. NOW I JUST SHOW EVERYONE WITH QUESTIONS THE VIDEO FROM THE NEWS BROADCAST.

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

I DID NOT TELL MY EMPLOYER THE NATURE OF MY SURGERY. THEY FOUND OUT WHEN IT AIRED ON TELIVISION. ALL THEY KNEW IS THAT I WAS LOOSING WEIGHT. I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR ABOUT A TWO AND A HALF WEEKS.

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

MOSTLY A BLURR. GOOD DRUGS AND A LOT OF REST.I WAS IN FOR 3 DAYS. THE IMPORTANT THING I BROUGHT WAS MY WIFE WHO IS AN R.N. SHE TOOK REAL GOOD CARE OF ME AS DID THE NURSES.

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

THE SURGEON CRACKED THE CARTILAGE AROUND ONE OF MY RIBS. WE WERE NOT AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME AND THE PAIN THAT SOON FOLLOWED WAS SEVERE. IT SCARED ME AND MY WIFE. WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BLOOD CLOT. AFTER WRAPING MU CHEST WITH A VERY LARGE BANDAGE THE PAIN LEFT INSTANTLY. I WAS OFF ALL PAIN MEDS AFTER WRAPPING MY CHEST.

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 FELT FINE AFTER A WEEK. A LITTLE STIFF AND SORE BUT OTHERWISE FINE. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY ANXIETY.

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

LEARNING HOW TO EAT WAS A CHALLENGE. GETTING IN ENOUGH PROTIEN WAS IMPOSSIBLE. GETTING DRESSED REQUIRED HELP. YOU WILL NEED HELP FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS FOLLOWING SURGERY. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT SLEEPING IN BED. SLEEP SITTING UP WHEN YOU FIRST GET HOME.

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

120 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.

THE FIRST MONTH WAS A FULL LIQUID DIET. THAT GETS SICKENING AFTER THE FIRST WEEK. TOO MUCH SWEET STUFF. MOSTLY PROTIEN SHAKES. AS I BEGAN TO GRADUATE TO MORE SOLID FOODS I EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH KEEPING FOOD DOWN. AFTER PROGRESSING TO MORE SOLID FOODS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS I BEGAN TO REGRESS TO SOFTER FOODS. THE OPENING IN THE POUCH WAS NARROWING AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PASS FOOD THROUGH THE GUT. I COULD BARF ON COMMAND. ONCE THE PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED I WAS DILATED A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THE PROBLAM HASN'T RETURNED.

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

THE FIRST WEEK WAS PRETTY SLOW GOING. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS I FOUND I COULD WORK FASTER THAN MY BODY COULD CONVERT FAT TO FUEL. NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT MUCH I WOULD GET VERY WEAK AFTER HEAVY EXURTION. I LEARNED TO MODERATE MY ENERGY EXPENDITURE. IT'S ALL PART OF THE LEARNING CURVE.

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

I TAKE 1 IRON TABLET PER DAY, 2 MULTI VITAMINS PER DAY AND 2 CALCIUM RICH TUMS A 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?

ONCE I WAS DILATED I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH EATING. I CAN EAT MOST ANYTHING I WANT. I EVEN ALLOW MY SELF SMALL AMOUNTS OF SUGAR WITHOUT PROBLEMS. OCASSIONALLY I'LL EAT ONE TOO MANY FIG NEWTONS (MORE THAN 3)AND I'LL BEGIN TO PERSPIRE. THAT'S THE EXTENT OF MY DUMPING.

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

THE FIRST TWO WEEKS. THE CRACKED CARTILAGE AND THE PAIN IT CAUSED WAS A LITTLE SCAREY. BEFORE BEING DILATED I HAD SOME REAL PROBLEMS GETTING FOOD DOWN BUT NOT SINCE.

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

NONE. LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND WEIGHING ONCE A WEEK.

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

IT LOOKS LIKE A BIG FISHING WORM ON MY BELLY. ABOUT 10" LONG. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

NONE. JUST A GRADUAL SLOW DOWN OF LOOSING POUNDS PER MONTH.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I GET MORE COMPLIMENTS ON THE CLOTHES I WEAR. THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME BEFORE ARE AMAZED AT THE CHANGE.