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

WHEN I FIRST HEARED ABOUT THIS SURGERY I SAID NO WAY ONLY LAZY PEOPLE GO THAT WAY BOY WAS I EVER WRONG,I GUESS I WAS AROUND 16 WHEN I FIRST HEARED OF THE SURGERY. THEN I WENT TO MY POP DR AND SHE SAID HAVE I THOUGHT ABOUT THE SURGERY BUT I DIDN'T THNINK I WAS BIG ENOUGH FOR THE SURGERY BUT I WAS WRONG THERE ALSO AND IT WILL HELP MY HEALTH PROBLEMS NOW ONLY IF I CAN GET THE INS CO TO COVER THE SURGERY I WILL DIFFELIENT HAVE THE SURGERY DONE

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

REALLY HARD AND STILL FIGHTING THEM.I HAD TO GET MY LAWYER INVOLVED IN STILL WAITING TO HEAR.LETTER FROM LAWYER DID NOT HELP SO i AM STILL FIGHTING VOC REHAB ,AND AS OF JUNE 2004 I APPEALED THE VOC REHAB RULING AND I HAD A COURT HEARING AND AS OF JULY 2004 I WON MY CASE AGAINST VOC REHAB AND THE JUDGE RULES VOC REHAB HAD TO COVER THE WLS SURGERY FOR ME.THEN RIGHT AFTER WE GOT THE ANSWER FROM THE JUDGE ABOUT BEING COVERED FOR WLS SURGERY .POOR LAKE WALES WAS HIT BY 3 HURRIACANES,AND MY HUSBAND AND I WAS TOTAL WHIPPED OUT CLEAN WE HAD NOTHING LEFT. FEMA HELPED US AND WE LIVED WITH MY PARENTS FOR 2 WEEKS UNTIL FEMA GOT US A TRAVEL TRAILER TO STAY IN AND THEN WE FOUND A HOUSE TO RENT.SO GOD WAS ON OUR SIDE. I WAS SOPOST TO HAD SURGERY ON OCT 5,2004 AND TH EDAY BEFORE SURGERY THE HOSPITAL CALLED AND CANCLED MY SURGERY SAYEN THEY WHERE NOT GETTING ENOUGH MONEY SO THEY CANCLED MY SURGERY.I GOT ON THE PHONE AND 3 DAYS LATTER I FOUND A NEW DOCTOR AND HOSPITAL AND SURGERY WAS BACK ON AND I HAD MY SURGEYR DONE NOV 15,2004 ,THE BEST THIGN I COULD HAVE EVER DONE.

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

I WAS REALLY HAPPY WITH DR.BUTLER. HE ANSWERED A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM ME AND MY HUSBAND MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO THE FIRST MEETING TODAY AND I BELIEVE EVERYONE THERE GOT ALL THERE QUESTIONS ANSWERED.AND MORE I SAW ANOTHER DOCTOR DOCTOR ERIC THOBURN IN GAINSVILLE FLORDIA TH EBEST SURGERN ANYONE COULD EVER ASK FOR.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I WAS HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME DOING ANYTHING AND I DO MEAN ANYTHING

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

DR.BUTLER ONLY DOES OPEN RYN DR.ERIC THOBURN SAID IT WAS BETTER TO DO OPEN BECAUSE I HAD OTHER SURGIERS BEFORE AND I HAD A LOT OF ADHESIONS THAT WOULD BE IN THE WAY AND THEY WHERE IN THE WAY WHEN I HAD MY SURGERY.

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?

DIEING AND THE SURGERY NOT WORKING. RESEARCH RESEARCH EVERYTHING AND ASK ALL KINDS OF QUESTIONS NO MATTER HOW DUM YOU THINK THAY ARE WHEN I MEET AND TALKED WITH DR.ERIC THOBURN I WASNT SCARED NO MATTER AND I STILL RESEARCHED RIGHT UP TO THE DAY BEFORE SURGERY.

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 HUSABND STANDS BY SIDE WITH ME ON THE SURGEY THIS SURGEYR IS MY LAST HOPE HAVEN;T TOLD FAMILY BECAUSE THEY DONT BELIEVE INT HE SURGERY THEY SAY IT;S THE EASY WAY OUT THEY WILL KNOW AFTYER I HAVE THE SURGERY. I FINELY TOLD MY FAMILY AND I WAS SURPRISED THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE OF ME HAVING THE WLS SURGERY DONE.

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

NO ONE KNOWS YET

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

NORTH FLORDIA REGINAL HOSPITAL GAINSEVILLE FLORDIA I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 5 1/2 DAYS. AFTER I WAS GIVEN MY HAPPY SHOT I DONT REMEMBER NOTHING UNTIL I WOKE UP FROM SURGERY AND 2 NURSES ASKEN ME TO PLEASE MOVE OVER TO THE OTHER BED AND I SAID OK,BUT WHEN I WENT TO MOVE OH MAN I FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN RIPPED WIDE OPEN,(I HAD ALREADY HAD SURGERY AND DIDNT KNOW IT) MAKE SURE FAMILY MEMBER STAYS WITH YOU 247 IT REALLY DOES HELP AND ON 1 SHIFT THE NURSES WHERE SO SLOW I DIDNT GET PAIN MED FOR LIKE 4 HRS AND I HAD A BREAK THROUGH ON THE PAIN AND MY HUSBAND DRUGGED THE NURSE IN MY ROOM TO GIVE ME SHOT AND SHE SAID SHE JUST CAME ON AND SHE WOULD FIND OUT HOW THEY COULD LET ME HAVE A BREAK THROUGH ON THE PAIN AFTER i JUST HAD MAIJOR SURGERY.THIS NURSE WAS VERY NICE AND MADE SURE I WAS OK AFTER SHE GAVE ME PAIN MED AND SHE CALLED THE DOCTOR TO SEE IF SHE COULD GIVE ME A BOOST SHOT OF PAIN MED AND TOLD DOCTOR WHAT HAPPENED AND SHE GAVE ME A BOOST SHOT . AT THE POINT AND TIME I LOVED HER AND WOULD HAVE KEPT HER TO MY SELF 247...LOL

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

NO COMPLICATIONS AT ALL I DID HAVE DRY HEAVES AFTER SURGERY FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH WITH THE DRAIN TUBE AFTER DRAIN TUBE WAS REMOVED THE DRY HEAVES WENT AWAY .

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 ON CLOUD 9 THE WHOLE TIME

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

MY FIRST FEW WEEKS AT HOME AFTER SURGERY WHERE KIND OF HARD BECAUSE OF THE DRY HEAVES AND DRAIN TUBE BOTHERING ME,BUT OTHER NIGHT I WAS OK

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

I TRAVELED ALMOST 4 HOURS TO SEE THE SURGERN. I WAS ALWAYS VERY SORE AND WORE OUT AFTER MY VIST TO THE SURGEN AND BACK BECAUSE OF THE LONG DRIVE AND TRAFFIC.

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.

1ST FEW WEEKS AFTER SURGERY I HAD RUNNY GRITS,RUNNING MASH POTATO,CREAM SOUPS,SUGARFREE PUDDING ,SUGERFREE JELLO.AND SUGARFREE KOOLAID (WINN DIXIE BRAND----ALREADY FIXED SUGARFREE FRUITPUNCH) AND DECF SUGARFREE TEA W/SPLENDA WHEN I GOT TO REGULAR FOOD,,,,THE ONLY THINGS I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH ARE , BLACK PEPPER & TOO MUCH GARLIC SALT & LETTUCE FOOD ISSUES ARE GOOD NO PROBLEMS THERE ACTUALLY THEY HAVE CHANGED I LIKE FOOD I DIDNT LIKE BEFORE SURGERY ..LOL

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

AT FIRST I WAS VERY SLOW AT WALKING BUT AS TIME WENT ON I WAS GETTIGN BETTER AT WALKING AND GETTIGN AROUND MORE AND BETTER.

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

CHILDRENS CHEWABLE VITAMINS, VIACTIV SHEWABLE VITAMINS FOR CALACIUM. VITAMIN B 12 SHOTS.

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?

DRY HEAVES ARE THE WORST. HAVE NEVER DUMPED I ALWAYS SHIED MY HAIR REALLY BAD AFTER SURGERY SO I REALLY CANT SAY IF HAIR IS SHIEDING MORE OR NOT.

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

HAVING THE DRY HEAVES WAS THE WORST FOR ME .

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

I WAS GOING BACK TO DR.THOBURNS OFFICE UNTIL VOC REHAB WOULD NO LONGER PAY AND NOW I TALK TO OTHER WLS ON INTERNET .

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

SCAR IS GOOD AND DR.THOBURN TOLD ME BEFORE SURGERY IT WOULD BE LONGER THEN MOST. WHEN STAPLES WHERE REMOVED I STARTED USING SCARZONE(FROM WALMART $6.00) AND IT HAS HELPPED TO FADE SCARRING

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

PEOPLE HAVE STARTED LOOKING AT ME MORE SEENS I HAVE DROPPED SOME WEIGH