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

ADr in syracuse told me about it , i felt it didn't seem that bad since i had no other choice.

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

I didn't have any problem with my ins appoving it.

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

I was very nervous , my husband and i did alot of research on the internet and i had a list of questions ready for the dr when we went

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

i had my mind made up before i went so i told him that day

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

at the time my dr only did the open and did very little of the

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 felt there is complication with any surgery you have and you could die with any surgery you doing alot of praying have all your things in order and think the best .

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 of my decision and they where by my side the whole time they where afraid of it too but they knew it was my decision and it had to be done

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

they didn't have much to say i was out of work for 2 months

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

it was ok i was in the hospital a little longer than expected i had some trouble with my heart rate after sugery so i was in special care for 4 dyas then on a reg floor for 3 .

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

no complications from the surgery my long hospital stay i believe is from a couple test i had done the thur before my surgery.

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 and excited , looking forward to having it over with

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

i was very tired and didn't move around very much very sore

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

not far i live about 20 min from the hospital

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 was on soft ouree foods for the first couple weeks post op no raw veggie til 6 months after surgery and i didn't try meats til like a year later milk yogurt doesn't agree with me and steak

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

i start off slow and then my activity picked up

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

prenatal (first started on flintstone vit ) caltrate plus 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?

i've had alot of hair loss thankgod i have alot of hair i've only had a couple time with the dumping not alot of fun now it has been two years and i'm still lossing my hair it stopped for awhile then started back up don't get sick too often

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

not being able to eat the things and the way i did before but not it is nothing

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

i have not attended any support group since my surgery but i hear they are very important but where i work are 7 girls that have had the surgeery done and we are each others support

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

you can hardly see my scar , i got a creme for scars while my husband did to help fade them and it did work. i wasn't worried about the scar

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i was stuck at 80 lbs for about 3 months i just couldn't lose any thing i really don't know why

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

i have alot of people saying how great i look and if i've been sick and what am i doing