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

I think I learned of bariatric surgeon through my mom, and that was just gastric bypass. I thought it sounded scary, but I figured that it would probably be the only way I'd ever really lose weight.

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

At first I looked into insurance approval for gastric bypass (because they wouldn't cover lap-band). But I really wanted to be banded instead. I lost my insurance coverage soon after and insurance was really not an option any longer.

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

My first visit with my surgeon went fine. My dad was there and we both had lots of questions. He was down to earth and very funny. Everyone should go to the orientation first and then bring questions with them for their surgeon.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I turned 25 and was at my highest weight ever and knew it would only be going up. I don't have any kids, but would love to have some in the next couple of years. I didn't want to be unhealthy before I get pregnant. I figured, do this now so it's not as bad as it could/will be when I'm 35 or 45.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I chose lap-band because it was the least invasive. I've never liked the idea of being re-routed. I liked that lap-band is easily reversible and the surgery time is minimal. I really wanted to choose a surgery that would allow me to get back to my regular schedule soon after.

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?

My only fears were of the anesthesia. You never know what can happen when you're under. To anybody having these same fears now I'd say- this is TOTALLY normal. It's like they told me in the hospital, if you're not scared, there's something wrong.

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?

When I first sent my e-mail to my close family members, I received a lot of support. My sister was opposed to it at first, but quickly changed her mind as I went through my pre-op testing and learned just how truly important this surgery is for me. Both of my parents have been awesome, and they just want me to be happy and healthy.

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

I am a business owner so most of this question doesn't apply to me. I was out of work for 4 of 5 workdays and was back to work the following Monday.

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

My stay in the hospital went great. I was only there for several hours, I was out the same day I checked in. They told me to bring things to read and entertain myself with, but honestly, the whole thing went by so fast I never had a chance to pickup my book. I brought my robe and that was helpful.

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

A couple days after surgery I did something to my back that caused pain and numbness in my sciatic nerve area. I had this condition already, but it became much worse, much more painful. As of yet, I am undiagnosed, but believe myself to have a herniated disk. I've noticed significant improvement as I'm losing weight however. I think this happened because I was trying to avoid using my abdomen at all to lift myself up, and put the weight on my back instead.

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 super excited after I got my surgery date scheduled. I only had a couple of months to prepare and it really flew by. I didn't feel any anxiety until the day of surgery. This is just something I've been praying for for so long, I really didn't have too many doubts. There were times during the liquid diet where I thought "what am I doing? There's no way I can do this!" but I did. I just had to remember the bigger picture: it's finally going to change!

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

If it wasn't for the leg pain from my back injury, there would have been close to no complications. I walked a lot to keep up my circulation and used my incentive spirometer to prevent pneumonia. I was feeling so good that by the time I had to go back to work, it was almost like nothing had even happened. But I overdid it on my first day and was hurting that night and sooo tired! I would tell people that are post-op to walk but don't overdo it. Get your rest and drink plenty of fluids!

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

I had to travel about 2 hours to get to surgery. This wasn't a problem at all. It's much more of a problem having to make all of my pre and post-op appts. all the time when it's that far away. But going home from surgery was fine as I was hopped up on percoset. I had no complications that required me to come back, if I had, then it would have been a problem.

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'm still experiencing these changes. For the first 4 weeks after surgery I couldn't/can't consume anything other than clear liquids and protein drinks. I wasn't suppose to start my protein until a week post-op but I was getting so dizzy from lack of sustenance that my surgeon told me to start my protein early. That fixed the problem almost instantly. Not being able to eat solid or even soft foods is REALLY hard. Especially once you've cheated like I have and know you can get away with it. Once you do that, it becomes a hundred times harder to not eat solid food. Just remember, you may not feel uncomfortable from eating foods you're not suppose to, but you have no idea what's happening inside your body to your new band/stomach.

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

I think I felt more active right after surgery than I did before surgery. I found that walking helped relieve the sciatic nerve pain I had. I was also worried about blood clots, so I walked more because of that too.

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

I have to drink 90 grams of protein a day - that's three drinks. I have to take a lot of vitamins: Vitamin C, Iron, Stress B, B-12, mutli-vitamin, calcium, vitamin A, Vitamin D- I could be forgetting some.

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?

None of these have happened for me yet- but I'm only 3 1/2 weeks post-op and 30 pounds down.

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

Not being able to eat food for a long time. It's harder than I ever thought it would be. I was busy worrying about other potential complications before surgery, I never thought about how hard it would be to give up food for a month.

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

obesityhelp.com is as of yet, my only support program. I think it's really helpful. I can talk to people that have had my surgery and I can talk to people in my area too.

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

I have 5 scars and I never think about them except for when they itch sometimes (even a year later!). They're not too bad. I had a friend who had her gallbladder removed laproscopically and I was pretty much excpecting that and that's pretty much what I got.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

After 70 pounds down and only getting two fills, I sort of slowed down on motivation. I stopped losing for the most part but really haven't gained anything.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

the only thing I notice is getting "checked out" way more than I ever did before. I think a lot of this is from gaining so much self-confidence.