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

From a friend and I was all for it from the start !

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

Getting approval wasnt hard for me .. Waiting to do the surgery was the trial .. I had to be on the plan for 6 months , then I had to wait for orientation , then I had to wait to be scheduled .. Just alot of waiting .. *L* I would tell anyone that the waiting and whatever you have to do to get approved is WORTH IT !

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

It was VERY informative .. He told us EVERYTHING we could ever want to know about the surgery .. Definitely ask questions . ANY and all questions ..

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was done with being big .. I wanted a new fresh outlook on life ..

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I knew from the beginning that I would get the full gastric bypass .. I knew willpower was an issue for me and you can cheat on the lap band .. I didnt want to do all that for nothing ..

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 have a HUGE unsuccessful rate in the surgery category so I was terrified .. My mom was too .. I had problems even after the surgery , but I wouldnt take it back for the world .. Being healthy, happy , not tired is worth everything .. Just think about getting the surgery HOW it can change your life, and the negatives outweigh them ..

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 were all happy for me except for my mom .. She was scared and knew my past history with surgeries .. Everyone else was totally behind me and a huge help in everything .. I dont think there was anymore I could have told them at the time .. They are supportive even now !

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 supportive .. My boss is actually my mom, but everyone else in the office was all for it .. I told them exactly what I was doing and why .. Always up front and honest ! I was out of work for 3 weeks after initial surgery , then came back part time and ended up having to be off another 1.5 months or so ..

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

The initial stay in the hospital was just great .. Huge rooms and everyone was very helpful in what I needed to do and how I was feeling, etc .. I was there for 3 days .. I would say you dont need to bring anything ... They provide everything that you need ..

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

Yes .. I first had my incision become infected and they had to open it up and pack it and change the dressing 2x a day .. Then I was in the hospital for a month due to throwing up constantly .. That was from my stomach not being able to handle all the medications you have to take after the surgery .. We figured that out a MONTH after being in the hospital .. I stopped taking 98% of it and I was a new woman after that .. I didnt deal too well with them to tell the truth .. It was NOT fun, but I wouldnt change it ..

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 great even with the incision .. Lots and LOTS of energy .. When I got sick it was horrible and I coped by living day to day ..

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

IT IS HARD .. NOBODY should ever tell you that this is easy because it is NOT .. People should expect their WHOLE LIFE to change .. Whatever they were used to , you have to RETRAIN yourself .. Just know that you have to be PATIENT and you have to do EVERYTHING that they tell you ..

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

About 35 miles .. I wanted the best dr and so I went to Dallas when I live in Ft Worth .. it is fine on my aftercare cuz I work in Dallas

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.

OFF LIMITS - BREAD and FLOUR TORTILLAS .. ack ! I can eat cheezits, any and all meat, peanut butter crackers, anything Italian ... Chips and hot sauce , or chips and cheese ! My limits have NOT changed .. I still cant eat anything that made me sick before .. It still makes me sick .. Instead of .5 ounces of food, I can eat about 2 ounces now, but that is pushing it .. (which I would suggest NOT doing!!!)

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

EXTREMELY ENERGETIC .. the protein shakes and the vitamins were realllly working for me ..

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

I take the GNC MULTIVITAMIN GEL CAP .. It has everything you need in it !

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?

NAUSEA - 1st worst Vomiting - 2nd worst Dumping - ugg , soo much in the beginning .. Now I KNOW what not to do .. DONT EAT TOO FAST .. HUGE key there ! Hair Loss - I have tons of it .. (Glad I had alot of hair to begin with) You will lose your hair even if you take your vitamins and get enough protein .. Just simple fact .. All of them persisted for 3 months after surgery except hair loss doesnt start until then .. I still lose alot of hair .. Coping with them was me being miserable and then LEARNING from them .. for sure !

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

Being in the hosp a month .. AWFUL .. (So nausea, vomitting and DUMPING for sure)

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

I had a 'Bible' that my dr gave me to go by .. It was awesome .. I loved the book and read it all the time .. Plus going to the dr every 2 months for checkups !

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

Well I had hand assist lapro and those werent bad until it opened up from infection, but I guess it still isnt bad .. Then I had 2 more surgeries so I have scars everywhere .. But that is ok , it was all worth it !

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I hit a plateau every 2 weeks ... I lose, lose, lose for 2 weeks, then I wont lose ANYTHING for 2 weeks .. That is very hard for me as I feel like Im doing something wrong .. But then I start losing again .. Guess that is just how my body works ..

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, very much ..I get alot more reaction from people then I use to !