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

I am in Human Resources so I handle all of the benefits for the company. When an employees wife called to ask insurance information to get approved for bariatric surgery, I had never heard of it before. I thought she was pretty desperate and making a rash decision. When I heard of other people, I thought this is nuts. We are not god and should not be playing god.

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

I had no problem at all due to the help and streamlining of my surgeons office. Provide the most possible detail to the insurance company about diet history and medical necessity. it was helpful to have this information come in a letter from my primary doctor rather than from me. I wrote the letter and asked my doctors secretary to copy it onto letterhead and give it to the doctor to sign/

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

My surgeon was very rushed and did not take much time to talk or answer questions. It kind of made me feel like an assembly line part. I think if I would have said "Hey, I have questions and would like you to take some time to answer my concerns" he would have realized what he was doing.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I am 31 years old. In 10 years, I am going to be in rough shape if I do not do something now. I see many many people that have done it that are in great shape and look fantastic. I just decided that it is time to do it now.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

It is the only one offered in my area

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 constant, reoccurring fears about dying. Not about not being here, but about what my children would experience if I died. That was my biggest concern, but it consumed me in the weeks prior to surgery. I actually talked through my funeral and the aftermath with my husband. I cried about it every night. Finally, just before the surgery, I decided that if it was my time, I was going to go whether it be in surgery or in a car accident.

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 husband and father were extremely supportive, my overweight mother was not supportive at all. Some of my friends were supportive, but some were also always willing to tell you the horror stopry of "their friend that had it done". Surprisingly, most of the people that are not supportive are overweight people. I have never said, but want to say to them, "If you think I canjust diet, then why aren;t you thin?"

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

My Supervisor is the Executive Director of my agency. She was very scared for my safety and my life. Once I spoke with her and convinced her that this is what I am going to do, she supported my decision.

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 was horrible. The beds were uncomfortable and my back hurt when I left. This is not due to my specific hospital, but hospitals in general. I was there for 3 days post-op and then again for 4 days due to dehydration. I think I would have been more comfortable if I had extra pillows from home with me.

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

Yes, I could not keep any food or liquid down for two weeks post-op. I ended up back in the hospital because I was so severely dehydrated. It ended up that I had subconsciously developed bulemia. In my return hospital visit, the nutritionist worked with me and helped me figure out why it was happening and how to overcome 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 had a lot of anxiety about what/how much to eat. Physically, I felt wonderful. I never took a pain pill, had absolutely no complications. As for the anxiety around new foods, you just have to go with it and accept the fact that sometimes, there will be bad days.

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

This period of time was hard for me because of the throwing up that I experienced on a regular basis. I ended up back in the hospital twice, but once I got over everything, i was fine.

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

About 1 hour and 45 minutes.

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 have never had a problem with anything. I even still eat chocolate. I do have a difficult time with dairy though.

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

If I did not have the throwing up, I would have been fine. Would have even gone back to work after just a few days, but because I could not keep anything down, I was severely dehydrated and weak.

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

I take Optisource chewable vitamins by Walgreens online. They are great. They taste good and are all in one so I do not have to take separate B12, iron, or calcium.

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?

The vomiting lasted 3 weeks. Other than that, I have no real side effects to date.

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

I can honestly say there was no really bad part. I think the worst though was the mental process you go through prior to surgery. I was convinced I would die. That was horrible, Other than that, just the post-op vomiting, but that was all in my head.

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

I go to a monthly support group and am part of an online support group through yahoo. The in person group is great because they are real people right in my area that I can bfriend, but the online one was not as helpful. It as nice to be able to post a question and get an answer within a few hours rather than having to ait until the end of the monh, but it just wasnt the same.

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

My scar is much better than I expected. My surgeon uses a plastic surgery suture and no staples, so the scar is very small and very nice looking. Some of the people i have seen from other physicians are scarey looking.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have only had one plateau so far and it lasted about two weeks. I had lost 60 pounds and then just stopped. I did start losing again after about two weeks, but noticed that the inches really melted off while I was plateauing.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People seem to look at me more and go out of there way to be frienly to me as they didnt before.