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

a former co worker told me about the surgery and i was not even interested in it at the time. of course i didnt know anything about it either.

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

the first visit with my surgeon was ok the only thing i would like to STRESS. is just remember there are riskes involved with this surgery. so grill your surgeon well on his success rate and how many complications he has had in the past. because your health after the surgery is what this is all about.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

what finally made me decide on going forward with surgery is there were to many freinds of mine that were over weight dying. and i knew in my heart if i didnt do the surgery now i would not be around very much longer myself with all the health problems i have.and also the hope of living a normal life like i had never been able to experience before were the main deciding points

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

the procedure i had seemed to have the best long term results so i went with the gastric bypass

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 didnt have to many fears choosing to have the surgery because i knew if i didnt have this done i didnt have much longer to live anyway.BUT i did have complications i could not eat or drink for 6 MONTHS during surgery they punctured my esophigus and then i developed a staple line disruption about 1 week out from surgery i then underwent a total of 3 surgeries in 4 months to corect this but all attemps failed to fix the hole i had to let the hole heal on its own.so i had a be fed by vein for a few months then during the last surgery a feeding tube was inserted directly into my intestine.i also had to pack 4 very deep open wounds 2x a day.3 in incision site and 1 where the jp drain became infected.it is now 1 year 2 months out from surgery and i am doing very well i went from 428.lbs to 226.lbs from a pants size 62 to pants size 34 shirt size 6xl to size med and i am still loosing weight and it feels great i would have had the surgery done again but just remember sometimes complications do happen but it is a very personal decision to weigh all pros and cons before making your decision get all the info you can on the procedure you are having as well as the surgen who is going to do the 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 family was very supportive and i think this is very important to your overall well being before and after surgery but when it comes right down to it this is your decision to make. and you have to do what is right for you not someone else

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

when i recieved my surgery date all i could feel is joy the anxiety left when i thought of the long turm effects

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

b12-iron-multivitamin-calcium citrate

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

the complications i had after surgery

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

plateaus happen and there is nothing you can do about it i went a whole month without loosing any weight but then i would start loosing again

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

people do treat you different they are more polite and freindly