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

Lots of research on the internet and then a open session with one of the patience of the Dr.

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

Basically hopeless.. In Australia we have the ability to access our superannuation for life threatening surgery... so I went down that path.

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

Well, it took 2 visits before i even met the surgeon...! I had to meet a general Dr for a checkup, then the nurtionalist.. then finally the surgeon. My advice, do lots of research and come prepared... write down your questions..! My surgeon actually wrote to my GP and told him i was the most knowledgeable patient he had ever had.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Told if I didn't get my non alcoholic fatty liver under control i was likely to die before i kids grew up...

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

After lots of research I found heaps of banders coming back with issues and switching to VSG.... VSG also had some other nice benefits of never needing adjustments and no issues eating almost any food.

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?

Normal fears I guess... but with a 0.7% complication rate i was pretty calm.

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 pretty concerned to start with, but after some patient explainations and them doing some reading (particularly this site and the VSG FAQ) they all got very supportive. Having said that other than family and two of my best mates I haven't told anyone else and don't really intend to....... Most people seem to think fat people just need to eat less, problem solved... I don't think they would understand and I don't need the bad mojo... :-) Matt

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

Easy, i told em i was having surgery... Didn't say what.. in Australia they are not allowed to have the details... So i'll just have a certificate that says "Surgery 5 days in hospital and 14 days recovery at home". Matt

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

I had hiccups for the first 2 days which was HORRIBLE...! They ended up just drugging me up until i slept. From day 3 on it was pretty easy really. Pain is minimal more discomfort that anything.. feeling gassy and a little nausius. Import to bring... hmmm My MP3 player, tooth brush.. ugg boots, comfy loose clothing.

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

Yeah Hiccups... shocking... I'm told its very rare, but man it was horrible. Even so i'd go through it all again..!

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

It's about a week out for me and I'm not really having any anxiety at all... Frankly I'm feeling REALLY happy at the moment that its all done.

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

To early to say for me yet

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

About 15 minutes by car :-) I live in a small town ie 300,000 people so nothing is far away.

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.

Initially I had trouble with most things, but gradually as the weeks went by I reintroduced them into the diet and I'm fine with everything now. Though large amounts of dairy can still make me feel.. hmm icky.. Matt

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

I was walking around the ward the day after surgery, in fact it really helped with the discomfort.

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

Daily multi and monthly B12 injection.

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 still suffer from acid if I don't take the losec every day. I'm a little disappointed with that, but frankly its a side effect I'm prepared to live with.

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

Nothing really... hmm maybe the mental changes you need to make...

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

None other than this site and the VSG board.

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

Minimal and completely ignorable.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Oh heaps.. lol I just didn't worry about it.. but the weight loss fluctuated dramatically.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yep sure do.. Mostly its good, but it does make me appreciate that obese people are second class citizens.. When people make comments about overweight people around me my blood still boils and I let them know other than WLS I'd still be obese.