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

i had family member that had it done at frist ididnt blieve it was the right way to go seening what it did to my sister and brother it change my way of thinking.

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

the insurance was i little bit of pain ihad to keep calling themto see if they got paper wok from doctor they kept telling they didnt so i had to call the doctor to get them to send paper work out it was back and forth for fore mo then it got approve so i would say keep calling the insurance company

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

iwas scare a little as i didnt know if icould have it done or what i had to do to get it done the hard part was not being able to understand him as i am hard of hearing in both ear and tone deaf but as i kept gong back it got easy for me to understand still have some trouble not much

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

i didnt want to give up hope os i knew i had to do something as i had orther health problem happening to me and iwas ashame of my self

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

ididnt i knew that Dr oh did thr opening gastric bypass with proximal roux en yhe was the only one at the in auburnat the time i had my suregy

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?

at frist idid not have any fear about any complication or dying i tell people if idid not make it it was god will i kept geting sick i could feel my heart racing and had a faver i just pray to god for his will and i made a promise to him to keep picking up kids to bring to church for his healing for me two dayor three i started to get better not getting sick so it was in god hand i kept my promise to him

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 my stood behind me from day one and still do to this day i had one friend i call mom who stood behind me i had another who stood behind me but then change her mind as i had a lot of orther who didnt and i have one sister who still is today behind me

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

ido not work i am disable

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

it was ok i could not ask for better then had there i was ih hospital five day was only to stay three day but i kept getting sick from my pian med and got a fever the most important to me was having god in my hearthaving my bible with me having acomb for my hair as it look like a mop after sleeping

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

ididnt not have any comlication from surgery

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 full of anxiety could not wait to have to have my surgery had to take one day at a time

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

icould not sleep at night inmy bed was moving around to get comfort drinkin g a lot of water was hard at frist people should know that it going to take time for healing

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

i travel 7 miles from port byron to auburn

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.

bread was hard for me at frist cheese still is hard for me to eat meat was also hard at fristcan veg and fruit is off limists fast food is off limist any thing with alot of suger not to have it had to learn if somethin dont agree with me leave it alone for a while then try it agaib like cheese is still herd for me other then iam goin cood not to have any chipor popcorn

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

my actvity pick up afterward able to move around better still have to be careful as i have two bad knee but i can go walking in store with a cart walk around my park two time can clean my home better

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

vitamins d with citracal three time a day chewables centrum one a day therems-m one a day zinc one a day and foltrin one capsule twice a dat vitamins b 12 shot every mo

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?

harl loss was worse for me for abouttwo or three mo was not easy i througt iwas ging to go bald i cope with day by day have no choice

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

i thing just not knowing the out come of the process intil it was done and you are on your way to a new you but it a process for the rest of my life as i have to work at it daily

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

i go to the hosptila once on wednesday night once a mo as it also church night for me it help knowing ther some place i can go but i don know what going on as no one call me to fill me in it like i feel i dont belong there i am reaching out because it nice to kow that i can call some if i need to i dont ven a phone number i feel ineed to be a part of it in any way ican

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

it look like one of my strechmark no it not what i exected but ok it blend in

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

have to come back to it

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes those who didnt approve of it don t say how nice i may look or ask how iam doing but those who dtood behind me tell me all the tome how proud they are of me alway telling me how nice i look