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

First paid attention to it when Carnie Wilson had her surgery aired on television. Thought it was for "no other options available" category of people. Then my PCP recommended the surgery to me after getting the results of my sleep study back. Hearing I could experience "sudden death" really got my attention!

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

Had to jump through hoops with CIGNA. They required 6 months of a physician supervised weight loss program. And then they "never received" the first two requests for authorization from Scottsdale Bariatric. It took nearly 3 months after completing the 6-month program before I got my approval. My advice is to be persistent and not count on other people to take care of the paperwork. Get educated, keep notes of who you talked to when and stay on top of the insurance "game."

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

I didn't meet with my surgeon until a week before the surgery. Thankfully, I was a low-risk candidate, so the meeting was short. To get the most out of this meeting, go in with questions written down.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My doctor told me my sleep apnea could result in "sudden death." With two children, then aged 11 and 7 years, I wanted to live long enough to see them grow up and have children of their own.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Scottsdale Bariatric definitely does more RNY's than lap bands. I opted for it because the weight comes off faster and no adjustments are required afterward.

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 was not worried about dying from the surgery, but my husband had the same operation and his risk was vastly greater than mine. I would recommend that others weigh the risks vs. the potential benefits and make a decision based on what is written down.

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 mother told me she "didn't approve of that sort of thing" and left it at that. Today, she's neither supportive nor critical of my WLS success. Most of my friends were supportive of my decision. I did have one friend (who is also quite overweight) tell me that I just needed to diet and exercise to lose weight. Today, she tells me I look great, but she's still vocal about her worries for my long-term health. I wouldn't have communicated anything differently if I could do it differently.

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

My boss expressed some concern about me going through the surgery, but overall was very supportive of my decision. I told him the bare facts (my surgery date and how long I was going to be out of the office) and didn't elaborate. I had my surgery on a Tuesday and was back on the job (telecommuting as a sales associate) the following Monday. After a full week of telecommuting, I was back to my regular routine of Mon-Wed-Fri in the office and Tue-Thur working from home.

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 uneventful. Thankfully, I was discharged after 2 days. I wish I'd brought my own slipper socks -- the paper socks the hospital dispenses are for the birds!

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

No complications. The surgery went off without a hitch.

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

Once I got my surgery date, I was impatient for the days to go by. I worked through my anxiety while I was going through the 6-mo. physician supervised weight loss program that my insurance company required.

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

With my only real co-morbidity being sleep apnea and not being on any prescription medications, my recovery was pretty quick. My BMI also was only barely high enough to qualify for the surgery (38.8), which I think made a difference in my recovery process. I did experience fatigue in the "soft proteins" stage due to not eating very much. Other people should expect to feel tired by late afternoon or early evening. "Head hunger" is also an issue. The surgery only deals with "body hunger" so the psychological "need" to eat is still there, even though it's often physically impossible to eat anything at all.

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

I was lucky -- the facility was 56 miles from my house, so I didn't have to fly in for the surgery or drive for hours and then book a hotel room. The one-hour commute each way did get a little old after a few months of monthly check-ups, but it didn't prevent me from getting the necessary aftercare.

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 had no problems at all with soft proteins from the start. Chicken was more "miss" than hit. Once I was cleared to eat anything, I noticed that initially I could only eat 2-3 bites of bread, and then I was stuffed! Same thing with pasta. Even now (1 yr. later) pasta can be a 2-3 bites meal, but I can eat a single slice of bread in one sitting (I don't allow myself any more than that). I love red meat, but it has to be properly marinated and cooked; otherwise, it sits like a rock in my pouch. Leftovers are still a little dicey, especially chicken

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

I have a desk job, so the most challenging part of my post-op routine was making sure I took care of myself. I had to work back into doing fairly easy housekeeping. Going up and down the stairs took more energy than I cared to admit. My activity level was low-normal, I would say.

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

Multi-vitamin, calcium plus D, B12 sublingual (weekly), B complex, biotin, fiber capsules, stool softener, flax seed oil

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?

Hair loss was the worst, especially during months 3-5 post op. I take biotin orally and used Nioxin shampoo for months afterward. I just stopped using the shampoo last week.

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

The time it took from when I finally made the decision to go for it to when I actually got it.

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

I just started going to a support group meeting twice a month at the local hospital less than a mile from my house. My husband insisted on this once he had his surgery, and now I'm glad I go too.

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

I have 5 inch-long scars across my upper abdomen. Now that I'm going to a tanning salon, the scars are not very noticeable at all. In fact, I expected much worse.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had 3-4 plateaus where my weight would stay the same for 2-3 weeks, but then I'd increase the intensity of my exercise program and the weight would continue to drop.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

As a woman, men either open doors for me now or hold them open long enough for me to also go through, when before they would only do so if I was literally right behind them. When I'm out shopping, I now get asked much more often if I need help with anything. I get much more eye contact now, more smiling and much friendlier service.