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

On TV, with the reality shows, but they always showed people who couldn't walk or had major health problems, I always thought I was too small to have the surgery and it was never attainable for me until I had some friends who had the surgery.

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

My Surgeon's office was fantastic with this, they helped me out a lot and that was a huge weight off my shoulders. I did what they asked and met their requirements and got approved first try

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

I took a list of questions from the Obesity Help website and chose the questions that were important to me. That helped a lot. I had a wonderful visit. I think you should be brutally honest with your Dr. If you lie, you are only cheating yourself out of your good health.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

i tried once again to lose weight on my own, I ate nothing but fruits and veggies and a little chicken and fish and in 2 months I lost 4 pounds, I knew it wasn't from a lack of me trying and I needed a kick start. My mind was finally int he right place and this is what I needed to do for me. Not for anyone else. Though my family would benefit from this too, I have two kids that I can now play with and I knew that would be a great benefit. My husband calls me the incredible shrinking woman and I feel more sexy than ever which is nice for him too. I watched my Father struggle my whole life with diabetes, sleep apnea, tinitis and many other back and leg problems and although I love him very much you shouldn't have to just make it through life, everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

For me it was as simple as, I don't like foreign objects in my body, so I chose to have the gastric bypass. Also there are a lot of follow up appointments with the lap-band and I just couldn't fit all that in to my family life schedule.

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?

My biggest fear was that something would happen during surgery, but I prayed before hand, that was my biggest calmer. what would I tell others?? If you are at the point where you need this surgery - if you don't have it, then you will be dead in a few years anyway. Are you truly LIVING int he condition you are in now? That is what I would tell others.

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 and friends were amazing, they were all supportive and knew that this was for me and that there would be no changing my mind anyway. They all encourage me and ask me how I am doing. I chose not to tell my husbands family until it was about 2 weeks before, and they were fine with it.

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

N/A - stay at home Mom

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

As much as a hospital experience can be enjoyable after major surgery, mine was just that. The hospital was great, the staff was great, the Surgeon was fantastic. I had my surgery at 8am and was released the next afternoon. The only thing I took was a book or something to do, also you will want some good slippers or grippy socks. I also took a small bag with a pen and some paper in it. I am really into scrapbooking and wanted to jot down my room number and names of techs and things, the bag was for memorabilia, I know it sounds silly, but I asked them to keep certain things that they could, like the mouth swabs and things. They were totally cool about it.

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

I have had, to this day, no problems at all. I have never gotten sick, thrown up, or anything 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?

I did have anxiety before my surgery, but my husband was so supportive and my friends were fantastic that all I needed was my support team behind me and I knew I could do it. I was so excited that it was actually happening and it went by so quickly I really didn't have too much of a chance to get cold feet about it. I knew it was what I needed to do.

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

I felt tired and weak, simply from not eating, but I felt full quickly. I was sore the first couple of days, but I never finished the meds they gave me to take home. You should be prepared to walk as soon as you are done with surgery and even more when you get home. You will be weak for a while and as you start to add soft foods and things, you should take it slow and try one food at a time. When they say chew slowly and for a long time, they mean it. That is the only time I felt bad was when I ate too fast or didn't chew my food enough.

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

I live in Pennsylvania and travelled to maryland, it is probably about an hour or so from my house, so it wasn't bad, but It was a bumpy ride home, so I leaned my chair back and relaxes. I don't think it affected anything for me.

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.

Protein shakes were the first thing I could have and they went down fine. Then I started on soft foods. I put protein powder in soup and yogurt and I ate scrambled eggs and things like that. I could only eat one egg and then sometimes couldn't finish it. The protein powder was okay, but now I try to find other ways to get my protein. I don't like cakes and cookies and things like that as much anymore, I eat only the sugar free ones, but I think I have only had a couple of bites of cake since my surgery. I don't have any problems with sugar, which actually isn't a good thing, but I still stay away from it as much as possible. It took me a long time to eat bread and I usually keep it toasted as it goes down easier. My body doesn't process pasta well and the taste is no longer desirable for me. I do like salads and fresh fruit a lot more and I find myself eating more fish than I have in the past. I read labels and make wise choices and take one food at a time. Ice cream REALLY doesn't go down well, sugar free or not, it makes me feel ill. At 8 months out I tried a 6 inch sub, it didn't make me sick, but I couldn't finish it eaither. Bread and carbs fill me up too quickly. I eat protein bars and fruit for breakfast and I like them, tuna and salad for my mid day meals, meat and veggies for dinner and fruit and some cheese for after dinner snack. That has been consistent for several months now

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

to start off with in the hospital it was up and down the hall way. When I came home it was to the end of my street and back every day a few times a day. Then when I was no longer in pain, I slowly increased up and around through the neighborhood, at 6 months I was walking for 30 minutes and doing sit ups and arm exercises, at 8 months I am jogging/running for 20-25mins 3-4 times a week, I also do sit ups and leg and arm exercises 3 times a week, I would like to continue the running and get up to an hour.

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

I follow the Dr's requirements to the letter. I take biotin and Iron in the morning every other day I take a B-12 sublingual then 4 hours later I take a chewable multivitamin and a calcium chew then 2 hours later I take another of the same above then 2 hours later I take another calcium chew then 4 hours later I take another iron.

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 had none of these problems except for the hair loss. I started taking the biotin about 2 months before my surgery so that helped a lot and it didn't get too bad, but in order for it to not look so bad I did cut my hair up to ears. It thinned out a lot, but I think it was only noticable to me. That started about 2 1/2 months about and slowed down around 6 or 7 months, I am not sure if it has actually stopped.

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

Although it was worth it, it would be all the tests pre-surgery

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

My surgeons office has one that I fully intended to go to, but home changes has made it too hard for me to attend

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

I have 6 small pink lines on my stomach. i had laparascopic surgery so you can hardly tell. they are about 5mm long.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Any time I hit a plateau I up my exercise and review my food choices.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

no not really, I chose a long time ago to only surround myself with people who liked me for me. Guys look at me more and people don't seem to mind me looking in clothing stores for normal size people.