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

My family doctor. Interested, but scared to death of having surgery and a permanent implant. Also very skeptical of whether it would work or not.

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

Stay on it and always check back I was told that insurances are changing all the time and are more willing now to pay for the surgery because it is life changing and in the long run saving money and if insurance does not pay for it, if you can afford it look into financing it or even financial aid. It is worth it you can not put a price on your life and health and not only longer life, but a happy life :)

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

It was awesome I had the best surgeon very caring and informative gave me plenty of information and also answered all my questions even thought some of them were silly concerns he answered them as if they were important and valid. Don't be afraid to ask any questions you may have. Do lots of research and write your questions down so you don't forget them.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Progressive health issues and an excellent surgeon and staff who were very good about giving me all the information I needed to make a good and sound decision.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Went to the seminars where they spoke about all the different procedures and I also researched it on line

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 did have fleeting fears, but reminded myself I was already suffering from complications and slowly dying the only difference between living with the disease of obesity and surgery was not having the surgery I was dying a slow and miserable life, I felt my chances of survival were better having the surgery and I could live a happy and healthy life. Think about it what are the biggest complications of surgery they are blood clots or death and being morbidly obese carry the same risk.

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?

I had one sister who was scared for me going under anesthesia and she begged me not to do it. Which I explained to her the fact of how miserable my life was and how bad my health was and she was OK of course there is that normal amount of fear, but if you lay it all out on the line and give them details they seem to get it. My family was very supportive they even tried to eat healthier to encourage and not temped me :)

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

Well my doctor told me if all goes well I can go back to work within a week, so that is what I told my employer and as far as telling my employer about my decision, I did the same with my employer that I did with my family I explained the details of my complications being morbidly obese and he was very understanding and supportive and I had surgery on a Wed and the following Monday I was back to work. however I would not recommend that I would give your self a little more time I felt I should have waited till at least the following Wed, but my co-workers were very understanding of my walking every 45 minutes and were very helpful so it was not too bad.

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

I was very glad I attended that was where I made my final decision and was then sure I wanted to go through with it

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

I had surgery at 7:30am and was at the Walmart at 11am and home before noon

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

The only complications I had was my own fault I had a mouse run under my chair and I pulled my feet up off the floor and at the same time tried to hold myself up from falling back in the chair and pulled something and had some pain in the port site, which only lasted about 7 days which I then used the pain medicine and slept in a recliner.

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 felt awesome the weight was coming off everyone was noticing and I could breathe. I never had any anxiety the staff and surgeon at the hospital I went to gave me so much education the little things that did occur like the gas in the shoulder when it came I walked it off and knew it was normal.

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

The protein was extremely hard to get in. Drinking liquids was not bad because you do not have an appetite. I would have to say counting the protein and trying to get it all in was difficult.

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

I only traveled about 20 minutes from my house.

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.

About the 3rd day I was eating yogurt and puddings then about the 4 and 5th day I could have cottage cheese, applesauce etc.. after 2 weeks I could add fish. and I think the 4th week I could add turkey and chicken and 8 weeks I could introduce red meats. I never had any issues tolerating any of them I just took small bites, chewed it up fine and ate small amounts. Which was very easy being that you do not have an appetite about the first 2-3 weeks. Absolutely no sodas they are very gassy and I was told the gas can stretch the pouch so I don't even risk that there are plenty of non-carbonated drinks out there, white breads are off limits for me the white breads then and still does get stuck. Mutli Grain and whole wheat crackers and toast are very tolerable the white breads seem to get gummy when chewing them and have a tendency to stick.

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

I was up walking the day of. I walked a lot every 45 minutes I got up and walked for 10-15 minutes for several weeks and then because I had a desk job I would get up every hour and walk for 10 minutes was not able to lift anything over 25lbs. No problem walking never had any pain actually felt good to get up and move around.

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

I take a Bariatric Multi vitamin twice a day and 10,000units of a Bariatric vitamin D once a day and also Actigall once a day for 6 months to avoid gall stones.

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 one small bout of nausea which lasted about 20-30 minutes and it went away on its own. They said it was probably from all the protein you have to take and then adding the new food on top of it, so they told me to not eat or drink anything for the rest of the night. I never experienced any of the the other side effects and I have always had thinning hair and actually after my surgery my hair stopped falling out for several weeks :)

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

All the time and test to get clearance since I had a leaking valve I had to get clearance from a cardiologist and had to go through many test and also the waiting for the office to get all the insurance stuff in order

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

My family is a big support and friends who have had the surgery being on line with obesity help and My Lap Band and most important the support groups

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

Nothing what I expected they are like cat scratches I have one larger one maybe an inch if that and two tiny ones the size of a pinky nail I was really impressed and happy when I saw them

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Well I lost my job, had a car accident and totaled my car and got in a bad habit of stress eating with bad food choices I have gained about 5 pounds and have now lost it again, now trying to get it under control again.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes everyone is noticing the weight loss and just goes on and on about how good I look and how proud they are of me :)