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

a friend of mine had the gastric a couple years ago and she recommended it,but loggins thought the lapband was best for me.

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

I have maine care.They denied it at first then Dr.Loggins wrote another letter and it came back in a couple days approved..I was so excited

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

it was very scary,but he made me very comfortable

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

wanted to be heathier,and feel better about myself

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

my doctor recommended it cause i had irritable bowels in the past and not good to have gastric with that past problem.It could make it worse.He was looking out for me

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 scared at first,but after meeting everyone at the center i felt alot better.they do the best they can

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 nervous and i have a couple sisters that were jealous and mad that maine care paid for it.There just afraid i'll be skinnier..lol

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

My supervisor supported my decision.I was only out of work for a month.

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

My stay went ok.Other than they didn't tell me i could press my pain button whenever i needed.I was in pain for over 24 hours but too afraid to bother anyone.I stayed in the hospital overnite

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

i got dehyrated about 2 weeks after.Ended up at the ER..scary

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

excited

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

very very sore...hard to get out of bed

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

i only lived about a mile or so from the hospital

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 couldn't eat corn,peanuts,popcorn.Now i can eat pretty much anything but the peanuts

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

didn't do much of anything for about a month

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

multi vitamin,protein drinks

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?

a little nausea,not bad at all

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

all the testing..but its only done for good reasons,just alot of them

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

none

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

yes,there not bad.I have 5 or 6

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i lost 13 the first week,and its been 7 months and only lost like 15.This week though i've lost almost that as i was sick with a cold and am trying to do things a little different.Its coming off faster now.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

no