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

I FOUND OBESITYHELP.COM FROM A YAHOO SEARCH. I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS FOR ME AT FIRST.I WAS SCARED AND SKEPTICAL.

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

WOW! I WAS APPROVED REALLY QUICK,2 WEEKS BEFORE MY SURGERY! I SUGGEST THAT ANYBODY WHO HAS MEDICAID(HMO) TO GO FOR IT,IT'S WORTH IT-YOU'RE WORTH IT!!!!!!

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

I WAS EXTREMELY NERVOUS.THE GOOD THING'S THAT YOU MEET A GROUP OF OTHER PEOPLE GOING THE SAME THING.LIKE ME,YOU SHOULD ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

MY HEALTH

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH ONE WAS BETTER FOR ME.NOR DID I KNOW THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF GASTRIC BYPASS.BUT,TALKING WITH DR.KINI,HE HELPED ME CHOOSE AND I FELT BETTER.THEY GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE,YOU DON'T FIND THAT IN EVERY HOSPITAL.

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?

GOOD QUESTION.I FELT OVERWHELMED BECAUSE THIS WAS MY LIFE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S HANDS.I HAD WORRIES BEYOND WORRIES AND STRESS BEYOND STRESS.OF COURSE I WAS TRULY WORRIED IF I WOULD WAKE UP OR NOT,BUT I PRAYED LIKE CRAZY!

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 DIDN'T BELIEVE I WOULD DO IT. THEY'RE JEALOUS NOW! LOL THEY'RE MORE SUPPORTIVE NOW THAN THEY WERE THEN.

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

PROUD THAT I DID IT.

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

MY STAY WAS COMFORTABLE.A NURSE CAME IN TO SEE ME AND HAD ME LAUGHING.AND ALTHOUGH I WAS IN PAIN,I APPRECIATE HER DOING THAT.I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 3 DAYS TOTAL-COUNTING THE DAY OF THE OPERATION AND THEN THEY KEEP YOU FOR 2 DAYS.

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

THE ONLY COMPLICATION I HAD WAS NOT BEING ABLE TO HOLD ANYTHING DOWN,I KEPT THROWING UP.AND HAVING TO KEEP TAKING PAIN PILLS.NOW,I HAVE NO PROBLEM EATING OR HOLDING ANYTHING DOWN.AT THE TIME DEALING WITH THE PAIN WASN'T THAT BAD,IT MOSTLY HURT WHEN I COUGHED.

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 DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO PREPARE BECAUSE IT WAS RUSH ED.(BECAUSE OF MEDICAID)BUT FOR THE MOST PART,I WAS BEYOND NERVOUS,MY ANXIETY WAS THROUGH THE ROOF.BUT AS CRAZY AS IT MAY HAVE BEEN,I WAS ALSO EXITED & WORRIED AT THE SAME TIME.

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

PAIN-ALMOST GONE.EATING OK BUT STILL THROWING UP A LITTLE.USING THE BATHROOM WASN'T THE SAME AT FIRST.NOT BAD,EXCEPT I WAS JUST MAKING WATER.YOU DON'T LOSE WEIGHT RIGHT AWAY-BUT WHEN YOU DO,IT'S BEAUTIFUL!

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

I DIDN'T HAVE FAR TO TRAVEL,JUST FROM ONE BOROUGH TO THE NEXT.IT'S GOOD TO HAVE SOMEBODY WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THIS-I DID AND IT MADE EVERYTHING BETTER.

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.

WOW,LOL.I COULD STILL EAT BAKED FOODS.LIKE CHICKEN AND FISH.I COULD EAT YOGURT,FRUITS DEFINANTLY VEGETABLES EXCEPT CORN BECAUSE OF THE ACID.IF YOU'RE A SODA DRINKER,YOU CAN ONLY DRINK IT IF IT'S FLAT AND DIET.WHAT I DID-BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS LOVED AND DRANK JUICE,THAT'S WHAT I SWITCHED TO.I HAVE TO TELL YOU,I TRIED TO DRINK REGULAR SODA AND MY STOMACH HAD A BURNING FEELING.I LOVE RICE KRISPIES,THE ONE WITH THE STRAWBERRIES IN IT.I LOVE IT BECAUSE YOU CAN EAT IT WITHOUT HAVING TO ADD SUGAR.I DIDN'T HAVE A TASTE FOR BREAD,CAKE,DOUGHNUTS,RICE,CHIPS I ADMIT IT WAS DIFFERENT FOR ME.BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY,IT'S ALL WORTH IT!

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

IT WAS LIKE I NEVER HAD SURGERY!I WAS EVERYHERE DOING EVERYTHING,I FELT AND STILL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

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

I TAKE CENTRUM VITAMINS.

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?

THE ONLY SIDE AFFECTS I HAD WERE NAUSEA AND OR THROWING UP.NO HAIR LOSS OR SLEEP DISTURBANCES.THE NAUSEA/VOMITING DOESN'T LAST LONG AT ALL.

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

I WOULDN'T SAY IT WAS THE WORST,BUT I'VE GOTTEN REALLY SMALL.SMALL LIKE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE BEING THAT SMALL.I'M VERY HAPPY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT NOW,I'VE PICKED UP A LITTLE WEIGHT. SO I'M LOOKING AND FEELING SEXY,COMFORTABLE AND EXTREMELY PROUD OF MYSELF!!!

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

I DON'T HAVE AFTERCARE NOR AM I IN A PROGRAM FOR IT.

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

MY SCARS AREN'T BAD-USE COCOA BUTTER. NO IT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL IS THAT MY STOMACH WASN'T OPENED UP FOR THE SURGERY,IT WAS DONE MICROSCOPEDLY.WHICH MEANS THE DOCTOR'S MADE SMALL INCISIONS(SOMETHING LIKE PAPER CUTS) TO GET THE JOB DONE.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

NONE THAT I CAN RECALL.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

DEFINANTLY! THEY LOOK AT YOU AS IF IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME SEEING YOU,IT'S WEIRD AND AMAZING AT THE SAME TIME!!!