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

I had heard about the surgery and toyed with the idea for many years. I let my family talk me out of surgery a couple of years ago and I am sorry that I let them. I was afraid and cautious but desperate

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

I had a relatively easy time with surgery. You need to have a dr. that is solidly on your side that will fight for you and you need to document everything.

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

It was fairly quick. Do your homework. Go in with a list of questions that you want answers to. Find someone that has had the surgery and talk to them. Don't be intimidated by your dr. He is not god. He is human just like you. Most important do your homework. To to anyone that you can learn from

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The depression and my physical problems getting worse

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

No choice. There was only one dr who did the surgery and he only did open surgery.

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 had some really strong fears. But I had decided that at that point I would have rather been dead than fat one more day.

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?

SOme were supportive and others not. I have a sister that won't talk to me because of all of this. I didn't tell anyone until it was over. I didn't want people to talk me out of it. Most people have been supportive after the fact.

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

I don't work

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

4 days. Bring your pillows, slippers, bathrobe and comfortable pj's. A good book.

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

pain and nausea. Ask for your meds

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

anxious. keep busy and talk to some one you trust about your feelings

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

take it easy get plenty of sleep. but move

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

5 minutes

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 bad nausea and vomiting for a year. I ate cottage cheese, jello, yougart and broth and they didn't always stay down. I permanently have given up soda, icecream and most meats. I wish I had never started back with the chocolate and pastries.

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

very low and painful

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

i tried but I couldn't do the vitamins. I did occassional protein bars

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?

nausea and vomiting were horrid I suffered for a year with it and then it just disappeared over night. hair loss was tough because I didn't have much to start with. It did get better after I stabilized for 3 months but I am still thin. Periods were heavier after surgery.

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

the nausea and vomiting. But there wasn't anything that would have kept me from having the surgery.

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

I am in an online support group through yahoo. I personally think that anyone that has this surgery should go through therapy to deal with the demons of why we eat and are overweight. Being really fat is NOT about the food. You must deal with the eatting or this will not be successful.

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

it is better than i expected. Faded fast. midline and about a foot long

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i have had a few plateau's. I would not drop anything for a couple of weeks and then boom i would drop 10lbs overnight. Hang in there. keep drinking fluid and moving. don't get discouraged. it gets better

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Absolutely. It use to be that strangers would ignore you and avoid you. Like if they stood too close they would catch your obesity. Now people will crowd me. I get a little clusterphobic. Men treat you differently. That is tough but nice. I haven't changed on the inside. I am still the same person and I have problem with people treating me different. I wish I could articulate it. But I now know that everyone goes through this and it is normal to feel this way. In some ways. I felt sexier when I was heavier. Go figure. Anyone needing help with this email me. We will talk