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

I've been aware of WLS for many years through traditional and Intenet media.

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

I self paid.

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

First visit was very positive. Make sure you have your questions ready and written out for discussion or you might forget to ask things. Be willing to discuss the various surgeries that are available. Your surgeon can help you understand the positive factors and negative factors of each type.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Leap of faith. And I didn't want to spend any more years struggling in a battle I'd already lost.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Discussion with surgeon highlighted the positive and negative aspects of each. The surgeon identified the best procedure and why based on our discussions and my history. My followup homework confirmed decision for VG.

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 didn't have strong fears about complications. My BMI while qualifying as MO, was only 40 and I am otherwise healthy plus the surgeon's history of complications and deaths being far below average lent me confidence.

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?

Quite honestly, I have not told my family or friends. I consider my medical information my own and didn't feel I needed anyone else's support or approval.

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

I took a week's vacation and didn't discuss the surgery much with my employer.

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

Bring the basics - simple reading material, robe, pj's, chapstick, lotion, other personal hygiene products.

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

No real complications so far - incision sites seem to be taking a while to heal tho.

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 didnt' feel any anxiety. I asked my surgeon to prescribe Ativan in advance, expecting to need it becase of past treatment for generalized anxiety but didn't really need it.

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

The first 3 weeks (so far) have been largely uneventful. I've been a little tired but otherwise fine. I just 3 weeks I already feel better than I did before the surgery.

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

About 3 miles - I live in San Francisco near the hospital and surgeon's practice.

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.

In the first two weeks I couldn't eat anything but thin liquids. After the two week point the surgeon said I could eat semi-solids and to just be careful and eat only a little to see how things go down. So far I haven't had problems with anything, even little bites of chicken in things like soups, etc. I have missed movie theatre popcorn the most and pastas wtih cream sauces. But even that I haven't missed much. My overall appetite has been manageable thanks to the fact, most likely, that the VG procedures reduces the appetite hormone, ghrelin that is secreted by the stomach.

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

Moderate - walking for first week, recumbent bike second week, and beginning gym workouts this week (3rd week)

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

Chewable multi-vitamin morning and night, chewable tums for calcium, and concentrated protein suppliment to ensure over 65 gm of protein daily.

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 have had no side effects since the surgery. I took anti-nausea (Reglan) a couple times because I thought nausea might be coming on though.

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

The hardest part of the process was, for me, admitting defeat in that I realized that no matter how much I wanted to lose weight, I was unlikely to succeed on my own and that WLS would probably offer me the best chance of getting to a normal weight and preventing things like diabetes, high blood pressure and the host of other problems that were just around the corner.

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

I'm using OH for support and not going to groups or counseling. For me this is probably not important.

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

The laproscopic incision sites are bigger than I thought they would be but still very manageable and very very worth it. Insignificant compared to the down sides of being MO.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I'm 3 weeks out today. Have plateaued for 3 days but lost 28 lbs before I stalled which has already left me feeling better than I did before the surgery.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really. I haven't lost enough weight yet. I have had a couple of people notice that I have been moving around better.