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

A co-worker had the surgery years before & was talking about it. Then another co-worker started talking about getting the Lap-Band.

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

I was lucky. When all was said & told, It only took about 3 months from when I went to the informational meeting at my surgeon's office and had the surgery. Granted I had a surgery date & no approval up to 3 days before my surgery.

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

Very imformative. I went in with a typed up list of questions & he answered everything one by one & completely. Very patient.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Me!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I didn't want to have to keep going back to get "fill ups." I wanted to be done!

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?

None - went in with lots of faith in my doctor!

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?

My husband was very supportive as was my mother in law, sister in law & sister. My mom was terrified!

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

I didn't tell them until after - it wasn't their business to know before.

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

My stay was pretty good. The nurse's were wonderful. I refused the pain drugs (I was totally nuts). The worst part was I got my period on the second night of my hospital stay REALLY BADLY & when I rang for a nurse, I got a male nurse - EMBARRASSING!!!!

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

The only complication I have is that my scar is off center & almost looks like keloids (my doctor says it's not).

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 get nervous until the night before. Then I almost lost it when I was in the hospital the morning of the surgery & I was waiting to go in. I laid there and screamed in my head - WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?

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

First week was awful. Couldn't lay down, my butt hurt from sitting, hurt like hell when I coughed. Second week was better.

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

Next town over (10 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.

Right now I have problems eating chicken - for some reason it tastes old to me. We went out to eat a couple of weeks ago & without thinking I had some of those tortilla chips then I wasn't able to eat dinner. By the time I got home, I thought I was having a heart attack. It lasted about 20 minutes.

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

Right after I walked around my house every hour for 10 minutes. After a week I began walking outside for about 10 minutes. Increased 10 minutes every week. Until it got too cold to walk outside. Began aerobics videos 3 times a week & weights & ab work 2 times a week.

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

Multivitamin, Calcium, Biotin, Iron.

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 on a daily basis. Sleep in 1-2 hour increments. I only wash my hair once a week because it's scary to see all that hair in the tub.

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

Hair loss & sleep deprivation.

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

I just went to my first support group meeting at my surgeon's office. It was great. With people 3 months to 5 years out. Very open & informational.

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

NO!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None so far.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Well, people are shocked when they see me now if they haven't seen me in a while. I still can't believe it - I still think I'm the fat girl. My husband keeps telling me stop thinking like that. It's hard though.