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

My mom was doing some research about it and we found an add in the paper for OSS, so we went to a seminar

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

PATIENCE!!! In one word, that is what I have to tell you about insurace. I had to wait even longer than my mom because they thought it was a duplicate of her profile, so they threw mine away. They tried to get my case through as fast as they could once they figured out what they had done. I still have to say that patience has to be my number one word of advise for anyone going through this stage

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

My first visit was actually during the seminar, the doctor was there to answer any questions regarding anything that had to do with the surgery

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The awesome follow up program that the clinic that I went to had, I don't know if I would have decided to have the weight loss surgery as fast as I did if I didn't feel comfortable with the place that I was having it done through

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My insurance at the time only covered the gastric bypass, but I would have chosen that one to begin with. I don't think I have the will power to go through the lap-band.

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 actually did not have any fears. I admit I was a little nervous the morning of the surgery, but I kept telling myself, you have a higher risk of dying from obesity than you do from this surgery

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?

Most of my family and friends were very happy for me. There were a couple that said, well, if you actually dieted you wouldn't have to be doing this. But, for the most part, I had the full support from my family and friends. It also helped that my mom and I were having the surgery around the same time, we became our own little support group

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

I was out from work about 3 weeks. MY supervisor was very happy for me, I told her from the very beginning, right after the first seminar that I was planning on doing it, that way she had a very long time for preperation for me being gone for a couple of weeks

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

I was only at the hospital for one night. I can't stand being in hospitals, but my stay there was wonderful. The staff was very nice and understanding of what I was going through

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

The only minor complication that I had was that my largest incision took longer to heal than normal. It was more frustrating than anything else

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 was just excited that I was finally going to change my life. I didn't suffer from any anxiety

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

The first couple of days are hard. You definently need someone there to help you get up. You don't realize how much of your ab muscles you use to get up, and it does hurt. Walking around helps a lot, I would get up and walk for 10 or 15 minutes as often as I could. Sleeping was hard, I like to sleep on my stomach, and you can't do that for about 2-3 weeks after your surgery. And sneezing, oh that was the WORST, make sure you have a pillow with you to press against your stomach the first time you sneeze.

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

I live in the same city that my hospital is in. I only had to travel about 40 minutes to get there

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.

The first week it was all liquid diet. Sugar free jello and popsicles are what I survived on. Weeks 2-4 is a soft food diet that consists of sugar free pudding, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs and tuna fish. After the first month I was able to eat anything. I tried to eat normal foods, but somethings did not agree with me. Hot dogs and sausage I don't eat anymore, and any fried foods, I don't touch them because the grease that they are fried in upsets my stomach.

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

Everyday after surgery got better and better. The more walking I did, the better I felt. Most of my activity consisted of walking around the house. I did leave to house and do anything like that for about a week, and even after a week, it was very tiring to go out and run errands.

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

I take a muti vitamin everyday and get b-12 shots every other week

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 had a little bit of hair loss, but it has been coming back. Other than that, I didn't suffer from any side effects

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

I don't know if there was really a bad part. It was just so exciting to get to have the surgery. I guess the worst part is the day you leave the hospital because you don't get to have the really good pain killers that you are given in the hospital, but other than that, everything was not really that bad

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

There is a support group that meets the fist and third week of every month. I believe that this helped me A LOT. You get to talk to other people that have had the surgery and that are in different stages of their recovery.

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

I had my surgery done laproscopically. My largest scar is only about an inch long now. I am very pleased at the minimal amount of scars that I have

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I plateau every once in a while. But for the most part, all my weight loss has been pretty steady. When I would go through a plateau I would make sure to monitor what I was eating and my activity level. If I felt like I had slacked off I would remember that I needed to spend an extra five minutes working out or eat something that was a little healthier

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I would like to say no. But in all honesty, society does treat me a whole lot differently. I have lost some friends and gained new ones. I get looked at now, and not a "whoa, she is big" look, its more of a "wow, she's kinda cute" look now. I do find it upsetting that I get treated differently now, but I knew it would happen.