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

I had heard about it for years but never considered it as it seemed risky. My primary Dr reccommended it when my co-morbidities increased and he had other patients with successful results. He was very encouraging.

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

No problem at all, but my weight and HBP, asthma etc were severe. I also had BCBS.

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

It was a great meeting. I did lots of research first and actually considered an alternative surgeon /program first but we did not click. I kew what I was looking for: an expert with a n extensive history of performance and a supportive, caring team of professionals to assist and be there for me.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My concerns for my health and its affect on my ability to be there for my family. I also was hoping to look and feel better.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Research, research, research!

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 did not really have any fears because of the research I did and the choice of Dr and center. I was very careful to choose a center of excellence and a very experienced team with far better than average results. Go Tufts Medical!

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 family and friends were supportive but cautious. My Mom was concerned as I had had some difficult surgery a few years before. My husband attended many fo the pre op support groups with me and my family read infromation I gave them. A few peole indicated that I should just diet and excercise again, that surgery was drastic eetc but they soon were convinced I was making an informed choice.

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

I was fired! This was the most devastating thing. I was told it was comsmetci surgery and not aceptable.

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

Yes. very informative, particulalrly hearing form the previous patients.

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

I was only in the hospitl for the day of the surgery and one day after leaving the following morning. Most important ot bring were my ipod and my husband.

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

None at all

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 felt really good after the surgery, though managing the stage food and educating my family on my food needs was somewhat challenign. I wish I had done a little more prep on this ahead of time.

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

It really takes a lot of time and effort to manage your food intake, water and energy. Also writing down, dealing with the family and food is hard.

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

I traveld about 40 miin from home. This was fine.

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.

It has now been three years since my surgery and I still have quite a hight intolerance to high fat or sugar food, evenin small quantities. I would dump if eating these foods and still will so I avoid them.

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

After first quite low and slow but it increased over time.

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

I take a multi, calcium, e, d, magnesium and B 12

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 symptoms for me were dumping adn hair loss. The worst was dumping as it took em a while to figure out what would cause it. I realized I had to read labels very carefully for sugar and fat content and treat those amounts with great care. The limit suggested fo rsugar was no mor ethan 10-12 g per serving but I cann ony tolerate a much smaller amount. The hair loss was minimal but it has come back somewhat and it is fine now though i imaging it will never be as thick as it was.

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

The worst part was reevaluating my emotional involvement with food. In my support group we were aksed what we would replace the food in our life with? this was a great question and I wish I had spent more time figuring this out. It has taken awhile but I am getting there in replacing food

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

I am now 3 years out and have been seing an indiidual therapist for other issues as well as food/weight. The after support groups at Tufts were terrific and I go to the monthly groups still sometimes.

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

My scars are hardly visible at all.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I had a plateu at about 6-7 months and again at about 13 months and then tapered off at about 18 months but continued a slow loss since then.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People I have not seen in a while are amazed and my kids and husband, mother are thrilled. I have noticed much other differences.