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

I had ta;ked to a few people who had lost a tremendous amout of weight and found out that they has gastric bypass surgery, I was so excited I called a surgeon I had read an article about in the paper the next day, then i went to a support group and met one of his associates and i am having my surgery done by him, on 3/31/05

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

It was fairly easy, minor complication, I was denied at first becasue they did not know I was diabetic

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

Wonderful, and very informative! I researched alot online first and had a list of questions all of which he answered for me

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I did not want to suffer with diabetes anymore

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

A support group which described them all

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 was nervous, butI knew I needed to have it done, or I would suffer w/obesity, and diabetes the rest of my life

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?

I only told a few people, all of which supported me

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

It's my mom actually and she is supportive

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

The stay was fine, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, I had alot of pain in my back from an old injury I stayed 3 days in the hospital, I could have stayed another night, but I just wanted to go home! I suggest bringing your own toothbrush, and a robe

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

NOPE

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 excited, I think I over ate to compensate for not being able to eat what I want post op

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

10 Min.

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.

after returning to foods i had trouble eating salmon which i love, also i had trouble w/swordfish, now 2 months post op i try'd salmon last week and didn't have any problems

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

for the first 2 weeks i didn't do much of anything, i had alot of back pain from a previous accident, now 2 months post op i am feeling great i have started riding my bike again, and going for long walks

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

i take centrum chewables, bioten, tums ex for calcium, and b12

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 didn't have any of the symptoms listed i did however have major back pain for a month after sugery which stemmed from a previous accident

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

so far so good! no complaints!

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

i go to meetings at the hospital 2 times a month, they have been extremely helpful w/answering questions and knowing i am not alone

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

i have 4 little incision sights, not bad at all

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

i have plateaued a couple of times once for almost 2 weeks

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

men seem to be noticing me again lol