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

My friend Sherri Tetmeyer had it done and encourged me to do the same. By the way she looks great now to.

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

I got approved very quickly with the help of my family Dr. BTC did all the legg work.

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

He was informational and explained it all it great detail I really had no questions after that visit.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The thought of being like every other average person. Plus knowing I would be around to see my kids grow and see there children.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I never had any other procdure in mind I knew that the bypass was right for me seems more permanate. No chances of a band slipping.

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 really never had any I was to excited about the out come. Of course I was nervous the day of but that feeling was eased when they told me to count backwards starting from 100.....I didn't get very far.

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?

All my family was very supportive. Especially my husband since he to had the procedure done. I let him go first that way I could help him with his recovery and then he could help me. We did it 1 month apart from each other.

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

I wa out of work for 3 weeks I had a sit down job so it was easy to go back sooner. But they would not have cared if I wanted to longer they were very supportive.

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

I was in for 4 days. All the nurses were awesome!!!!!! Mainly slippers that are comfortable and easy to put on because you do a lot of walking.

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

NO not 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 was so excited I had a count down after my husband had his the time for me flew because of me taking care of him but I was still very anxious.

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

My experience was not to hard on me the first few weeks at all I guess it helped that I had 3 c-sections before so I knew how the pain would be.

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

4 hours. It was a long trip but very well worth it.

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.

I don't eat bread at all, red meat is also really hard to eat it fils me up very fast and gets stuck sometime. Of course sugar is off limits. Sometimes now pasta and rice are even hard to take.

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

Very slow especially if I did not get in enough protein.

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

I only take a centrum vitamin evryday now. Once in awhile I take Pepcid and sometimes gas-x.

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?

For me it was the dumping syndrome not often only when I ate to fast or did not chew well enough but you learn very quickly.

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

The third and forth week during the pureed stage. Then learning the right soft foods to eat. Learning to eat again is also hard trying to find the right foods.

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

I really don't go to any support groups but my family and friends were awesome.

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

My scar is not bad at all. My Dr. lined it pretty much to a T with my c-section scar. It is a thin line.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

My worst one is now after it has been a year it is hard to take off the few more lbs you want to lose.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes sometimes. Of course men look at me differently even guys that have known me a long time. When they see me after not seeing me in years the always look and then look again to make sure it is really me. It feels cool. I sometimes want to say HA see me now.