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

just heard talk then my sister & niece had the surgery so i thought about then had it

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

i am on medicare & iguess they figured by losing wieght i would save money on medicine & stuff.had no problem with medicare at all.

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

was ok everybody was nice stayed 3 days because of other health problems

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

none

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

anxious but ready to go

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

more emotional than i thought i ever could be. learned a lot about foods icould eat

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

35 miles no problems

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.

no breakfast or bread ate less &less. have to watch yourself on addictions such as achohol easy to get started

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

not much at first then picked up a lot

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

all the recomended

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?

been over 2 yrs still have nausea with a lot of foods problems really just remember what does it to me. dumping you figure that out pretty quick. problems figure them out deal with them.

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

don't really know waiting to get out of hospital i guess

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

none

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

can't hardly see no scars now

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

losing over 150 lbs

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes seems like i'm more appealing now