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

My doctor suggested it. I did not want to go through with it until it got to a point that my body had just shut down and nothing I was doing was helping. I was getting sicker and sicker. I could hardly move anymore.

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

My fist meeting was very detailed. I wanted to know everything and he answered my questions, every last one of them. When going for this first meeting make sure that you have done the research before hand so that you know the questions that are needed to ask.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was going to die if I kept going the way I was.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My doctor helped me to deciede which procedure was right for me.

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 had every fear, but I just looked at it like if I did not do it I was not going to be around to see my children grow up.

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 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 the hospital for 5 days and after that I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get out! It was driving me nuts.

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

I did get a staph infection, but other than that nothing 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 very excited, but I just wanted to get it over with. I was ready.

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

My first few days home I was very uncomfortable. They should make sure to have plenty of help in the first week or so. I wouldn't have been able to do it if it had not been for my husband.

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 try to eat things that are low in fats and that are not sweet. Breads are hard to eat and meats, but I try to eat small amounts still. I try to stay at with a healthy way of living. I eat alot of salads, they just taste so good. I have to make sure that I keep something in my stomach at all times.

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

I had energy right away! I felt like a new life and body had been given to me!

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

I take daily vitamins and I take B12 vitamins. I also drink slim fast for the vitamins in that.

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 am having alot of hair loss, but I read that when your body goes through such a rapid change, your body tends to react like that. It will slow down and eventually stop.

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

The pain that I had afterward.

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

None

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

It is very long, but very narrow. It doesn't bother me at all.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, now that I am not so over weight, people actually have stopped starying at me all the time. They will actually talk to me.