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

I first found out on July 3, 2001 from afriend who had just had it done 7 months before. My first thought was, oh my god, finally something that will work for me!!!

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

I did not have any problem, they approved one day later

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

It was great my doctor was able to answer my questions and if there was something that he was not positive on he refered me to the person that could answer it better. Make sure and research the topic and have questions, remember you are paying for their time, get the most out of it.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I would not admit it at the time of surgury , but nw i can, I was plain tired of being FAT and I wanted a better life for myself and my family. I had a doctor that was very knowledgable and very confident in the fact that this would work for me if I was willing to put in the effort.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My doctor decided that more than I did

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 feel like I jumped in feet first and i did not have any fears because I was not aware of all of them, my doctor had told me but I kind of let them just go by without thinking about it.

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 waas behind me 110% and they still are. They were more concerned about my health before I had the surgury.

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

I am a school teacher and i had the surgury done on August 7th and came to work on the first day of school on August 16th, I told my boss and she told me to take some time off if I needed, but mentally and physically, I think it was the best thing for me to jump back in, because sitting around I would have gotten bored and made myself worry.

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

Mine hospital stay was awesome, I had the most caring and delightful staff, they were very caring and understanding. I went in on a Tuesday afternoon at 1pm and was released on Friday at 11am. I love music so the best thing that I brought to the hospital was my cd player and cd's

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

NO

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

While I was in the hospital it was great, I mean I had pain, but I felt protected because I had professionals to tell me if anything was going wrong. But when i got home I started worrying about eating, drinking, the seepage from my incision, etc, etc.... My family was wonderful, but I felt for days like Ai had done the wrong thing and what a bad mom I was to do this beccause now I could't pick up my daughter for 3 - 4 weeks.

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

I was very emotional and very depressed. That is why I said that going back to work was the best thing for me, it got my mind off of feeling sorry for me and got it onto other things.

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

I went about an hour from my home to Grinnell Iowa, I still go back for all of my check ups.

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.

the first 2 weeks, I ate liquids or things pureed(cottage cheese, peas, chicken soup,etc) Then I started eating small the third week,(potatoes, cottage cheese, popsicles, pudding , chicken and stars soup) Everything sugar free of course. by 4 weeks, I was eating normal food, just remember to chew alot. I have not found many things i can not eat, I can tollerate about 7 grams of sugar in foods at one setting , but I can not do bread like on a hamburger, it fills me up to fast.

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

I walked everyday form the day after surgury, I average 1 -2 miles 4 - 5 times per week now and I think that is one of the main keys STAY ACTIVE aAND STAND UP STRAIGHT right after surgury, it helps later

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

I have to take one prenatal vitamin a day

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 haven't had much of any of these things, a little bit of vomitting when I would eat to fast and not chew enough, it was like it would get stuck in my esophogus and make me throw up.

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

Getting the IV put in and the feeling that I had done the wrong thing the first 2 weeks after surgury

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

I just get on internet and talk to people and i see my doctor regularly.

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

It is from my sternum to my belly button, a dark pink right now but it will fade in time. Yes it is what I expected, but I had a seepage point thhhre for instead of it being one narrow line, I have a spot about2 inches from my sternum that is a circle about the size of an eraser off a pencil. A little weird but it is okay

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am going through one right now and I am 12 weeks post op and I am havng the first time that the weight is not falling off of me, it has not stopped, but it has slowed, instead of losing 5 -7 pounds in one week, I lost 3 -4 I contributed it to the fact that I was only able to walk once last week because of rain.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not yet, but people do mention that I am looking better, I always want to ask them if I didn't look good before, but I have not been brave enough yet!