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

I've heard of bariatric surgery for many years. Initially, I thought, "How could someone mess with their body that way?" I thought people must be really weak to use methods like that. In my mind, the surgeries were comparable to liposuction -- for vanity.

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

Only one word of advice: do what is required of you, with NO shortcuts. I was told my insurer was one of the toughest from which to get approval for surgery, but it was not all that hard. I just did what they asked.

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

All of my pre-op visits seemed to go so fast. My advice would be to ask lots of questions and write everything down.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My mental and physical shortcomings had become so obvious to me. I knew I needed it to stop the slow march toward premature death.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

From the beginning, it seemed as though Roux-en-Y was the best choice currently available. They would be able to do it laparoscopically, and the results -- if I followed the proper regimen -- would be excellent.

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?

It's a calculated risk. My surgeon told me she had done 600 surgeries without anyone dying, and then looked me close in the eyes and told me she knew she would lose someone someday. But, again, my reasoning was that I would very likely be dead from weight-related issues in ten or fifteen years if I didn't do something now. At least I'd have a fighting chance with the surgery, and the surgery itself was only a 0.5% mortality risk (less, if you consider the success of my particular surgeon).

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 had one friend who was not immediately supportive. But, over time, she came to understand the futility of my weight-loss attempts and the value of this surgical risk toward prolonging and improving my life.

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

I've kept it, for the most part, secret from my employer. Since I have little work this time of year (having just had the surgery), it worked out perfectly.

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 three days and nights, one more than the average. It was as pleasant as one could expect. Sure, there were some pains, and the medication (morphine) was a little disorienting, but the overall experience was fine. I'd go through it again in a heartbeat. I really didn't need anything from home while I was there. I couldn't stay awake well enough to read anything. Television was nice, but I fell asleep quite a bit watching it.

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

Apparently my surgey was difficult. It took five hours, three more than "the usual." My surgeon qualified my surgery as one of the three most difficult surgeries she'd ever done (out of over 600). Still, she was able to complete it laparoscopically. Since I've been out of the operating room, there have been no complications. I've just healed.

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 had no anxiety until the few days before surgery. And on the day of surgery, I was nervous about it. I kept reminding myself that I was taking a calculated risk to save the rest of my life. I kept thinking about all the things in my life which would be improved afterwards.

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

Two weeks out, I am absolutely shocked at how good I feel. Aside from the weight-loss (I've lost more than two pounds a day thus far), I have marvelled that I could have undergone such a traumatic event on my body just fifteen days ago, and that I feel so good right now. I have some slight abdominal pain, which I connect to just over-stressing certain muscles while moving around, but other than that, the pain is gone. My incisions are healing quickly, I've had no nausea at all and I'm eating pretty comfortably. Oh, and I stopped all my pain medication within ten days post-op.

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

I traveled about 30 miles (45 minutes by car). The only difficulty I associated with the distance was the trip home from the hospital. The shaking of the car on bumpy roads was very hard to deal with -- I felt like all the contents of my abdomen were going to just shake lose. It hurt, regardless of the pain medication.

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've had very little trouble eating since the surgery. Most of the time, I've been very careful to follow my doctor's advice, however sometimes I've taken a chance on a couple of things (for example, I had a steak recently, which, until yesterday, was considered risky because of the fact that it's rather dry -- difficult to digest). Fish was probably the only thing that really gave me trouble, but that was mostly right after I switched from the soft-food phase in week 5.

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

It was rough for the first week, but I quickly improved. Were it not for the cold weather, I would have gotten out and walked quite a bit more. But, as the weather has improved, my activity level has improved with it.

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

A multivitamin, Vitamin C, B-12, Iron.

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?

Nausia is probably the only thing which affected me much, and that only when I ate too much. As I've relearned how to eat, I seldom over-eat anymore, which pretty much means things are pretty great. I might have had dumping syndrome: if I did, it wasn't (quite) as bad is it was made to sound by everyone I spoke to.

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

Days 1 through 7. The belly pain and inability to move around was really rough. Every day is better since then.

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

The scars are disappearing slowly. I had laproscopic surgery, so there are 5 little scars. Having a hairy belly is a big plus in this area! A year later and the scars are barely visible.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None yet!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

People have been supportive, and are constantly reminding me how much thinner I look. I don't know if I prefer this or to keep a lower profile, but that's pretty much how it's been going.