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

NO WAY !!!!!!!!! Uh uh!! Not me ever!!! but as i realized in how much physical pain i started to get in i started researching and actually meeting people who had it. It wasn't a want anymore...it was a need.

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

I waited a month, on the 3rd week they told me that they needed proof of previous diets....faxed it to them....got approved week later.

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

I go on in 2 weeks

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My knees, my ankles, my back, my feet, my dad, my breathing.....i can keep on and on....

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

definitely the laporscopic because i would not be able to deal with that scar running down my stomach, i'm 21 and once all this weight is gone i'm going to wear a very tiny BIKINI someday!!!

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 am not afraid of dying, but i am afraid of being left with alife long complication. Then i met a very nice guy on here that told me ...."and your not afraid of the lifelong complications associated with morbid obesity.....do you even want to see 25???" Then i realized how absolutely right he was! I am still nervous but I think of all the problems i already do have, and how much more i have waiting for me if this continues.

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 parents are the ones that put this idea in my head. They are the best!! As of now no one else knows because i KNOW they will be against it, and i really dont want to hear any negativity right now.

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 3 1/2 days. The first night wasnt that good because my mom wasnt allowed to stay with me and i was all by myself. After that we got a private room and my mom stayed with me and everything was much easier.

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

No complications!! :)

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

Honestly, i ate and ate and ate. I decided I was going to eat everything i wasnt going to be able to eat for a long time. I gained 10 lbs due to that.

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

Well those first weeks werent the best. It was my first time with any surgery and i honestly thought it was going to be easier. I was a little soar but my incisions DIDN'T hurt! The most painful part of the whole thing was the GTUBE. I hated that thing. It was really painful and would burn. As for the food, i hated PUREED anything! It ws just horrible, so i decided that i was going to just chew the food as good i can and did it like that for the first 10 days, otherwise i wasnt eating. I had ZERO energy and wanted to sleep all day long (believe me that WON'T last!!!) My water intake was terrible, i was barely getting 8 ounces of it in...so i had to drink broth a lot more then i wanted to.

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

My doctor is about 30-45 minutes from me. But even if i had to drive hours i would. I LOVE my doctor and think that he is awesome.

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 am on a 100% protein diet. NO SODAS ever (even though i flatten them out and drink them), No CARBS, No FRUITS, No VEGATABLES, No MILK..... The first couple of days i CRAVED it all...and the commercials on TV didnt help....as the days past i cared for them less and less...What i have been doing is that if i REALLY want something, like a french fry, i take one and savor it like it was my last meal ever.....this has helped me with my cravings soo much...Even though that what i am always craving is FRUITS...not carbs, but FRUITS!

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

Until recently my activity levels have been very low. I wasnt doing any exercise and the bit that i was getting was from walking at work all over the place.

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

I take potassium (yuk!), Multi- vitamin, Vit C and B, CoQ10, Iron and calcium.

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 have had nothing like that except food gets stuck occasionally if i eat to quickly and then i throw up...No hair loss yet (fingers crossed!) I dont DUMP, i have tried some things with (very little) surgar and have felt normal. Not a good thing!

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

The G-Tube honestly and the fact that my tastes have changed and water tastes really bad now.

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

My doctor has meetings that i can go to and that YOU can go to also. They are very helpful. Their website: http://usbariatric.com/

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

I have 7 TINY scratches on my belly. I have gone to the beach a lot and the salt water has helped them heal a great deal.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Didnt lose anything this past week, which was really bumming me out, but i finally broke it this morning and am down 2 more lbs...

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES!! I get MUCH more attention from guys! I am fixing myself up and walk into places like i own them!