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

I got a flyer from the Bariatric Treatment Center in my Sunday newspaper. Then I found an article about Carnie Wilson and found the websites.

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

My insurance company seemed to lose my paperwork. I was being too patient and should have kept a closer contact and followup with them. Once I started calling and had my paperwork resent, it was not too long before they approved it.

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

I think he thought I was a "know-it-all" type since I was very informed and didn't really have very many questions for him. I should have taken my two inch notebook in with me when I went to my consultation.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was tired of yo-yoing for so many years. I knew I could lose some weight, but I was unable to keep it off dieting. The thing that always scared me was the fact that I would lost 30 and gain 40.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I spent three months reading everything I could get my hands on. I checked the American Bariatric Surgeons website, this website, and many many others. I spent at least 10 to 15 hours a week going from link to link reading and talking to various people.

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?

My biggest fear of course was dying during surgery. My second biggest was having complications and having to be off of work or worse stuck in a hospital with more surgerys needed. I weighed the odds of me being morbidly obese against the odds of dying during surgery. Surgery won out by a mile. I figure life is one big gamble anyway, so why not give a healthy happy life the best shot I could.

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 did not tell any of my friends or coworkers. I only told a few close family members before surgery. I have now told two other friends at work. I think I would have done it the same way. I didn't want the judgement of someone who was not informed. I have surrounded myself with a huge support group that provides me with the positive feedback that I need.

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

I did not tell my employer/supervisor why I was off of work. The only thing they know was that I was off due to surgery. I was only off 9 days.

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

My hospital stay was wonderful. My doctor keeps us in recovery for the first day/night. My surgery was as 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and I was in recovery until 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. I was in my hospital room all of Wednesday and was released around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. I would say the most important thing to me was that my husband was there to help me in and out of bed. That is what hurt. I didn't really take much at all to the hospital, but I did have a pillow for the ride home. I should have gotten some pain med before the trip home. I was in more pain from the ride home than I ever was in the hospital.

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

My blood pressure went down very low during surgery, but they were able to take care of it. I do have an infection in my left incision. My doctor put me in antibiotics and it started draining on its own. Currently it is still in the draining process. I just keep the bandages changed frequently.

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. I was somewhat nervous, but I kept myself very busy getting my home, yard and flowers ready so that I would not have to worry about them while I was recovering. If I had questions, I just asked someone in my support group and that made me feel better.

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

I mostly rested a lot. I believe that lots of naps are good for the healing process. The hardest part for me was the fact that I had to ask for help. You are not supposed to be lifting anything heavy, so I had to ask for help several times. I would say people should expect to rest and lay around most of the time and be sure to drink plenty of fluids.

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

My doctor and hospital are about one hour from my home. This does not affect my care.

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.

So far I have been following the plan/guidelines that my doctor gave me. I have been eating very soft foods. Lots of liquids and soup. I am now two weeks post-op and have been eating scrambled eggs, finely ground meat, a few crackers.

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

I made a car trip at one week post op and at nine days post op I went to the hospital support group meeting. Each day it gets better and better. I went back to work at 13 days post op.

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

I am taking two Flintstone chewables a day, and a weekly bilingual B12.

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?

So far I can say that I have not had any side effects. I have not had any nausia or vomiting. I guess the only problem that I can say that bothered me was not being able to sleep on my left side right after surgery. I am not a back sleeper, but I was able to sleep on my back just not for more than four hours.

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

I had my surgery Lap, so there was some gas issues right after surgery to get rid of. My stomach muscles being sore made it tough to get in and out of bed.

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

I am a member of a group called Dallasites (WWW.groups.yahoo.com/group.dallasites) and my doctor also has a hospital support group. They are EXTREMELY helpful and very important to me and my progress.

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

My scars are very thin lines. They mostly look like scratches. My doctor used glue to close them, so they look very nice.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have not had any yet. Hopefully I won't have any for a month or two.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not yet.