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

My friend Ashley mentioned it to me about 1 1/2 years before I had the surgery. My response was - "What are you nuts, people die from the surgery!"

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

Let the place where you are having the surgery done deal with it. That is what they did at Hurley and it was not stressful at all.

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

I was so excited to be meeting with the surgeon. Make sure before your meeting find out as much as possible from the internet or other sources and write down every question that you can think of for them to answer.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had lost 30 lbs. in 1998 at Weight Watchers and gained it all back and was starting to gain more, so I had been considering finding out more info about the surgery. Then, we had our staff appreciation event in November and it included square dancing. I truly thought I was going to die. At that moment I knew I was no longer going to live like that.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I didn't really decide which procedure. I know in Ann Arbor and Flint they both do RNY.

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 fears were that I could die from a stroke or a heart attack just at 280 lbs. just as easily as I could from surgery. I truly beleive that when God is ready for me he will take me no matter what I am doing.

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 was very lucky that I had great support from everyone, all of my family, friends and co-workers. Some of my co-workers didn't agree with it, but they never tried to talk me out of it. They were especially great during my recovery.

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

My boss is a 58 year old male, and I dreaded having to tell him that I needed 6-8 weeks off for the surgery. When I told him, he was aware of the surgery and he said "Great, good for you". He has also been very supportive. I was out of work for five weeks.

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

My family, friends and co-workers. I love this web-site and when I feel that I need support I come here. Hurley has a great support system, but I find that it is mostly pre-op people that go.

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

It is healing nicely. It is about six inches long and getting smaller.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

none

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NO