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

I was working at Pitt Co Memorial Hospital in Greenville,NC when they were doing trial runs with it at East Carolina School of Medicine. I checked into it then but the cost was more than I could afford and insurance didn't cover anything.

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

Get as much history wtih your Dr as possible and get a medical need letter to take with you to the weight Dr...........and pray

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

Very good meeting........i had already done alot of research so I knew what I wanted to ask............

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Divorce........and having a 5 yr old daugther that I was going to be around to see her grow up................

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Research............Dr's wife died in NC from the staples busting and infection setting in and killing her......so being as safe as possible and getting results too.........made the choice for me

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?

No fears........

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?

Family was behind me all the way.............very supportive.

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

only missed one day from work.........and kinda kept it quite till the day I needed to ask for time off........and then after surgery they started noticing the difference............

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

23 hr patient..........very nice hospital...........

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

None...........all went very well

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

had about a month to wait......and it was at the holidays.........go figure.....LOL

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

Had to learn to sleep in my back for a short period.......LOL

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

150 miles...........one way

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.

First week.......was on liquid diet.....then to yogart......then to eggs.....then to grits........soft foods............................you could tell how much you could eat........no measuring.............you get full...you stop.......

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

I work as a Deputy Sheriff.........back to fighting the bad guys.....LOL......no really.......secound week back got into a fight.......no problems

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

Slim-fast every morning.......good breakfast, but vitamins you get from it are very good, protien too..............and take chewable kids vitamins too.....................

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?

Not any side effects really..........just learning how to eat and what to eat.........

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

That damn gas they put in you.......talking about pain. When it goes to working it's way out......that was the worse pain I had out of the whole thing...............

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

small scars........five of them

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Some..........