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

I first found out about the surgery from reports of Carnie Wilson and Al Roker. I then did some investigating on my own to see what the results were and what the sucess rates were for this type of sugery. I thought at first it was an extremely drastic thing to do and that I could never do that to myself.

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

I had a very enjoyable hospital stay. I was in the hospital a total of 4 days. The most important things I brought were body wash, for my sponge baths and deorderant. It smelled so good and ended up on my skin which lasted for several hours. I actually felt "clean". If you have long hair, anything to tye your hair up with. I didn't have my hair up the first few days and it took my 30 mins. to get all of the rats out of my hair. After that I just pulled it up and I didn't have any problems after that.

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

No

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

The first 2 weeks were ok. I had to have a swollow test done and was seen at the clinic twice. I was not able to eat anything soft until after the swollow test. I was feeling good. I had that spark and was excited about the future ahead of me. I really didn't have any anxiety until later on.

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

You are so tired. So just take your time doing anything. Do not lift anything at all at first. Have some one there who can help with the lifting. Eating is very slow and just takes time. I was only able to add certain foods at certain times in my recovery. It is so important to get your protein in and drink all of your water. Also NO snacking has been challenging but I have been able to stick with it, pretty much. I have been very strick with myself when it comes to what I can eat. I have a specific program and follow that to the "T"

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

3 miles

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

Things were pretty slow at first. At 10 days post-op I started my walking program. It is one that I do in the home with a DVD. I started at 1 mile and then at 4 weeks bumped it up to the 2 miles. I am continually doing my walking 5 days a week.

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

Multi-vitamin-2x a day Calcium chews-2x a day/tums 3x a day Iron-1x a day B complex compound-1x a week under tongue 50 grams of protein in Isopure a day-can be found at GNC

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 think that the vomiting after eating is the worst. I still have that at times. It all depends on what I eat, how fast, and if a chew good enough. I am 9 weeks out and I still get sick at times. I just let it happen and know next time to either go slower, chew better or not eat that for sometime.

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

The WAITING.

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

I have a support group that is mandatory for the 1st year that meets every month. I have made a few friends from that. I have the web sites that I go to for support and information as well. The staff at the center for weight reduction is also a very good support system for me. And of course my husband. He has been the BEST!!!! This is so helpful and important. Without those things in my life I think that I could go crazy.

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

My scare is 9" long from the bottom of my breast bone to the bottom of my belly button. I call it my zipper. It is still in the healing process and at this point I feel that it is looking really good. I put lotion on it 2 times a day thinking that will help with the healing. The scare is pretty much what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

About week 3-4 Ihad a plateau, which put me into a panic. After talking with the staff at the clinic, that seemed to be about normal for everyone at this point. Your body has to catch up with all of the changes that it is going through. You lose so fast at first that your body has to catch up with the loss. I then pushed myself to exercise more and that seemed to help.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really at this point yet. I am guesing in the future that could change