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

THE INTERNET AND I WAS EXCITED, FINALLY A WAY TO MODIFY MY BEHAVIOR!

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

MY INSURANCE APPROVED FAST, I HAD CIGNA PPO, I SHOWED JUST CAUSE TO BE ACCEPTED QUICKLY, MY HISTORY OF DIETING WAS FIERCE! ALSO MY DR'S WERE VERY BOLD! I HAD TO HAVE A SLEEP STUDY DONE AND MY DR SENT ME TO A PAULMANARY SPECIALIST BECAUSE I WAS A SMOKER AT THE TIME, I PASSED ALL TEST AND WAS TOLD TO QUIT SMOKING OR NO SURGERY, I HAVENT SMOKED IN ALMOST 9 YRS JANUARY 1ST 2008!

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

FIRST VISIT WAS INFORMATIVE, HE CLUED ME IN TO WHAT TO EXPECT AND THE SURGERY ITSELF AND HOW BAD IT WILL HURT AFTER, I HAD A VERY FORWARD DR AND APPRECIATED IT.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

MY BABY WAS 3 AT THE TIME AND ALL SHE WANTED TO DO IS PLAY, WELL I COULDNT WITHOUT GETTING OUT OF BREATH AND BEING EXAUSTED, HER LITTLE FACE WAS WORTH EVERY MOMENT OF PAIN I HAD AND SUGAR I CANT HAVE NOW TO BE ABLE TO GO SWIMMING WITH HER OR ROLLER BLADING AND SHE SHOWS ME OFF TO HER FRIENDS, THE PRIDE SHE HAS IN ME IS WORTH IT ALL.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

MY DR HELPED ME WITH THAT, HE SUGGESTED THE SAFEST RNY BYPASS.

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 WERENT DYING FROM HAVING SURGERY MY FEARS WERE DYING FROM NOT HAVING IT BECAUSE I WAS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. THE COMPLICATIONS ARE GOING TO BE THERE NO MATTER WHAT SURGERY YOU HAVE.

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 DIDNT TELL MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS AT FIRST BECAUSE THIS WAS MY DECISION AND I DIDNT CARE WHAT OTHERS THAUGHT, MY HUSBAND WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW THE REAL DEAL. NO I WOULDNT OF COMMUNICATED IT DIFFERENTLY ITS A PERSONAL CHOICE, MY HUBBY WAS AWESOME!!!! MY FRIENDS ONCE THEY FOUND OUT WERE OK, SOME NICE SOME NOT, SOME SAID I DID IT THE EASY WAY, LOL,BOY THEY WOULDNT LAST A DAY WITH MY STRICT DIET, THIS IS FAR FROM EASY,LOL!

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

I TOLD THEM I WAS HAVING SURGERY AND IT WAS PERSONAL, I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR 6 WEEKS. I HAD OPEN RNY SO I WAS VERY SORE AFTER FOR QUITE AWHILE, ALSO HAD TO LEARN TO EAT AGAIN, I HAD NO SOLIDS FOR 6 WEEKS SO I WAS QUITE WEAK WHEN I FIRST WENT BACK TO WORK, BUT BY MY 3RD MONTH I WAS GOOD.

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

MY STAY WAS GREAT THE STAFF WAS SO NICE, I WAS THER FOR 4 DAYS, A PILLOW IS A MUST PANTIES AND PADS FOR WOMEN, AND PATIENCE BECAUSE THE STAFF CANT HELP HOW YOU FEEL THERE THERE TO HELP YOU, LOL!

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

I HAD PMNONIA FROM SURGERY AND I HAD TO TAKE LIQUID AMOXICILLIAN TO CLEAR IT UP, I WASNT GETTING UP AND WALKING EVERY 4 HRS AT FIRST SO THAT IS A MUST AND YOU ARE TO TAKE DEEP BREATHES WHILE YOU HOLD A PILLOW TO YOUR INCISION LINE AND COUGH HARD, I TRYED TO NOT DO THAT BUT GOT MY BUTT UP AFTER I HAD PMNONIA!

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 EXCITED BUT SCARED . I JUST ATE, LOL. I WAS ON A MISSION TO EAT MY LAST EVERYTHING, LOL, THATS NOT GOOD!

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

I WAS VERY SORE, I HAD TO SLEEP IN A LAZY BOY CHAIR FOR 4 WEEKS, I COULDNT USE THE BATHROOM WITHOUT ASSISTANCE, MY HUSBAND HAD TO BATH ME EVERYDAY FOR 2 WEEKS, I COULDNT EVEN WIPE MY OWN TUSHI WITH OUT HELP,I ALSO COULDNT STAND UP STRAIT FOR 3 WEEKS BY WEEK 4 IT GETS BETTER.

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

I WENT 2 HRS AWAY, AND MY AFTER CARE WASNT AFFECTED NEGATIVELY AT ALL.

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.

THE FIRST 2 WEEKS CLEAR LIQUIDS, THE 3RD WEEK SMOOTH SUGAR FREE PUDDINGS AND YOGURTS NOSUGAR ADDED ICE CREAMS THAT WERE SMOOTH, THE 4TH WEEK ADDED COTTAGE CHEESE SOFT FOODS, MASHED POTATOED BLENDED FOODS, THE 5TH WEEK BLENDED FOODS, THE 6TH WEEK FORMED FOODS THAT WERE TOLERATED, IT HURT ME SO I TOOK IT EASY. NOW I EAT EVERY 3 HRS LOW FAT SUGARFREE OR NO SUGAR ADDED EVERYTHING, I DONT EAT PORK OR BEEF, I LIMIT MY JUICES AND MILK THE SUGAR IN THESE THINGS BOTHER ME. BUT I HAVE A VERY HEALTHY DIET NOT MUCH MEAT BUT LOTS OF BEANS AND VEGGIES, YOGURTS SUGARFREE PUDDINGS ETC......SALADS!

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

I WALKED EVERY 4 HRS AFTER SURGERY AND KEPT WALKING AFTER I HAD TO PUSH MYSELF AFTER I CAUGHT PNMONIA BUT I STILL WALK 30 MINUTES A DAY IF I DONT DO ANYTHING I DO WALK.

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

I TAKE A MULTI VITAMIN, 2 IRON PILLS A DAY, AND FIBER PILLS TO PROCESS THE IRON, I ALSO TAKE THE IRON WITH 100%ORANGE JUICE BECAUSE IT ABSORBES BETTER IF YOU TAKE IT WITH OJ

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 GET THEM ALL IF I EAT TO MUCH SUGAR NATURAL SUGAR TOO! IVE NEVER VOMITED MY BODY JUST WONT, GAS IS A BIG ISSUE FOR ME, I GET PAINFUL GAS SO GAS-X IS MY FRIEND AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT BUT GAS DROPS FOR BABIES RELIEVE IT FASTER,LOL. ITS PERSIST IF I EAT GASY FOODS, SO I JUST MAINTAIN IT.

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

THE WORST PART IS LEARNING HOW TO EAT AGAIN, EVERYTHING IS TRIAL AND ERROR TIL YOU GET THE HANG OF THINGS, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT SO THE EFFECTS ARENT THE SAME.

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

I HAVE THIS SITE, I TRYED A SUPPORT GROUP IN A HOSPITAL IN MY AREA BUT THE WOMEN WERE TO CATTY AND I DIDNT LIKE THAT, THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO FIND SOMEONE YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDS YOU AND YOU UNDERSTAND THEM.

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

MY SCAR IS BEAUTIFUL! I HAVE A PRETTY TAT ARROUND IT TO SHOW HOW PRETTY IT IS, IM PROUD OF MY SCAR! AS YOU CAN SEE IN MY PICS I HAVE A BIKINI TOP ON AND SHOW IT OFF, PEOPLE ASK AND I TELL THEM ITS MY LIFE LINE!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

EVERYONE PLATEAU'S ITS LIFE JUST CHANGE UP YOUR EATING PATTERNS THATS WHAT I DID, AND EXERCISE PATTERNS.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES, WHEN I WAS LARGE MEN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME NOW THAT IM SMALL THEY ALL WANT TO DATE ME, LOL. I JUST SMILE AND KEEP ON TRUCKIN, MY HUBBY LOVED ME BIG AND LOVES ME SMALL. I LOST ALOT OF FRIENDS DUE TO MY WEIGHT LOSS, WOMEN ARE SUCH BITCHES!!!!!!!!!! LMBO!