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

I was referred by a doctor to this site annd my impression of it was very intense. It is very informative, helpful, friendly and a great support for me.

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

Do a lot of research on the subject, buy or checkout books, go on the internet and chat with the post-ops and get their point of view, some sites will show a video of how the surgery will be done and others help you out with getting you started with letters or gives you info on what types of things you'll be eating.

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

I didn't get to actually meet the surgeon until the day of the surgery, but I met with his asst., and he was very helpful with answering all my questions that I had ready for the surgeon. Be prepared for whatever you want to ask and try to have answered.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was tired of living in a large body that couldn't do anything fun in life, but watch it slip away. I wanted my life back!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I went with the open rny, because (1)I was 240 pounds over my ideal weight, (2)The insurance that I had only did open procedures that I was aware of, and (3)out of all of them I like the rny the best.

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?

I would tell a person that is getting ready to have surgery that it is better to have tried and died than rather die not trying and die fat. I had one of my pastors come to the hospital and pray before I went to have the surgery and I came out just fine.

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?

Everyone was scared for me because of the "dying on the table" thing, but once I came home and started the whole losing process they couldn't believe it.

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

I'm a housewife/disabled and this was covered on my husbands insurance.

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

My stay in Good Sam was for 3 days and in the book that I bought and all the info that I read tells you to bring a lot of stuff. In my opinion, you can; but I think the hospitals provide enough stuff for you while you're in there.

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

I didn't have any complications at all to todays date of 3/12/02 and I'm hoping that I'll continue not to.

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 really upset because I was denied twice, but I dealt with it by not backing down with the insurance company.

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

depending on what list your surgeon gave you for your diet and the size of your new pouch, you should be intaking about 2ozs of yogurts, sugarfree puddings, sugarfree jello, egg whites, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, stuff like that. You'll also feel tired and your energy level will be down and depending on the type of surgery you had and your pain tolerance level you might still be sore in the stomach. So you need to take it slow, take your walks after each meal, and try to drink plenty of water.

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

A few miles

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.

you're not suppose to have any carbonated drinks at all, no red meats for the first 6months, or gum

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

As the days grew into months and my pain went away, my energy level went up as well as my activity level.

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

Flinstones multi-vitamins(during the first 2 months I took 4 a day, and now I take 2).

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?

the side effects(nausia & dumping) are the hardest. The nausia only lasted a few days after I got home from surgery, and the dumping only happens when I eat the wrong foods which happens even if I didn't have the surgery.

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

waiting for my approval for the surgery from the insurance company

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

I come to Obesityhelp.com for my support from time to time to chat with my peers since I'm not able to go to any other type of groups. It has been very helpful to me and my journey and I recommend it to anyone that cannot get to a regular support group.

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

my scar is about 6-8" long and at 6 months it is now at a light pink color and pretty much level with my body. As for being what I expected in a scar? Yes, because this is what my surgeon explained to me.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I feel at 6 months I might have begun my first one since surgery. I'm at 278 and for the past week I've been fluxuating back and forth between 278 and 277.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, I've lost a total of 127 pounds and have been getting whistled at, yelled at about how beatiful I am and most of these people are strangers. The people I do know keep telling me that I'm changing all the time.