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

I first found out about it years ago. I never condsidered myself a candidate because I thought "yeah I am overweight, but I am no that big". Looking back now I realize that yes, I was that big. It is called DENIAL.

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

I knew that my insurance policy covered the surgery as long as you met the requirements of having a BMI over 40 and/or other health related issues due to your weight. It took less than 2 weeks to be approved, it was much easier than I thought it was going to be.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

For years I debated on it, and researched on it, and I was afraid to do the bypass because people died and and dumping syndrome, but when I heard about the band, I got excited and just knew that was the surgery I had been looking for.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I went to the seminar that talked about the difference between bypass and the band. At that point I was leaning towards bypass because I wanted rapid results. I didnt want to take a year to get to my goal i wanted it in 6 months. but after hearing all the details of the band I just knew that even though the weight loss would be slower it was going to be worth it.

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?

Everyone has fears, there is no way or nothing anyone can say to completly take the fear away. All i have to say is if i could go back in time, and was given the choice to do this again, I would in a heartbeat. The benefits far outweigh the risks.

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

My stay was ok. My surgery was delayed a couple of hours and my family was waiting for me worried not knowing what was going on, but other than that everything was fine. I spent 1 night in the hospital and had a room to myself, which was awesome. I brought books with me, but I was there for such a short time, plus you just dont feel up to reading after the surgery. I was so groggy and out of it, i just wanted to sleep and rest.

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

I didn't have any complications with the surgery, however, about 2 months after surgery I went to get my first band fill and we discovered the port had flipped over. We aren't sure how this happened, but I went back in to outpatient services about 2 weeks later and had the port flipped back over. The doctor said it was free floating and that is what caused it to flip. I only missed 1 day of work for that procedure.

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 incredibly hard. I wasnt quite prepared for that. I had never in my life been on a liquid diet and that carnation diet was really hard for me. I had a lot of confusion at first on what i was feeling in my body. I couldnt tell if i was having hunger pains or something else. My stomache constantly growled and watching tv was hard because of all the food commercials they show. When you aren't able to eat, everything looks delicious.

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

I was suprised when I got home from the hospital I jumped up eagerly on the scales to see how much I had lost from 2 days of not eating. To my dismay I had gained 5 lbs. I know this is from the fluids from my IV but what a setback that was to me. It depressed me!!!! Of course that 5 lbs was gone in a matter of days and the weight started coming off. I remember being discouraged at what I could eat, and feeling hungry often. I was suprised to see that I could hold a lot more than 2-4 oz of food and that worried me. To be honest that still kind of confuses me and I am three months out now. It is really weird how that works.

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

Not far at all. my house is about 25 miles from the hospital.

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.

I was on a liquid diet for the first 2 weeks. Carnation Instant Breakfast 4 times a day with full liquids in between meals. I had a lot of sugar free popsicles and chicken broth. I tried sugar free gelatin but that was a painful thing for me personally. The next 2 weeks was a lot of soft foods. I had a lot of mashed potatoe's and soups during that time. The next 2 weeks were more soft meats like tuna fish and chicken in a can. After the first 6 weeks i was able to be on a normal diet as far the texture of foods. Everything new I ate was trial and error. Salads do very well for me. Breads are out of the picture especially since I had my band filled.

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

low activity for the first 2 weeks. I was ready to go back to work after 5 days. I couldnt believe the recovery time.

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

I take chewable vitamins.

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

I have wondeful friends who support my surgery. The biggest person who has helped me with all this is my sister. She has been there to answer questions and tell me it will all be okay.

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

I have 5 small scars. 3 of the 5 scars are so little they are more like dots. My bigges scar is maybe 2 inches long and the next biggest one is maybe 1/2 inch. They healed quite nicely. they are still dark in color but with time i know they will fade.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I haven't truly plateaud yet. I have a week where i will only lose a pound which gets discouraging but so far i have made up with a big weight loss the following week.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Definatly. I am treated so much better. Maybe it is just that I pay more attention now since I am not hiding trying to blend in with the crowd, but I feel like I am respected more by clients and complete strangers.