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

Research, scared

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

be paiteint get your stuff done asap

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

do reserach and have questions

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

the need to feel better

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

time constraints on out time opted for lap band

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?

Was afraid at all when lloking at the alternatives 55 yrs old 250 pounds overweight and just waiting for the first heart attack

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?

Wife and youngest Daughter very supportive, this was done for me first selfish thing I have even done for myself

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

out 3 weeks, could have cared less how they felt

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

Very Glad Great perosn doing the meeting

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

Excellent stay, just overnite. Staff attitude excellent. Privacy

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

they kept me longer due to a 3 seconf pause in breathing had it not been for that would have been kick first thing am. Bitched and moaned till after 8 hours they had a doctor see me my surgeons hands were tied at this point

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

Hurried date was set for less then two weeks, no anxiety just relief

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

Very tired i normally walked like 90 minutes daily was hard to do 20.Take it easy do not rush it and enjoy the down time from work

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

45 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.

Everything, kinda hard to keep things down at first iw as very careful eggs, cheese, broth, processed tune salad, ham salad, egg salad at first.Into seafood kick now for some reason

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

days after walked daily but limited time, was very hard at first. with more timne was able to start walking more to what was pre op time about 90 minutes, since then have joined a gym and workout daily for two hours. usually 15 minutes on treadmill then do 2 sets of 25 reps on leg curl, leg press, ab machine and torso twist then back for another 15 minutes on treadmill and another go at machines I try to get a 1000 calorie burn from the treadmaill and 4-15 minute sets do that the machines are more to tone body up

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

doctor precribed I buy them through their office

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?

nausea, at different times unable to keep some foods down, hard to find suitable meals to maintain protein count

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

nausea

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

Surgeon offers monthly meetings but due to time and work schedules have not been able to attend

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

Minimal biggest one is like two to three inches, YES

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

none

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, people who know me are excited about it, others who do know but that i have not tld are amazed