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

Carnie Wilson. At first I thought it was crazy and dangerous. Then in 2004 I started looking into it because I felt I had run out of choices and my weight was ballooning.

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

I have UnitedHealthCare and it was so smooth and fast it was scary. I met all of their criteria which helped a lot. I had been seeing my physician for years for my weight, had been on medication for it and even went to a nutritionist. Nothing was working and it was all documented. That's the most important thing in insurance approval, DOCUMENTATION!

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

Think of all the questions you have and write them on paper and then bring the paper with you and ask the surgeon. I love my surgeon. I asked him every question I could think of and every visit I had more and he was willing to answer everything truthfully.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My husband and I went on a cruise for out 10th anniversary. The plane ride was horrible because I almost didn't fit in the seats and while on the cruise there were excursions we couldn't take because of my weight. It was horrible, I was embarrassed and I had to do something.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I researched all the different surgeries and then talked with my physician.

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 was totally afraid that I was going to die from a clot. I had been smoking for years, was obese, and was on birth control. I stopped smoking 2 months before my surgery but I was still afraid. I'm still afraid today and for that reason I will never smoke another cigarette a day in my life. I am on birth control for PCOS so I'm already at risk. I would say that if you are not afraid, this surgery is not for you. This is a serious procedure and people do die from complications from it.

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 had so much support from my family members. Everyone in my family knew how unhappy I was and they were concerned but happy for me. I didn't listen to anyone who couldn't be supportive. That's the last thing an obese person needs in their life, more unsupportive people.

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

I was only out of work for 2 weeks and my supervisor was very cool about it. There had been other people at my job that had already had gastric by-pass so it wasn't really unknown to anyone I worked with.

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

My hospital stay was a blur. I was there for 3 days. The most important things to bring are robe, comfortable pajamas, warm socks, slippers, lip balm, and lotion for hand or foot rubbing. Also, I refused morphine and looking back I think maybe I should have had it for at least the first 24 hours after waking up from recovery. I survived but it might have been a little easier with heavier drugs.

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

The only real complications I had were my gall bladder which came out 8 months after surgery. It just happened to be the day before Thanksgiving. I also developed an ulcer in my stomach. That sucks. It comes and goes but I take Protonix for it and it helps a lot.

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 so anxious, excited, scared, confused, ..... you name it, I felt it. This is a life altering decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. Once the surgery is done, there's no going back. There are some days, when I'm dumping, that I wish I hadn't had surgery. This surgery changes so much of your life. I coped by talking to friends and my hubby. Oh, my surgeon too. I think talking really helps.

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

The first few weeks are pure hell!!!! If anyone says any differently, they are full of crap! I have a high tolerance for pain and I was in a lot of pain. Enough that I ended up taking what pain medication was prescribed for me. Your core muscles have been cut through and you don't realize how much you use your abs until they are injured. But!!!! Once the pain starts to subside, life it so good. Especially when the weight starts to fly off. It makes the first few weeks of misery worth every moment! Also, there are a lot of emotional things that go on. I grieved for my loss of food. I was really moody and I didn't feel like I could control it. Try not to let it get to you too much. Everyone goes through some sort of emotional break down. You've just had a major change in your life and it's a tough adjustment. Give yourself time and remember that it gets better every day. One day you'll wake up and forget that you've even had surgery. That was the best day of my new life!

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

I had surgery in the town next to mine which is about 10 miles away. It didn't have any affect on my aftercare because I was so close to my surgeon.

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 week I was on clear liquids. Second week full liquids. Third week soft foods. Fourth week full proteins. Carbs weren't introduced until a few months later. I can no longer eat ice cream, muffins, donuts, milkshakes, crackers, dry cereal, bagels, sugar free candy, red vines, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes, waffles, any syrups, milk, some pastas, almost all fast food, most sugars and carbs make me dump if I eat too many and it is horrible!!!! My tolerance to foods gets worse the further out I get. But it's the bad foods that I can't tolerate anymore so much so I'm not bummed about it. I think my biggest complaint is that in the morning I can't eat because I dump no matter what I eat. I usually have water and some coffee then a few hours later I'll eat some nuts or something.

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

LOW!!!! Slowly week after week I could walk further, felt more active and of course now I feel like I can do anything. I can even run now without running out of breath. How AWESOME is that!!!

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

I have to get a B-12 shot every month, 2 types of thyroid medication every day, multi and calcium supplement every day. It's important to get all the supplements you can. Listen to your physician! Keep up on blood work. It's a good indicator of how well your body is doing.

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?

Dumping has been the worse. Some days I can eat cheese and be just fine, other days I dump 5 minutes after eating it. I just live with it. I lost quite a bit of hair in the beginning but it's all grown back and I'm so happy for it!

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

Getting weighed every time I saw my surgeon. I hate scales now and very rarely get on them. Well, compared to what I use to do. It use to be daily. Now it's maybe once every two weeks. The process its self wasn't that bad. I had an excellent surgeon and I think that makes all the difference in the world.

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

My surgeon has a support group that meets once a month. It was so important for me in the beginning. I needed to hear that I wasn't alone in what I was going through after surgery. Now, I don't go as often because I'm always so busy. I do, however, believe that support group is so important to the healing process. For the physical self and the mental self.

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

My scars are tiny and the only one that is really visible, my plastic surgeon said he can make it my new belly button when i get my tummy tuck. I have 5 small scars from the bariatric surgery and then 2 from my gall bladder surgery. It was better than I thought it was going to be.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

The only plateau I've really experienced is the one I'm on now that I have been on for a year. I think that if I want to lose any more weight I'm actually going to have to work at it. I'm mostly happy with where I am. I am a 10/12 and I can do all the things I wanted to do when I was obese. That's what is important to me.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I hate how differently people treat me. I'm still me and I sometimes forget that I'm not obese. People feel free to rip on obese people around me and of course I have to put them in their place. I don't like that the salespeople are suddenly nicer to me and that over all people treat me better. It's total crap that obese peolpe get treated with less respect.