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

I first new about the surgery through my cousin who had this done about 20-25 years ago. I started researching it about a year and a half before actually having the surgery. I found this site by surfing the web and got all the information I needed to further my research and hook up with my present surgeon. Again,I researched this fully asked alot of questions to people who already had the surgery, have had other surgeriesin the past, and have doctors in my family which helped assure me of the procedure.

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

i was at St. Peter's Medical Center in New Brunswick,NJ for about 4 days. They treated me well. Though the floor was under staffed the nurses did there best to help the patients. I was pretty self sufficient as I had little to no pain after surgery and I was up and walking before I knew it. I just brought a few toiletries, and some shorts and a change of clothes to go home in. Mostly I was comfortable wearing the hosptial gowns.

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

No complications intially. I developed gastritis about 4 weeks out and was put on anti-inflamatories and it went away. At 8 weeks I developed Gallstones and at 10 weeks had my gallbladder removed also at St.Peter's Medical Center in New Brunswick,NJ. I was relieved to have my gallbladder out as I have been pain free since.

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 had to deal with alot of nausea and vomitting but I knew it was par for the course. I didn't start having any doubts about keeping weight off until around 4 months when I was able to eat more. I learned to cope and I am still learning by talking to others in the support group. This is truly something you can't do alone. We need to find at least 1-2 other people we can trust and talk to about our WLS journey.

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

I belong to OSSG online support group for Dr.ANdrei and Dr.Brolins patients. It is truly wonderful as when I needed alot of support postops and preops alike were always there to lend an ear and now that I am an experienced post op I am able to give back to new post ops and preops alike and it is very rewarding. I also attend a once a month support meeting at St.Peter's Medical Center in New Brunswick for Dr.Brolin and Andrei's patients. here we discuss surgical techniques, have testimonials, get to meet the faces to the emails we share daily and it is very rewarding. We are also developing a seperate group for experienced post ops to discuss more intense emotional issues that occur during the recovery process. This will be very informative and useful to succeed at Weight loss.

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

I had Laprascopic RYN so I have about 6-7 small cut like marks along my abdomen. I also had my galbladder out laprascopically so I have a fe wadditional scars from that operation. Yes basically. The scar was the worst of my concerns.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had several plateus were by I didn't lose any weight for several weeks. it was frustrating whereby i wanted to give up but again with the support of the group and discussing my feelings i found that by increasing my water intake and excersing more I was able to start losing the weight again.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

A little. they are very happy for me but I believe my close friends and family always treated me with respect they were just very worried about my health. i think I can see things clearer now then before