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

i was not sure about it at first, but the more i learned the more i was liking it....

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

I have only good things to say about this end of it, My papers were faxed to the insurance company on friday and i got my approval phone call the following monday.....

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

Dr. Thomas was very nice, he was not sure if i could be approved because my bmi was not quite high enough, I did have high blood pressure and high cholesteral. Keep anything you have on weightloss things that you have tried. I had my weight watchers papers and the dates and types of diet pills that i had tried. it made it alot easier to get my approval.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

the way i felt and the way i looked

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The people i knew that have had wls, had rny, i never even thought about any other kind

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?

My main fear was not waking up from being put to sleep, i knew in my heart that all would be ok but you just never know for sure. I think the fears were normal but in this day and time, hardley anyone does not wake up.

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?

GREAT, GREAT AND GREAT, I could not have asked for a more supportive family, before during and after

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

They were fine with it, I think they knew i would eventually do it. I just told them that i would be out for surgery and told them what kind. I went back to work 1 day short of 2 weeks from surgery. I did not stay all day but i stayed until lunch.

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

The worst part of the surgery was my hospital stay. I did not feel like they were trained in this type of surgery. I went in on Tuesday and I came home on Saturday.

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

none at all

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 a hard time sleeping. I felt ok during the day but i could not get comfortable at night. My doctor told me to get Simply Sleep by tylenol, it worked and I started feeling better.

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

You will think you feel good but you really dont. I thought I could do the housework and the laundry but I actually needed more rest than i thought i did.

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

I had my surgery in the same town that i live in

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 hated the clear liquid stage, I was wanting to chew sosososo bad. I finally had to chew some meat and spit it out just to satisfy the need. I have been able to eat what ever i want, the only thing that has made me sick is Arby's roast beef sandwich. I only ate the meat off of it but i was sick at my stomach within 3 minutes of eating it. i did not throw up but man did i feel bad.

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

i did not have much strength the first week or so, but each week i started having more and doing more. I went shopping the second week home. I went to a movie the first weekend after surgery. I think that the quicker you get up and do the normal things the sooner you will feel better.

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

carnation instant breakfast and one a day vit.

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?

so far i have had none of these

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

the barium test after surgery checking for leaks and the hospital stay

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

none so far

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

big and red, it looks real bad. I thought it would be shorter.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

none

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

i just get alot of complements