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

A friend at work had the gastric sleeve done

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

no problem at all-was approved and in surgery before I could blink

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

Wonderfully supportive staff

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Needed to do something to prolong life and better life conditions

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Go for broke!!

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?

dying-not coming out of the anesthetic...need supportive family and hospital staff

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?

most were very supportive. had one sister who came down on the idea, but simply ignored her. everyone but her has been extremely supportive, though somewhat at a loss as to what to fix for dinners when i come over!!!

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

I work in Behavioral health, so all were very supportive

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

Went very well. Was in for two nights and anxious to get home. Walked, walked, walked. The most important things to bring are books and pictures of loved ones.

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

No complications

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

Scared and apprehensive. Very teary all the time. Talked with support people.

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

Felt pretty good. Was slow for a couple of weeks. Most people didn't expect anything from me.

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

About 30 miles...did not affect aftercare

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 haven't tried anything with sugar in it cause am afraid to dump!!! I also refuse to go back to where I was. Have a problem with beef, but tolerate ground turkey very well. Don't eat a lot of veggies, which I miss, cause they tend to cause a lot of gas.

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

Gradually increased

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

Daily vitamins, daily calcium and daily B12.

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?

The only side effect that I may have is an internal hernia which is being investigated now.

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

Hospital stay-only because I prefer to be at home!!

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

Relocated to AZ and have attended Dr. Schlesinger's support group...very helpful and important

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

Five tiny scars (four incisional and one tube)

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Had a weight plateau from January to April. With Dr. Schlesinger's advise, increased my protein and fluid and am beginning to lose again :-)

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No