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

I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT THREW MY DOCTOR AND I WAS A LITTLE SCARED

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

I HAD NO PROBLEM I ACTUALLY GOT AN APPROVAL IN TWO DAYS I HAVE HIP AND I HAVE HAD THEM FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS AND THEY ARE THE BEST

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

MY FIRST VISIT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND ONCE I SAT DOWN WITH MY DR I WAS SO COMFORTABLE AND THEY HAD SUPPORT GROUPS WITH PATIENTS WHO HAD THE PROCEDURE DONE ALREADY AND PATIENTS WHO WERE WAITING TO HAVE THE PROCEDURE EVERYONE SHARED THEIR STORIES AND ASKED ANY QUESTIONS IT WAS VERY COMFORTING TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SPEAK WITH MANY PEPLE PRIOR TO THE PROCEDURE I MUST SAY I EAS WELL INFORMED WHEN I WENT IN AND THAT I OWE TO THE ENTIRE TEAM AT FOREST HILLS HOSPITAL

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I WAS 34 YRS WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MY COLESTEROL WAS 300 AND I WAS ON HE ROAD TO DESTRUCTION REALLY FAST.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I SPOKE TO MY DOCTORS AND THEY ADVISED ME BASED ON MY NEEDS AND IT WAS PRETTY MUCH EASY BECAUSE I KNEW THE CHANCES OF ME HAVING TO GO BACK INTO SURGERY WERE ALOT LESS SO I DECIDED TO DO THE FULL GBP

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?

NONE ........A POSITIVE MIND IS ALL YOU NEED AND FAITH IN GOD

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?

MY THEN LIVE IN BOYFRIEND AND NOW HUSBAND DID NOT WANT AND MY FAMILY WERE NOT TO SUPPORTIVE BUT I DID WHAT I HAD TO AND WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR ME......

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

I SIMPLY TOLD THEM I WAS GOING FOR SURGERY DID NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFO I CALLED OUT THE DAY BEFORE MY PROCEDURE THEN I TOLD THEM I HAD AN EMERGENCY OPERATION AND THEY WERE FINE WITH THAT AND I RETURNED AFTER 8 WEEKS

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

THE STAFF WAS GREAT AND I STAYED FOR 3 DAYS AND U REALLY DONT NEED MUCH JUST THEE BASICS

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

NONE EVERYTHING WENT EXACTLY AS I WAS TOLD IT WAS

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 LIKE A LITTLE GIRL WAITING FOR CRISTMAS TO COME

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

IT WAS VERY HARD AND YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS AND THAT IS WHEN YOU NEED ALL THE SUPPORT YOU CAN GET IT IS VERY STRESSFUL BUT IT WAS WORTH IT.....

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

I WAS VERY CLOSE TO HOME LIKE TWENTY MIN AWAY

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

VERY LIMITED AND GRADUALLY I REGAINED THE STRENGTH TO GET THREW A COMPLETE DAY

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

IRON AND MULTI VITAMIN

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?

HAIR LOSS WAS MINIMAL DUMPING HAPPENED ONLY ONCE I NEVER HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING AND I ONLY VOMITED WHEN I ATE TOO MUCH KNOWINGLY AND JUST WANTED TOO BE GREEDY AND OF COURSE THATS HOW YOU LEARN WHAT YOUR BODY IS NOT GOING TO TOLERATE ANYMORE AND OF COURSE IF YOU DONT CHEW YOUR FOOD WELL OTHER THAN I HAVE HAD A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH MY GBP SURGERY

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

MY WORST PART HONESTLY IS THE LOOSE SKIN THE RECONSTRUCTION PART IT IS SO EXPENSIVE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ME SAD AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD NOT BE IMPORTANT TO ME BEFORE BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR IS VERY HARD AND SAD......THIS IS THE WORST PART FOR ME...SORRY IF I SOUND SELFISH

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

MY WONDERFUL SURGEONS CAME ALONG WITH A GREAT TEAM AND THAT TEAM CONSIST OF A NUTRITIONIST WHO IS AVAILABLE AT ANYTIME I NEEDED AND THEY HAVE SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS ONCE A MONTH AND I THINK THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET INFO

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

I WAS VERY SURPRISED AT THE SCARING AND IT WAS A LITTLE HARD TO SEE AT FIRST BUT AS I WENT LOOSING WEIGHT I WAS SO HAPPY. THE SCARE DIDDNT EVEN MATTER AND IT REALLY WASNT THAT BAD BUT WHEN I HAD MY TUMMY TUCK DONE THEY REOPENED THE SCARE AND REDID IT AND NOW YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOOK HARD TO TELL I EVEN HAVE A SCAR

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

WELL I STOPPED LOOSING WEIGHT AT 10 MONTHS

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

PEOPLE DO TREAT YOU DIFFERENT AND I SURELY TURNED ALOT OF HEADS