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

I had friends that had it donesome good results some bad

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

I have Tricare and my surgeon's office took care of everything

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

Be truthful about what you eat and be truthful to yourself that you have a problem and need help

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My Health

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I talked to Dr Chung and we decided it would be best to have RNY

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?

Do exactly as your Dr tells you dont try to hurry the process of loseing weight it WILL come ( I didnt do as told and it just slowed everything down)

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?

very supportive and affraid that I would die

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

I got done work before the surgery

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

I was lucky i was in Lake Charles Womens and Childrens, LA many of the nurses on this unit had the surgery too so they understood exactly what I was going through I was there 2 days,, the most important thing to take to the hospital with you is a positive attitude and get up and move as soon as you wake up

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

I didnt rest and i lifted before i should of "DON'T DO THAT" so it took longer to heal

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 dieted and tryed to keep my anxiety down

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

to be sore,, to throw up as you learn how much you can eat,, don't think there will be NO pain there will be some but it is worth it

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

2 hours from my home My Primary Dr was able to take care of everything i needed done

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.

it has been 9 months since surgery I still can NOT eat meat, I learn every day what I can eat and some days I cant eat what I did the day before. I still have problems eatting and I am lactose intolerant so the protien shakes arent working either. I mostly eat vegtables and salads and still it is worthevery pound i have lost.

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

I was sore so i moved slow but as the days went on my activity increased

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

I take a one a day vitamin and Vit E,Folate. This helped stop the hair lose and made my skin not so dry

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?

9 months after and I still vomit if i eat too much I sleep better actually but then i had sleep apnea before ( not now) I hated the hair loss ( Vit E and Folate helped)

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

Waiting to have it done

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

I think it is important but due to the 2 hours trip i dont have a support program

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

pfffffffft !!! very little scare

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

there are ups where you lose weight then times you don't lose and that scares me Im so affraid of gaining it back

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes,, they treat me like im a person not someone that don't exisit