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

My personal care Dr. had it done and was very successful and I wanted to feel that way too and be able to wear new in-style clothing and too feel good about myself would be amazing.

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

My insurance didn't cover it. PERIOD

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

I only had one pre-op visit with my surgoen and his team. I had researched them and their medical background and schooling and felt comfortable with it. Make sure and ask any questions you might have no matter how stupid you think they are, it is your body and your life. Make sure and ask if the Dr. has any reccomendations to any supplements or meal replacements for your post op diet and meals futher on down the road.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was done...with being fat.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Lap-Band because it was the least invasive and looked least painful to recover from. Least amount of recovery time and it was totally removable if need be due to the fact no part of my stomach or intestines was cut apart or removed. My surgeon also told me there wouldnt be many excess scars because he could use most of my gallbladder removal surgery scars to go through...

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?

I didn't even think about it...honestly I weighed my options because if I didn't stop what I was doing, which was killing myself slowly, I would die anyway.

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 family is supportive of me in what I do and so they wanted to help me anyway they could. I didn't tell many friends until after surgery, just said I was going on a trip. My family and friends have been my biggest support for me in the fact that my parents take me back and forth to my Dr. for fills and checkups and my friends go to the gym and work out with me.

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

At the time of surgery I was a college student and had my surgery done over summer.

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

I stayed overnight in the hospital and was released the next morning. I actually sleep which is rare in a hospital I had no pain while I was there that was the thing they were most cautious about. Something important to have a small cough pillow-to hold to your side when you need to cough because it hurts if you dont have pressure against it.

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

No complications until about 4-5 yrs after surgery and I'm currently trying to fix what is wrong. I recieved trauma to my side (being hit) and it made my port come undone from my side.

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

It was quick which made me excited I didnt have to wait for ever, I think the longer the wait I would've become more anxious. I was excited and started thinking about some of my old clothes in my closet that I could fit into and what kinds of things I would be able to wear or do after my weight-loss.

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

Some soreness, and severe hunger pains (LOL) you have to go long amounts of time without food and can only have liquid things which don't honestly fill you up.

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

From Oklahoma to TJ Mexico, we stayed another night after I got out of the hospital before we flew back home, honestly the pain was almost gone and I was ready to get back and start my journey loosing weight.

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.

In the weeks following surgery-nothing to eat an all liquid diet so your stoma could get used to the restriction from the band. Months after- soft foods and trying to eat all protein to keep full. Foods off limit-things like bread that ball up and can get "stuck" in the band.

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

Your activity level can go up the more after surgery you are...you just have to remember not to do heavy lifting even years after surgery it poses a risk to your port.

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

protein powders added to things I drank. I also took a weight management 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?

Getting "stuck" is the worst side effect for me. You eat something and don't chew it well enough and it goes down but can't go through so it has to come back up. It IS NOT throwing up-your food has never touched your stomach because it couldn't get through the band.

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

The fact that it is a slow and long process...I do well and lose quickly for a while and then it slows back and will only lose a few pounds and then once I get a fill I will start losing better again. The band is only a tool it doesn't do the losing for you-you have to work and do it for yourself.

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

The only thing that my surgeon has is a yahoo group that you can become a member of and contact and talk with others that have had the surger with him. He also has a bash every summer when the patients can come back together to show their success with the surgery. I wish there were more people in my area that had any type of WLS so we could have our own support group.

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

Small same as my gallbladder removal surgery it is done laproscopically.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Get a fill lose quite a good amount of weight and then it starts slowing and losing is less and less and with not getting a fill for a year or two there was a stagnant period of time for me with no losing and there was actually weight gain.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Some feel sorry for me because I can't eat all the things I could before or they say you need to eat more. But otherwise no...alot of people don't know I just get watched when I eat which is no different than before.