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

2002, from a co-worker who had RNY. My impressions were good.

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

The first time, with Kaiser Permanente in Orange County, CA, there were too many pre-op hoops to jump through. They made it very hard for you so I gave up. In 2006 with United Healthcare, it was excluded from coverage. In 2010 Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy was approved in less than a week by BCBS ND PERS. You just have to have the right insurance policy.

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

Ask how many procedures he's done, and what his complication rate is. My first visit was primarily informational.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I simply had no hope of losing weight any other way.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The bariatric center coordinator suggested the gastric sleeve. I researched it, and the center provided an info session on the differences betwen RNY, the lap=band, and vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

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 was so miserable being fat I wasn't really worried about anything--I figured nothing could be worse than the way I was.

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 mom tried to talk me out of it. I didn't tell anyone else. After surgery, she was supportive, and a little jealous I think.

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

Didn't tell them. I'm a teacher, so I had it done over the summer.

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

It was very informative. I was glad I attended.

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

One night/2 days. I didn't need to bring anything, they had it all.

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 was up and down emotionally, but thinks evened out by the 2 week point. I didn't have any anxiety about the surgery, only about the insurance covering the surgery. I couldn't believe it was finally happening.

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

Expect to do nothing but sip water and walk around the house for 4 days. After that you should start to feel normal again. At 2 weeks, I was fine.

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

I drove 100 miles for my surgery and aftercare because it was worth it.

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.

3 days after surgery: clear liquids only 4 days-10 days after: full liquids (cream soups, protein shakes, yogurt, sugar free pudding) 2-4 weeks: pureed foods. No high fiber foods like celery. 4=6 weeks:transition to solids: nothing hard to chew after 6 weeks: high protein, lowfat, low carb diet. After 6 months: salads ok At 6 months I have no food sensitivities/problem foods

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

Very low because I was lazy.

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

Centrum chewable multivitamin Sublingual B-12 Vitamin D3 Thiamine (B1) Chewable calcium citrate

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?

Burping for the first week post op. I had nausea once on the 3rd day post op. Other than that, nothing.

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

Having the drain in. It made my left shoulder hurt.

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

I use the Bariatric Program at Mid Dakota Clinic for immediate post-op nutritional and medical aftercare. They are 100 miles away so I rely on online sources for support. I rely heavily on verticalsleevetalk.com for support.

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

Small laporoscopic scars, they look like they will disappear over time. Better than I expected. At 6 months, they are little fading red spots, no big deal unless you want to wear a bikini.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None yet, but my doc says plateaus are normal and not to worry about them. At 6 months, I find I plateau regularly and have settled into my body's cycle of losing--nothing for 2 weeks, then 10 lbs for example. The downward trend always returns. I don't stress about it any more. I've changed from a diet mentality to a lifestyle mentality.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I'm only 2 weeks post-op and have only lost 30 lbs, so I haven't noticed people treating me differently. Update: At 6 months, people seem to respond to me less negatively--I feel less "noticed" or looked at because of my size. At a size 24 on top and 22 on bottom I'm still big but more in line with the more common range of overweight that Americans are more used to seeing.