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

I had known about it for years as stomach stapling, a not very successful procedure. Then when I learned about the bypass part I was sold. It made total sense to me. Before I had been reluctant to get rid of the thing that made me most happy (eat eat eat), but then I realized I was going to die from it all and had to do something

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

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

Went well, ask questions

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I did not want to die and the insurance covered it 100%.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I desided the RNY was the most logical one, least amount of cutting with maximun results.

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 at all, cannot live life in fear andthe fat was a death sentance 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?

Mostly very supportive, even the ones who did not quite get it.

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

They hated giving me the time off, they sucked completly and made me feel really negative about my situation. Skinny marketing people after all... I was never part of the group, couldn't shop at Nordsrtom, did fit in to prada shoes. What is a girl to do?

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

Uncomfortable. That Bari Bed was the PITS. I was only there three days though. Don't worry about bringing anything, it is a pain to keep track of. Just lay there and get strong enough to go home ASAP.

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

I had a small bowl obstruction one month after surgery. It sucked and required more surgery, but I felt better imidiatly.

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 coped with anxiety by eating naturally. I gained 20 pounds waiting for surgery. I considered it my swan song to food (I think I thought I was never going to eat again)

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

Totally surreal. Just get through it, things change so much and so fast that it is not work contemplating too much.

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

30 mins

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.

Right after surgery the foods that worked best for me were soups and such. Then nuts and cheese. I still cannot eat steak or rice, meat of any type has to be very tender. Milk was hard for a long time, but now is fine. Small amounts of breat or pasta. I eat a lot of soy, I really like a tomato salad with glazed pecans and white cheddar cheese. mmmmm.

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

minimal

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

I take the system from Barriatric Supplement Supply

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?

Vom,iting and hair loss were the worse. From about month two to six I threw up a lot. But it not like it was before bacuse there is no acid or bile, just annoying. The hair loss was startling and I am still dealing with it. Fortunatly I have a big head of hair so it is all cool.

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

The Bari Bed

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

I attend the WLS support group in my area. I find it very helpful to get face to face with other WLS people and just talk about stuff. Even if we get off topic, it is good to just be around everyone. They get it, which no person who has not done does, no matter how hard they try.

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

Nothin, laparoscopy leaves a tiny scar that, in my case, goes away completly (I had a lapascopic gal bladder removal a few years back, same thing). But I scar really well...

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I was on a plateu recently for like two months. Now if I do nto activly work to loose the weight I plateu, which is fine as I do nto gain easily either. I feel like I am a more normal person now, that if I want to take off weight it is just a matter of working for it. Before I would have to work hard just to stay even, loosing was not an option and my normal mode was the slow gain.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Totally. I am not invisable anymore. Though I am very tall so I still have a "large" first impression.