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

I first heard about WLS at lunch one day. There was a temp worker eating a very small bowl (1 to 1 1/2 cups) of food and she was eating extremely slowly. When asked she explained she had a gastric bypass and happily shared her journey with me. It sounded very scary and I was positive I would not want to alter my life to that degree "just to lose weight".

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

I have yet to fight that battle. My insurance company will not say what their guidelines are, only that they cover the procedure if it is "medically necessary" UPDATE! Once I got all my preop testing done, the insurance approved me in 10 days and I had my surgery 4 weeks later.

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

He was very informative. It is best if you research the offered types of surgery, the side effects, the possible negative outcomes, the life long change in eating habits, etc PRIOR to meeting with the surgeon so that you can ask detailed questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Watching my son take his first steps and dreading not being able to explore the world with him.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The RNY seemed the most reliable, had good long term studies, and was offered by a very talented local surgeon.

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 am at the point where I will research my surgeon as much as possible and then let the outcome be what it will be. UPDATE! My biggest fear was months of complications like a few women in my support group have endured. If anyone were to ask me I would drag them to a few support group meetings to ask those who have had "roadbumps" first hand what their thoughts on it are now.

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?

Everyone thinks I am insane to even think about doing this. UPDATE! I waited two months to send a photo to my parents whom I've not seen in over 5 years. I was only down 75 lbs at that point (84 now) and my dad said he didn't recognize me. They are so very happy for me. Some of my friends are worried I'll lose too much weight and look sickly but I have to just keep their comments at arms length.

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

I havent told her. My employer didn't care at all. I took the full allowable 6 weeks so that I was well rested when I came back.

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

St. Mary's was amazing! The nurses were awesome. I chose to be there the full 2 days just to ease my own mind since I had nobody to help me at home. What to bring?? Slippers and a robe.

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

No

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 am bi-polar and have anxiety disorders so I worried and stressed and rapid cycled (to this day) but just try to keep on top of it with therapy and my psych meds.

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

Constant trips to the bathroom. Few food choices. Gagging down protein drinks. Painfully swallowing pills and viatamins. And wanting lots of naps.

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

in town.

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.

I never know from meal to meal if I can eat solids or will vomit them back up. I've gone for two stretches of 3 weeks each (out of the 12 since surgery) where all I could eat was protein bars and water. I don't know why this is, mostly I think it is my stress level and eating alone as both of those make me nauseaus before surgery too.

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

The first week I walked to my mailbox and back and was proud of myself. The day of my one week check up I began walking 2.5 miles 5 times a day. Then I started school full time and work full time so I can only exercise on the weekends now.

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

3/day hair-skin-nails, 2/day calcium, 2/day centrum chewables, 1ml/day Bcomplex sublingual, 2/day zelnort (I think they are named that)

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?

Vomiting, I'm SO tired of it. How do I cope? Sit it out as long and as often as I can then if I just can't deal with it I go home.

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

Entiring the dating scene just after surgery. Its so hard to explain without sounding terrible. Plus you are always afraid to eat with a date because you don't know if it will stay down.

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

renowlssupport on yahoo groups plus the one in person sponsored by my surgeons office in Reno NV

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

5 tiny things. My Dr used staples so they are wider (taller?) than all the other patients who got sutures but overall, I'm thrilled.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

When I was unable to eat the first time, it lasted 3 weeks and due to the starvation mode I was in I lost 1 lb a week. Once I was able to get my protein back up to 65grams a day I started losing weight fast again

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, they let me across the street, help me out with my grocerys, want to go out to the sports bars with me, etc.