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

A FRIEND HAD IT DONE, LOOKED GREAT QUICKLY, AND KEPT IT OFF FOR OVER 2 YRS. I WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN TO ME TOO!

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

MY DR DID IT ALL AND I HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. I GUESS MY HEALTH WAS BAD ENOUGH TO SAVE THEM MONEY IN LONG RUN!

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

HE ASKED LOTS OF QUESTIONS DID A COMPLETE EXAM AND I ASKED HIM ( SO DID MY SISTERINLAW) LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND GOT ALL THE ANSWERS I NEEDED TO KNOW THIS WAS FOR ME!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

BEING 135 LB OVERWIGHT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO LOOSE ANY OTHER WAY

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

THE ONE DR STELLATO RECOMMENDED

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 REALLY WAS NEVER AFRAID. I HAD SEEN HOW WELL MY FRIEND DID AND I JUST WANTED TO HAVE IT DONE TO FEEL & LOOK BETTER! I HAD NEVER HAD SURGERY BEFORE SO I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO EXPECT ! THE WORSE PART WAS THE GAS PAINS AFTER SURGERY! I THOUGHT I WAS DYING AND THE DR MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG! BUT MY MOM SAID THEY WERE ONLY GAS PAINS & IF I'D MOVE AROUND A LITTLE MORE THEY WOULD GO AWAY & SHE WAS RIGHT!!!!

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, MY DAD WAS AFRAID FOR ME BUT MY MOM(WHO IS NOT OVERWEIGHT) WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE. MY HUSBAND SAID TO DO WHATEVER I THOUGHT I NEEDED. HE WAS VERY HELPFUL THE 1ST 2 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY, ALMOST SPOILING ME!!MY 18 YR OLD SON YELLS AT ME IF I EVEN TAKE ONE BITE OF A COOKIE, SAYING YOU JUST HAD SURGERY TO GET SKINNY DON'T EAT THAT!!

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

I ONLY MISSED 3 WEEKS AT WORK, AND HAD WORKED OVERTIME UP TO SURGERY TIME. I DID HAVE TO GO HOME EVERY DAY AT LUNCH FOR 2 WEEKS TO TAKE A CAT NAP BUT FOR THE MOST PART BECAUSE I HAVE A DESK JOB I HAD ALOT OF SUPPORT FROM WORK!!

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

I HAD SURGERY ON A TUESDAY & WENT HOME ON THURDSAY EVENING. THEY WERE WONDERFUL AT UNIVERSITY I HAD A PRIVATE ROOM AND THE STAFF WAS VERY ATTENTIVE. THE ONLY THING YOU NEED ARE A TOOTHBRUSH & SLIPPERS!!

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

NONE

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 NEVER FELT ANXIETY. THE FIRST WEEK I WAS IN SOME PAIN ,BUT TOOK MY PAIN MEDICATION REGULARLY. I WAS ALITTLE WEEPY BUT THAT HAD ALOT TO DO WITH THE TIME OF MONTH IT WAS!!! I WAS TIRED AND SLEPT ALOT FOR 2 WEEKS BUT SLOWLY STARTED TO REGAIN MY ENERGY ESPECIALLY AFTER ADDING REAL FOOD BACK INTO MY DIET.

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

A LITTLE PAIN FOR 1ST TWO WEEKS AND YOU FEEL TIRED AND WEAK BUT REMEMBER ALL YOU ARE GETTING IS ENSURE . AFTER STARTING MY SOFT DIET A T 2 WEEKS I STARTED GETTING MY ENERGY LEVEL BACK UP AND I STARTED WALKING A LITTLE EVERY DAY TOO.

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

1 HR IT MADE IT ALITTLE INCONVENIET AND THE RIDE HOME DOWN I 71 WITH ALL CONSTRUCTION WAS A BEAR ON MY INSISION!! BUT NOBODY IN MY IMMEDIATE AREA DOES THIS SURGERY SO I WOULD HAVE HAD TO DRIVE AN HOUR NO MATTER WHAT & I LOVED UNIVERSITY HOPSITAL!!

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.

BEING 6 MONTHS OUT , MILK IS THE ONLY THING I USED TO DRINK ALOT OF AND CAN'T HANDLE NOW. IT MAKES MY TUMMY RUMBLE JUST DRINKING A SMALL AMOUNT. BUT I CAN EAT A BABY ICE CREAM CONE WITH NO PROBLEM!! I TOOK 2 BITES OF TACO ONE DAY AND IT PRACTICALLY INSTANTLY DID NOT AGREE WITH ME!I'VE NEVER THROWN UP BUT DIAHREA IS THE WAY THWE WRONG FOODS AFFECT ME

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

AT FIRST I MOVED SLOW BUT AFTER ABOUT 4 WEEKS I WAS WALKING AT LEAST A HALF HOUR EVERY DAY. AT 6 MONTHS AND DOWN 86LB I TRY TO EXERCISE SOME EVERY DAY, REALLY TRYING TO FIRM UP THE FLABBY ARMS AND BELLY. I'M 43 YEARS OLD AND DON'T THINK I'LL NEED ANY PLASTIC SURGERY EVERYTHING IS SHRINKING PRETTY MUCH BACK INTO PLACE!

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

I TAKE 1 PRENATAL CHEWABLE VITAMIN DAILY WITH IRON, AND CHEW 2 EXTRA STRENGHT TUMS FOR CALCIUM!

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?

I'VE JUST STARTED NOTICING HAIR LOSS AT 6 MONTHS BUT I HAD A WHOLE HEAD OF HAIR BEFORE SO IT IS NOT TOO BAD! I'VE REALLY NEVER HAD NAUSEA, VOMITING, DUMPING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!

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

THE GAS PAINS AND NG TUBE RIGHT AFTER SURGERY WERE THE WORST

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

I WENT TO UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS SUPPORT GROUP FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS, BUT NOW I HAVE FOUND A WONDERFUL GROUP HERE IN MANSFIELD THAT MEETS TWICE A MONTH. IT IS GREAT TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE OR ARE GOING THRU SAME THING AS YOU!

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

IT HAS FADED ALOT, I WILL NEVER WEAR A BIKINI, BUT MAYBE A TANK-KINI THAT COVERS THE AREA BETWEEN MY BREAST AND BELLY BUTTON! I'VE SEEN SMALLER AND I'VE SEEN WORSE. I THINK IT IS HEALING NICELY!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I'VE LOST REGULARLY ABOUT 15 LB A MONTH UNTIL MY 5TH MONTH THEN FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS I DID NOT LOOSE ANY WEIGHT BUT HAVE LOST INCHES AND SIZES. IN 6 MONTHS I'VE GONE FROM A SIZE 24 TO A 14.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

MOST PEOPLE COMPLIMENT ME ON THE WEIGHT LOSE, I'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE WHO I JUST SEE OCCASIONNALY SAY SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT BUT THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT! I THINK FOR THE MOST PEOPLE ARE THE SAME!