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

I learned about the surgery on the internet. I just knew that this was the right thing for me since I had tried everything under the sun to lose weight and would fail time and time again.

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

I did not have a problem getting my surgery approved. My doctor put in my first letter and within one week I got the approval to go and see Dr. Jawad and within 4 weeks I got the approval for the surgery.

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

It was a learning experience. I had a list of questions that I wanted to ask the doctor so I knew what to expect.Write down all of your questions that you want to ask and take them with you to the visit.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I decided to have the surgery when I thought that I had tried all that there was to try to lose weight and that I had failed or I had lost and then gained it all and more back. I was tired of all of the yo-yo dieting.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I researched all of the different procedures on the internet and then I decided which procedure that I thought would be the best for me.

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?

My fears that I had were I feared that the surgery would not work for me. I was afraid of dying from complications of the surgery but, I got it in my head that if it is my time to go then it will not matter if I am in haveing a surgery or not and that I would probably not have much life left to live if I kept on the same route that I had been taking.Put it all in Gods hands and pray about it. Prayer really works.

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 and friends were very supportive of my decision. They too were afraid that I would not make it out of the operating room. I told them that this was a decision that I had made and that I hoped that they supported me. They were very supportive after my surgery. they all watch what they eat to a certain extent now.

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

My Employer agreed to let me take a medical leave of absence from work so that I could have my surgery. They were a bit surprised that I was going to the extent of surgery for weight loss. I told them that I was going to have the Gastric Bypass Surgery RNY. And then I explained to them the details of the surgery. I took 6 weeks out of work because I lift weight in excess of 100 lbs. daily.

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

When I went to the hospital I was nervous naturally. I had a great stay though. The nurses there were all great. I was in the hospital for three days. I took only a change of clothes for when I left the hospital, slippers, a gown, undies, and a robe.

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

I did not have any complications except when they put my intestine to my pouch and when they carterized the vessels to stop the bleeding they must have missed a vessel because I had blood in my bowels.They then took me off of the blood thinners and the bleeding subsided.

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 felt good. I only had mental problems coping with not being able to eat the same things that everyone around me was eating.I just thought about the long term benefits and I was determined to get over the mental part and accomplish this once and for all.

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

As of right now I do not have an after care program or support group.

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

I had my surgery laproscopic and I have 7 about 1/4 inch in length scares and they are fading more and more everyday. I figured that they would be worse than they are.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

It seems that every month about the time for my menestration and time for my B-12 shot that I am at a stand still for about 1 week and then my weight loss starts back up.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, I catch allot of men who never looked at me before that now take notice in me and they make remarks about how great that I look. Everyday someone has someting to say about how great that I look now and that they are proud of me and my weight loss and to keep up the great work.