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

I work in a hospital and several people have had it done. I also had a sister-in-law who had done it 3 yrs. ago.

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

My experience was wonderful. I was lucky, I have Federal BC/BS. There was no pre-approval and I had my surgery 1 month after my consultation visit.

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

It was the most informative visit i've ever had. I actually didn't have any questions afterwards. They had already been answered. This is a meeting that if you pay attention, you won't miss a thing.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I have two 15 yr. old's. I had several co-morbidities and generally felt bad all of the time. I have an exceptional husband and I couldn't imagine not being around for them. It was the best decision I have ever made.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Clearly the lap surgery was the easiest for me. I was able to have that one and my recovery time was fast, I was back at work after 3 weeks.

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 very scared about complications. But I felt that if I didn't do something now that I didn't have alot of quality time left and I just kept a good positive attitude. The benefits from the surgery outweighed the risks for me.

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 parents and husband were ok with it, but my sister didn't want me to do it. Now they all support me completely.

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

At first she didn't want me to take time off. I simply told her that if I felt better that my work could only improve. I was only off for 3 weeks.

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

My hospital stay was wonderful. My pain was managed very well. I only had to stay overnight. If you have sleep apnea, you need to bring you machine.

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

The only complication was some bloody stools. I returned to the hospital the next day and stayed overnight and went home the next day. My doctor told me it was nothing to worry about and would go away in a few days, and it did.

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 great. I could see the weight coming off every day and I didn't have any anxiety.

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

I was a little sore. Whatever you do, stay off the scales. You are loosing weight. Try and weigh once a week or every two weeks. The most important thing is be compliant and do what you are told.

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

About 40 miles from where I live.

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.

Stay on the liquid diet for the first 2 weeks. That was easy for me because I wasn't hungry. Sweets of any kind are off limits. For me, they make me really sick. I have good days and bad days. Some days everything goes down easy and other days I can't eat very well, nothing wants to go down. But it is getting easier as time goes by.

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

I was pretty active, I noticed that I got tired quickly, but I tried to walk every day, further each day. That really helped. Now my family gets on to me for going too fast.

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

I take 4 calcium and 2 daily multi-vitamins. Protien is still a challenge. My favorite is to mix vanilla protien with Adkins OJ., and a tblsp. of non-fat plain yogurt.

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?

Well, the vomiting will probably always be an issue for me. If I get something stuck from eating too fast, I usually vomit. But this is also getting better. I sleep well, still have all my hair, and I stay away from sweets and fatty foods so I won't dump.

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

I really can't say that anything was bad, other than having to stay in the hospital overnight. Oh, wait a minute, the worst thing was the leak test the next morning. First of all you are dying for anything to drink. I have never been so thirsty in my whole life. Then they came to take me to X-ray for the leak test. The contrast they give you to drink is horrible. If you keep that down, chances are, you won't throw-up at all.

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

We have a support group, and it's really great, but it's 40 miles away and I get alot of support from my family and friends.

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

My scars aren't bad, I have 6 small ones, I really expected them to be worse than what they are.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I get frustrated, I can weigh one week, sometimes two and not loose a single pound. I think how can this be, I barely eat. But the next week I can weigh and find that I have lost from 4-6 lbs.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Of course, that irritates me sometimes. The only difference is that I have lost 70 lbs., i'm still me, the same person in alot of ways as I was before.