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

A friend of a my cousin. Her mother had the surgery with great success and she was waiting to get hers.

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

Mine went smoothly. The weight to get a surgery date took the longest. I was high risk for the surgery because I have a blood condition where I produce clots. Thankfully, Doctor Marymor took the time to weight out the benefits and the risks. The risks werre much higher and he told me before he became a bariatric surgeon he was a vasucular surgeon and decided to take on my case.

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

Fine. At first, Dr. Marymor was a bit distant, but as time went on he really opened up. I think this is typical with surgeons. Be prepared and have questions written down.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I lost a grandmother, a great aunt and two aunts on my mothers side of the family to complications to obesity. They all died in either their late 50's - early sixties. One of my aunts died while I was waiting for my surgery. I saw myself going down that same road. It was frightening.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I knew I would not get the results I needed with a lap band. They could not do the laproscopic RNY with my medical history...so I went with the open RNY.

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?

Truthfully, I had none. I put it into God's hands.

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?

They were very concerned.

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

I was out of work at the time, so the timing was perfect. It took me about 6 - 8 weeks to recover.

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

It was great! I would definately recommend Barix. They were very attentive to me. I had my surgery over Christmas and they made my stay extra special. I was in the hospital for 3 days.

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

Not one! The only thing that I could call a complication was that I lost a little hair around 8 months post op, but it has grown back.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

The first month was especially difficult. My husband was very supportive and that made all the difference in the world.

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

It was very difficult. You must follow the direction of your physican and the nutritionist or you will be very sorry. What you are able to eat is very little and not very tasty. You must follow the rules and get your protein in.

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

It takes us about a hour and a half to get there. I have gone to all my post op visits except for the very last one. (the one year)

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.

Nothing over 2 grams of sugar and nothing over 10 grams of fat. Now, I can eat up to 5 grams of sugar per serving and no more than 11 grams of fat. At first you can only take in about a quarter to half a cup at a time, now I can eat about a cup and a half, depending on what it is. Chicken breast it is much less.

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

Low for the first few months.

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

I take 2 multivitamins a day, one biotin, one zinc, and one b complex.

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?

The only thing I had was hair loss. I increased my protein and took Biotin, Zinc and B Complex and that really helped.

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

Eating pureed foods. Yuck!

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

I just go online to Obesity Help.com. I kinda live out in the middle of nowhere, so getting involved with a support group is difficult.

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

My scar is really not that bad. It is about five inches long. It has really faded pretty good.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had several plateaus. The longest one was around 8 months. I reached my goal by one year!

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, Everyone tells me how great I look. They call me names like "Skinney" I speak publicly often and I feel I get a better response from people. I feel much better about myself. Therefore I know I can go much farther in life.