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

My sister had surgery the year before me

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

unlike alot of poeple i know they had a very hard time, i was approved on the first try.

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

do your research, i did alot and took a list of questions with me but the surgoen covered them all, I know after that visit i was in good hands!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was 28 I had sleep apenia, type 2 diabetes, Epilepsy, Asthma, and the normal stuff that comes with the terrortory, I couldn't walk very far with out sitting, going up a flight of stairs was the pits and most of all I had a horse that I just counld get on, I if i could he would have told me to get off i was hurting him!

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

my surgoen and I talked about and desided that

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 looked at it this way i had a bigger chance of dying with the quality of life i had, but then again whether you have surgery or get in a car, airplane you have take the risk of death.

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?

I was married at the time my Ex-husband wasn't happy with my desission, But I wasn't doing for him I was doing it for ME!! All my other family were very supportive

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

Because of the Epilesy I wasn't working

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

i was ther for 3 days only because i puked so they wanted to make sure i wasn't going to have more trouble.,Other than underwear and a very comfortable outfit for the ride home (Sweats) I will not lie you are sore! But for me it was Worth It! And all the stuff to take a shower with that is what made me feel 10 times better!

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

The only problem i had is that i wasn't put on my c-pap machine after surgery so my stay in the recovery was longer but after i was moved to my room i was fine, and the anastetic made me puke, I only did that twice then i was fine

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

Well i was suppose to have my surgury in November so all I was worried about was making sure that all my shopping was donw so i didn't have to worry about that, But they as my date approached I got sick (almost hosiptalized) and my triglycerdise were to high and I had to get them down, so I had to wait till spring, I understood they were just looking out for me!!

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

Do As Dirrected by discharge instuctions so you heel right and minimize your risk of complications than can happen at home, but make sure you Walk! ICE IS GOOD!!!!

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

I was about a hour from the hospital wasn't bad mostly highway

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.

well for me personaly I had to start alittle early because of medications on soft food, ( the doctor put my on a liquid form of my meds and I couldn't keep it down) and far as week by week I was on day to day after I started on soft foods somedays i could eat it the next i couldn't, that only last a short time then I was great I only dumped maybe twice, I was lucky

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

Well I had limited, I lived on a farm at that time and wasn't aloud in barn,(incase of infection) but i walked

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

I was on prenatals like very one else but now I take finstones, that happened when i got pregnant I couldn't take the prenatals

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?

Hair lose was a big one for me but as soon as i was able to get all my protien in daily it stoped

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

I would have to say the removal of the drain tube after surgery!

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

I had friend that also had it done, we talkted all the time it is very important this is a life changing exprience

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

i had lap. i had 6 small holes but now there is only two that you can still see but Small!!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

well i plateaued at -90 but as soon as the rest of my body caught up it took no time to take off the rest

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, But that is because of society today which realy sucks! No matter what you weigh you are human, but some people don't see it that way