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

WHEN I WAS DIABETIC MY DR. TOLD ME IF WE DIDN'T DO SOMETHING I WOULD BE DEAD BY 35. I'M ONLY 33 SO I BEGAN THE RESEARCH AND PRAYED REALLY HARD MY INS. WOULD APPROVE.

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

FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOUR PAPER WORK TOGETHER BEFORE YOU SEND ANY THING IN. THEN MAKE SURE YOU KEEP A RECORD OF EVERY PERSON YOU TALK TO .

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

IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS. I HAD A TABLET FULL. IF YOU THINK OF IT WRITE IT DOWN.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

KNOWING THAT I WAS GIVEN 2 YEARS TO LIVE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I DIDN'T. THE DOCTOR DOES 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 WAS SCARED. BUT KNOWING IF I DIDN'T HAVE IT NOW I WOULD BE DEAD SOON ANYWAY. THE LORD WILL WATCH OVER YOU.

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 HAS BEEN GREAT. I WOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED ANY THING THEY HAVE DONE FOR ME.

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

SHE WAS SO EXCITED FOR ME. SHE HAS SUPPORTED ME ALL THE WAY. I'M STILL OUT OF WORK AND I'LL GO BACK IN 6 WEEKS

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

IT WAS AS GOOD AS COULD BE EXPECTED. I WAS IN THER 4 DAYS. BRING A FAN. YOU STAY WARM.

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

NO NOT SO FAR. THE GAS IS AWFUL IF YOU HAVE IT LAP LIKE I DID. JUST WALK.

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

WE WERE WORKING ALOT OF OVERTIME AND I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT MUCH FOR WORK.

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

YOU CAN'T SLEEP IN THE BED. SO GET THAT RECLINER READY.DON'T OVERDO IT. YOU CAN IRRATATE THE MAIN MUSCLE THEY CUT. IT WILL HURT.MY BUTT WENT DUMB I'M NOT USED TO SITTING, SO THAT WAS HARD FOR ME.

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

ABOUT 10 MILES

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.

THE FIRST 2 MONTHS IT WAS LIQUID, THEN PUREED, NOW FOOD. NOT JUNK, BUT VEGGIES AND LOTS OF FISH CHICKEN TURKEY STUFF LIKE THAT I HAVEN'T WANTED ANY RED MEAT YET. THE ONLY THING I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IS HOT FOOD. LIKE HALAPENO PEPPERS AND HOT SAUCE ON EVERYTHING

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

SLOW BUT INCREASING. NOW 1 YEAR OUT I HAVE MORE ENERGY THAN I KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH

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

I TAKE A WOMWNS MULTIVITAMIN AND B12, ALSO A FISH OIL COMPLEX WITH OMEGA3 AND FLAXSEED OIL AND THE OTHER OILS YOU MAY NOT OBSORB

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?

NO SIDE EFFECTS

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

THE DRAIN TUBE. YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PULLING IT AOUT

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

WE HAVE A LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP THAT MEETS ONCE AMONTH AND YOU CAN POST EMAILS ANYTIME. IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE OTHER PEOPLE TO TALK TO

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE PLATEAUS. YOU JUST WORK HARDER TO GET OVER THESE

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES!!!!! I NEVER REALIZED HOW PEOPLE LOOK DOWN ON YOU IF YOUR OVERWEIGHT, BUT NOW THE TREAT YOU LIKE YOU ARE HUMAN