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

From my doctor. Not interested at first.

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

My insurance approval was a breeze/

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had difficulty getting around. Was walking on cruthches.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Doctors advice

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 supportive. However, they were also concerned about any possible complications.

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

I was in the hospital for over a month. Everyone at the hospital was wonderful. They couldn't have treated me any better.

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

I developed abcess. It had to be drained. I also had difficulty getting around. I had physical therapy in the hospital and at home

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

Roughly 30 miles. No affect of aftercare,as this is withing my home area.

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 best thing for me is I no longer care for sweets. In large part,they don't even taste good. I am now 9 months past my surgery and can eat pretty much anything I want. I just don't eat very much at a time. I don't eat fried foods, haven't even tried them yet. I found out real quick that if I overate I would vomit. Even just an extra bite or two could cause that.

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

I take a multi vitamin, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and calcuim.

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?

I was lucky. No dumping. The worse for me was hair loss. My hair was very very thin before surgery. Now it is even worse. I wear a wig all the time. No big deal.

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

Having to stay in the hospital for a month.

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

I don't attend any.

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

It is there. Yes it is what I expected. I will never be able to wear a bikini. Not that I ever expected to anyway.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have not noticed an plateaus. This may be because I do not weigh myself very often. I can tell from my clothes and the way I feel that I am losing weight. I figure the farther I stay from the scale the better. Often I will not weigh myself for a month or more.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NO