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

A woman who works at my daughter's daycare had lost a ton of weight and after several months I finally got the courage to ask her how she did it. I saw first hand how it changed her life and I knew that is what I wanted for myself.

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

I had no insurance issues.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I went to a support meeting for WLS post-ops and everyone there said they would do it again in a heartbeat.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

It was the only one offered by the military.

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 not afraid for myself.

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 husband and family did not want me to have the surgery. My husband said that he loved me no matter what my size and that he was afraid of losing me to the surgery. I had to explain to him that I was doing the surgery for me, not him and that I wanted to be around to love him for many more years. With all of my comorbidities, I was afraid of not being around much longer.

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

I am a full time student, but my work was very supportive of my decision. I was out of school for 3 weeks and work for 5 weeks. I could have physically gone back to work at the 3 week mark but I had a lot of school to catch up on.

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

I was very lucky to even have my surgery. My surgery was almost cancelled because the military surgeons were deploying because of WTC. I had a very caring resident who gave up his OR room and a surgeon came off of vacation to do my surgery. Everyone who took care of me was excellent. My pain control was via a PCA. I found having disposable wipes for cleaning my face and reachable body parts was the most important thing besides a good backscratcher!!!

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

About 2 weeks post op, I had some serious seepage from my incision. I had a wound infection which is taken care of by opening the wound and packing it with sterile gauze. Other than that, I think I was very lucky.

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 had my surgery date for almost 10 mos before it actually happened. Since it was in a military setting, I had great fears that something would happen to cause a cancellation.

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

Have some help available for housework and fetching things from upstairs. I also needed help with my first shower.(The incision site hurt when I raised my arms to wash my hair)

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

About 60 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.

I am now almost 3 mos post-op and breads esp if untoasted are still a big nausea problem. I can now eat small portions of everything else including carbonated beverages (only 4 oz an hour).

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

I could walk down my street by the end of the first week. I could walk about 4 blocks (slowly) after 3 weeks. I was up to a mile at the 5 week mark.

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

I take a chewable prenatal vitamin that contains ferrous fumarate. The ferrous fumarate is the most absorpable form of iron. When taken with a glass of OJ, the % absorbed increases by 4 times the normal absorption amounts. I take Extra-strength Tums as a source of calcium.

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?

Nausea and incredible fullness are the two main things I still deal with on an every other day or so basis. I can usually avoid both by eating slowly and watching for foods that I know bother me.

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

The wait for the date!!!

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

I see my surgeon and PCP on a regular basis but I have not had time to go to a support group which I would think would be helpful. I scan this website to answer my questions that are peer related.

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

It goes from my mid sternum to about my belly-button. It is not as wide or as red as I thought it would be. It is worth the surgery.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I seem to have plateaus every couple of weeks. It seems like I just stop losing weight and then all of a sudden, I will have lost 5 lbs. I am trying not to weigh myself so often and this seems to help my mental status concerns.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

A little. Most people know I have had the surgery but seem to be afraid to talk about it unless I initiate the conversation.