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

My friend told me about it but I didnt know much about it. After I went to a information seminar at Baylor Hospital I really wanted to get it done.

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

My doctors office took care of all that. They would call me and tell me what I needed to do next. They were great.

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

Informative. A good first impression. Get a list of all the questions you have and take it with you to the meeting.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Countless attempts at weightloss that failed. High blood pressure. Bad ankles and wanting to get more active.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I've heard people are able to cheat on lap band and they dont lose as much as they would like to. I wanted a permanent fix and one I couldnt cheat on.

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?

You have to weigh the odds. Take a chance on the surgery or be miserable and die from obesity. People are born to die. If the lord takes me home during surgery then it was meant to be.

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 was supportive of my decision. I did have a few that asked me why I didnt just eat like I had surgery but dont do the surgery. But I didnt really pey attention to them.

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

I'm not sure what my plant manager thought but my supervisor was very supportive of it. I was out of work for one week.

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

The only thing I had after surgery was being dizzy and almost passing out when sitting up and moving around the day after surgery but it went away after day three.

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

anxious.I did a lot of talking to myself becouse you spend all that time fighting with insurance then all of a sudden its happening and you really have to check yourself. It's at that point you really have to start thinking of the positives of the surgery and what it will help and how much better your health and life will be.

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

I only traveled twenty miles so it didnt affect anything.

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 hospital gave me a list of things I could have on the liquid, the pureyed, and the regular diet. the only thing I havent done well with is beef. I havent tried bread yet either. I am going to wait another four weeks before trying either.

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

I started walking the day after. Not much but it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. You tire fast after the surgery. I continued to walk daily. Even now a month after surgery I get tired fast.

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

I take two flinstones in the morning, two in the afternoon, and two in the evening. I also take calcium, Iron, and mega B vitamin.

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?

About a week after surgery I started almost pessing out when I would lean over and stand back up. My blood presure was getting to low. So my doctor took me off both of my blood pressure meds. Praise God.

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

I didnt like the hospital from the get go. That was from word of mouth. I woke up in a lot of pain but went away in eight hours. The panic attack I had after getting home. That only happened one time.