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

Heard of it many years ago and felt it was barbaric - didn't qualitfy for it then as I was not as far overweight as I would become.

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

My insurance approved WLS right away. I don't knwo that there was any problem. I think the complication of diabetes hastened the approval.

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

Kind of hurried with the surgeon, but he had a young female Fellow who toook her time with me and we bonded well. I saw her a few times, but unfortunately Fellows move on after a year or so and she returned to Boston.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Reading Al Roker's account of his surgery in People Magazine made me begin to decide. My husband also encouraged me - he didn't feel surgery was as dangerous as not having it. He talked about how my father always struggled with his weight and how he (my husband) wanted to retire early and wanted me with him when he did. Calling WLS a last resort is right on the money.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Dr. Kelly feels that Lap Band surgery (which he at first suggested for me) is not for those people who find sugar the most tempting. Sugar can still be used with the lap band, so I chose gastric bypass.

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?

My fears were more in the form of nervousness, not real fear. One pre-surgery support group member put it best; when his family told him they feared he would be killing himself by having surgery, he said "I am killing myself now with my weight."

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 fearful at first - except my husband. My mother and four sons were nervous. I talked about it often with all of them. They were very happy with the results, although they knew it was always difficult. All were supportive.

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

Although my boss would greatly benefit from the surgery herself, she was extremely supportive. My direct boss was very concerned and helpful. My work atmosphere was great and thanks to a four hour a day job, I went back to work 2 weeks after surgery - with a surgeon's note. Helpful things were done to keep me from lifting too much - even got a new cart just for me for that.

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

I was nauseous and miserable from morphine allergy. My stay was not typical. Because of the sickness I was in the hospital three days. The pain was not an issue, I got up well, and other than the nausea was well.

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

No complications

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 was nervous. I gained about 5 pounds of the 20 I had lost pre-surgery, but did well. I was strong in my decision to have the surgery and therefore not really afraid.

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

I had a hard time with low mood, hunger coming back after two weeks, and nausea. This lasted quite awhile.

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

Traveled about 30 minutes.

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.

My surgeon recommends only liquids for the first 6 weeks, then soft foods, then solids later. This seemed to work well for my stomach. The protein drinks were yucky, but all worth it. For the first six months, he recommends, no salad. That was fine and I tolerate it very well now. Beef was hard at first, but think that was learning to eat small amounts. With beef, that was a tiny amount. Can eat most everything, but still feel nauseaous or overfull if I go against the surgery.

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

My mood wasn't good, but I pushed myself to get back to work and into life again. While I exercised at home for the first 5 months with videos, after that I joined a gym and have been active ever since.

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

Iron made a big difference in my energy when I added it after 3 months on the advice of the nutritionist at a support group meeting. Also take multi vitamin, C and E, B-12, an aspirin every other day, and glucosamine.

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 was bad for me, but met few others who had the problem. Hair loss was bad from about 6 months for about 3 months and then improved. Dumping is an educational experience. Sometimes I don't think I learn very well! For me this includes sudden sweating, if I have eaten too much or something with too much sugar.

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

The hardest thing came after awhile, when I sometimes ate too much or old binge foods which caused sickness. This is fighting with myself and not doing what I am supposed to. So once again, it is the psychological or compulsive behavior of old. While I have been able to keep my weight down, I hate feeling out of control, especially when I know what I am doing wrong. Have much less trouble with that than I did pre-surgery, but it will always be there, I guess.

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

This is something I would like to have and really don't. I know no one else who has had the surgery. I receive WLS Lifestyles Magazine, but there have been very few support groups offered through my surgeon's office. I feel this is very important and plan to do more online for support.

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

Tiny scars from laproscopic surgery. As I just had plastic surgery I will now had more scars. No problem.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

My body likes the weight I had attained as a 25 year old and so this seems to be where I land. That is fine with me. I achieved this weight after about 9 months. The last 10 pounds came off over 3 months - slower than the rest. I will be getting on the scale this morning for the first time in about 4 weeks, as I that was when I had hernia repair and plastic surgery. Just feeling ready to wage my battle again.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Definitely am treated differently by strangers than I was before. My friends are mostly the same. A little hard for people who were always smaller than I was to find me now smaller than them, but if they joke about it, I feel it is fine. My age is also an issue. At 56, I am not as interesting to some people anyway! That's fine, too. I feel more visible to people now. Maybe, in my case, though it is my attitude as well.