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

I LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM FRIENDS OF MINE THAT HAD HAD IT DONE.

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

IT WAS A STRUGGLE WITH THE PROCESS THAT THEY MAKE YOU GO THROUGH. I WOULD JUST TELL PEOPLE TO HAVE PATIENCE.

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

I HAD TO ATTEND A SEMINAR FIRST BEFORE HAVING A CONSULT. FROM THAT SEMINAR I HAD ALL THE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD IN DR ANDREW DEWITT.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

MY CONSULT WITH DR DEWITT AND KNOWING FINALLY HOW IT WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE AND ADD YEARS TO MY LIFE.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

DR DEWITT HELPED ME WITH THAT DECISION.

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 DIDN'T HAVE ANY FEARS, BECAUSE THEY WERE PUT TO REST AHEAD OF TIME.

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 MOTHER WAS THE HARDEST TO COME AROUND. MY SISTER-IN-LAW JUST SAID DO IT FOR YOURSELF AND NOT ANYONE ELSE.

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

MY EMPLOYER AND SUPERVISOR WERE IN FAVOR AND VERY EXCITED FOR ME. I WAS OUT OF WORK ABOUT 3 WEEKS.

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

MY STAY IN THE HOSPITAL WAS FINE. I WAS THERE FOR 2 AND A HALF DAYS.

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

I DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS FROM MY SURGERY.

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 ALOT OF DIFFERENT EMOTIONS FROM SCARED TO EXCITIMENT.

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

MY FIRST FEW WEEKS AT HOME AFTER SURGERY WAS SLOW, I DIDN'T HAVE ALOT OF ENERGY. PEOPLE SHOULD JUST RELAX AND TAKE THEIR TIME.

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

I TRAVELED FROM MONTGOMERY, AL TO BIRMINGHAM, AL. IT WAS ABOUT A 2HR DRIVE. IT IS JUST THAT FOR MY FOLLOW-UP'S I HAVE TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM WORK.

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 COULDN'T EAT ALOT OF THINGS. I WAS BASICALLY ON LIQUIDS. THEN AT 3WKS I GOT TO EAT MORE SOLID FOODS. THEN AT 4-6WKS I STARTED MATIENANCE.

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

MY FIRST FEW DAYS WAS SLOW WITH ALOT OF REST. THEN I HAVE BEEN ON A MISSION TRIP TO KENTUCKY.

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

I HAVE AN INJECTION EVERY 2 WKS OF VITAMIN B12. I TAKE PRENATAL VITAMINS EVERY MORNING.

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 HAD NAUSEA THE FIRST DAY AND A HALF. AT 3WKS I HAD SOME VOMITING.

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

THE WORST PART WAS THE PROBLEM WITH NAUSEA.

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

I HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD IT DONE. SO I CAN GO TO THEM WITH ANY QUESTIONS. I CAN ALSO TALK TO STEPHANIE AT DR DEWITTS.

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

I HAVE 7 BANDAID SIZE SCARS ON MY ABDOMEN. IT WAS JUST LIKE I EXPECTED.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PLATEAU EXPERIENCES.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE SHOWING MORE ATTENTION TO ME NOW THAN BEFORE.