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

Well, my friends and I were looking into bariatric surgery for quite sometime, and I finally got an insurance company that would actually pay for the surgery, and I decided to go for it.

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 problems with Principal Financial Group. Just keep trying until they say yes

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

Research everything and ask lots of questions, listen well.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I got to the point of not being able to wipe my own butt without going to major extremes to do it. It was time to do something about this

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I took the advice of my surgeon and did what he thought was best

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 to the point of not caring if I died, so I really had nothing to lose, but 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?

My family was supportive and my friends were ecstatic! Everyone was great except my mother-in-law who was very negative about everything. No, I feel great about the decisions I have made, and my family is very supportive about my weight loss and decisions I have made

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

My employer has been pretty good about taking time off. I told them straight up I am having surgery to save my life. I was off for about 3 weeks

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

Hospital stay was great. I stayed at Baptist Hospital in OKC. Bring someone who can stay with you and help you out of bed at least the first 24 hours.

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 have had panic attacks in the past and I told my surgeon. He wrote a prescription for ativan(lorazepam). I have been taking them to cope with my anxiety.

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

Emotional turmoil. Roller coaster ride. You will feel on top of the world one second, and down in the dumps the next second. Find someone to talk to

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

I traveled 88 miles to have my surgery.

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.

Well, I initially only ate soup or something that could slide right down. I am still having problems with eating. I cannot tolerate bread at all. I am having problems with any kind of meat except tuna. I don't like tuna that much, but I know that it has a lot of protein, so I eat it occasionally. The things that are worst for you like cookies and candy are the easiest to digest for some unknown reason. I have been living on salads for the past 10 weeks, and lots of veges. Vegetables are great. Meat is not so great. It gets stuck very easily. Pasta is not so great either. It gets stuck too. I throw up everytime I eat hamburger patties, steak, chicken, or anything like that. Now, I have had success with diced ham, and turkey breast in chef salads. Any kind of peanut or nuts go down well, and they have protein, but they have a lot of fat too, so you have to be careful what you eat. I told my husband I miss Quarter Pounders with cheese from McDonald's the most! Chips go down really well, and so does mashed potatoes. My surgeon told me to stop eating mashed potatoes because I could easily overeat my pouch with them.

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

After three weeks, my walking was much better. I can do more things now, but the shifting of weight has put a strain on my back for some reason.

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

I have taken vitamin e to help with the healing of the incision and scar, and a multivitamin like centrum to supplement me.

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?

Vomiting is the worst, because food gets stuck. I still have vomiting episodes if I overeat or eat meat. I just grin and bear it!

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

Getting up to go to the bathroom the first time

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

I don't have a support group, but I need one.

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

My scar is doing great. It is still red, but I have taken Vitamin E religiously, plus I rub vitamin e on it daily. I thought it would be much worse

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have steadily lost weight since surgery

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. People give me more respect because I respect myself now