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

the first time i heard about wls was when my two aunts had it done. they didnt have the rny done just stomach stapling and it wasnt a good surgery for them they gained it back so i never asked anymore questions about it and than i heard about carnie wilsons surgery and the procedure thay performed and i really went to town on reasearch on that.

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

well my insurance was on top of things. i stayed on top of things to but i had an approval in like 3 working days. my first step was i called them to see if they even approved wls. i worked with one lady and she was very helpful. she looked up differant things about procedure codes and things like that and i found out that the place i was haveing done at was contracted with them. by the way i have blue cross blue sheild of illnois and i had my surgery at btc in belvidere.ill

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

my first visit was alright. my surgeon was very nice and understanding about the way i felt about my body and he was very good at answering all my questions and husbands questions. to get the most out of your first visit with your doctor is sit down and think of any question you have to ask him or her and fire away.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

well if i didnt stop eating i was going to either one, have a heart attack or get the same disease my dad has in his heart or two. get diaabetes like my mother. i want to run around with my step kids when im at the park with them without getting out of breath and i want to see the age of 70 or longer

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

well the place that i had my surgery at only did open rny. but i origanlly wanted lap rny done. just because its less painful. than i started researching all the surgeries and i found that id rather be under the knife for 1 hour than 3 to 4 hours with lap plus noone in my area or close to my area did them

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?

really the only fear i had about complications or dying was a bloodclot. that really scared me. so i just got up 4 hours after surgery and made sure i wasnt going to get one of those. i would tell people now just to get up and walk. walk, walk. sit in a chair or whatever makes your body move.

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 very supportive. my sister wasnt to sure of it and really i dont think she still is but she tells me whatever makes me happy do it. my husband is scared to death im gonna leave him for another man when i reach goal or before. but otherwise he was very supportive also.they are just as supportive as they were but my sister is alot better about it.

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

my boss was great about the whole situation. i was scared he wasnt going to give me as much time off as i needed but he says to come back when i fell its time and beleive me im 3 weeks out and im ready to go back to work.i told him exactly what it was all about and he thought it would be great for me he knows how much ive always wanted to be healthy and skinny.im still out of work and its been 18 days out of surgery and i have a 2 week checkup tomarrow and he should release me to go back to work.

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 alright but beleive me it could have been alot better. i was there on a weekend and the place was pretty full with just wls patients and it was hard to get a nurse to help you. i was there 3 nights 4 days. definately bring a pillows, slippers, phone cards, and someone to talk too.

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

no complications after 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?

well only being 18 days out i feel alright could feel alittle better im sure but i was just operated on what should i expect. i went to the emergency room about 7 days ago and i was expericing back pain in my lower back and side pain also i had chest pain in the top of my incision and over to the right side of my chest. the back pain was a urinary tract infection from the cathader and the chest pain they think is a pulled muschle in my chest.i didnt cope with it very well but im making it through.

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

my time home has been wonderful besides the few little complications ive had. i really want to go to the chiro my back is killing me from sleeping on it. just get as much rest as you possibly can.

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

i traveled 2 hours. it wasnt that bad the bumps sucked though.

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 was on liquid diet for one week and than full liquid for 2 weeks but ive had some regular food just put tham in a blender. so really i havent got to eat a variety of stuff.

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

my activity level has been great but you can over do it so ive learned that the hard way but you still need to walk, walk, walk!!!!!

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

the only vitmins that i take are flinstones chewables.

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?

no side effects so far.

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

the only part thats been bad was when the nurse forgot to plug my morphine pump back in and i didnt have any pain med for 5 hours. and coming home was alittle hard moving around but i made do.

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

there is a support group for the place i had it done but i havent gone there yet i go to a support group with a friend that had surgery a day before me where were from and i love all the people there. but i am gonna have to go to my support group sometime.

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

my scar looks great so far but i dont have the stery strips off yet, but a few have fallen off and the parts that have fallen off look awsome.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

no plateaus yet.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

i notice my husband treating me alittle differantly but like when i go up to work to visit they notice alittle weight coming off. i thing ive only lost about 20 pounds in 18 days.