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

My niece wanted to have the surgery first so we did alot of research before she decided to do it, then I decided to do it as well.I was initially skeptical, but after examining all the research I felt quite lucky to be selected as a candidate for bariatric surgery.

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

I did not have any difficulty with my insurance company, I was approved the first time around, in fact I was approved the same day.

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

Fortunanetly, I worked for my surgeon, so i didnt have the initial discomfort of meeting him. However, He was very informative and made it clear that this surgery is not fool proof and that I had to be committed.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had decided from the beginning this is what I wanted

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

I was in the hospital for three days, The day before, the day of and the day after, discharged the following morning. Make sure you bring your walking shoes(LOL).......

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

Only during the actual surgery I had too much scar tissue built up from a gall bladder surgery approx a year earlier and it took the dr alot longer to do the operation, but after the surgery I never had one problem

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 must have been good and ready because I never experienced any anxiety

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

I was a little depressed worrying about getting in all that protein, but that eventually passed and I did well once i started feeling better and a little more energetic.

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

I had surgery in my home town the hospital is a few miles away.

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.

In the beginning I could not eat much of anything, for the first few weeks i ate alot of jello, and carnation instant breakfast. My taste buds have never gone back to the way they were before surgery things i really liked then i cant stand now. By about 6 weeks I was feeling really good and I was eating well, I ate cream of wheat cereal and protein shakes, tuna and cottage cheese. At about two months till about six months I lived on beef jerky.........I still eat quite a bit of chicken and I cannot eat any left over meats. The make me fell very ill.I cannot eat ice cream or drink coffee anymore, but for the most part at 11 months out I can pretty much eat about anything.

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

My activity level was not much of any for about two weeks then after the first two weeks I was able to start cleaning my house again and doing every day maintenance things again, by about the third or fourt week I was back to normal, however down 30=35 lbs made a big difference in my energy level that fast.

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

I take a one a day multi vitamin and b-12 daily. Up until 7 months i also took zinc and biotin to help with the hair loss, but after about seven months that stopped.

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 never experienced dumping syndrom, I had nausia for quite a while after surgery but i believe it was caused by still trying to eat too fast it got considerably better around six months, it was frustrating at times, and i went thru a stage where i didnt want to eat because i knew i would get nausia

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

learning to eat right and exercise

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

We have a monthly support group at the hospital and it is very helpful

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

My scars are very small i had laproscopic and the six scars are hardly noticeable

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I did not experience any plateaus

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

yes it is very odd how people treat you diffrently because you are skinny. the funny part was the pcalls that said my husband was having an affair.....