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

I actually had friends from church who had gone through the surgery (RNY) and had remarkable success in quickly dropping the weight. My personal perspective at the time was that it seemed to be "the easy way out" and that they lacked will power to do it on their own. On day my doctor was discussing my diabetes and asked me if I had ever considered gastric bypass surgery. I would not have ever brought the subject up on my own. He described what it could do for me and I began to research it.

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

My experience was not to difficult looking back. However, when you have invested time researching the surgery, jumped through all of the hoops and are working through the red tape it really seemed frustrating.

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

My meeting was short and he was very direct and wanted to make sure that I understand the good and the bad and the risk. Professional doctor.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Considering what my future will be like without it and also the real risk to my family if my health were to fail.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My research online.

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?

It seems silly now but once I decided to get the surgery and everything was approved I tried not to think about the risk. I mean I understood it completely but I really didn't allow myself to think about it until right before they put me under and I kissed my wife.

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?

Everyone was surprisingly supportive. No one was negative at all.

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 understanding and had a few questions about the process. I was completely candid in discussing it with him. I was out of work for about 10 days.

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

I am not attending a support group. I do believe that it would be helpful.

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

My Lap-RNY scars are about what I expected. Not bad.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I hit a plateau at about 7-8 weeks post-op.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Most people are very complementary when they notice that I have lost weight and ask "How are you am losing the weight". I do notice people watching what I eat (how much, what, etc...)