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

I found out about it when my Dad got it and it took me 2 years to decide it was right for me

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

It was easy for me because I had good coverage

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

It was productive I had alot of questions and I wrote them down so I would not forget anything

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I picked the most common procedure

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 so afraid of dying because I did not want to leave my children without a mother. I felt like I was taking a huge risk especially because I was only32 years old.

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?

For the most part people thought I was crazy they didnt think I was heavy enough. After the surgery I had alot of people who became jealous of my for the fact that I lost so much so quickly and now aws smaller than most of them,that surprised me that people would be like that.

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

It was OK I was in ICU the whole time Iwas there for 3 days. I didnt need to bring anything because in ICU you dont even have a bathroom.

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

No

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 felt anxious and I felt like I had made a very bad mistake because you go into this knowing you cant eat but when you really cant you kind of regret it. It took me about a month or so to get used to it, but now I would do it again in a heart beat

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

you might feel sad because you lost your best friend(food)

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

it was only half hour 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.

I lived on soup for the first 4 months I hate chicken!!! Most meat gives me a hard time. Now at 7 months I still like my soup and yogourt I still eat very little do to the fact my pouch needed to be made smaller due to scar tissue from a previous surgery

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

I was very weak in the beginning but after a couple of weeks I was back to normal and after a few months I had a much higher activity level

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

Iron multi vitamin/mineral calcium B12

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?

Hairloss was the worst It started at 3 months post op and started to get better around 7 months I was told it happens to everybody and that it would grow back so I wasnt to upset

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

Getting used to the MUCH smaller amounts of food you can eat and having to eat so slow

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

I talk to a nutritionist ever 3 months

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

I have 5 small scars

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have not hit one in 7 months I went from 252 to 139

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes people who knew me before cant get over me now and thats all they talk about it annoys me sometimes