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

coworker had the surgery, than another coworker, each had different procedures. I followed their progess and frequently questioned them on their health, and satisfaction with making their surgical choices

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

BlueCross Personal Choice was great, I had my approval within a few weeks of my initial consult

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

Read up before the interview, write questions and concerns down prior to the visit. My surgeon answered all of my questions, did not try to push the surgery on me.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I felt that I was at the end of my rope with my weight. I felt that a surgical procedure was my only lasting solution, providing me with a tool for life.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

From research in books/medical journals/online and personal experience as a nurse, working in the critical care unit

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?

My greatest fear was internal incisional leakage, with possible body wide sepsis and possible death from infection

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?

Apx. 95% of the people I told were supportive. My family was supportive pre and post surgery.

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

No problems with arranging for time off and short term dissability. I was out of work for 6 weeks.

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

I went in for surgery on Tuesday morning, and came home on Thursday afternoon. Bring a small pillow to support your abd. when walking, changing positions, coughing. It was also nice as extra padding between me and the seatbelt going home.

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 was excited, I ate what I wanted pretty much, but didn't have a last meal binge fest and tried to make good food choices.

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

Low energy, soreness. Take advantage of offers of others to help with household chores etc.

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

42 miles one way

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.

2weeks of clear liquids, 2 weeks of full liquids, 1 week of pureed, , one week of soft, then nermal foods, initially apx. 2-3 oz of protein at a time, with maybe 1-2 bites of a vegetable or fruit. I can't have foods with sugar or high fat as it could cause dumping syndrome. 8 months out I eat about a cup of food at a time, 5=6 times a day

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

Slow casual walks with my 2 dogs for the first weeks, 2 months out I could walk 2-3 miles at a reasonble pace

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

Multivitamin high potency, liquid formula and or a prenatal vitamin total 2 times/day Liquid calcium/magnesium supplement 1/day Extra calcium tablet and extra Vit D 1/day. Juice Plus fruit and vegetable tablets 2/day

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 experienced a moderate amount of hair loss at about 6-9 months postop. It is now filling back in. I've thrown up a total of 3 times, all my fault, due to eating too much, not paying attention to my body's signals

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

Mental adjustment of a person's relationship with food, and the constant relearning of healthy nonfood coping habits.

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

I attend a monthly support group meeting. I also subscribe to 2 wls journalsand, the monthly Barix publication help me stay focused

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

Midline Abd from below my sternum to my navel. Slightly wider than I hoped for, I could truly care less about it.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

The past 2 months I've been playing aroung with a few pounds lost then regained. I know this is because of food/calorie choices I've made, and not enough exercise

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. You get more respect as a normal size person