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

TV commercial, and it looked promising but scary.

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

Medicare has no pre-approval procedure.

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

Dr. Denning let me ask all of my questions and he then explained the procedure he used. Being that I was disabled and had Medicare/Medicaid we did talk some about Medicare paying/self-pay. I appreciated his frankness throughout the visit! Cabell Huntington Hospital recently formed a Bariatric Center which will help the first time patient....

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

For my HEALTH and WELL BEING.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I was very satisfied w/Dr. Denning's explaination of the surgery he performed.

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?

Of course I had a fear of dying but God knew how much better I would be after the surgery so I was prepared for whatever "he" had in store for me! HAVE FAITH....

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 very supportive.... NO.... Every pound I lose SOMEONE tells me how great I look!!!

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

Not employed due to disability.

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

Had SOME difficulty w/certain employees knowledge of the Bari-bed mechanism.....anytime I rang my buzzer it was almost immmediately answered either in person or over the intercom. Overall it was good! Went in the hospital Wednesday and came home Monday morning. Lip gloss...small pillow to hold on incision when coughing.

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

NO...thankfully!!!!

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

Staying busy doing anything, I had a number of tests that were scheduled RIGHT before surgery. Already take an antidepressant and have a wonderful therapist!

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

WELL...it was hard to get comfortable, couldn't walk upright, pain was present but bearable :0) WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT!!!

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

2 miles.

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.

MILK...which I loved to drink prior to surgery and at 7months I still can't have but a "swallow". I just slowly tried eating different things and when my POUCH was full it would certainly tell me (nausea/lightheadedness) Used to LOVE chocolates but CAN'T tolerated SUGAR.......

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

Started walking and then joined the YMCA for AquaTherapy class which is great fun!! At 11 months post-op I can climb stairs better and never seem to get out of breath...can get down on my hands and knees PLUS get up w/o difficulty.

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

Multi-Vitamin

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?

Nausea seemed to be my biggest problem and when I eat too fast/too much it still bothers me at 11 months post-op. "Burping" goes along w/that also so I use my TUMS and PAPAYA ENZYME and it works.

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

The first few days immmediately after surgery..............

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

Continue to have follow-up visits w/surgeon......VERY IMPORTANT!

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

Noticable but I don't plan on wearing a bikini any time soon!! Top of scar is thick (keloid) but doesn't bother me.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None.....1 yr. 04/10/03

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Treating me differently no really but everyone is very supportive!