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

I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SURGERY THRU A FRIEND. WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT I THOUGHT I NEEDED TO LOOK INTO THIS. IT MIGHT BE WHAT I NEEDED.

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

I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY INSURANCE. THE STAFF AT THE DOCTORS OFFICE TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING. MY ADVICE IS TO FIND A GOOD CLINIC AND DOCTOR THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING.

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

IT WAS GREAT. I FIRST MET WITH THE CLINIC DIRECTOR WHO GAVE ME A BOOKLET AND EXPLAINED EVERYTHING TO ME. THEN WHEN I MET WITH MY DOCTOR SHE WENT OVER EVERYTHING AGAIN AND ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS.TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS MEETING YOU NEED TO WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS ARE DOUBTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE SURGERY.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

AFTER GATHERING INFORMATION ABOUT THE SURGERY AND VISITING WITH THE CLINIC AND DOCTOR I KNEW THIS WAS THE RIGHT SURGERY FOR ME TO HELP ME WITH MY WEIGHT PROBLEM.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I STUDIED THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SURGERY AND THE LAP R-Y HAD THE LEAST COMPLICATIONS AND THE HEALING TIME WAS LESS THAN THE OTHERS.

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?

BY THE TIME I HAD MY SURGERY I WAS QUITE CONFIDENT IN MY DOCTOR THAT I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY FEARS. I KNEW THE RISK INVOLVED IN HAVING THE SURGERY BUT I HAD PRAYED ALOT AND I HAD A PEACE ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

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 POSITIVE AND SUPPORTIVE ABOUT THE SURGERY. WE HAD A FAMILY REUNION A MONTH BEFORE MY SURGERY AND I TOLD ALL MY FAMILY ABOUT IT. EVEN AFTER THE SURGERY EVERYONE HAS BEEN REAL SUPPORTIVE. MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN THE GREATEST THROUGH IT ALL.

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

WHEN I DECIDED TO HAVE THE SURGERY I WENT TO MY BOSS AND TOLD HIM WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. HE WAS VERY UNDERSTANDING AND TOLD ME HE WOULD SUPPORT ME IN ANY WAY. HE AND MY CO-WORKERS HAVE BEEN GREAT THROUGH IT ALL. I WAS OUT OF WORK ABOUT THREE WEEKS.

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

I WENT IN THE HOSPITAL ON TUESDAY MORNING FOR MY SURGERY AND WAS RELEASED ON THURSDAY MORNING. THE NURSES AT THE HOSPITAL WERE GREAT. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO BRING IS A POSTIVE ATTITUDE AND A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY MEMBER. THE HOSPITAL TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING ELSE.

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

I DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS FROM SURGERY.

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 AT TIMES AND SCARED. BUT I KEPT THINKING ABOUT HOW MISERABLE I FELT BEING OUVERWEIGHT AND ALL THE THINGS I WAS MISSING OUT ON WITH MY FAMILY. I KNEW IF I DIDN'T DO THIS NOW THAT I MIGHT NOT LIVE TO SEE MY GRANDCHILDREN AND GROW OLD WITH MY HUSBAND.

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

WHEN YOU FIRST GET HOME YOU WILL BE SORE. DO WHAT YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU. DRINK PLENTY OF LIQUIDS AND GET PLENTY OF REST. YOU NEED TO GET UP AND WALK AROUND THOUGH. THE QUICKER YOU START MOVING THE BETTER YOU WILL FEEL. THE SORENESS WILL GET BETTER EACH DAY.

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

I HAD TO TRAVEL ABOUT 200 MILES. IT WAS INTERSTATE MOST OF THE WAY, SO IT WASN'T THAT BAD OF A DRIVE. THE HOTEL WE STAYED AT GAVE DISCOUNTS IF YOU LET THEM KNOW YOU WERE A PATIENT AT THE HOSPITAL. THE FIRST MONTH I HAD TO GO BACK EVERY TWO WEEKS, THEN EVERY MONTH FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS AND NOW ITS THREE MONTHS.

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.

WHEN I HAD MY SURGERY I BROUGHT A BOOK HOME THAT GAVE YOU GUIDELINES TO GO BY. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE BOOK. THE FIRST WEEK HOME I WAS ON A LIQUID DIET OF PROTEIN AND BROTH AND JELLO. THEN I STARTED INTRODUCING FOODS LIKE COTTAGE CHEESE, PEACHES, TUNA, EGGS, PEAS, CHICKEN,AND PUDDING FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS. THEN YOU CAN START ADDING MORE FOODS ON THE LIST. I STAY AWAY FROM GREASY, FATTY FOODS. I STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR. I EAT SUGAR FREE FOODS. I CAN TOLERATE SMALL AMOUNTS OF SUGAR, I STAY UNDER 6 GRAMS IN A SERVING. ITS LIKE BEING ON A DIABETIC DIET.

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

THE FIRST THREE WEEKS I FELT TIRED REAL EASY. BUT AS THE WEEKS WENT BY I BEGAN TO GET MY STRENGTH BACK AND BY SIX WEEKS I FELT GREAT. MY ENGERY LEVEL IS HIGHER THAN IT HAS BEEN SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER.

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

I DRINK A PROTEIN DRINK TWICE A DAY AND I TAKE TWO CHEWABLE COMPLETE VITAMINS EACH 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 HAVEN'T HAD ANY SIDE EFFECTS EXCEPT A LITTLE HAIR LOSS THAT HAS JUST STARTED AT FIVE MONTHS.

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

THE WORST PART WAS THE LEAKAGE TEST THEY DO THE NEXT DAY AFTER SURGERY. YOU HAVE TO DRINK THIS HORRIBLE TASTEING LIQUID AND STAND UP BY YOURSELF WHILE THE TAKE AN XRAY.

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

THE LIVE LITE PROGRAM HAS A WLS SUPPORT GROUP THAT MEETS ONCE A MONTH. I LIVE TO FAR AWAY TO GO TO IT EVERY MONTH BUT I WENT TO ONE RIGHT AFTER I HAD SURGERY. SINCE THEN WE HAVE STARTED A LOCAL GROUP THAT IS ONLY 30 MILES FROM HOME. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP. YOU LEARN ALOT FROM OTHER SURGERY PATIENTS.

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

I HAD LAP SURGERY. MY SCARS ARE SMALL.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE OVER FIVE MONTHS AND I AM STILL LOSING WEIGHT. IT HAS SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE PER WEEK BUT I HAVEN'T REALLY HIT A PLATEAU YET.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES.