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

I remember when Carnie Wilson had her surgery - I thought it was rather drastic and sad that someone had to go to such lengths to lose the weight. Then when it finally hit home with me that I was <gasp> FAT and becoming diabetic, I began researching on the procedure myself.

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

Extremely easy. I used military insurance, Tri-Care, and they were a breeze.

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

It was just an informative meeting - to see if I met the qualifications for the surgery as well as to make sure I understood just what the surgery entailed.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

The fact that I had tried everything else, and that I was going to have to take insulin - I did NOT want that. Having my doctor tell me to my face that I was Morbidly Obese was the eye opener. Pissed me off and hurt my feelings, but brought me out of denial.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted a permanent fix - not some band that would be placed in the body and would be adjusted. I just wanted it done in one fell swoop.

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 really didn't have any fears. I had researched the procedure thoroughly and researched my doctor (Dr. Titus Duncan) as well. Of all the doctors in Georgia, he was the only doctor I came across that had not had any complications or patients die, so that really made me feel good. I was aware of the risks and had made sure my will was updated and that my husband knew where it was (this really creeped him out). I had to be realistic about the fact I could have died during surgery (or worse), but thankfully everything went well. The only complications I had were: 1) I apparently am allergic to morphine and started to itch EVERYWHERE on my body - so that had to switch meds on me 2) after I got sent home, we couldn't find any local pharmacy with the liquid pain meds that I needed, so I spent 1 night in agony while my husband searched the state for it.

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?

Very supportive, both before and after surgery.

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

I was unemployed at the time - so didn't matter.

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

Great. I was at Atlanta Medical Center. Didn't need a single thing that I brought :-) I was only there 1 night. Checked in Monday morning, had the surgery Monday afternoon, and went home Tuesday afternoon.

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

Nope.

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

Tired. Very very tired. I would take naps several times a day. This lasted for about 3 months. Of course, I took my naps by the pool, so I got a pretty good tan :-) No anxiety - just tired.

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

I went out shopping 3 days after surgery and thought life was grand. The next day I could hardly get out of bed I was so exhausted! That taught me - I just took it easy and napped a lot. Expect to be tired. I never got hungry, my husband had to remind me to drink/eat something all the time.

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

25 miles

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

Flintstones Multi-Vitamin with Iron B-12

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 lasted for 4 days. Only vomited twice - and was because I didn't chew good enough Still suffer from dumping (have gotten used to it). I cannot have any sugar or white flour based products - this is tough for a breadaholic, so sometimes I just make allowances when I want to have bread. Hair loss lasted for a few weeks until I upped my protein intake.

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

Waking up after surgery and feeling the pain before the meds kicked in. Other than that, it was a cakewalk for me. Seriously. (then again, I've had some other surgeries that were worse, so comparitively this was nothing)

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

None.

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

My surgery was done LAP (please don't make me spell it out). My scars have gone away!!!! Yea baby!!!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have been on plateau hell since the surgery. I'd lose 30 pounds 1 month, and then nothing for 2 months. Drove me INSANE at first and I have just gotten used to it. Haven't lost anything for 4 months now and I still have about 20 more pounds to go. Heck, if I stop losing now I would still be a happy person as I am 100 pounds down from my fattest and my quality of life is so much better than it was before.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, I do. I have noticed men checking me out - while this should be flattering, I do have some resentment as I know they would not have paid the least bit of attention to me when I was fat. Plus it's been so long since any one catcalled at me that I am rather uncomfortable with it (maybe I just need to get used to it again :-)