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

I heard about some 6-7 yrs ago and was interested. I gained a lot of weight since that time and quit smoking 2 1/2 yrs ago, so that made it worse. (oral fixation) After hearing more about it from others who had it done, or knew people that did, I thought, why not me? I did extensive research, I work for doctors, and they helped steer me towards my decision

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

no problems

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

after initial general meeting (required), my sister and I went together for the consultation since we both wanted to have the surgery. The consult went great, informative and we were prepared for all the necessary items that were required pre op

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

not sure----just felt the right time

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted a shorter and easier recovery

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?

no fears-- (lie) really though, not many fears. More maybe from staying the weight I was at. Just make sure that you are prepared for a total life style change. That can be very frightening to some. But I believe this is the best thing I could have done for myself and the people around me

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?

my family and friends could not have been more supportive in every way both before and after my sister and I had our surgeries. We also support each other since we own a house together and had our surgeries 6 days apart

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

my employer was actually the one who encouraged this. There are 4 doctors, and they recommended my surgeon very highly. I was out of work for 2 weeks

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

fine--no problems except that when I had to go to the bathroom, I needed a nurse to unplug my IV. I was up and out of bed the first afternoon the day after surgery, and getting myself out of bed by that night

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

no complications at all

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

my doctors office worked very well with getting me in within a very short (2-3 week) period of time so there wasn't really a lot of time for anxiety. any I had, I just talked to others who had it done or researched online

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

less than 20 miles

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

medium to high

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

tropical oasis liquid vitamins

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?

no side effects

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

no worst part

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

I am trying to locate people in my area for support groups. I think that is very important since I have lots of questions that only others who have gone through this may be able to answer

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

5-6 small incisions the largest being about 1-1 1/2 inches long. Fading with time

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I seem to have hit a plateau in around 3-4 weeks. Apparently this is called hibernation. From what I have read online, this should go away around week 6-7. Very frustrating especially since it did not happen to my sister

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

maybe. not quite sure since its only about 30lbs. but people (strangers) do seem to make more eye contact and smile a bit more