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

My dr. suggested it. I was scared at first but after almost 2 years of research I was very confident with both the surgery and my surgeon.

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

My doctor took care of all that I have medicaid. I guess they figured it was cheaper to pay for the surgery than it was to keep buying my medications every month.

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

Smooth sailing. Dr. Macdonald and his nurse were very nice and answered any and every question I had. They did not loose their patience.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had to have surgery on my wrist, when I got to the outpatient surgery center I was there for 2 hours when the dr. came up to me and said I exceeded the facility weight lmit and I would have to have my surgey at the hospital.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The dr. decided

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, just do all the research you can. I read books, articles, downloaded alot of stuff off the internet.

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 friends and family were behind me 100%. My 10 year old was alittle nervous. But when I got home he was fine.

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

I work at the local hospital everyone was behind me 1000%. I told them what I was doing and why. I answer phones so I was able to go back to work in 2 weeks.

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

One of my nurses kinda sucked. She didn't help me thank god my mom is a nurse and helped. My surgery was on Fri morning and I came home Sun afternoon. Socks!!! My feet were so cold.

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

No complications

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 got my surgery date 2 weeks before hand. I tried to enjoy every new restaurant in town!! I came to obesityhelp.com web site. The people there were my saviors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

My third day home I was like OH MY GOD WHAT DID I DO TO MYSELF??? I never noticed how many commercials on TV were about food until then. Stay strong. Go to obesityhelp.com if you feel weak or have any questions.

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

40 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.

I still can not tolerate eggs for some reason. If my meat is cooked too much I can not eat that.

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

low at first. As each week passes and the more weight I loose the more energy I have.

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

2 fiberchoice daily, 2 childrens chewables vitamins daily, b-12, caltrate 600 Plus.

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 had very little hair loss. TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!!! Nausia very seldom only if I ate too fast.

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

The Boost/ Ensure it was too thick for me to drink.

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 scars are small, I used cocoa butter and tanned this summer they are bearly noticable. I expected them to be alot more noticable.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

After 3 months, i didn't loose any weight for about 2 weeks, and again at 6 months.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes. People are so quick to say how good I look since I lost weight. I get alot more attention from guys.