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

TV - @ the time I was on my low end of heavy & thought that GB was the "easy way out". I now know that there's nothing easy about this. It is truly a life saver for many people who would have certainly died by now had it not been for this remarkable discovery.

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

Never had a problem w/BCBS

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

Dr.Barker & his staff are amazing.He was so kind/concerned/interested in helping me & he never rushed or gave me the impression that he would ever be too busy for me. If you come w/questions, he will pull up a chair beside you & answer all of them until you don't have anymore.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Because it could be done laproscopically & my insurance would approve it.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I wanted the one that would give me the best results (quickly) & would allow me to heal faster.

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?

Other than being morbidly obese & having asthma, I am relatively healthy, plus I knew the anesthesia group who was putting me to sleep (very important I might add), & since I'm a nurse @ that hospital I heard the OR nurses rave about my surgeon. So I wasn't nervous at all.

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?

No a single member of my family was pleased w/my decision, but they still supported me from the beginning & continue to support me now & call daily to check on me.

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

Don't go there, she's not exactly the ideal morally correct supervisor. I was out of work from 6/1/05 to 8/3/05 but I had to go back & have a hernia repair in July so I had to stay off work longer than originally anticipated.

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

My stay was great! I was there for 2 days. Toiletries, robe, socks & slippers, comfortable sleepwear that doesn't touch your tummy, low cut panties that won't touch your staples, something to hold your hair back in case your get hot or sick.

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

Incarcerated Umbilical Hernia = I had surgery to repair it 1 mo & 5 days post-op from my WLS. I understand that it can be pretty common w/the Laproscopic procedures.

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 was so excited, but I also ate like I was going to die tomorrow. Apparently alot of people do that before surgery & weigh more the day of surgery than they did the day of their consult w/their surgeon.

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

The first 2 weeks were not bad @ all.I was able to stop taking pain meds 3 days after surgery. As long as you stay on top of your pain managment while in the hospital & get out of bed & start walking, you will feel amazing well.My surgery was @ 1pm & I was out of bed doing laps around the nurses station by 8:30 that night (@ that point I had only been in my room for 1 1/2 hrs).

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

7 minutes

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.

Liquids/puree went down fine;Eggs/mashed potatoes/oatmeal - great; Beef doesn't like me at all! Chicken is a little hard to eat but it doesn't give me that "YUK" feeling.I have to substitute Ground Turkey for Beef.

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

I've only attended 1 SupGrpMtg, but it was amazing & I will keep attending for as long as they have them.

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

I have 7 little 1/4 -1/2 inch incisions since I had the laproscopic approach

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

for the last week I was stuck @ 166 but I was getting into smaller clothes, so I was losing inches.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

No... not really just lots of questions which I love to help them understand what it's like to have gone through this & still be going through this.