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

well i seen it on tv read it in books and talk to a women who had the surgery we became friends and i decied it was best for me ,

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

i had no trouble due to my bmi being so high it was medical nec for me to have the surgery

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

Ask as my / as you can think of listion to what the doc says and make sure this is something you want to do befor going thru with it no turning back once its done ,

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Thinking about the furture of my birth child and my 5 neices and nephews i have coustdy of i wanted to see that i was able to care for them as i promised my self and them when i took them in to my life , i also wanted to breath better be able to go places and not have ppl looking at me and i am sure talking about me as well i wanted to feel better ,

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

hum it was just a choice me and my spouse thought was best for me ,

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?

well i did think about dying but i also knew i couldent go on living as i was as fat as i was anyway so it was worth the risk ,as far as complications i guess i did have a few i just dident get well as fast as a lot of people do and i was getting scared after 8 weeks and still feeling very tired and a lot of pain ,for others who have bad thoughts just as i said befor just make sure its something you wana do a life changing surgery is a big thought ,

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?

most of my friends thought it was a good choice i made my mom was very worried and my dad would just say i hope it all goes well this is your life and your going to do what you think it will be wonderful if it all works out , they did suport me after the surgery but my mother again was getting ill thinking i wasent getting better , she had a hard time dealing with seeing me so sick ,

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

i was a home maker

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

the nures and all were good to me , it wasent easy getting up and walking so soon , the most inportant thing to bring is strenth in your mind and heart

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

i had a few small things had to keep a cather in for a long time i think like 14 days and that was the worst thing for me hard to sit or move , did throw up everything for about 4 mo , even water ,i just lived day by day and got thru at last

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

well i just wanted to get it over with i wasent scared i just wanted to loose weight and get life on track , i did talk about what was going to happen a lot and was on the computer a lot trying to pass time ,

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

well for me it was kinda bad as i said had a cather in and it was hard to sit i had 6 kids wondering what was wrong with mom and i hate for me not to be able to care for my kids i dont like people cleaning my house or carring for me but it had to be like that for a while expect , pain , restless nights and throwing up

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

it was about 70 miles i guess and as far as after care i still travel that its not a big deal the worst thing was the ride home after surgery ,

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 could only keep broth down for a long while , then i was able to start eating prety normal just no suger or bread i had no bread for over a year then as i was able to start eating bread i did and that wasa mistake my weight lose slowed down ,i cant to this day eat ceral and come sep 7 08 it will have been 3 years from my surgeryday ,

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

for almost 8 weeks i done very little till the cather was out i walked in my yard some what very little after that i started walking everyday and doing leg lifts and just what ever i could to move around ,

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

i done BAD on the undry and i regret that i did have hair loose , i take my vit b 12 shot each month and the prenatial v everyday

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?

alot of nausea little dumping becouse i ate very little ,hair loose was somewhat a prob but its betetr now i just lived each day hoping it would get better and at last i did ,

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

getting thru the first 8 weeks , having people take care of me making my mother worie so much and my spouce having to deal with me being mean lol and care for the whole family by him self

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

all i had was friends and familey

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

yes it is not to bad and a scare is better than all thw weight i dident do this for looks i done it for health

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

hum some ppl seem to be nicer and others seem to act as if i think i am better than them if they weigh more than me but heyi am still fat it has helped me a lot but i am still strugling every min of everyday with weight ,