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

was at the surgeons office for another matter and he mentioned it to me and had never considered the surgery before until i found out how it could benefit me

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

they denied my at first, but my family physcian wrote letters along with my surgeon, the staff at the surgeons office helped me a great deal. my advice is not to give up have all your doctors write letters for you

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

my surgeon was very nice and explained everything in great detail to me. ask alot of questions no question is a dumb question

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

health issues and for myself i wanted to feel better

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

i didn't have achoice they could only do open

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?

you have the same chance of death if your overweight to me the choice was easy i was scared but i was in good hands make sure you pick a surgeon you are confident with

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 was supportive through the whole process

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 supportive in everyway i told them the truth and why i was doing it, i was out of work almost 4 months due to complications

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

my stay was great, 7 days, slippers bathrobe,shampoo ect...

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

yes, just dealt with them one at a time

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

due to complications it took me along time to start feeling better,my family helped me cope alot and so did the staff at the surgeons office

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

you can only have liquids and puree foods, you are very sore, you have alot of adjusting to do

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

20 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 could have liquids but they had to be suger-free, you can't have solids.i'm at almost 4 months i still can't hve fresh veggies nothing with sugar or anything high in fat. off limit things especially sweets,gradually the doctor lets you try different things some work some don't it's trial and error

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

very low for quite a while but everyone is different

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

protein powder, chewable 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?

vomiting dumping hair loss were the worst.i still have the side effects

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

side effects and complications

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

you see the surgeon quite a bit the dietician also and i go to support group every month. it's extremely important

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

8 inches long not very pretty, wasnt what i expected

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

none yet still losing weight pretty quickly

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

haven't paid much attention my friends and family treat me the same i'm still the same person