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

I work in a hospital as a psychologist. I did the evaluations for pre-surgical bariatric patients. I was POSITIVE I would NEVER seek the surgery. Then I started listening to the patients post-op and realized what foolish ideas I had.

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

Work closely with you physician and surgeon, find out what the insurance requirements are before applying, have your HR help you

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

Very informative, I brought my spouse and a written question list as well as records of my medical history.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Prayer, prayer and more prayer and lots of family and friend support.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

The vertical gastric sleeve.

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?

Losing 80% of my stomach and maybe needing it later. I also have Parkinson's disease and couldn't find any research on anesthesia and Parkinson's and I had no surgical history. Turns out because of an unexpected cholecystectomy, interaction of the medications and my disease I did stay under for much longer than planned but I am feeling fine now.

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 spouse and my sister were my biggest support, the office crew is very helpful with maintaining diet as they are working on keeping healthy as well. I think I communicated everything well, probably far too many times as I came to my final decision and they all surpassed my greatest expectations. I am so blessed.

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

Our hospital is very supportive and I was pampered and honored by the care and concern I received before and after.

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

No pain, very comfortable, 1 night, family support and a comfortable outfit to wear home. Wish I had brought a pretty hat because I didn't wear my wig in bed and my head was a surprise to some of my visitors.

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

Yes, interaction between Parkinson's disease and anesthesia. I slept a lot, trusted God, my family and the staff and woke up the next day.

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

Excited, afraid, worried I had made a MAJOR wrong decision. Reviewed the data over and over, talked to more people, and PRAYED.

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

Sleepiness, dizziness, lack of appetite. Broth is disgusting. And amazing weight loss. And no pain.

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

20 miles. I work at the same hospital I had my surgery in.

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.

No bread, cookies, or junk food. For the first week liquid only, next two weeks smooshie foods (chicken salad, cottage cheese and yogurt were my mainstay with LOTS of ISOPURE powder in Crystal lite and sugar free frozen fruit bars (still have the beverage every day for protein & fluid) After 1 month I could have vegetables and tender meat, it is working well as long as I stay SLOW and use the less than 4 oz rule.

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

First three weeks, sleepy, slow and dizzy! After that every day I get more active and the weight is coming off so well!

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

Flinstones 2 a day, ISOPURE whey supplement from GNC

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?

Dizziness, sleepiness, long reaction to anesthesia almost 3 weeks. Took two weeks off work after surgery and was on lighter schedule the first week back.

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

The liquid diet before and just after

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

Our entire staff, my family, the surgical team, and our bariatric support group. They are all wonderful. I wish every bari patient could have our hospital support

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

I have several, they are small and healing vey well.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I get 3 to 6 day weight plateaus that are usually accompanied by constipation and hunger, but they pass and they weight continues to come off. I need to stay focused on the big picture.