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

A friend of mine had bariatric surgery 20 years ago. At that time I became interested in it. I finally asked my family doctor about it and he recommended Dr. Mark Shina. I attended 2 of Dr. Shina's seminars before deciding to go ahead with it.

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

Dr. Shina's office was wonderful about knowing what to submit to Aetna Managed Choice. I was turned down at first, but that is pretty routine, from what I hear. They wanted 6 months of a documented weight loss program with my doctor. After I did that, they came back with the approval. It took about 9 months for the whole process. You just have to be patient.

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

My first visit with Dr. Shina was very informative. There was a small group of us in a question and answer forum with him. This was after the initial attendance at one of his seminars. After the question and answer, we saw him individually and evaluated us at that time to see if we were good candidates. He answered all of my questions and I left his office ready to go forward with it. His office immediately started getting the information they needed from me for Aetna.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I felt confident that it would work for me after actually talking to several RNY Gastric Bypass patients who were several years out from their surgery.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Dr. Shina explained all of the available procedures in the seminar and gave us the pros and cons for each. He leaned more toward the RNY as being the most successful, so I trusted him and went with it. I had also done extensive research on it myself for 5 years.

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?

I felt very confident that it would work out for me. Dr. Shina had a fantastic success record, so I wasn't scared. I never had a problem with vomiting or diarrhea like so many people are afraid of. If you follow the doctor's orders you will most likely do just fine.

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 and friends were shocked and scared for me. After I explained everything to my husband and family they were very supportive of me. My friends were a little more sceptical. I did as much explaining to them, as I could.

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 a little taken aback. When I explained I was doing it for my health, he was supportive of it. I was off work for 6 weeks, because that is what Dr. Shina recommended if you could take it. I was glad I did, because it took me that long to get back on my feet, re-learn how to eat, buy some new clothes, and get back into a regular routine.