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

Channel 7's 20/20 News Program. My first impression was.."Sign Me Up!!"

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 problems. I have US Health Care. It was approved within 3 days

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

I met with his staff of people weeks before I even saw the surgeon himself. He was very informative. My advice is to just ask as many questions as possible no matter how silly they may seem to you. This is a major decision to have surgery

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had tried everything else.Nothing was working.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

After reviewing all the different procedures I decided the gastric bypass would be the 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?

I had no fears. My friends and some family members asked aren't you afraid you could die from this. and my response to them was no I am not afraid and if I keep on going the way I was going I would be dead before long anyway.

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 were very supportive. Now everyone is so happy to see me healthy and happy. It helped me also because my aunt had the same surgery I had two weeks before I went in. So we went through all of this together.

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

I was out of work for two weeks. They were a little concerned about the drastic decision I had made. They are now thrilled I did it. I was missing alot of work because of illness and migranes. Since surgery I have not had a headache and have not been out of work since due to illness

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

I went in on Tuesday morning and went home Saturday morning. I spent two days in intensive care. Bring a night gown because the hospital was very short on oversized gowns.

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

No

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 very anxious to just go and have the surgery and to begin the jouney to my new skinny life. I had a lot of family support to help with any feelings of anxiety

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

Everyday you feel better and better. You will still have some soreness just pace yourself and everything will be fine

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

30 minutes from my home

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 had my surgery 5 months ago and beef is something I still can not tolerate. I can eat fish, chicken and turkey. The bites must be small though and chewed very very well. I can not stress the importance of chewing the food. Just two weeks ago I could not eat chicken or turkey but I now can. Just because you can not eat something today does not mean you can not eat it tommorrow.

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

That same night of surgery in intensive care the nurses had me sitting up and brushing my teeth. Day two I was up and walking short distances. Day three in the afternoon walked from ICU to my new room. I was home from the hospital three days and I was out walking short distances.

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

Multi One a day vitamin with Iron B-12, Calcium

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?

I slept better than ever after surgery. I had some vomitting but now very rarely have it anymore. I had hair loss but now it is starting to grow back slowly. When I first starting eating solids it was hard for me. Nothing wanted to stay down. But after about three weeks things seemed to settle down and I made a conscience effort to chew all my food real well and everything is fine now.

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

To me it is the best thing that has happened to me. The worst thing was not finding out about it sooner.

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

Support group meets at Brookhaven Hospital in Patchogue New York lst Monday of every month. Very important to know there are people out there going through what you are experiencing

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

It runs from down the center of my stomach from just under the breast bone to just above my belly button. It is not as bad as I thought it would look

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Have had none. I keep eating right and keep active

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes alot different. People seem friendlier.