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

MY SISTER STARTING TALKING TO ME ABOUT IT, AND AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THAT YOU HAD TO WEIGH LIKE 400 POUNDS OR SOMETHING. I NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED THAT I WOULD BE A CANDIDATE. MY HUSBAND SAW HOW MISERABLE I WAS WITH MY KNEE PAIN AND NO ENERGY AND ENCOURAGED ME TO CHECK INTO IT MORE.

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

MY HUSBAND IS CFO OF HIS COMPANY AND HAS A BIG SAY IN WHAT INSURANCE THEY USE, SO THIS WAS A HUGE BENEFIT FOR ME. HE CHANGED COMPANIES AND PLANS SO THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS SURGERY. WE DID RESEARCH ON THE WEB WHAT INSURANCES WERE WILLING TO PAY OR NOT. I SENT ONE LETTER AND I WAS APPROVED IN JUST A FEW WEEKS.

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

VERY INFORMATIVE. I GAINED ALOT OF CONFIDENCE IN DR. CHAMPION AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING. HE TOOK HIS TIME AND MADE US VERY AWARE OF THE PROCEEDURE.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I PRAYED AND PRAYED AND PRAYED. MY HUSBAND AND I FINALLY BOTH FELT THAT I WOULD DIE AT AN EARLY AGE WITHOUT IT. WE WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN MINISTRY AND THAT REQUIRES ALOT OF STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. WE JUST KNEW IT WAS RIGHT FOR US.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I WANTED THE LAP RYN BECAUSE I HAD THE BEST SURGEON JUST A FEW MILES FROM ME. THE RECOVERY IS EASIER, AND MORE PEOPLE KEEP OFF THEIR WEIGHT WITH THIS SURGERY.

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 DID THINK ABOUT DYING AND I JUST FEEL THAT I WOULD EITHER BE HEALTHIER IN HEAVEN (IF GOD CHOSE TO TAKE ME HOME), OR I WILL BE HEALTHIER HERE (IF HE CHOSES TO LET ME LIVE ON THIS EARTH A LITTLE LONGER.)I WANTED A BETTER LIFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. I ALWAYS FELT AS IF I WAS HOLDING EVERYONE BACK.

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?

NOT EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS WHAT I SHOULD DO. MANY THOUGHT I WASN'T BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE SUCH A DRASITC OF A STEP. THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY MATTERED WERE BEHIND ME 100%. MY FAMILY IS REAL SUPPORTIVE AS I AM EXPERIENCING THE PRE-OP BLUES. I AM SICK OF LIQUIDS AND CAN'T WAIT TO CHEW SOMETHING.THEY ARE EXCITED FOR ME!

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

I AM A HOME MAKER

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

THE PRE-OP NURSES WERE GREAT! I WAS VERY CALM AND REASSURED BY THE STAFF BEFORE THE SURGERY. I ONLY HAD A COUPLE THINGS DURING MY STAY TAHT BOTHERED ME. THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO CHANGE MY SHEETS ONCE WHILE I WAS THERE, AND THEY WEREN'T GOOD ABOUT KEEPING MY TRAYS AND DIRTS CLOTHES AND TOWELS PICKED UP AFTER I SHOWERED. THEY WERE VERY PROMPT ABOUT MY PAIN MEDS AND THEY DIDN'T LINGER WHEN I RANG THE CALL BELL EITHER. MAYBE I AM JUST TO PICKY.

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

NO, I DIDN'T. JUST NORMAL PAIN.

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 UP UNTIL THE WEEK OF THE SURGERY. I THEN BECAME NERVOUS. I SPENT A LOT TIME IN PRAYER AND TALKING WITH MY HUSBAND

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

I AM ONLY IN MY FIRST WEEK HOME, AND YOU JUST NEED TO REST AND HEAL. YOU AREN'T LIVING OFF MANY CALORIES, SO YOU GET WEAK EASY. YOU WILL BE SORE, BUT JUST TAKE THOSE PAIN MEDS AND YOU WILL BE COMFORTABLE.

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

20 MINUTES! I WAS BLESSED

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 COULDN'T EAT REGULAR YOUGART. I CAN ONLY EAT "FIT AND HEALTHY" BY DANNON FOR THE SUGAR CONTENT IS ABOUT HALF AND IT IS ALMOST FAT FREE. IT TASTE REAL GOOD!!! I CAN'T EAT FRENCH FRIES FOR SOME REASON. OTHER FRIED FOODS DON'T BOTHER ME, GO FIGURE! I AVOID THINGS THAT ARE HARD TO CHEW AND SWALLOW, JUST FOR EASINESS.

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

I AM THREE IN A HALF MONTHS POST OP AND FEEL NORMAL!!! I AM SO GLAD I HAD THIS SURGERY.

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

I TAKE FLINSTONES CHEWABLE DAILY, AND TUMS FOR CALCIUM. I EAT FIVE OUNCES OF PROTEIN DAILY AND TRY TO MAKE HEALTY CHOICES. I AM LOSING AT A GOOD RATE, AND FOR THAT I AM BLESSED.

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

I CAN'T DRINK SODA MUCH AND FRENCH FRIES MAKE ME THOW UP. I HAVE TO EAT VERY SLOWLY, WHICH I HAVEN'T DONE FOR OVER 35 YEARS.

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

I DON'T GO TO A SUPPORT GROUP. I HAVE SO MUCH SUPPORT IN MY HOME AND AT MY CHURCH.

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

VERY SMALL, AND SOMETIMES TENDER IN THE TOP INCISION

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I AM ALMOST FOUR MONTHS POST-OP AND HAVE JUST STARTED SLOWING DOWN IN MY WEIGHT LOSS A LITTLE BIT. WHEN I HIT MY PLATUE, I JUST CUT A FEW CALORIES OR SWAM AN EXTRA DAY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

OH YES. I AM GETTING MUCH MORE RESPECT! I ALMOST RESENT THEM FOR IT. I AM THE SAME PERSON, JUST THINNER.