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

A magazine with Al Roker on it. I was interested in knowing more.

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

My doctors office handled everything and the process was pretty smooth for me.

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

Informative and productive because I went in with about 20 questions of my own.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I got apprvoed by my insurance company...in other words $$$.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My doctor only does Lap RNY and I was happy about that...because I would have probably thought about it a little longer if it was open vs. lap.

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?

Do your research...the more you know about something the less fear you will have.

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?

Supportive and concerned.

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

Supportive and concerned.

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

Cool...4 days and 3 nights...something to read.

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

No...thank God.

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 felt pretty good...I felt real good after surgery.

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

Try and get your rest and ask people to not call you or visit you too much...you really need to take any spare time to rest, sleep, etc.

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

20 minutes.

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.

Bread, meat, sweets.

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

I wanted to go back to work immediately and almost did.

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

none.

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 think I had a dumping episode once.

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

The catheter!

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

A local support group that meets monthly, obesity.com, spotlighthealth.com...I couldn't have gotten thru all this without them.

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

I have 5 and they are smaller that what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I ate too many beans one day and didn't lose any weight that day.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really yet.