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

I thought that it was kind of a cop out at first, that I just needed to have more willpower and I could do it myself.... I was wrong on all counts.

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

Getting approval was pretty easy for me because I was Type II diabetes and on 5 pills plus two shots per day. In addition to having high blood pressure and gerd and being on medicine for those as well.

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

I had pretty well researched the surgery by looking on the internet and talking to lots of people that had had it. My surgeon is always in a rush to get me out of his office, so I guess the main thing is to have a list of questions ready and be your own advocate.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My primary doctor told me that I would have to go on insulin, and that the way I was going I probably wouldn't be around in ten years.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon told me that with my prior surgeries, I would have to have open RNY.

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?

Everything has risks. If I hadn't had the surgery I would have been at risk of dying from health complications. The happiest moment of my life was when I woke up in the recovery room... I was so happy to wake up!!

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 have been very supportive.

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, one of which I was in the hospital. He was very supportive but I was ready to go back to work.

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

My stay in the hospital was horrible. I was in for 5 days. The most important things for me were: a fan, my room was HOT!, tootbrush and toothpaste, some cleansing wipes.

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

Well, I did have a lot of scar tissue so my incision was much larger than I expected. Also, the hospital had me on a sugar filled IV and I was diabetic so this made me very ill. Also, they weren't treating my high blood pressure so I had to ask for something for that.

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

Tried to look at the positive side and that it would be for the best.

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

Say good bye to food.

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

The hospital was only about 20 miles away.

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 still cannot tolerate a lot of things. The thing that I have noticed the most is that the texture of some of my once favorite foods grosses me out. Pizza, spaghetti noodles, lunch meats to name a few things. I don't like them anymore as of right now, but that may change with time.

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

I started walking a lot, I am now up to 3 miles a day with little spurts of jogging.

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

2 Flintstones vitamins and calcium supplements every day. Much less than the medicines that I was on prior to having the surgery.

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?

Roll with the flow... I have had some instances of vomiting after eating things that don't agree with my tummy. Also, it is a bit frustrating to not be able to eat a lot of the things that I used to enjoy, but they are what got me to this position in the first place so I don't need them anyway...

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

Food grief. Hospital care.

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

I don't really have a support group, but I do a lot of lurking on the internet. It helps to read about others that have gone through this and to get ideas for recipes and other things.

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

My scar extends from my breast bone to my belly button. It is definitely not what I expected, but I try to think of it as a reminder of what I have gone through and hopefully it will help to keep me from returning to old habits.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

It does seem as if people treat me differently. I don't know if it is because of the weight loss or because I am happier and carry myself differently because of the weight loss.