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

A FRIEND OF MINE CALLED ME AFTER HERS. SHE LOST 40 POUNDS THE FIRST 6 WEEKS. HOWEVER I HAD JUST HAD SPINAL SURGERY AND THAT JUST DIDN'T SEEM LIKE SOMETHING I WANTED TO GO THROUGH.

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

MY DOCTORS NURSE TOOK CARE OF THE INSURANCE. AT FIRST THEY DECLINED BUT THEN ASKED FOR CURRENT PICTURES OF ME. I GUESS PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

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

ASK QUESTIONS. TELL THEM YOU WANT TO KNOW ALL OF THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS. ASK WHAT TO EXPECT POST OPERATIVELY AS FAR AS PAIN AND AMBULATION GOES. IT'S NOT EASY, BUT WORTH IT.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I SAW A TV AD FOR THE SURGERY AT OUR LOCAL HOSPITAL. I CALLED MY FRIEND WHO HAD THE SURGERY 1 1/2 YEARS PRIOR. SHE WAS VERY EXCITED TO MENTOR ME. SHE HAD LOST 232 POUNDS AND ASSURED ME THAT MY LIFE WOULD CHANGE DRASTICALLY. I FELT I OWED TO MYSELF TO AT LEAST CHECK IT OUT.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

DR LIEM REALLY DECIDED THIS 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 WAS SCARED TO DEATH LITERALLY. BUT WHEN I WEIGHED THE RISK OF THE SURGERY AGAINST MY WEIGHT IT WAS A NO BRAINER. MY PRIMARYM PHYSICIAN SAID THAT IF I KEPT GOING AT THE RATE I WAS I WOULD BE DEAD BEFORE 10M YEARS.

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?

THEY THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY GIVEN ALL MY HEALTH ISSUES, BUT WHEN I TOLD THEM WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID THEY AGREED. MY HUSBAND WAS THE MOST SKEPTICAL. BUT HE WENT TO EVERY DOCTOR APPOINTMENT FOR CLEARANCE AND ALTHOUGH HE WAS STILL VERY WORRIED HE KNEW HE COULDN'T STOP ME.

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 LESS THAN SUPPORTIVE. i LEFT THAT JOB PRIOR TO MY SURGERY. THE OFFICE I WORK IN NOW IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME AND CONSTANTLY SINGING MY PRAISES. I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR 6 WEEKS BUT THST WAS BECAUSE I HAD SOME COMPLICATIONS.

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

I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL 4 DAYS. I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET HOME TO MY OWN BED. THE NURSING CARE WAS COMPETENT BUT SINCE THIS PROGRAM WAS SOMEWHAT NEW I DON'T THINK THE STAFF WAS AS INFORMED AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

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

I HAVE HAD 2 GI BLEEDS TO DATE. THE FIRST ONE OCCURED 3 WEEKS POST OP AND REQUIRED 8 UNITS OF BLOOD. THE SECOND ONE OCCURED 3 MONTHS POST OP. I NEEDED 15 UNITS OF BLLOD THAT TIME. THESE WERE VERY SCARY TO SAY THE LEAST. I AM NOW SEEING A DOCTOR IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING TO SEE IF WE CAN FIND THE CAUSE OF THESE OCCURENCES.

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 HAD THE USUAL POST OP PAIN. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS DRAGGED OUT FEELING. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S FROM MY BLEEDING PROBLEM OR WHAT.

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

EXPECT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME LAYING AROUND. I ONLY LEFT THE HOUSE TO GO TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS.

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

5 MILES. AFTERCARE WAS NOT EFFECTED BY THIS SHORT DISTANCE.

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.

THE FIRST 3 WEEKS I LIVED ON SUGAR FREE JELLO, SCRAMBLED EGGS AND CRYSTAL LIGHT. I GRADUALLY INCREASED TO SOFT FOODS. I'M 4 1/2 MONTHS POST OP NOW AND I CAN EAT ALMOST ANYTHING EXCEPT BEEF AND SUGARS. ONLY A LOT LESS THAN BEFORE.

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

I GRADUALLY INCREASED MY ACTIVITY. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT SINCE I HAD THE BLEEDING PROBLEMS AND I THINK THAT DRAGGED ME DOWN. BUT BY THE THIRD MONTH I WAS SWIMMING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

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

VITAMIN B-12, C, FOLIC ACID, MULTI VITAMIN, IRON

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 AM MOST BOTHERED BY THE FACT THAT I JUST DON'T FEEL GODD EVERY DAY. I RECENTLY STARTED LOSING MY HAIR. MY PRIMARY PHYSICIAN SAID IT'S BEC AUSE I'VE BEEN SO SICK WITH THE GI BLEEDS. I HAVE VERY LITTLE TROUBLE SLEEPING AND ONLY VOMIT OCASIONALLY IF I EAT TOO FAST.

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

THE GI BLEEDS. AND I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF THEY ARE BECAUSE OF THE SURGERY. WE'RE EXPLORING THAT PRESENTLY. I'M THRILLED THAT I'M LOSING WEIGHT. I JUST WISH I FELT BETTER.

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

OUR SUPPORT GROUP MEETS DIRECTLY AFTER THE INFORMATION SESSION. I STOPPED GOING HOWEVER BECAUSE I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE SHARING MY PROBLEMS FOR FEAR I WOULD DISCOURAGE ANY POSSIBLE PATIENTS. I ALSO FELT THAT SOME PEOPLE CAME TO OUR MEETING AND SAW IT AS A FREAK SHOW. I'M ALL FOR SHARING AND BEING HONEST WITH PEOPLE, BUT WE ARE NOT FREAKS.

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

A MESS. BUT I DON'T PLAN ON EVER WEARING A BIKINI SO IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT MUCH TO ME. WHAT BOTHERS ME IS MY HERNIA. IT'S HUGE AND MAKES ME LOOK PREGNANT. NOT AT ALL ATTRACTIVE IN A 50 YEAR OLD WOMAN.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I HAVE HIT 2 PLATEAUS BUT JUST WATCHED MORE CAREFULLY WHAT I WAS EATING. MY RULE OF THUMB IS TO EAT THE PROTEIN FIRST AND THEN AND ONLY THEN IF I HAVE ROOM I CAN EAT ANYTHING ELSE.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

NOT REALLY. I'M STILL SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE TELL ME I LOOK DIFFERENT. ALTHOUGH I KNOW I'M LOSING.