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

My endocrinologist told me a little about the surgury and recommended me to my surgeon. At first I rejected it becouse Dr. Waits told me point blank that I could not drink alchohol. I had to deal with that first but overcame this hurdle and decided I wanted to live too see my grand children grow 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 with my provider which was Atnea.

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

I didn't know what to expect. I had never had surgery before. All I can say is ask questions,ask questions, ask questions.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I had a choice, either have the surgery or die.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Dr.Waits decided. I trusted him completly.

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?

Any surgery can have complications but Dr. Waits has done over 400 operations over a 15 year period and has never lost a patient.

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 was very supportive, in fact they convinced me in to having the surgery.

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

My employer supported me 100% and agreed to hold my job for as long as it took to recover. I was out for 6 weeks.

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

My stay at Northside Hospital was plesant considering the procedure. I was there for three days. Just bring your desire to keep on living.

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

No complications.

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

Besides the normal feelings from any surgery, I felt well. After two weeks I had lost 38lbs.

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

You learn quickly what foods you can eat and those you can't. I did experience some nausia which was caused by eating the wrong foods.

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

About 10 miles.

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 could not eat fried foods or anything high in fats. Now after almost two years I can eat just about anything except fried foods and steak.

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

Right after my surgery I started walking every day. Since then I have started a regular exercise program.

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

I take what is recomended by my surgeon, Flintstones with 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?

For hair loss I took an egg and milk embolism protein shake every morning which stopped the hair loss within a month. Dumping was and still is the worse. Watch your suger intake.

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

My support group meets once a month with about 150 people attending. This is about the most important phase of your recovery.

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

My sacr is pencil point thin. It is so light that you can hardy see it. This is not what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Several times over the two year period I experienced no weight loss for as much as a month at a time. This can be depressing at times but it always starts up again. Now after two years I have stopped losing for about four months now.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

I have noticed you get more smiles from people at work that used to look the other way. Also, I was promoted to a management position after I had lost my weight.