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

a friend told me about it & I called the Drs office the day I 1st heard, & ask for information, they mailed me alot of information, which I got in less than 2 wks, I was sold from then on

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

I was approved right away, I guess because I had acid reflux, & was between 100 & 120 lbs overweight, I couldnt believe when I got the call 4 wks after my 1st visit to the Dr, that I was approved so fast!!!

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

very informative, I asked lots of questions, to which all were answered, plus my Dr mails you a very informative format of the surgery, pictures, etc. long before your 1st visit

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

after finding out this surgery was available & hearing about Carrie Wilsons sucess, I just really thought it was for me

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

the Dr decided for me, after going over everything, he's the Dr, not 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 worry sometimes. about the staples coming apart, but my Dr tells me this rarely happens, I think thats just a common fear

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 & freinds have been very supportive of this, they are happy that I'm happy

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 aware of how I've struggled with my weight over the yrs, I do very, very physcial labor work, I've been off work 6 wks, 1 wk was proir to the surgery, I had so much testing to get done, alot during my work hrs, so my PCP signed me off the wk prior to be able to get everything completed before my pre-op visit with my Dr., I go back this thurs to my surgeon & I have a feeling I won't be returning yet, I lift 20 to 60 lbs all day long, I really dont feel I'm ready for that yet. I can be off up to 6 months on our short term disability plan without fear of losing my job. Although I dont think it will be that long at all!!! My employer is happy for me too.

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 3 days, no hospital stay is great, but it was ok as far as hospitals go. Bring phone numbers, toothbrush & paste, hair brush & comb, thats about all you need, the hospital supplies about everything else

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

no

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

very anxious, I was very busy getting all my pre-surgery testing done, I got everything completed in 2 wks, but I lived at the hospital & Drs office. My contract was up where I work, I really believed we were going to strike (which we did), so I wanted to get it done fast, just incase I lost my job. So by getting all that completed in 2 wks time, going to meetings about my work, it went so fast, I didnt have alot of time to be nervous.

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

my drain tube was very uncomfortable & even painful, I was glad it came out after 10 days!!!! Very sore, but not alot of pain other than the drain tube.

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

its about an hr drive each way, the only problem, when I have my monthly ck ups I have to go into work early so I can leave early, & my normal starting time is 6am, it just makes for a very long day , & I have to go into the Drs office dirty, no time to clean up prior to the visit

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 1st 2 wks, liquids only, the nxt 4 wks, soft foods, mashed potates, cream of wheat, after the 6th wk, I started testing lots of foods. I had a bad reaction to refried beans, I was sick for 2 days after eating them, terrible sick, never again.

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

it really didnt chg much til about the 7th wk, then I started noticing I had more engery

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

500mg C, 400I.U. E, 1000mcg B12, 2 Flintstones+iron, 50mg Iron, 2 Viactiv 500+D+K, zinc, MSM

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?

hair loss started at 3ms. post-op., only one bad case of dumping so far, hopefully,that will stay at one bad time, but quess you never know

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

the drain tube for me

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

once a month, the Dr even attends, this really impresses me!!!!!

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

5 small red marks, amazing what can be done today

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

My weight is coming off very slow now, I am 1 yr 2 months post & for the last 5 months, I have lost about 10 lbs, but at least it is still coming off!!!! I am only about 16 lbs away from my goal, also I seem to be losing inches more than lbs at this point.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Just that people are always telling me I look really nice