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

A friend from school.

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

I received an answer within two weeks after seeing the doctor.

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

He was very friendly and I was very shy, but he was able to explain the entire process without me having to ask hardly anything.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was tired of being overweight and my self esteem began to go down again.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I've always been scared of gastric bypass because I've heard that there were so many complications, but since lap-band was reversible and no intestin was being re arranged, I chose lapband.

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 had no fears. I was only worried about that the surgeons would think about my big fat body. lol.

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?

Everyone supported me because they knew that I have tried numerous things to try to lose weight, but been unsuccessful.

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

They also supported me. I was out of work for two weeks.

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

The service was excellent. I was there for a few hours. The most important thing to bring is someone who will be there for support, and a pillow.

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

I had no complications at all.

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 was very soar and had a lot of upper pain in my chest. The nurses and doctor said it was normal. I just had to cope by knowing that all I was doing was for my own good .

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

A lot of pain and soreness. The faster you get to walking and doing things, the faster you will recover.

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

Not far. 25 miles.

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

I started driving the third day of my surgery and I started to sing again the second week after my surgery.

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

I'm not too fond of chewable vitamins, so the doctor advised me to take gummy vitamins.

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 had really no effects. Except that the day of surgery I went to the restroom about 30 times to get rid of all of the liquids or anesthesia inside of me.

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

Being sore.

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

None. This is very important and it's very important to have a doctor who will follow up with you at least a year after surgery. I feel that If I had gotten this, I would have lost more weight.

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

Small. Yes, it' is like I expected it.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I recently had pouch dilatation because my band was too tight. This had went on for months and I didn' t know. I didn't eat right, but I thought this was supposed to work this way. Because of the lack of nutrition, my weight loss plateaued.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

nope.