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

My mom. One day I was crying to her about my weight and she said, "Darcee, the only way it's going to come off is if you do something drastic. Why don't you go and get that stomach stapling surgury?" I thought my god she's right. I have tried everything else, I would rather die than stay this way.

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

No problems at all. I called them Monday to find out that Dr' Fobi's office had called them that previous friday and got approval that same day over the phone.

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

All I can say is that for the first time at a dr office, i didn't feel as though I was being blamed for my condition.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I was tired of trying things that just didn't work. I wanted a solution. I did not want to spend the rest of my life fighting obesity.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I decided if I was going to risk my life to lose weight I was going with what was most effective with the most amount of weight loss. Dr. Fobi is a pioneer in this surgury. I wanted a surgury that made me eat healthy, not just small portions.

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?

None. I would rather die than live the life I was leading. Better to die quicky in surgury that spend the rest of my life suffering

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 sister was jealous. She wanted the surgury too. My mom was excited for me. My husband was out of the country at the time and I didn't tell him. I didn't want him to worry or talk me out of it! My father was scared but knew he could do nothing to change my mind.

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

I didn't tell my supervisor what I was doing and she only found out after I lost 100lbs. She was very supportive after she realized how well it worked for me. I don't think she would have been very supportive if I would have told her before. Everyone at work has been very supportive. A couple have tried to say I will just gain it back, but I know that is not true. I took a lot less time off of work than I should of but I had no more leave, so I only took 2 weeks against my dr's advice.

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

Not any worse that my stretch marks!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I plateaued about every 2 weeks.