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

Someone I worked with was having it done and I thought she was crazy. I thought she really needed to work through self hatred issues or something. Then I saw how well it worked and what a difference it made in her life.

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

Be persistent!! I had to change jobs to get insurance that would cover my surgery, but I did it and am really glad I did. I not only got my surgery covered, but I found an employer who at the time really cared alot more about their employees than my original employer did.

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

Very exciting-it was really going to happen! However, my surgeon asked me one very important question- "What will you do if I decide not to do your surgery? What if I find you are not a good candidate?" This totally blew me away! I honestly had no idea what I would do because I felt like I was at my last resort, and I told him so. Must be what he wanted to hear because he approved me for surgery!

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

My health was started to get bad, my legs were swelling and I had no energy or stamina. The slightest activity wore me out and I don't want to live my life like that. I have a great husband and beautiful little girl and I want to grow old, watch my daughter grow up and become a beautiful woman, bride, mom, whatever she becomes. I want to play with my grandkids and take walks on the beach with my husband and watch the sun set. I want to live my life to its fullest and never look back and regret that I didn't at least take the chance that WLS offered me.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

My surgeon only does the Roux-en-Y and because of a prior surgery I was not a laproscopic candidate.

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 the normal fears, leaving my family without a mom, having terrible side effects or complications. But I had a bigger fear of having my family watch me die a slow and agonizing death from morbid obesity.

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 were mostly supportive. Some extended family members are having trouble, especially now that I have lost alot of weight. But you learn who really loves you and who doesn't, so you learn who to spend your energy on.

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

Six weeks. My boss at work was very supportive, especially considering my surgery date was moved up by 2 weeks. She said "Do what you have to do and come back to us healthy."

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 for 5 days. It wasn't bad because I used the pain meds and got moving and out of bed as quickly as I could. Make sure you bring a small fan and scented lotion because they will make you feel human instead of antiseptic!

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

None, thank God in Heaven!!!

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 surprising calm. I was more concerned with getting enough protein in to allow my body to heal to worry about much else.

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

The puree diet is challenging. You have no appetite, and what you can eat doesn't taste right because of the consistency. It's definitely an experience I'm glad is over.

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

About an hour from my home. It hasn't affected my aftercare because I get online almost daily with my center's support group and they have been fantastic!

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 am now nearly 10 months post op. At the beginning I had real problems with bread and anything soft and chewy. I made myself so sick once over a small piece of apple pie that I haven't touched one since. Now, I still have a problem with sugar. I'm actually very thankful for that, because sugar was a real trigger food for me before my surgery. The feeling I get from eating sugar is in no way worth how sick it makes me.

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

I had had another abdominal surgery about 3 years before my Roux-en-Y, so I had some scar and adhesion issues. I think that's the reason I had a hard time with pain about 4 weeks post op. I would try to stand up from a seated position and couldn't stand straight for almost 5 minutes, until things "stretched out". That only lasted a little while, though. Other than that, I really didn't have pain issues. Thank goodness, too because the liquid Tylenol #3 the doctor gave me was loaded with sugar and made me very nauseated from the start!

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

I take a daily Centrum chewable, 1000 mg B12, 325mg Iron, and 20 mg Pepcid.

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?

Definitely the nausea and vomiting. I still get them if I eat the wrong foods or too fast. I just deal with it and move on, learning each lesson as I go..

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

The waiting and trying to get insurance approval..Jumping through Kaiser's hoops.

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

I live about an hour away from my surgery center in Cleveland, so I depend on the online support group my center has. I have also met a number of people, mostly by chance, in the Akron area who have had the surgery.

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

My scar really is ugly. It is about 10 inches long and right down the center of my stomach from just below my breastbone to right above my belly button. I hope to lose it through a tummy tuck some day... However, let's keep this in perspective-it may be ugly but it really is my biggest beauty mark, isn't it? It's beautiful because it is the one thing that was able to give me my life back!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I am on one now and it is driving me crazy! I will soon be 10 months out and have lost 104 lbs. I have been on this plateau for about the past 6 weeks and am doing everything I can think of to break it.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES! Most of the time it is ok, like people noticing that you look nice today, etc, but some of it is very disconcerting. The salesguy at Lowe's who checked out my chest when we asked a question about carpeting, for example. It's like, I've always been here but you never noticed me before. I usually handle it well, but sometimes it makes me really mad.