Heaven-bound

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Obesity & Me

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

emotional eater and night time eater-carb addicted, heavy all my life

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

restricted activity and being made fun of

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

CROSSING MY LEGS!! AND LYING IN THE BATH TUB!

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

working at a hospital, initionally I was affraid

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

it is a legnthy process but you just have to hang in there and do it

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

very informative, ask all the questions that you can

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I saw my daughter eating like me and I wanted to change for myself and I was terrified of getting diabetes

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

by listening to the class that I had to attend and doing research on the computer

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-pray about it!

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?

very supportive

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

I was honest about what I was having done and she was supportive, I could have returned in 10 days

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

hospital stay was fabulious, I was in 3 days, more than a couple pair of underwear and gowns

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

no complications what so ever

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

prayed!!

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

VERY mentally challenging, you "think" that you are starving to death, you just have to realize that you aren't

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

2 hours, it was costley

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

I walked alot but got very tired real easy

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

daily b-12, daily vitamin and calcium

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?

vomiting- I can't get it out like I did before surgery, it seems to get stuck, I know what I can and can't eat!

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

the barium swallow the day after surgery

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

OH support group once a month, it helps to realize that alot of feelings that you have others are experiencing also

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

almost non existing, it is better than I expected

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have had a few, you just have to change your diet around and increase activity

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

absolutly! women expecially, seems like I am in compition all the time
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