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

tv, internet and my mothers doctor

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

for me i had no problem

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

write down all questions and dont be afraid to ask anything that comes to mind and anything you dont understand have the dr explain again. dont leave that office until you are clear on what is going to happen.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

well my breathing, not sleeping and having to have my children help me with personal things and put on my shoes.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

dr recommended

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 look at my life like this i can die from a heart attack, stroke, complications from diabeties or just stop breathing in my sleep at 625lbs the odds are me having faith in whatever my choice is because at this point i am at the 50/50 mark.

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?

co-worker 100% support family 100% support friends 100% support

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

total support and i told him the truth. scheduled ffor eight weeks

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

it was great the nurses and doctors were wonderful and i have no complaints.

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

not a one

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

besides the wanting to throw up all the time i just relied on my two daughters who i owe the world to for taken excellant care of their mother with no complaints.

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

rest and take it slow get to know your knew body it is going to be a job.

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

i traveled one hour from my house but i do that everyday for my job so it has not bothered me at all.

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 could tolerate tomatoe soup at all. i only ate baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, jello and lemons with salt.

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

tired and restless, but energy was increasing fast.

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

2000 mg of calcium and two gummy bear 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?

nausea, vomiting and hair loss made me really upset and think did i do the right thing by having this surgery? and the answer is YES

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

i cant tell you because i had no worse i always kept a possitive attitude and wanted to wait for my rewards for having the surgery.

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

one support group is at my doctors office and it was very helpful

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

no it wasn't what i expected i barely have a scar

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

putting on my own socks and washing my own feet. clipping my toe nails walking for hours with my teenage daughter in the mall and last but not least doing my own grocery shopping and having all the workers at our local supermarket say nice things about my wight loss and how they are so glad to see me in the store after not shopping for four years. going places by myself again and having the confidence that i am beautiful and looking great

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

YES most in deed. it is ashame that weight can effect one persons life as it did mine and i feel so sorry for the overweight people who are not taking an advantage of this golden surgery to save their life and give them a knew life to have peace within