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

Coworker scheduled. Researched and discussed with ORTHO. Was encourged and gung ho to get it done!

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

No trouble. Leave it to your doctor's staff to deal with insurance company!

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

Informative. Get plenty of rest and eat before the lecture. Take notes and pay attention.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

Advice of ORTHO.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

Coworker and research.

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'm fearless. Ask your surgeon questions!

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?

All were supportive, but a few were skeptical. I would not have communicated anything differently now. They were fairly supportive after the surgery.

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

Supportive. I described my condition with my joints, attempts to lose weight and procedure. I was out of work three days.

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

Stay in hospital was bad. I was in so much pain. Staff was as helpful as possible. Brought me a stool so I could sleep in shower. I was there one day and night. Bring comfortable lose clothes to wear home and plenty of towels for showers!

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

No, just pain. I dealt with that by getting back home and getting real pain medication. Pain was gone after a couple of days.

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 felt fine, just afraid to eat. I went to the beach for a week long vacation a few days after my surgery. Took care of all anxiety!

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

I was back to normal in a couple of days. Took showers instead of baths for a month. Ate very little and when I did ate protein. Expect your taste for food to change.

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

2 1/2 hours. Did not affect aftercare

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.

This one is difficult for me. I ate protein the first week. Eggs, sausage, ham, cheese. The second week I went on vacation and discovered I could still eat what everyone else ate, just small amounts. In fact, if I sat long enough, I could eat normal amounts. My tolerance for carbonated drinks returned after a week. Tolerance and craving for sweets returned after a month. After a month or so, I was back to eating normal except for the foods which still won't fo down such as pizza, rice, hamburgers, french fries and unground meat.

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

My activity level increased somewhat in the weeks following surgery. I began traveling, moved, started a new job and exercised in the first three months following surgery.

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

None beside glucosomine/chondrotin

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?

Have had vomiting attempting to eat at restaurants a few times. Has always been food which is greasy, expandable or unground meat.

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

Not losing the weight I thought I would

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

None

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

1 1/2 inches long beginning at top of rib cage and going down. Is what I expected.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

Plateau lasted from 30 lb weight loss after a few months(6 months) until now(12 months) when I began taking Meridia

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

no