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

I had seen commercials a few years ago and called for information. BTC sent me their brochure, but I was scared and did nothing. Over the past year, I've been thinking about it A LOT and what pushed me to actually get that initial consultation was that I finally met a "regular" person who had had it a couple years ago. I actually feel free now and feel I can see a better me in the future.

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

I was one of the lucky ones. I compiled all my information, submitted it to BTC, and was approved within a week. Advice? Be thorough.........be overly-thorough. Get copies of everything.....even go to the library and pull books from the shelves on diets and different weight-loss programs, make a copy of the cover, and submit that too. Do this with diets and programs in magazines. Get letters from doctors. And most importantly, write a very honest, detailed letter to your insurance company telling them why they should approve your surgery....give facts, be specific, be explicit, and even be emotional.

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

I felt very confident in my surgeon. I was prepared for my visit and had done a ton of research and had a long list of questions.....some of which I already knew the answers to, but wanted him to confirm. Don't be shy and never think a question is too stupid to ask....when it comes to your health, any question is a good question.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

I think I was just ready for it. I did my research, felt confident in the surgeon I had chosen, and knew in my heart that this was something that I not only wanted to do, but something that I had to do for myself and my family.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I really didn't reasearch different procedures. I had heard so much about BTC and was confident that they were the right ones for me.....because they specialize in only this surgery....not just the surgeon, but the entire hospital staff.

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 was scared to death, to be honest. But about 3-4 days before my surgery, the majority of the fear went away because I knew that I was making the right decision and trusted that everything would turn out the way God intended for it to ~~ be it good or bad. As for complications, I had read so much about these surgeries and discovered that, unfortunately, the complications and tragedies that I'd read about were very often...actually most often, caused by non-compliance by the patient or by patient's ignoring warning signs that something was going wrong. I knew going in to this that I was willing to do exactly what my doctor said....otherwise I wouldn't have gone through with the surgery.

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?

Understandably, they were scared for me. I was very glad that I included them in my plans from the beginning. My husband and son were great, but after my surgery my Mom was my greatest help and I can't thank her enough. She came over every day and helped with my shower, binder, and bandage, as well as cleaning, cooking, laundry and just basically keeping me company.

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

Everyone at work knew why I was taking a leave of absence. Actually, I had only been at my job for 9 months and when I took 2 months off for this, they wished me luck. Thankfully, I was able to get a job at BTC after my surgery and I left my previous employer after giving them a 30 day notice.

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

Everyone at the hospital was great! I spent a lot of time walking the halls and trying to get comfortable. I had a lot of gas pains....but a heavy-duty enema before I went home took care of that.....trust me....if anyone tells you that you need to have an enema, thank them and take it with a smile....you'll feel sooooooo much better!

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

No complications. 3 days after I came home I was having a pain in the back of my leg and I had it checked out at the local emergency room.....but they did not find a blood clot. I've been lucky.......not once have I been sick or thrown up.

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 thoroughly excited! I would waver between feeling anxious and excited, but never once thought about cancelling.

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

I only took Vicodin for 4 days after I got home. I had purchased a recliner lift-chair before my surgery and feel it was a life-saver!

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

20 minutes.

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.

Week 1: Clear liquids Week 2 and 3: Full Liquids Week 4 and 5: Pureed Week 6: Soft foods Weeks 2 and 3 were the worst! I was in heaven on week 4 when I got to eat scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, and mashed potatoes. Luckily, I haven't found anything that upsets my stomach. I haven't thrown up once. And I haven't and have no intention whatsoever of even trying sugar.

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

I walked 30 minutes a day right after surgery. The best thing for me was going to the mall or large department store and just walking around.....much better than walking up and down the driveway. I started water aerobics at 6 weeks and then TaeBo and Bowflex workouts at 12 weeks.

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

Bugs Bunny sugar-free chewables for the first 6 weeks and then I started on a big multi-vitamin (of course, I cut it in half and chew it.) I was taking 2 tums twice a day, but switched to the Viactiv chews (2 a day).

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?

I didn't have any complications, except for hair loss. It started at 9 or 10 weeks and has been going on for 3-4 weeks now. Hopefully, I won't go totally bald!

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

The stress before the surgery....the feelings of terror and excitement all rolled into one.

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

BTC has a lot of support groups that meet at different times during the month. The group I go to meets at the BTC hospital in Ypsilanti once a month. I've made friends and we go to lunch after the meetings.

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

My scar isn't as straight as I thought it would be, but it's a lot shorter than most of the ones I see.....a mere 8-1/4".....it's pretty red still, compared to others that had their surgery around the time I did, and I've developed a hypertrophic scar....one that is raised instead of flat. But that's OK....I'm proud of my scar!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I've had one plateau that lasted about 2 weeks and that was at 9 weeks post-op.....but it didn't upset me because I expected it since I know I had lost a lot of weight fast and that my body was adjusting to this.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not at all.