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

Ask questions. That is what they are there for, they want you to understand what you're doing just as much as you do. Be honest with them when they as you questions.

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?

Oh man! I was sure I was going to die during surgery and because I was put under, I wouldn't know that I died lol.. I am a bit of a raving lunatic at times so this is where I talked to my surgeon. He had a good sense of humor about it too which helped me feel a little less anxiety but he explained exactly how it would work, how they would put me under and how they can wake me up immediately if need be. I wont lie, I was still scared but the team in the operating room was fantastic and explained what they were doing as they were doing it until I was out. If you're scared about this, talk to your surgeon, talk to your nurses, talk to anyone you can about the procedure and PLEASE do not spend the week before surgery watching youtube videos about people dying due to complications from WLS. That's what I did and I'm telling you, have faith in yourself and the amazing team of doctors at your side, you will be fine!

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?

My family was very supportive as they always have been with my efforts to lose weight. My father was the only one who thought it might be "a little too risky" for me but he didn't give me a hard time about it. Friends, well, I didn't really tell too many of them about it. Close friends were supportive of my choice and still are!

What was it like attending your first information seminar on weight loss surgery? Were you glad you attended? if so, why?

I was glad I attended this meeting. It gave me some insight into the actual procedure and what parts would be affected. There were probably close to 60 + people in that seminar with me but it was very detailed and it was informative.

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

I checked in for surgery on Aug 9 - 1pm, checked out on Aug 11 - 10am. The hospital stay for me was not the greatest. I had one really good nurse the night of surgery who I cried to all night lol and then after that I had nurses who had really no beside manner and seemed a little cold. The most important thing to bring I think, is a book, music, etc.. it gets pretty boring in there.

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

I had no complications.

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 scared, I thought I was going to die in surgery and I pretty much tried to talk my way out of it with my husband. I came up with every reason in the book that I shouldn't do this right now and why we should postpone it and he came up with a reason I should every time. It was scary and hard but all of the stuff before surgery, meetings, opti-fast, questions, what-if's, those are the hardest things to get through. Once the surgery is complete, it's all uphill from there (for me anyhow).

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

I was an emotional wreck. I cried over nothing at all and was just sad for about a month. I think in a way that it was just that I knew this was done, the surgery was out of the way and now I get to work on improving my health and I knew it wouldn't be a failure this time. It's hard to say why I was so emotional for sure but from the night of the surgery til about 4-6 weeks post op I was pretty emotional.

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

I traveled 2.5 hours for my surgery, it hasn't affected after care in any way.

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 have no food issues at all. I dumped from eating spinach dip with pumpernickel bread so that is now off limits as it was likely really high in fat. I stick to the 5% fat and 10g sugar guide I was given and haven't had any issues.

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

Each day I take: 2 centrum 50+ 2 Calcium chews 1200 mcg B12 8000 units of Vitamin D 2 Protein shakes

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 was horrible upon waking up from surgery, by the time I had left the hospital 2 days later it had subsided and I felt fine. I have only experienced dumping syndrome once and it was the most painful thing I've felt (stomach wise) It felt like a charlie horse in my stomach that would come and go every 30-60 seconds and lasted at least 2 hours, on top of the pain it also felt like I was having an anxiety attack as well, heart palpitations and such. It was a bad experience that I hope to avoid in the future. I am just now in my third month post-op so I am experiencing hair loss, it's not to the point that I feel I am going to be bald but it's certainly concerning as it's a lot of hair that is falling out.

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

I have 5 small incisions on my stomach. I was expecting them to be exactly as they are as I had researched a lot of things prior to surgery.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

At about 3 weeks post op I went about 9 days without losing any weight and I thought I was doing something wrong but it kicked back in and I kept dropping the weight so never get too worried about that as this surgery is designed to make you lose weight but your body can put up a bit of a fight too so just let things happen naturally.