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

When my best friend and my daughter told me that they wanted to have surgery and wanted me to do it, too, I was terrified! But, I had promised to support my daughter to lose weight however she chose, so I couldn't back down. I was very skeptical and only felt better after visiting Dr. DeWitt and having him explain everything to me. I immediately trusted him and felt that he would take the best care of me. I felt that he would not do the procedure if it were too great a risk for me.

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

I had no trouble with my insurance company. I had approached them several years earlier requesting that they pay for my visits to a bariatric weight loss clinic only to have them refuse, so I was a bit leery of the answer I would get regarding the surgery. However, I got all the information I could gather and wrote a letter to the company explaining how my life had been as an obese person. I documented all the ways I had tried to lose the weight and how re-gaining it had affected me. I was approved within two weeks.

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

My first visit with Dr. DeWitt was great! Right away, I knew that I was in the right place. He was so personable and approachable. He explained everything and gave me plenty of opportunities to ask any questions I had. He told me straight up that it was a serious decision and didn't guarantee no problems, but, I got a sense of being totally at ease and happy about my decision.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

To support my daughter who had already decided to have it.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I talked with an aquaintance who had the procedure and also had a son who had it. She helped me by sharing all of their experiences and how the procedure worked for them.

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 mainly feared blood clots although I had no history of them. I had a friend who had died from a clot after a face-lift and that really played on my mind. I think a person would be foolish not to have a healthy fear of any surgery. It is not a natural process to have surgery, so that accounts for the fear. Death is the unknown, so that can also be fearful. My advice would be to learn all you can, pray all you can, make sure your house is in order and leave the rest up to the surgeon and God. Don't lose sleep over it -- God's up anyway!

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 husband was concerned although not really as worried as I figured he'd be. Since both me and my daughter were having it, it was sort of a double whammy for him. He was and is very supportive. My daughter-in-law, Janella, who is also the daughter of my best friend who had the surgery on the same day with me, was our biggest cheerleader. I couldn't have made it without her!

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

I am retired.

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

Since my daughter, my best friend and I all had the surgery within a couple of weeks, we are our support group for the most part. However, we do attend a support group in our city. It is very important to have the support of others experiencing the same.

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

I have to search for any scars at all. I expected much worse!

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I have only had a couple of times that I didn't lose what I thought I should. Usually I would just wait and all of a sudden 5 pounds would just disappear.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes, I do. And, that sometimes makes me angry. I feel that obese people are so mistreated. I have to pray continually that I can be nice to the people who treat me differently now.