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

I found out about bariatric surgery by searching on the internet at yahoo. I was scared & had many reservations & doubts about it. Many questions had to be answered before i went for the surgery.

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

it took me awhile to get the surgery approved but finally did & the insurance company became real cooperative after learning of the many benefits to me asa patient.

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

The first meeting with Dr. Boe solved all my fears & apprehensions i had about the surgery.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

What made me decide to have this surgery was when my wife had to wake me up 1 night in bedbecause i had stopped breathing for a second or 2 & scaredher really terribly. She thought i had died. That was the final straw. I called the BariatricCenter the next morning.

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?

some until dr. boe answered them all

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?

wife was against it at 1st but was very supportive after i decided tohave the surgery

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

My stay in the hospital at Belvidere was 3 days & the Dr. Boe & the nurses were very nice & very caring. The most important things to bring with u are a good book to read & a good confortable soft pillow lol.

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

my only complications from surgery was feeling nauseated in the morning for the first 3 weeks after surgery.

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

after 3 or 4 weeks i was feeling pretty good. The sickness in the morning started going away.The soreness also started going away after about 3 weeks.

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

none right now-

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

The scar on my stomach is really much better than i thought it would be. Dr. Boe did agreat job of keeping the scarring minimal.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

I finally reached a plateau of my weight loss slowing down in about the fourth month after surgery. I weighed 378 lbs. day of surgery & my goal was 300 lbs. by jan. 31 ,2003 which is my 6 month anniversary date of my surgery & start of my new life. On Jan. 31,2003 i weighed 258 lbs. way ahead of my goal. It feels great.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Yes people are coming up to me all the time saying how good i look & many of fellow workers & friends are now saying they were really happy i made this decision to have the surgery beacause they were really worried about me. I even had a couple of my friends say they thought i was going to die on them anyday but now they ask me if i want to go play golf & play softball again. But the most important thing anybody said to me & brought tears to my eyes & i don't cry much was when my 10 yr. old son came up to me a couple of weeks ago & said "dad now you are not going to die & you'll be able to play catch with me this summer & hit some balls to me so i can become a good baseball player like you" That was worth all the pain i went through having this surgery.