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

I had been hearing a lot about famous people having this surgery. Randy Jackson, Carnie Wilson, Al Rooker, etc. They all started dropping weight and looking good and so I started researching the procedure and talking to my family doctor about it. That was only 7 months ago and I knew I wanted it. I didn't care at the time the hard work, the complications or anything that came along with the surgery. I just wanted to be thin.

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

I was very pleased with my hospital stay. Including the day of the surgery, my stay was 2 1/2 days since I had my surgery laproscopically. The nurses where always right there if I needed them, I had a private room, which rocked, because I don't think I couldn't have stayed with anyone else. The nurses and doctors that visited me were all VERY informative and answered any and all questions I had, even if they seemed stupid, because of the morphine I was on! Bring a tooth brush and tooth paste, a robe or pajamas, something easy to slip on after surgery, no tight waist pants or shoes that need to be tied, you won't want to bend over and you definitely don't want to ride home in a car with pants pressing on your incision.

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

I haven't had any surgical complications, to quote my doctor everything went beautifully. I have only had issues with scrambled eggs pureed. There was something about having to eat scrambed eggs in milk that just didn't settle with me. I was lucky to not experience full dumping. Instead I got a huge lump in my chest as to tell me, don't attempt to eat anymore of this or you'll be sorry.

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 cried for a few random days after receiving my date. It seemed so real, even though I still had about 10 weeks before I was put under. I coped with my anxiety by writing it all down and putting into perspective what my body, mind and spirit were going to go through. After that, I realized my fears which were making me cry and I realized that it wasn't as bad as I was allowing myself to feel. From that point, I focused all my energy into making sure my insurance paperwork didn't fall through the cracks.

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

The hospital that performed my surgery offers a WLS support group every first Tuesday of the month. Pre, post and family members of anyone considering or have had the surgery are welcome. They ask for a dollar donation each meeting to pay for drinks/snacks. I haven't gone to the group yet, but am planning on it. I have found that while in the waiting room of the surgeon's office and chatting with people who have had the surgery for months or just weeks was very informative. You could also see the difference in post op patients, because it seems EVERYONE wants to carry around a before picture. ;-)

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

I have about six holes across my stomach. I was lucky to be able to have my WLS done laproscopic. It is the easiest on your body and I'm really pleased with the results. I only have two incision areas that are big and taking a long time to heal. It wasn't completely what I expected, I thought they incision areas would be in a different place, but I'm pleased with where they are and how they feel.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

It's only been three weeks and I haven't experienced any plateau situations yet. I just really need to keep an eye on protein and get as much in me as possible, so that I can be sure plateau's don't happen.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

My family/friends are a bit different. They are constantly talking about food with me. What I can't have mainly, or what I really crave. However, they are SO supportive and I know they only do it out of concern because this is something so major and so different for any one of them to have to experience a long side of me. I'm curious to see what happens when I actually look like I've lost weight...I'm sure I'll get additional attention from the male species, but I'm not sure if I'm prepared for that.