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

I MET A FRIEND OF A FRIEND WHO HAD WLS THREE MONTHS PREVIOUSLY AND SHE WAS VERY OPEN AND INFORMATIVE AND THATS THE FIRST TIME I EVEN CONSIDERED THE SURGERY OPTION

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

THE INSURENCE WAS NOT AS BIG A PROBLEM AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IT TOOK ABOUT 4 WEEKS TO COMPLETE AND I DIDNT HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH A BUNCH OF HOOPS I DID A-LOT OF RESURCH AND OH WEBSIGHT WAS THE MOST VALUABLE TOOL IN GETTING THE INFORMATION ON MY INSURENCE CO AND ITS REQUIREMENTS

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

THE FIRST MEETING WITH MY SURGEON WAS VERY INFORMATIVE I HAD A 4 HOUR APPOINTMENT WHICH CONSISTED MEETING WITH A DIETITION, GETTING A PHYSICAL WHERE THEY LOOKED AT MY LIVER AND MY LUNGS AND I TALKED TO THE PA AND SHE TALKED ABOUT HER OWN WLS SURGERY AND THEN I MET DR. SYN I DONT THINK I WAS AS PREPARED AS WELL AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AS FAR AS ASKING THE QUESTIONS I NEEDED TO ASK BUT HE WAS VERY BUSINESS LIKE WITCH IS WHAT I WANTED IN A SURGEON. THE ADVICE I HAVE FOR ANYONE IN THIS SITUATION IS HAVE YOUR QUESTIONS WRITTEN DOWN .

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

JUST THE FACT THAT MY INSURENCE WOULD COVER ME WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR. I KNEW THAT THIS WAS THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. I NEVER HAD ANY DOUBTS ONCE I DID MY RESURCH.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

I STARTED OUT INTERESTED IN LAP BAND BUT THE STATS THAT I FOUND WERE A BIT DISAPOINTING AS FAR AS PERSENTAGE OF EXCESS WEIGHT LOSS WITH LAP BAND ITS ON AVERAGE 30% I FIGURED IF I WAS GOING TO DO SOMETHING AS DRASTIC AS WLS I WAS GOING FOR THE BIG ONE DR SYN DID HE RNY SO THATS WHAT I WENT FOR

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 NEVER REALLY WORRIED ABOUT DYING OR EVEN COMPLICATIONS I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT EVERY THING WAS GOING TO BE FINE MY FAMILY WAS A BIT MORE FEARFULL THAN I WAS. I WILL TELL ANY ONE THAT THEIR INDIVIDUAL SITUATION IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONSIDER GET AS HEALTHY AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN AND DO YOUR PART TO MAKE YOUR SURGEONS JOB AS EASY AS POSSIBLE DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU. YOU WANT THEIR JOB TO BE EASY!

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?

I GOT A MIXED BAG OF REACTION FROM THE FAM. MY MOM WAS VERY FEARFULL AND SO WAS MY HUSBAND.I WAS AS OPEN WITH MY KIDS AS I COULD BE WITH THEIR AGES. EVERY ONE ELSE WAS SUPPORATIVE I WAS VERY HONEST WITH EVERYONE ABOUT WHAT I WAS DOING AND I WAS OPEN TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK WHICH I GOT PLEANTY OF FROM ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE BUT MOSTLY I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH MY DECISION AND THAT MADE THOSE AROUND ME MORE COMFRTABLE WITH THE COURSE I WAS TAKING.

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

I WORK OUT OF MY HOME AND HAVE NO CONTACT EXCEPT ON THE COMPUTER OR OVER THE PHONE WITH MY SUPERVISOR SO I LET HER KNOW THAT I WAS HAVING SURGERY AND NEEDED A MONTH OFF SHE NEVER ASKED WHAT KIND OF SURGERY AND SO I DIDN'T VOLINTEER THE INFO NEXT TIME SHE SEES ME WILL BE QUITE A SHOCK, I HAD MY SURGERY FEB 2ND AND WAS BACK ON THE JOB ON MARCH 1ST.

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

IN THE HOSPITAL 1 FULL DAY I HAD MY SURGERY AT 9 AM ON WEDENSDAY AND WAS BACK AT THE HOTEL ON THURSDAY AT ABOUT 2PM. TAKE SLIPPERS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WALK ASAP OTHER THAN THAT JUST THE STANDARD STUFF THE HOSPITAL STAY WAS EASY, ALL OF THE NURSING STAFF WAS GREAT I DID HAVE AN INCIDENT IN RECOVERY WHERE THE NURSE OFFERED ME A 7UP I KNEW I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANYTHING CARBONATED SO I DECLINED SO MY ADVICE WOULD BE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY MISS THINGS AND YOU SHOULD BE FAMILIER WITH WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE AND NOT HAVE

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

NO

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 VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE SURGERY AND FELT MORE ANXIETY ABOUT BEING AWAY FROM MY FAMILY FOR A WEEK THAN THE SURGERY .

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

THE FIRST 4 WEEKS WERE EASIER HEALTH WISE THAN I EXPECTED. GETTING USE TO MY NEW LITTLE POUCH WAS A BIT OF A CHALANGE I WAS REALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT I COULD AND COULDN'T EAT PHSICALLY I FELT PRITTY GOOD 2 WEEKS OUT I DID SLEEP MORE THAN WHAT I AM USE TO BUT I FIGURED THAT WAS MY BODIES WAY OF HEALING JUST TAKE YOUR TIME AND GET AMAZED AT HOW THE SCALE STARTS MOVING DOWN DOWN DOWN.

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

I TRAVELED FROM ALBUQUERQUE TO LUBBOCK TX ABOUT A 5 HOUR DRIVE I FLEW ON MY FIRST INITIAL VISIT BUT I HAVE TO SAY T TOOK LESS TIME TO DRIVE.

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.

THE FIRST WEEKS AFTER SURGERY I WAS ON A LIQUID DIET AND AT THE END OF THAT I WAS QUITE GLAD WHEN I STARTED ON SOFT FOOD NOT A LOT SETTELED VERY WELL I WOULD GET QUEASY AND HAVE TO STOP EATING THINGS LIKE A SOFT SCRAMBLED EGG YOUGERT AND FAT FREE COTTACH CHEESE WAS THE EASIEST TO EAT. AS TIME GOES ON I CAN NOW EAT VEGTABLES AND CHICKIN BEEF IS STILL NOT A GOOD CHOICE FOR ME PORK IS ALSO A BIT HARD TO DIGEST I LIKE TO EAT FISH AND HARD BOILED EGGS ARE A GOOD THING TO KEEP ON HAND LO FAT STRING CHEESE AND WHOLE GRAIN CRACKERS I STAY COMPLEATLY AWAY FROM ANYTHING HIGH IN SUGAR OR FAT AND WHITE BREAD I WAS NEVER ABLE TO DO THE HIGH PROTIEN DRINKS OR POWDERS I'M STILL TRYING TO FIND ONE I CAN TOLERATE TASTE WISE

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

MY ACTIVETY LEVEL THE FIRST WEEK WAS PRITTY GOOD I DID MY BEST TO WALK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE GETTING OUT OF BED WAS A BIG CHALLANGE HE FIRST WEEK SITTING UP WAS QUITE A PAIN THE SECOND WEEK I WAS ABLE TO GO HOME FROM LUBBOCK AND I WAS UP COOKING DINNER FOR THE FAM AND PICKING UP AFTER THE KIDS AS ALWAYS I TRIED TO WALK AROUND THE NEIGHBOR HOOD ONCE A DAY WEATHER PERMITTING I TOOK SEVERAL NAPS DURING THE DAY WHILE THE KIDS WERE AT SCHOOL IN THE FIRST 4 WEEKS AND EVERY DAY AFTER THAT MY ACTIVITY LEVEL HAS INCREASED

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

I TAKE 2 CHEWABLE SENIOR CENTRUM VITAMINS A DAY I TAKE 2 CHEWABLE CALCIUM SUPPLIMENTS AND I TAKE A B-COMPLEX LIQUID VITAMIN ONCE 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 WAS NAUSEATED QUITE A BIT THE FIRST MONTH OR SO AND I STILL EXPERIENCE IT SOMETIMES IF I EAT SOMETHING THAT IM NOT SUPPOSED TO YOUR BODY WILL LET YOU KNOW RIGHT AWAY I DID NOT EXPERIENCE VERY MUCH DUMPING I STOP EATING THE MINUT I DONT FEEL RIGHT MY HAIR IS A BIT THINNER NOW I AM HOPING THAT WILL NOT LAST TOO LONG THE B VITAMINS WILL HELP AND I SHOULD PROBUBLY CONSUME A BIT MORE PROTIEN

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

I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS ALL THE TESTS AND DR. APPOINTMENTS WERE ALL NECESSARY MY WAY OF LIFE IS VERY DIFFERENT NOW BUT IT ISN'T A BAD THING JUST DIFFERENT BUT MOSTLY MY QUALITY OF LIFE HAS IMPROVED 150% IF I HAD TO DO IT OVER I WOULD ONLY CHANGE ONE THING AND THATS I WOULD HAVE DONE IT SOONER

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

IM NOT A SUPPORT GROUP KIND OF GIRL

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

I HAVE A 2 INCH SCAR JUST BELOW MY DIAPHRAM AND ABOUT 2 INCHES ABOVE MY BELLY BUTTON ITS NOT BAD MY APPENDEX SCAR IS BIGGER AND ITS 30 YEARS OLDER

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

SOMETIMES MY WEIGHT DOSN'T MOVE DOWN FOR A FEW DAYS BUT THE I WILL BE 3 LBS LIGHTER OVER NIGHT I AM AVERAGING 10 LBS A MONTH THE FIRST MONTH I LOST 20

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICE THE MOST STRANGERS ARE NICER STORE CLEARKS ARE MORE HELPFULL PEOPLE THAT KNEW YOU BEFORE THE WLS ARE SOMETIMES A BIT LESS FRIENDLY ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE HAVING THEIR OWN WEIGHT ISSUES WHEN THEY ASK HOW IM LOOSING WEGHT AND I CHOOSE TO TELL THEM THEY TEND TO GIVE ALL THE REASONS THAT THEY COULD NEVER DO THAT I JUST EXPLAIN THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR ME AND EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT ITS A VERY PERSONAL DECISION