I had a gastric bypass sleeve procedure on October 6, 2009. I was 55 and weighed 438 pounds. This is a description of my experience. The information in these pages started out as notes on my journey with bariatric surgery. The postoperative journey has been a roller coaster ride and by no means easy. I wanted to express the emotional challenges as well as the physical effect that the surgery had on me. In the process, I realized that so many factors and experiences affected my decision and outcome that I had to put the words on paper.