Has anyone here had Gastric Bypass?

ms_friendly

I am 22 years old with a BMI of 47 and seriously considering Gastric Bypass. Which is more effective in your opinion, the sleeve or other? I have bad anxiety and of course am worried about dying in surgery lol so I just need someone to talk to who has experienced this before. Thanks in advance!

lindainprogress

I haven't done it but I work in a drs office a several of our patients have. you have good reason to be anxious about it. it can be a temporary fix if you don't change what is going on in your head. I have seen one gal, around 33 years old, struggled thru recovery and one year later has only lost about 50 lbs. she hasn't changed her habits or her mindset. another can no longer eat any sugar without unfortunate consequences. some folks lose and then gain it all back because the stomach just stretches back out.
they are going to ask you to lose a certain percentage of your body weight prior to surgery. it you can do that, perhaps you will consider just keeping up the new habit that got that weight off. you are young, stronger than you think you are and can lose weight without surgery. it took me a long time to make the brain change, then I finally just decided I wasn't going to give it much thought and adopted the idea that what I was currently doing was making me miserable, that I deserved better than this (that was a tough one, but I just faked it until I made it real in my head and started believing it) next step was to let logic take over. and logic says burn more calories each day than you eat each day and you simply must lose weight. science backs that up also. hang in there, stay here with us, stay in touch. keep reading the success stories and everything else this site has to offer. It took a while to get where you are and will take some time to get to where you want to be. but time is going to go by anyway so you may as well make some positive changes.
for those of you who had the surgery and it worked, I am very happy for you, you are braver than I
best wishes- I will now stop rambling!

corbinskiii

It all depends on you. I have 2 cousins who underwent the gastric sleeve surgery, both have lost weight but not without serious complications. Hair falling out, inability to keep food down for months, one of them had a temporary nutrition peg put in place because she couldn't take in nutrients. My favorite aunt had gastric bypass and went from 320 to 200 within a year or so, this was in 2004 and she is now back up in the high 200's. It's about you though, she didn't change her habits, which is most important. I think you should do whatever you think is best for yourself, but do your homework. I started in January of this year with a BMI of 49 and have been counting calories and exercising and my BMI is currently 35 with close to a 90 pound loss. In the past, I'd tried every diet on the planet, thought I was one of those people who "just can't lose weight and had tried everything" but I had to want it. If you get the surgery, make sure you do your homework and get an excellent surgeon. For me, doing it without surgery is veru difficult, which I need. Everytime I think about eating something that's bad for me, I just remember how much work I've put in and I know I won't move backwards. If you get the surgery, they will require you to lose a large amount of weight on your own first, you may find that it's not that bad! I also have an anxiety disorder and understand the fears about going under the knife, that also helped push me towards doing this without surgery. Good luck! You're definitely in the right community. These people are awesome.

loulamb7

There's several gastric bypass groups on MFP. Go to groups and search for "gastric bypass". Below is a link to one of the groups.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/637-gastric-bypass-vsg-lapband

DataSeven

I had one recommended to me and even was put on the waiting list, but since then I have managed to lose a great deal of weight on my own. I since have made myself inactive on the list for now, so I am not in line for it anymore. I could not go through with it without legitimately having tried anything. My few stints at weight watchers didn't count... my heart wasn't in it, and I was doing it to please others, not myself. Right now I have not hit any major plateaus so far (knock wood), so I'm going to see how far I can take it on my own.

When you have a GB, you have to change your eating habits completely anyway! So why not do it without the surgery! It's not a magic pill, it takes a lot of work, and I feel like I can do that work on my own without the surgery. I would not begrudge anyone who chooses to get it, but right now, it's not for me.

attybell

Last year I went for a consultation for the lap band. And all excited even scheduled an appointment to have the procedure done then one night I remembered that I had set up an MFP account so I got on here asked a lot of questions got great feedback and a few days later I canceled my surgery and have never looked back. It took me from sept last yr till mid April to get serious but since April I have lost 43lbs just doing MFP and walking

RBXChas

I have one close relative who had lap-band but didn't lose with it because she expected it to do the work for her. Eventually she lost a lot of weight using MFP and eating right/exercising. The band was empty while she lost, and about a year and a half ago her band slipped, meaning she had to have emergency surgery to remove it (or die, pretty easy choice). I know she regrets having ever had it but wanted it out anyway, just not under emergency circumstances. Regardless she has kept the weight off for three years now.

I have two close relatives who had gastric bypass in the early 2000s. They both lost lots of weight right off the bat but could no longer eat or drink certain things (steak and beer come to mind). One traded his food addiction for alcohol addiction and drinks himself silly with wine on a regular basis and, I believe, struggles with depression. The other also struggles with depression. Neither changed their mindset, and thus neither kept the weight off. (I'm not sure that the depression followed surgery necessarily, but I think the aftermath of surgery exacerbated mild depression in both.) Both also had to have their gallbladders removed on an emergency basis.

The people who go through WLS and succeed long-term are the ones who get their heads right, who understand that the surgery doesn't do the work for you. It's a tool to help you change your life, not a fix-it. However it's a similar mindset that you need to do it "on your own." So having seen the good, bad, and ugly of WLS with three different people close to me, I wouldn't recommend it for many, if any, people. Obviously it's surgery, so it has risks, just like any surgery, but if you'll be back where you started - or worse off - in a few years, will it have been worth the (literal) pain and struggle to go through WLS? Maybe it's hard for me to say because I've admittedly never been in a position to look at those options.

My suggestion is to give it a go on your own to start. Like I said, the dedication needed for long-term success with WLS is more or less the same as the dedication required for long-term success without surgery. As someone else said, you'll be required to lose a certain amount of weight prior to surgery, so if you can do that on your own, why not keep going and save yourself the risks and pain and possible future complications that go with WLS? It's also worth taking a spin through the Success Stories section of the boards. There are a good number of people who've lost pretty insane amounts of weight using MFP without WLS, and they are often open to questions and willing to offer support.

I wish you all the best!

KimberlyinMN

I had the sleeve surgery done two years ago and have absolutely NO problems with it at all.

Greystar0

Here is something iv wondered. If you eat like you had the operation would you have the same results as the operation? Does making your stomach small or what ever actually physically make you lose weight or is it just the fact you cant eat very much.

lilcharlze

It is a combination of eating significantly less ( in the beginning it is about 2 oz) and the malabsorption part of the surgery, where the newly incisioned intestine does not absorb a majority of the calories from the food that you DO manage to eat. That little special component heals itself at about 12 months after surgery, and then you absorb most of the calories again, but not the majority of the vitamins that you need to maintain a healthy, functioning body-hence the necessity for vitamin supplements for the res of your life. Over time you are able to eat a small meal- sometimes a little more than other times. I am almost 4 years out and can eat a bite or two shy of a whopper junior- sometimes I can eat the whole thing. Not something that I would eat on the regular, but just to give you an idea of the amount of food that is able to be held at one time. The problem lies in the fact that you can still gain weight- you just eat more frequently. So,if you pick or graze at different things, you will gain weight again. The plan is to eat 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks, focusing on protein first ( with a set goal between 60 to 100 grams of protein a day).

tanyak1971

I started my road to gastric bypass surgery this past may. I was at 295 lbs and was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in my lower back and advanced arthritis in my left knee. My family doctor has been trying to get me to consider it for almost 10 years; but now after researching it and the doctors in my area, I feel confident with my decision. Am I scared, ABSOLUTELY! The weight loss support group meetings are helping, learning what to be prepared for and what can happen straight from other wls patients.

Most insurances require you to start a weight loss plan with your doctor with monthly weigh ins to show you are willing to change your lifestyle and way of eating so they know your not wasting their money and time. The sleeve has less malabsorption effects, but you only lose about 50-60% of the weight you are over by, whereas the full bypass helps you lose 80-90%. You are on vitamins all your life with either; so I figured if I am going to go under the knife and live on vitamins on my life that I might as well do the full bypass. The full bypass is also reversible and repairable, where with the sleeve they remove the rest of your stomach all together from you body.

I am already on some vitamins, and most as they get older need vitamins anyway, so why not. Most of the patients who followed the changes and kept up with the protein intake and exersice have had no problems and kept it off. The advise most give is that it is mostly a mind game; so you have to be ready mentally to do this.

Since May I have eliminated pop 95% with maybe one or two a month, drink up to 4/5 bottles of water a day; eliminated bread 60% changing to wraps and breadless and exersice 1 to 2 times a week in a warm therapy pool for 20 to 60 minutes. I read ALL nutition labels and I don't buy anything with more than 9 grams of sugar and look for protein enriched items. I have also eliminated fried foods by at least 40%, doing mostly grilled and baked. With these changes I have lost 24 pounds and 18 inches. I do get the people that say, if you can lose it on your own, why have the surgery? The answer is simple, I have tried numerous times in my 42 years of life and can always lose around 30 pounds, but can never keep it off. In fact usually gain twice that back.

This is a decision you definately have to research, be mentally prepared for, and find a support group to attend before and after surgery. If there is a Hope Bariatrics in your area look into them. Don't be afraid to ask the important questions such as: how long have you been doing the surgeries, how many have you done, how many have died on the table during surgery, how many have died after surgery from complications, do you offer support before and after the surgery.

Hope this helped you and good luck no matter what you decide!

Tanya

lbjess19

Weight loss surgery is just like everything else in this world, you will encounter opinions and experiences of varying degrees. It all comes down to YOU!!! Do you know without any doubt that you will make the changes necessary to make this tool work? FOREVER. Not just the first year while the weight melts off without any effort, but the years following. When your body's adjusted and the weight creeps back or the head and mouth hunger try to take over again. Surgery is a tool just like a gym membership or a fitness DVD. Have you purchased a tool only to have it go unused once the excitement has waned? Search within YOU, and you will know what's right for your future.

lilcharlze

Tonya, you are definitely in the right mindset! I was totally against was until I knew that I rely was at my last option As you age your weight can stay the same, but feel different and cause problems that you didn't have years prior, even at the same weight. I knew it was my only decision after I had made a decision a year prior to never diet again. Every time I went on a diet I lost weight, gained more back then when I started. I kept getting bigger and bigger, and my health issues kept getting worse and worse. I realized that was was my last resort, and wish that I had come to that conclusion 10 years prior as well. I would have had ten much more active years and had much more life in my years. As it was, I dragged to work and dragged home, a life of despair. If your head is right, you will succeed!! Vitamins are vital to a successful surgery, as you well know. Everyone's levels are different, but for me, I take 2 multivitamins ( kirkland brand) in the morning and a vitamin b-12 sublingual, and night time I take 2 calcium citrate with vitamin d3 and a separate vitamin d3. So, really no big deal. I know that some people take vitamins throughout the day. I am not one of those people ( or at least not yet). I do dump, and I don't have any complications at almost 4 years out. I lost 145 but then at almost exactly one year, I stopped losing. I gave my body a break, but now I want to continue to lose. It was tough in the beginning, but I would do it over in a heartbeat. Believe me, it was NOT the easy way out, but it was the ONLY way out for me. Anyone getting this surgery will NEVER go one day in their life without having to take their surgery into consideration- FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE. You will be in pain if you overeat! The only way to eat too much is to CONSTANTLY eat. But you CANNOT eat a normal person's size meal. It is physically IMPOSSIBLE. You made a good choice in the RNY. Very good logic and it is the most effective of the two. I know a few people who had veg and didn't lose very much at all, because there was less restriction or repercussions from eating too much. There is so much support on line now, I love youtube and OH ( obesity help). You can have all your concerns answered and get grey advice about different things that may come up before, during and after surgery. You are making a great decision for YOU.