Weight Loss Surgery

marci355

I had RNY 7 months ago today (happy surgianniversary to me!). I am fortunate to have found a surgeon who is extremely serious about having his patients be completely committed to the program FOR LIFE before he'll agree to do the surgery on you (lap band or RNY). I had to join a local support group and attend a minimum of 3 meetings, meet with a psychologist (some have to go twice), meet with a nutritionist for 6 months, commit to a diet and exercise plan, get support from my primary care physician, have an endoscopy (which led to a colonoscopy as well), and take a written test. There's probably more, but I don't remember just now. The entire process too me 8 months to complete, and then it was another 2 months waiting for my surgery date. During all this time I was going through some extremely difficult family issues (5 extremely ill family members with 3 deaths in a total of 7 weeks). My siblings were completely against my having the surgery (one sister had had it years before (without all the support, etc.) and failed at it. At the time of her death she weighed almost 400 lbs.

So, with the diet and exercise I lost 30 lbs in 9 months prior to surgery. Since surgery I've lost an additional 68 lbs. I work out a minimum of 3-4 times a week (running/brisk walk on the treadmill) along with water aerobics and occasionally strength training. I've still got 33 pounds that I'd like to lose, but I'm not sweating it. Now that I'm closer to my goal the weight is coming off much slower. That's perfectly normal, and I'm ok with it.

BTW - I decided on RNY instead of lapband because I didn't want the constant dr. appts to get filled. I still attend support group meetings about once a month, and it seems to me that there are quite a few "banders" who are now opting to have a revision to RNY. I've also learned that with bands you're still able to eat whatever you want, making it much easier to cheat. Believe me when I say that cheating with RNY is a most unpleasant experience!

Best wishes to you as you move forward and figure out what's best for you. Don't pay any attention to those people who think it's the easy way (it so is not!), nor the ones who ask why you would risk a "very dangerous surgery". Obviously, poor health is just as dangerous!

Way to go!!! Well done, sweetie!! I know what you mean, obesity runs in my family too and I have had two siblings pass away within 10 months. That was soooo hard. Basically thats why I had my RNY, I didn't want to end up dead, like my brother and sister. Best of luck to you in your journey! Add me as a friend, if you like and I will cheer you on!! :bigsmile:

kimandallen07

its really NOT a easy way out!! I had the gastic done..the none reverseable...and my life got better the first 6months BUT after that it all went down hill....everyone is different though ME if i had of known then what i know now...i would have never gotten it done! if u want to know more u can email me have a bless day!

katiejo2011

The only thing I will say about surgery is it is completely up to the individual person. With that said, I have heard that most respectable doctors will not allow someone to have one of these surgeries unless there is a specific reason that the person cannot loose weight on their own (i.e., back problems or medical problems). I would love to have surgery to loose my weight but I believe that I can do it on my own.

I want to say that someone mentioned they lost 100lbs or more and then tried to go back to normal. What was normal? You can't diet and loose 100lbs and then expect to go back to eating processed food and maintain that loss. Just my thoughts. You don't go back to eating "normal" after surgery so why would you after weight loss without it.

marci355

The only thing I will say about surgery is it is completely up to the individual person. With that said, I have heard that most respectable doctors will not allow someone to have one of these surgeries unless there is a specific reason that the person cannot loose weight on their own (i.e., back problems or medical problems). I would love to have surgery to loose my weight but I believe that I can do it on my own.

I want to say that someone mentioned they lost 100lbs or more and then tried to go back to normal. What was normal? You can't diet and loose 100lbs and then expect to go back to eating processed food and maintain that loss. Just my thoughts. You don't go back to eating "normal" after surgery so why would you after weight loss without it.

Yep, that was me. And you're right, as I said in an earlier post, everyone is different. I can only speak for myself and my experience. What makes us gastric bypass patients upset, is when people start making blanket statements, about a surgery they basically know nothing about. I have obesity (and all the illnesses that go with it) running thru my family. I was chubby as a kid, yoyo'd my whole life. I could lose a LOT of weight, but since my metabolism was shot, I could eat healthy (i always have) and still gain it all back. When you are "pre-disposed" to being a certain body type, sometimes people have to make a drastic change. After years of fighting my weight ,at age 49 I decided to make a permnanet change. It was after my brother and sister died 10 months apart in 2003 and 2004, (yes they were obese) and my only other sibling was going thru chemo and radiation for colon cancer (yes, obese people have a much higher chance of coming down with colon cancer) that I decided to go thru with my RNY.Because I did NOT want to end up dead. Still to this day. I am the only child out of 4, who has NOT died, or has had some form of cancer. All obsesity related. So yes, weight loss surgery is not for everone. But for some folks, it's the only way out for us. So to answer your question: My "normal" was eating healthy, even when I was heavy. Different strokes for different folks, so please don't judge us as "taking the easy way out". There is nothing easy about being a RNY post-op. Best of luck to you on your journey as well! :flowerforyou:

Megume

Well... I haven't had my surgery yet.. but the major deciding factor for me (to have the sleeve) was the Ghrelin. I'm not gonna lie, the idea of being 'hungry' all the time, sounds horrifying to me. That is what I was told can happen with banders. This is the major reason I failed on so many diets. Also, I wasn't prepared to have my small intestines rerouted and because it is said that you lose the weight very rapidly with the RnY.. that also scared me. I'll be honest, I don't have as much to lose as some who get this surgery so to me, the sleeve sounded like the best choice.

P.S I you Marci! You're like the most upbeat person ever

joinyellowknife

Megume
I am about a month and a half out from having lapband and am soooooo glad i did it.
fills and refills etc are not as common as they used to be. the doctors pretty much know now and you often only need one two or three fills to hit the perfect spot. i haven't had one fill and it's just right. as for hungry.....exact opposite problem. i hardly ever feel hunger. i have to remind myself to eat! I have completely changed my eating habits and now exercise everyday, there still is no magic solution, but the best part of lapband to me is it's completely reversible if at any time if things go bad. But so far, I have lost 40lbs and feel fantastic! would definitely do it again. good luck!

marte80

With saying that....I have been thinking whether Jennifer Hudson had surgery....I just can't believe that she loss 80lbs in 3 months on WW.

marte80

Have you checked out obesityhelp.com? They have all types of forums for people who have had weight loss surgery. You do have to eat right after wt. loss surgery but the amt you lose and stuff like that is very different than people who lose wt. via reduced calories and exercise. I could eat the same meal plan as someone say with RNY surgery and they may lose 20 lbs. in a month and Me only 8 lbs. I would start to question Myself and wonder where I have gone wrong, when in reality My wt. loss is more normal. So it is not like comparing apples to apples. So when I hear of someone losing 100, 150...lbs in a year, I wonder if they had wt loss surgery...cause I have lost 75 lbs. in a year without it. Either way is OK, but I'd like to compare apples to apples.

With saying that, I am convinced Jennifer Hudson had surgery....80lbs, 4 months on WW....no way!

marte80

I really dislike the condescending tone that accompanies the remarks like " I lost 280 lbs and you can too if you put your mind to it"

I agree. The surgery recovery is choice. Losing weight, accepting responsibility, and staying devoted and motivated to lose weight naturally is much more commendable.

fcrisswell

I usually kepp my mouth shut when I hear things like what you are spewing here. And yes I said SPEWING.

Any life-altering decision a person makes is comendable...the road they choose to take is each person's personal choice.

And IF Jennifer Hudson had surgery...that is HER personal choice. Your responses are the exact reason she would not announce it for the world to know If she did. Some people NEED their privacy. Some will shout it from the roof tops. And until you walk a day in ANY ONE of our LIVES do NOT pass judgment. Save that for the ONE above.

Nuff said.

MsScorpio67

I have been banded for 3 years in June. When I went in for surgery I was 300lbs. Currently I am 197 and have been as low as 179. I love my band. I love that I can get adjusted when I feel that my appettite is too strong. Or as my mother would say, you need to get some air in that tire, hahahahaha. I have really good after care. My doctors are close and my co-payment is 15 dollars. So I don't have some of the issues that other lapbanders do. But no matter what surgery a person decides to have, the surgery is not in your head. Your still going to crave the stuff you always craved unless you change your thinking. It's not easy, hell nothing is, but I was very serious about losing the weight and I needed help. One of my jobs is very physical and I needed to be in better shape. My only health issue besides having a high BMI was that I was borderline diabetic. As for choosing from the different surgeries, I choose the lapband cause, in my opinon, RNY are for heavy sweet eaters or when your weight is really high. I'm not a sweet eater as much as I was a quantity eater. There was no such thing in my vocabulary as portion size. I could eat as much as a man and then some. The band put a stop to all of that. Now my focus is to get in better shape and lose my last 37lbs and put on some muscle. And this site has been wonderful. Now the funny thing is I never tell anyone that I have had surgery. I feel like it's a personal thing. But when this discussion came up I felt the need to speak. It is up to the individual on how much help a person needs to lose the weight. If it's surgery, or the "Natural" way, the point is LOSING THE WEIGHT. And it may not be everyone's cup of tea to have Weight loss surgery, but please respect the person's right to choose. If having to do it over, I would have had the surgery long time ago. I haven't reached my coal yet, but I'm so happy at my accomplishment thus far.

fcrisswell

"I have been banded for 3 years in June. When I went in for surgery I was 300lbs. Currently I am 197 and have been as low as 179. I love my band. I love that I can get adjusted when I feel that my appettite is too strong. Or as my mother would say, you need to get some air in that tire, hahahahaha. I have really good after care. My doctors are close and my co-payment is 15 dollars. So I don't have some of the issues that other lapbanders do. But no matter what surgery a person decides to have, the surgery is not in your head. Your still going to crave the stuff you always craved unless you change your thinking. It's not easy, hell nothing is, but I was very serious about losing the weight and I needed help. One of my jobs is very physical and I needed to be in better shape. My only health issue besides having a high BMI was that I was borderline diabetic. As for choosing from the different surgeries, I choose the lapband cause, in my opinon, RNY are for heavy sweet eaters or when your weight is really high. I'm not a sweet eater as much as I was a quantity eater. There was no such thing in my vocabulary as portion size. I could eat as much as a man and then some. The band put a stop to all of that. Now my focus is to get in better shape and lose my last 37lbs and put on some muscle. And this site has been wonderful. Now the funny thing is I never tell anyone that I have had surgery. I feel like it's a personal thing. But when this discussion came up I felt the need to speak. It is up to the individual on how much help a person needs to lose the weight. If it's surgery, or the "Natural" way, the point is LOSING THE WEIGHT. And it may not be everyone's cup of tea to have Weight loss surgery, but please respect the person's right to choose. If having to do it over, I would have had the surgery long time ago. I haven't reached my coal yet, but I'm so happy at my accomplishment thus far. "


BIG THUMBS UP!

Nburch223

I totaly would do it if my insurance would pay. I know your feeling of living in a fat suit that is what I feel like .

Nburch223

Thanks for sharing your story it helps to hear everyones point.

vickyd205

I was banded this past December and in that time I have lost 56 lbs (I started at 325). I am one of the lucky ones in that I felt restriction from the very beginning and have only had one fill since surgery (and that was 2 weeks ago). I'm lucky that my insurance covered the surgery and the fills (they did not cover the sleeve) and that my surgeon's office has excellent follow up care. That said, MsScorpio67 was right...it is hard work! The band won't make you stop wanting the wrong foods...you need to be committed to making a full lifestyle change in both eating and exercise in order for it to work.

I am a member of a site devoted to Lap Band patients and you would be surprised at the number of people who thought they could continue to eat the same foods they were eating, they would only eat 1/2 of it and the weight would fall off...well, 1/2 a Big Mac Extra Value Meal is still WAY more calories than you should be eating and the weight doesn't just fall off with the Lap Band. It is a much more gradual weight loss and anyone considering it needs to be willing to accept that.

For me, the band has given me something I have never had before...self control. I make better food choices and don't miss the foods I'm no longer eating, I eat appropriate quantities of food (3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies) instead of the massive quantities I used to eat, I exercise 4-5 days a week and can walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like I need oxygen. This surgery is absolutely the best thing I have ever done for myself and I don't regret it for a second!

donicagalek

I agree. The surgery recovery is choice. Losing weight, accepting responsibility, and staying devoted and motivated to lose weight naturally is much more commendable.

Wow, that's great - I lost about three times more weight before I got surgery...and kept on gaining it back. But I lost it naturally so thanks for giving me a commendable thumbs up on my failure. I should have stuck to that failing path, right? You're a nurse? Should I have stuck with what doesn't work, in your medical opinion, until I was afflicted with a disease because of it?

X-D

donicagalek

For the life of me I will never understand why smart people can look success right in the eyes and call it shameful. But, if you get surgery, it's something you'll have to face. :-)

MinnieInMaine

I'm torn about the whole gastric surgery thing. My cousin had lap band surgery about the same time I started my weight loss journey using Weight Watchers last January (2010). We've both lost the same amount of weight to date. So in my mind, even if some of you do see it as condescending, I can't help but think - if she'd just been more careful with her portions and made more healthy food choices and exercised, she wouldn't have had to put herself through the side effects (especially the vomiting).

The other thing I had to respond to was the post about Jennifer Hudson - I can't seem to find any specific information but I'm pretty sure it took her more like 8 months to a year to lose that weight. And you have to remember that she's got big bucks, she can afford to have someone cooking for her and a personal trainer to help her work-out 4 hours a day or whatever so you can't compare her success story to that of the average person...

Edited to add - the only timeline I've found for JHud's weight loss is that she said she started working on it after the birth of her now 2 year old son...

Megume

If people are able to work out that much, be dedicated and are ACTUALLY able to maintain that kind of weightloss naturally.. then hats off to ya. That is awesome. I, however, cannot afford to go onto the biggest loser, or work out for hours a day because of my hospital job. I'm on call a lot - my life has to revolve around this place for what I do.

I feel the sleeve will be the best tool/ gift I can give myself. I'm only 26, and I would like to live the rest of my life happy and healthy

fcrisswell

I don't find what you say condescending in the least (un-like a few other replies)...just honest.

I was sooo far against surgery after losing my mother in 2001. But when I reached my all-time low (as well as my HIGHEST weight ever at nearly 400 pounds) in 2006 that was IT. I had had it.

What "IT" is...is different for everyone. Food is an addiction for me. And like an addict I had to reach my lowest low before I could change. With surgery the addction is still there (just like any other addiction, alcoholics, drug-addicts), but, I now have the tool to control it. Un-like an alcoholic that can avoid alcohol/bars/etc., I cannot avoid food. It is part of LIFE. My TOOL helps me control it. I cannot gorge on cheesecake...hell I can hardly tolerate a few bites before the sugar content makes me feel crappy. That is what I needed to re-gain my life.

Just like every other person here. What calorie level is right for one is not for the other. What exercise regimine is right for one is not the other. some can just make THAT decision and stick to it. Others cannot and have to choose a different path. In the end we all make our decisions based on life-experiences and the information we have at the time. It may or may not work out in the end. If not you find another path. (And, yes I know surgery patients that have gained ALL their weight back as well as non-surgery people that lost it and gained it back.) WE are all human and we all make mistakes, learn from them, and move to the next. I wish everyone luck no matter what path they choos...but pleae respect someone else's decision even i you may not wholely agree with it.

ocsbabydoll

Right i am just trying to get a feel for everyone and how they are succeeding -- you know what they say -- the key is a well rounded great support group :happy:

ocsbabydoll

So i am pretty sure i am sticking with the Sleeve - from what you lovely people are saying and from all the videos i have watched - there doesnt seem to be a difference in the speed in which you lose really --and the sleeve is not malabsorbative or have dumping syndrome which i have to say looks and sound horrid.

Thank you everyone for you input and i look forward to hearing more of your stories and thoughts... This is life changing and i could not be more excited!!!!!

P.S I am so sorry to hear about your mom passing but congrats on the tiny humans

theresasbaby

Hi Megume,
I had the sleeve on March 15th this year. I have no regrets at all. I do have heartburn if I eat to fast which is easy to do if your eating with others and your part of a conversation at lunch or dinner...it's easy to forget, but the discomfort after is enough to snap you out of it. So it's 10 weeks tomorrow and I've dropped 50 lbs, and I have followed Dr orders to the tee. I am no longer feeling the effects of diabetes (off meds immediatley) and off blood pressure meds. SW 227 and I just reached 177! My only regret is that I wish I had done it 30 years ago. I am capeable of losing a hundred lbs on my own and have done it several times...only for it to creep back on and feel helpless while it does. Not sure what is missing tht makes that happen for some of us but I truly think this time I have a good chance of keeping it off! and the NO HUNGER is a plus! just watch out for what your head says to you. I wish you the best. Linda

theresasbaby

I know I said it in my last post Megume....my only regret is that I didn't have the sleeve in my 20's!!!! It isn't an easy thing to do but it can be so worth it! At 26 I'd already been a champion dieter and failure for 14 years, I think I will be ok now.I pray I can post with sucess 10 years from now without any gains! Best of luck to you. Linda