Gastric Bypass Surgery

GranP

Hi,
I am seriously thinking of having this surgery and would love to hear from others who have had it. I know this is not the "end all" answer and that I will have to change my mindset in order to succeed at keeping the weight off, but my weight is to the point that I have trouble moving around, exercising and working. If I don't do something soon I'm afraid I'll die or become dependent on others for even the basics. Any input will be appriciated.
Patty

nuttyfamily

My SIL had it done in 2003. She has had great success with it but had a tough recovery period. I think today's surgery options are less invasive.

She did start to gain weight back about two years ago but got on a meal menu plan and took off that weight and has now been more mindful.

I would try other options before going that route. Have you talked with your doctor? I'd also start there.

Buddie616

Hi,
I am seriously thinking of having this surgery and would love to hear from others who have had it. I know this is not the "end all" answer and that I will have to change my mindset in order to succeed at keeping the weight off, but my weight is to the point that I have trouble moving around, exercising and working. If I don't do something soon I'm afraid I'll die or become dependent on others for even the basics. Any input will be appriciated.
Patty

My mother had this surgery done in 1994! She has been very sickly since she has had the surgery! I do not recommend it! I know several people who have had the surgery and regret it!

GamecockFan14

personally- I don't believe in the surgery- but each person is different. The way I look at it is: with the surgery, it'sjust a "tool" (I was scheduled for it- I didn't show up.) Anyway, it's just a tool to help you eat like you should be anyway.

It's no different than if you started RIGHT now. If you made a promise to yourself that you will work out and cut cals .... you'd have to do that on the surgery anyway- the results just might be a bit faster.

i dont beleive the surgery is worth it. It all comes down to YOU, not a surgery.

dittiepe

I had gastric bypass in 08. It's a good option if you feel that you are out of all other options. You usually have to take 6 months of classes to help you get into the right mindset, and they'll also require that you lose a little weight each month(usually 2lb). Definitely speak with your doctor on the issue. There's no harm or fault in deciding to go this route, but remember that if you do take it, it is a permanent one and not just an easy way to be able to continue poor diet habits (some people do this).

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

pattycakes726

Patty, can you go to an info session at a hospital that performs the surgery? That might be a good place to start. I'm very phobic about surgery myself. I had serious complications after gall bladder surgery 8 years ago and nearly died, so I wouldn't consider it. Good luck with whatever you decide.

maxsdad9

Hi,
I Just had LAP-BAND done a week ago and I recommend any of the Bariatric Procedures. Your right, they are not the final solution. However, they do force you to change you behavior or experience immediate consequences. It has been 10 days since my surgery and I feel pretty good. A little discomfort where the port is and some unexplained indigestion. Otherwise, I am losing weight and on stage 3 diet, which is pretty much all liquid, high protein, etc. I miss solid food but will eat it again. I have Type 2 Diabetes and Sleep Apnea and already my diabetes is under enough control that I have almost been able to stop taking Insulin.... The sleep apnea is better and I foresee not needing my CPAP. If you feel you have tried everything else and have not been successful, I say make an appointment with a Bariatric Surgery Program and let them guide you, They will help you make the decision and will not commit you to having a surgery unless they believe you are able to make it work.....

dittiepe

Hi,
I Just had LAP-BAND done a week ago and I recommend any of the Bariatric Procedures. Your right, they are not the final solution. However, they do force you to change you behavior or experience immediate consequences. It has been 10 days since my surgery and I feel pretty good. A little discomfort where the port is and some unexplained indigestion. Otherwise, I am losing weight and on stage 3 diet, which is pretty much all liquid, high protein, etc. I miss solid food but will eat it again. I have Type 2 Diabetes and Sleep Apnea and already my diabetes is under enough control that I have almost been able to stop taking Insulin.... The sleep apnea is better and I foresee not needing my CPAP. If you feel you have tried everything else and have not been successful, I say make an appointment with a Bariatric Surgery Program and let them guide you, They will help you make the decision and will not commit you to having a surgery unless they believe you are able to make it work.....

Your indigestion could be that you're eating too fast. Be sure that you are taking about 20 minutes to eat, and not drinking any other liquids 30 minutes prior or after your meals. hope that helps

GranP

Has anyone heard of the Laparoscopic Greater Curvature Plication? It is like the Sleeve Gastrectomy only the stomach is folded and stiched rather than cut and stapled. So far the recovery time and the amount of weight loss is comparable, however the long term has not been studied yet since it is new. I like the idea of not having the cutting that the bypass and sleeve have, but it does not have a track record yet. Anyone else heard about it?
Patty

dittiepe

I've never heard of that one. I do know that they're working on a lot of different options and always like to improve on things. If you don't want to have the stomach dissection, what about the lap band? That's not permanent.

maki040403

I had gastric bypass surgery in 2001. I will tell you that it is not the answer to all of your problems. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I dropped down to 140 lbs at my lowest after the surgery. Life goes on and bad choices resulted in gaining weight back. Since the surgery I have still struggled with my weight, but I have never gotten back up to the 300 pounds that I weighed when I had the surgery. The highest I got back up to was 225. That was when I realized that I had to wake up and get real. You will still have to watch what you eat and exercise. I did not do either of these things and 225 lbs was the result. I am now down to 183 since starting my "new" lifestyle (counting calories and exercising), but it has been a lot of work and a huge lesson. As far as complications, I really didn't have any, but not everyone is so lucky. From start to finish it took about 1 year to actually have the surgery approved through insurance and done. I suggest you think about it and perhaps go on some of the website chats where people have already had the gastric bypass and talk to them. Just remember, You will still need to focus on healthy food choices for the rest of your life. I learned the hard way and almost sabatoged myself.

maxsdad9

I had the surgery two weeks ago as of today and I have no regrets. I understand the risks. I did it to get my diabetes and sleep apnea under control or be gone. I have already been able to stop injecting insulin since the surgery. That is a major victory. Hopefully we can keep each other on track. My weakness tends to be inconsistency over time. So I understand what you did. It sounds like you are back on track/ It took about 6 months to get the surgery from start to finish.

DANANFL

My family has had it done. Myself(11/07) , hubby( 06/08) and my daughter 2 months ago. It is not the easy way! let me tell ya, thats all i heard from people regarding weight loss was I did it the easy way. And my no means it is easy. its just as hard and the mind set you have to have to do it is incredible. I had amazing results from the surgery and did the diet plan and exercising exactly as the doctor said and let me tell ya, i dont regret a moment. i lost all my weight and only go up 10 pounds and then it falls right back off. My husband, not so good. He never finished the journey, didnt follow the diet exactly and really didnt push himself in exercising and still has 100 pounds to lose and will never lose it. You only have a brief period of massive weightloss and then its just like "real life" and you are at normal calories and a normal diet. My daughter didnt know it was going to be this hard and is really having a hard time with the diet and exercising. The surgery doesnt make you lose the weight. the exercising and diet does. If you dont start exericising now and get in a daily regiment of exercising, it is very difficult to continue. I recommend the Gastric Bypass Surgery, it has saved my life, but you really have to push yourself beyond your limits, and follow all parts of the "plan". Dont alter the plan to your way, your way is the wrong way, you have to do exactly what they tell you to do, word for word!

PalmettoparkGuy

My friend had it done and it didn't work for him, he's heavier then ever and sick all the time. Stick to the plan and you won't need it. I'd start with a therapist first that specialized in eating disorders. Those surgeries may or may not help you to lose the weight, it's keeping it off that's the real battle. We need to learn to to change our lifestyles permanently. Good luck.
I lost 55 pounds with no surgery and have about 10 more to go.

SueInAz

I know some people who have had it done and have been very successful with it and keeping the weight off after 10 years. I also worked with someone who died on the table while having the procedure done. Keep in mind that this is major surgery and could have serious consequences. I guess my point is, this is a very personal decision and one you will need to make on your own but you'll need to weigh all of the pros and cons before undertaking such a serious procedure.

My best friend, at 4'11" and 300 pounds, was a candidate for surgery and instead decided to lose the weight on her own using Atkins and moderate exercise. She is borderline diabetic, so Atkins was a very good choice for her since she needs to watch carbs/sugar anyway. She is down to about 180 and has maintained that weight (+/- 10 pounds) for 7 years so it can be done the "hard" way (not that the surgery is easy!) with enough motivation and willpower.

webdiva1

I was ready to do the lapband thing myself a while back. I need to "lose a person", and it seemed just overwhelming and impossible. It may be the right thing for you, but now I'm glad I held off. The thing for me has been to NOT focus on the big number and quick results. Slow but steady is working; I'm almost 6 months in to changing how I think about food and how I eat, and I'm pretty happy. One day at a time, one meal at a time, one walk at a time, one glass of water at a time ... well, you get the idea.

Glad you posted the question here; it's interesting to get feedback from folks who have been through it or has someone in their lives that has. I, too, thought it'd be easy. If you and your doc feel like it's the right thing for you -- best of luck. Work hard, and you'll get there.

sesecat

My personal opinion is that if you're ready to take drastic measures, and commit to a very very very strict (and bland/minimal) diet and exercise program, then you can do the same without the surgery and cost. You just have to give it time.

If it takes you a year and a half to drop 100 lbs, remember that it took 20-30-40-or-50 years to put it on.

If you do it the right way, you reduce the chances of more surgery later to remove all the loose skin from the loss. The slow loss allows most of your skin to rebound.

I know way too many people that did the surgery, then made bad choices afterwards and made it all worthless in the end.

I'm here today to prove to a dear friend of mine that surgery is un-necessary. In 50 days I've lost 25 lbs. She sees me every day, and is seeing my attitude improve more and more every day, and my clothes get baggier and baggier. She's about to start following me on this journey. :-)

karlajohnson123

I had the sleeve done on May 2 of this year. It has been a life saver for me. I was on the fast track to diabetes. My family history is about as bad as it gets with heart disease and high blood pressure and stroke. I had to do something and I was tired of the roller coaster of dieting.
Surgery was not the cure all and certainly wasn't easy. There were many "hoops" to jump through in getting it even preapproved. I had to go to 6 months of a support group, see a nutritionist, get a psche eval, change my insurance,go on a 6 month medically supervised diet, etc
The surgery is just a tool. Sure! You could just start a diet of between 800-1000 calories a day and not have the surgery and lose weight. Who wouldn't lose weight! The BIG difference is I won't be hungry and someone else without the surgery will and probably not be very happy about it. Having a small pouch makes it impossible for me to overeat.
Feel free to friend me and text me any questions.
I spent months in prayer before coming to this decision. If I had to do it again, I would in a heartbeat.

Tropical_Turtle

I am pre WLS, and I am getting ready to have the vertical sleeve performed. I have seen in my years researching this - some dont do what is needed so they wont get sick. There are always those who have bad stories and there are always some who have good stories to tell about WLS. It is like buying a car some will say its a bad car dont buy it and some will say I would buy another one. Most everyone I have met, LOVE the tools that have been given to them (wls is a tool not the end all solution),

rainbowbuggy

*bump*

ElizabethRN59

my mom had laproscopic gastric bypass (no major incisions, 3 small band aids when she was done) done June of 2010 and has lost 80 pounds and is doing great! she had no complications and would recommend it to anyone who asked. She has fought with her weight for as long as i can remember and after having sat through th presentation at the hospital where she ended up going, she chose to go through with it. It is a mindset, eating certain amounts, being concisous to still weight treain and work on your muscles strenght, but so worth it as a last resort.

another girl that i work with had the lap band donw, and also, no major complications. she has lost almost 100 pounds so far, that was about a yeara and a half ago...

best of luck with whatever you choose!