Bariatric Surgery

skatermom503

Leighby1987: You chose to have a life, not wait for your life. Don't ever apologize for your decision to have surgery. It is not an easy fix and it is not for whimps. There is no one right answer for everybody.

Fitgirlrocks

This is obviously a very personal choice. There are enormous health risks, implications, and complications of having surgery - just as there are enormous health risks, implications, and complications of being obese. It sounds to me like you are questioning your initial decision of having the surgery. You don't have to make the decision today, you still have a few months until you are required to decide (insurance purposes). I say, give it a good faith effort for the next few months. Then at that point you can make an informed decision about what is best for you. I mean really, I see two possible outcomes in March - 1. you have lost no weight at all or 2. you have lost weight and gained the confidence to keep moving forward.

Can you lose the weight? I believe you can. Would you rather lose the weight on your own or through surgery? You wouldn't be asking this question if you didn't really want to lose it on your own. You are in a supportive place on this site, but you are still the one who has to put in the work - make no mistake about it. Sometimes it takes people believing in us long before we believe in ourselves. My opinion is that you should go with your intuition - trust yourself, you know in your heart what is right for you.

622beech

I have a case very similar to yours. My highest weight 3 years ago was 359lbs. I came down with severe back pain that is unoperable. In addition, my blood pressure is extremely labile, shoots up to 250 over 100 and then 10 minutes later can fall to 85 over 50 and I pass out.
My cardiologist got me into a weight and wellness center and i got in the bypass program and was also told to lose 10-15% of my body weight before they would allow me to have the surgery.
I met with nutritionists and a phsycologist and before I new it I am today at 254 lbs. and my surgeon has told me as long as I continue to lose a pound or two a week that they don't think surgery is required.
Either way, you have got to make a permanent life style change whether you watch your diet and try to exercise the weight off. Due to my back pain, I am unable to do much exercise other than some walking and resistance training with bundgie cords.
Only You have the power to decide which is best for you. In my case I was stuck at 309 lbs. for two years until I was taught about nutrition and logging food and exercise on this site.


Good luck.

Lobster1987

I know you weren't. I'm glad that you also appreciate the fact that surgery isn't an easy way out. It is hard, especially in the beginning and we also have to watch what we eat and exercise like everybody else once we hit maintenance. It's just a tool, like MFP is.

tchrnmommy

My dad and and his wife both had it done last year after many years of obesity and health issues. I REALLY tried to talk my dad out of it but by the time he was accepted into the program...there was no changing his mind.

My thoughts....

1. you will never eat the same
2. you are just as likely to regain over time if you don't learn the lifestyle change of eating right
3. you've come so far already.....just keep going

Good luck with whatever you decide.

scubagirl319

Kiminita,

Who the hell are you to bash people for their choice of weight loss. This is not a cookie cutter process. Everyone has different needs and emotional make up. if you have been able to lose the weight by diet, that's awesome. But this is a site for support, not to bash someones choices. YES, I have had weight loss surgery, and have lost over 150 pounds in the last 11 months. It was the best thing I ever did and I should have done it years earlier. I have lost and gained 100's of pounds throughout my life. Lets quit the judgements and bashing and give people the support they need. The best thing to do is if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Lobster1987

I have lost and gained 100's of pounds throughout my life.

Oh my gosh. Me too.

If only people actually knew our histories and the crap we have gone through, the yo-yo dieting, our beginning health problems, etc...and maybe if they did research, they would understand.

I hate it when people who have not had the surgery, and who have not lived the lifestyle themselves say things like they are true (claim all these bad things about surgery but have never lived it themselves) and then pass judgement on others.

So what if I had it in my 20s?! Everyone I know who has had the surgery WISHES they had done it then. I have never regretted it for one second and am happy that I was given this gift at such a young age. I feel that I can do anything now. I have my entire life ahead of me and it is looking bright.

lmelangley

I think you should keep going with MFP and avoid the surgery if you can. I know several folks who have had the surgery, and only one who was actually able to keep off the weight. The others put it back on because they still overate. It seems healthier, although slower, to lose the weight by modifying what you eat than through surgery. Laproscopic or not, it's still invasive.

scubagirl319

It doesn't matter if you choose surgery or diet to lose weight, if you don't change your lifestyle you will gain it back. That is why diets don't work. You have to make a lifetime change in your eating habits. You cannot lose the weight and then go back to eating the way you did before. With the surgery you have to work just as hard with your diet and exercise. No one way is the right way for everyone. Everyone is different.

SHDenver

I don't know that any advice you receive should or could make this decision for you. It's very personal and you have to decide if you can accept the consequences. I went in to it knowing I could follow it for a time, and with nagging suspicions that I would fall in to old habits because so many other things I tried did not work. I had the surgery (RNY) in August of 2009 at 28yrs old and was able to lose over 130lbs with it. I also ended up with 20,000 in medical bills and lost my way with it over the last year and a half due to poor choices around trying to pay that off, going from 285 to 330. (I was 435 at my heaviest) Using the knowledge I've gained with this surgery and various diets, a previous site and now this one to help me, I've been able to get back down to 307lbs and see using this plan as a way of getting the nutrients I need and eating to be satisfied while also eating healthy things to reach my goal weight.

The surgery did it's job and helped me on this path. Two years later I'm able to eat what I was before and I never had dumping syndrome, which I recommend, if you decide to get the surgery, never testing. I also had laproscopic surgery, so I'm not sure why you need to be at 300 to have that done, but the scarring is minimal with 5 scarred lines.

I'm not a big pusher of gastric bypass, mainly because as stated above it's a personal decision, but I think whatever you decide to do you're making decisions to become healthier. Let me know if you have any more specific questions about my experience.

I know that gastric bypass was the right choice for me at the time I made it, and regardless of anything I'm glad I made the decision. I've also known people that have had tremendous problems with it, including multiple surgeries to correct various problems associated with the surgery. (RNY) So again, I hope you take the information and make the right decision for you.

Goodluck!

SHDenver

It doesn't matter if you choose surgery or diet to lose weight, if you don't change your lifestyle you will gain it back. That is why diets don't work. You have to make a lifetime change in your eating habits. You cannot lose the weight and then go back to eating the way you did before. With the surgery you have to work just as hard with your diet and exercise. No one way is the right way for everyone. Everyone is different.

This is a part of my post that I missed! The surgery is a forced lifestyle change that can be reversed and will be over time. You have to be able to commit to that change and stay, or it won't work the way you want it to. (Take the last year and a half for me.)

mrwall1

Thank you everyone for your responses!!! Even the heated moments because these are the arguments i am having with myself

.. i am signed up for the bypass surgery, the lapband has not been very successful, with men my age, and i have several other co mobidities.. and one is acid reflux, which the lap band does not help as much...

the diabetes is my main concern, since i just reached 6 years, and most endo.. doctors, believe you have 7 years to turn it around with the surgery... i am surprised that i have not been able to drop my insulin amount since i have lost the 34 pounds.

the reason the dr. wants 300 is he thinks that most of my weight is in my stomach, so if i lost the 40 pounds that my stomach supposidly will shrink...

and thanks, i wondered too, if the dr.would cancel the surgery if i dont loose the weight...

lol, i did pass the pyshiatric interview, about my eating habbits, so either she feels that i can overcome it... or i am crazy enough to fool her.... guess i will find that one out afterwards....

i had lost 80 pounds after i was first diagnosed with diabetes, from fear of dying... but unfortunately it doesnt take long to figure out how to eat a lot, and not raise your sugar level... so when i quit smoking a few months later, it all came back, i got down to 302, i did not break the 300 pound barrier, which i have weighed for about 20 years....

thanks i wrote all the pros and cons down and will definately go over them over and over again, until the day of decision comes...

RisyaLifsheTova

Here are my thoughts on it. I was going to do lapband. I was finally going to get down and serious about it. I joined Jenny Craig to lose the weight needed to do that lapband. But heres my thought. Why in the world would I sit there and get a serious surgery that is going to limit me in the things I like to eat and enjoy when I can just train myself to ear properly and healthier?

As soon as I started that I was on my way to a happier, healthier me I started this program at 320lbs and I am currently 217lbs. If I have made it this far, and have lost 102lbs.....and I only have 59 more to go.....why put my body through all that I am healthier, and more athletic, and I dont have to watch what I eat to make sure it doesnt damage my stomach or anything like that. I can still live my life enjoying what I like just in moderate portions. I also allow myself to splurge once a week if I want to.

Im learning that I dont really enjoy over eating and my stomach actually lets me know that.

Go with your GUT! Literally! Youll make the right decision. To me getting surgery like that is a choice. If you can do the wieght loss without the surgery and youve accomplish the wieght loss that you have. Who needs surgery?>

7ophelia

My Twin sister is having a gastric sleeve surgery this week. Whereas I only have around 50 pounds to loose, she has around 150. I truly think it is the best choice for her. Surgery isn't the easy way out, I know she is scared because she has 2 children and it is surgery, but she has medical issues that might be solved with weight loss. If you can loose weight without surgery then good for you, most can't and won't. I also know 2 people who have had the gastric bypass surgery (one had the duodenal switch type) and both are very happy with their choices, because it may have bought them a few more years of health, but you will have to weight the advantages versus the disadvantages.

As someone who has dieted for years (I do not remember a valentines day, when I wasn't dieting) real changes are hard. I even did a complete liquid diet and did loose all the weight I needed , but here I am dieting again 2 years later. I have never been very large, but if I was and it threaten the quality of my life such as being diabetic, then I would consider it.

My advice, talk to talk your doctor and nutritionist and see what they think (surgery programs usually require meetings with a nutritionist and a therapist to judge if you are a good canidate for the surgery).

No one on this board, can tell you what is right for you, only what they think is right for them.
You know you best.
what ever you you decide, good luck on your road to health

MCKB14

Leighbie1987 is also in her twenties, and presumably much healthier to do something like this. I wonder what doctor approved such a young person when they clearly could have done it on their own, given how determined she seems (she's on MFP for one!).

I am 26 and was 450lbs I had Bariatric Surgery to save my life. I will tell you what doctor approves bariatric surgery for someone in their 20's, a doctor that wants to save a life. My surgeon saved mine ... I have lost 136 lbs since surgery and 176 lbs from my highest! I am only 8 months out and the surgery was the best decision I ever made.

You should not pass judgement with out knowing and or walking in other people's shoes first!...

I have dieted my WHOLE LIFE!!! YES even as a child in elementary school counting calories, that should be illegal! I messed up my metabolism very early out.

You need to be better informed on the science behind the metabolism and how everyone is different before you go and judge someone for having surgery in their 20's, if anything many people wish they would have done it earlier. It saves lives!

MCKB14

Thank you everyone for your responses!!! Even the heated moments because these are the arguments i am having with myself

.. i am signed up for the bypass surgery, the lapband has not been very successful, with men my age, and i have several other co mobidities.. and one is acid reflux, which the lap band does not help as much...

the diabetes is my main concern, since i just reached 6 years, and most endo.. doctors, believe you have 7 years to turn it around with the surgery... i am surprised that i have not been able to drop my insulin amount since i have lost the 34 pounds.

the reason the dr. wants 300 is he thinks that most of my weight is in my stomach, so if i lost the 40 pounds that my stomach supposidly will shrink...

and thanks, i wondered too, if the dr.would cancel the surgery if i dont loose the weight...

lol, i did pass the pyshiatric interview, about my eating habbits, so either she feels that i can overcome it... or i am crazy enough to fool her.... guess i will find that one out afterwards....

i had lost 80 pounds after i was first diagnosed with diabetes, from fear of dying... but unfortunately it doesnt take long to figure out how to eat a lot, and not raise your sugar level... so when i quit smoking a few months later, it all came back, i got down to 302, i did not break the 300 pound barrier, which i have weighed for about 20 years....

thanks i wrote all the pros and cons down and will definately go over them over and over again, until the day of decision comes...

I would give the Duodenal Switch a look before you decide --- you can learn more at www.dsfacts.com

MCKB14

Kiminita,

Who the hell are you to bash people for their choice of weight loss. This is not a cookie cutter process. Everyone has different needs and emotional make up. if you have been able to lose the weight by diet, that's awesome. But this is a site for support, not to bash someones choices. YES, I have had weight loss surgery, and have lost over 150 pounds in the last 11 months. It was the best thing I ever did and I should have done it years earlier. I have lost and gained 100's of pounds throughout my life. Lets quit the judgements and bashing and give people the support they need. The best thing to do is if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

AMEN!

MCKB14

I think you should keep going with MFP and avoid the surgery if you can. I know several folks who have had the surgery, and only one who was actually able to keep off the weight. The others put it back on because they still overate. It seems healthier, although slower, to lose the weight by modifying what you eat than through surgery. Laproscopic or not, it's still invasive.

you must not know enough people who have had WLS because I had the Duodenal Switch and the success rate is a lot high, I know people that are 10 years out and still maintaining their weight loss. Check your facts before you go and bash.

lindasain

I think it is something to really think about.. I think you can lose some now so you can have the surgery. I chose not to have the surgery my insurane was a big drawn back for me then i have a cousin who had it done and had major problem.. from what i heard it is not so easy as it sounds there is a lot of work to lose it either way you go.. keep us informed what you decidee.. i am here to support you!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

MCKB14

Leighby1987: You chose to have a life, not wait for your life. Don't ever apologize for your decision to have surgery. It is not an easy fix and it is not for whimps. There is no one right answer for everybody.

I couldnt have said it better myself!