Just had my consultation for bariatric surgery...

alphasigalum

My husband had gastric bypass surgery way before we met, over 10 years ago. He still struggles to this day with certain foods, he can't eat steak, rarely chicken, no pasta, vegetables, etc. He also ruined all of his teeth because of the surgery from vomitting while he was getting used to how he reacted with bringing food back into his life. He has now had to spend 10k on new teeth and is still going through getting them fixed. He will probably spend another 20k on his teeth. It is his choice to get the implants instead of dentures. He can eat cheez-its, fro-yo, protein shakes, and some other carby stuff that isn't healthy so as one watching what I eat, it makes it SO hard at our house.

We struggle a ton when we go out to eat as he can barely eat anything and asks if I want to finish his because he just can't eat much. Plus cooking for the both of us is impossible.

He lost over 100lbs but still has the extra skin plus the teeth issue makes it just awful for us. Please PLEASE PLEASE rethink this surgery.

I really wish he would have never gotten the surgery.

alphasigalum

oh and to top it off, his mother had the surgery as well and she had a stroke and passed away.... be careful

Onaughmae

I always find these threads interesting. I spent years saying I would never alter my body that way....I could lose weight the "real" way anytime I wanted to....and I did....several times...and gained it back plus some. I have been diabetic since the of 16. I was more than 300 pounds...blood sugar wildly out of control, diabetic neuropathy so bad that it caused my feet to kill me on some days, blood pressure too high, cholesterol too high, and surely on a path to an early death.

I started doing some research. I discovered that in many cases, the gastric bypass greatly improved or completely reversed insulin resistance. True, there were cases of people that had many complications and even died. But, I figured I was dying anyway. I researched the surgeon that I eventually chose well. This man was saving my life as far as I was concerned and I wanted to be sure he was up for the job. He was. I had my RNY on April 4th, 2012.

Did it hurt? Oh yeah....it did. I think I was told that the first time I tried to get out of bed to go to the bathroom I muttered some sort of expletive followed by " what the *bleep* have I done to myself". But I got up...and I havent stopped since.

WLS is not a magic cure. You cannot just sit on the sofa and watch the fat magically fall off of your body. It absolutely will not fix that demon in your head that turns to food for comfort. What it will do is offer you a wonderful tool to help you re-gain control of your life. It does not easily allow me to overeat. Not that I cant, I can. If I eat it slowly enough and graze at my food I can pack away way more food than I should. I still have to have the discipline needed by everyone else to be successful. I have to watch what I eat...but I also have to be very mindful of the nutritional value of everything I eat...for the rest of my life. I take vitamin supplements every day....for the rest of my life. I even have to consider where I am whenever I choose to eat something in particular. I am careful to not eat anything that has the potential to make me sick when I am out or in public places. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Within 2 days of my surgery my blood sugar levels started dropping. The insulin resistance that I had developed is gone. I now only have to deal with my bad pancreas. I will never be off of insulin because my pancreas does not work correctly, but I went from using 200 units of insulin a day and being poorly controlled to using only 30-35 units a day and being in excellent control. My high blood pressure is gone, and my cholesterol is perfectly normal.

For me, surgery was a life saving option. I have lost 80 pounds so far and I am more active than ever. I go to the gym regularly and work to make the best choices I can regarding my food intake. Is surgery for everyone? Probably not. But if you know that this is the option for you, do your research....check out your surgeon before you let them scramble your chitlins around. It is a drastic forever life changing decision, but I would absolutely do it again.

Best of luck to you.

HealthyWarrior

If you are able to commit to a strict diet for 10 months in order to get surgery why not change your mind set and do it for life and avoid all of the complications of surgery? I am just curious because these surgeries seem to be marketed as the be all end all to lose weight, yet many people gain the weight back because they don't learn the skills to properly feed their bodies.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. I worked in a pharmacy for 10 years and I saw patients that had the surgery done and they just didn't look right. A couple of them even had grey complexions and were losing their hair.

AllTehBeers

I haven't read all the replies but I'm sure you've had a mix of positive ones and not so positive ones. I personally am not for surgery because surgery doesn't change bad habits and also you are so young that just making the right changes can change the rest of your life. In the end, its up to you and I wish you well on your journey.

Check out this website:
Http://www.ganey.com

Brian started out at almost 600 pounds and his wake up call was almost dying in front of his work building. Now, 2 years later he's lost over 300 pounds naturally and is convinced that anyone can lose the weight without surgery.

Sabine_Stroehm

I am curious to know why people chose surgery and all the complications that come with it instead of just eating the calories your body needs/requires and exercising? Granted I know there are people that have physical ailments and cannot exercise. But, is it just a matter of not having self control when it comes to eating?

"just"

nsblue

Weight Loss Surgery no matter what type is only a tool... it does not lose the weight.... the person and what they eat and how much they change their eating habits and exercise habits is what loses that weight. It is a good tool for restriction. Still there is alot of good hard work to get those pounds off.
Having been super morbidly obese, 600 pounds, on 170 units of insulin a day, on blood pressure pills, and with my gut fully outside my abdominal wall... I was referred to a surgeon to fix my hernia when I had gotten down to 430lbs..he asked about my committement and then said he would put me into NS weight Loss Program, lose 30 lbs and have the VSG (they take 80% of your stomach) Nine months after seeing him... i had lost almost 200 pounds...a total of 375lbs lost before having the VSG. Yes I still had the surgery for I felt it would be a great tool to continue me on n keep me there.The surgery was a very safe one. I knew the surgery wouldnt prevent me from eating and gaining...for it is very easy to pack on the weight even with 20% of your stomach. Working on behaviours, lifestyle changes and an exercise regime is what gets that weight off..with the help of the restriction you can have with wls.

NO ONE unless they too have been morbidly/ super morbidly obese would ever begin to understand why a person would consider having wls. Granted there are many who put alot of missguided faith in it alone..I imagine this is where many have failed.....but in reality, it IS ONLY A TOOL and like a carpenter with their tools... if they know how to really use that tool...they can build a wonderful house and maintain it... it is in the learning and know how that gives success.

All the best to you in your journey.

tiff187

No one can make this decision except for you, and whatever you choose, be proud of it. People will always want to give their opinions and tell you what you should or shouldn't do or think you're weak for choosing surgery. Some people will tell you it's the "easy" way out. Well, I'm a week out from having my sleeve done and I can tell you it is anything but easy. In fact, I regret my decision every day, every minute of every day. That said, I regret it now because I'm in so much pain. In a couple of months I might feel differently, but I joined a WLS site and learned that this stage is totally normal and you have to be prepared when the doubt and depression sets in. Prior to surgery I would say to myself, "What is there to be sad about??" Now I know. You won't be sad about life, but you'll be sad because in the first few days of all the pain you think that you're a failure and you did this to yourself and if you'd just tried harder you wouldn't be in this position. (That's where I am right now.) I joined MFP in May and lost 20 lbs on my own, just eating right and working out, but it was a DAILY struggle, as it's supposed to be. I thought of getting a sleeve as a preventative measure and wanted to be sure I wouldn't get as big as I was ever again. Now I truly understand this is a lifetime choice. Logically I knew that, but living it is completely different. Don't let anyone, especially me, change your mind or tell you you're not trying hard enough or if you'd "just" do this or "just" do that you wouldn't need surgery. If it were "just" that easy you wouldn't be on here--none of us would. I agree with others who suggested joining a WLS board and learning everything you can prior to surgery and prepare yourself for some of the unexpected happenings pre- and post- surgery. It will make you feel better about whatever choice you make and introduce you to a group of people who understand what you're going through and can be a wonderful support system.

sandieashing

I have had a hypnotic gastric band fitted, this acts the same way as the surgical type, but with out all the trauma that having an actual operation puts you through. It convinces your brain, and then your body that it really is there, once you have eaten a cup size portion of food your brain send a signal to your stomach which then gives a pinch and sends a full signal back. I am not saying this would be for everyone, but its a lot cheaper way of helping your body to kick start your weight loss. During the 6 hrs "procedure" my unhealthy eating "issues" were also dealt with. I was taught about mindful eating and when out shopping my hands are actually picking up all the stuff that's great for my body, and by-passing the cake isle !
I have had it for 4 wks now and have lost 6kg, I feel wonderful, I have been on a high since day one. I don't know if this would be helpful for anyone else thinking about the full surgery.

sandieashing

some people brains just dont send them the full signal, its easy for people to assume every ones chemical make up is the same, but it really isnt. It has been medically proven that in over 70% of people who opt for this treatment, this signal is missing, however once they have a band place the brain learns quickly and once again starts to create the link and send the full signal.

mistydk

The the OP-I think the BPD/DS is an excellent surgery. It has the best excess weight loss stats of any surgery out there. It also requires the most vitamins and doctor's visits. I hope you have a great aftercare program in place because you will need to get your vitamin levels checked at least a couple of times a year. You will also have to take quite a few vitamins daily, but I am sure you already know this. It's got a huge payoff--excelent weight loss stats. It's also got a huge cost associated which is taking a large vitamin supplementation daily. I hope you have done all the research and have spoken with other patients who have had this surgery regarding vitamins, post op life, dietary habits and etc. The best places are duodenalswitch.com and obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/
I know this thread is a bit old. I just ran across it on google. I was a member of MFP for years. I did lose weight exercising and eating right but not enough to get rid of my diabetes. I was also still technically obese on the BMI chart. People who have weight loss surgery have likely tried lots of diets and exercise routines. I know I had. I was at one point working out 3 hours a day doing turbo jam, taebo, and spinning. I STILL couldn't get out of the obese BMI range. If I hadn't tried pretty much everything...I probably wouldn't have opted for surgery. I am sure most of us who have wls have tried a lot of things.

I chose the vertical sleeve surgery because I knew I needed a tool. I NEEDED SOMETHING TO HELP ME HELP MYSELF. I didn't expect the surgery to cure me. I knew I'd have to cure myself. That is how I view it. I also changed my lifestyle before surgery to ensure I would be successful. With this surgery, you are told to eat protein first and then complex carbs like vegetables. I have already lost almost all of my excess weight in under 9 months. I'm almost at goal and I am positive I will be there in the next couple of months. It's been a true lifesaver for me personally. My diabetes is in remission and I am finally pleased with who I see in the mirror.

The main reason I chose surgery was to help KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF. There are staggering statistics that people who start out morbidly obese often gain the weight back. With weight loss surgery, the odds are much much better. I would rather have the odds in my favor.

I wish you all of the very best and if you need a helpful and cheering hand or friends, I'll be there for you. That invitation goes out to anyone else out there who has had WLS or in the process of it. I know how hard it is to decide on this.

And to all of those vehemently opposed to it out there--we know society doesn't like weight loss surgery for the most part. We know that people think it's laziness or ineptitude or that somehow only people lacking character have to resort to weight loss surgery. I truly hope that attitude changes someday because the ugliness in the words of some people is astounding. You have to ask yourself--am I really any better than that obese person who had weight loss surgery when I'm writing mean and nasty comments on the internet which reflect my disdain and arrogance so very clearly which are clearly shortcomings in my own personal character? Do I have the right to judge when I myself have flaws and shortcomings in my own life or character? Think about that.

squeekersmom

Bandwagonteam,,,my best friend had WLS and afterwards she told me the biggest change was she actually felt *full* for the first time....she had never felt that before!