Weigh lose surgery = Do's, Don'ts, Opinions! Need help!

lrob100

PLEASE DON'T HAVE SURGERY. I have SOO many stories from neighbors, family, friends who have had this done...with life altering, far reaching negative consequences. For many of them it has affected their health years later. My former neighbor a mom of two about 30, has had four hospital stays for intestinal problems from the surgery---and the last one was 34 days! She had no one to care for her children as the dad worked. When I saw her when she finally came home she looked so so sick. She is not the only one. So many others have had the surgery, lost the weight, and gained it back. Another person I know has CHRONIC DIARRHEA from the surgery--not pretty to talk about, but true. She can't even go to work because it is so bad, and is mortified she had to go on disability. She is miserable. PLEASE do it the natural way. Spend those hours you spend in life classes with doctors walking. Just walk. Log everything you put in your mouth into MFP 7 days per week. Every thing. Even the things you cheat on. The weight will come off. Eat 1500 calories per day. YOU WILL LOSE. I promise you. That's all you need to do. It's that simple. A pair of tennis shoes and that's all you need. Trust me, I know firsthand. I'm not finished, but I'm much better than I was. MFP has helped me develop health habits.

Dreamerlove

Weight loss surgy is a personal decision.

My family tried pushing me to have the Lapband. I turned it down because before the procedure, you have to cut back your eating. If I could cut back my eating and lose weight from it, why would I spend money on a surgury? Then afterwards, if you're not adjusted to the eating small part, your stomach will push it back up. I personally don't like that feeling. So, I decided to take the nice long, slow way and I only hope it'll work.

I think you made the right choice.

prettymomma16

I say do what you feel is right for YOU. However on the medical side of things, I would just like to point out a few things. It is surgery, surgery requires anesthesia which in itself has many risks. There is also risk of infection any time you are going for surgery and invading your body with foreign material . I contracted a very serious hospital acquired infection(MRSA) while having surgery for a 100% necessary back surgery (broken back). I am still a carrier of this MRSA and it has landed me in the hospital more than once, with last xmas being the most serious because I almost died. MRSA does not respond to regular antibiotics and is limited to what it does respond to, and it is everywhere in hospitals! All of this stems from a surgery I HAD to have. So no, I would never EVER have a surgery unless it was NEEDED for life or death reasons. That's just my opinion though. I am also waiting for a heart surgery because I have an ASD (hole in heart) that they just found at xmas when I was sick. I am so beyond nervous to have surgery again even though this is life and dead and I know I need it. I just don't think it is wise to have surgery unless absolutely needed. It's scary, and there are so many risks that people never fully understand. Even the smallest of procedures come with risks and can go wrong. Anyways not trying to scare you, just give my honest opinion. you CAN do this yourself if you put your mind and heart into it! Best of luck with whatever you choose

AlabasterVerve

No I wouldn't but then I've been following a low carb, high fat whole foods diet which has corrected whatever was wrong with my appetite. The constant need to eat whether I was physically hungry or not went away after about a month. Right now, I'm not counting calories or carbs and I'm still losing weight so if you're considering surgery and haven't given this type of diet an honest effort before I wish you would consider it before surgery. Here's the diet I'm following (completely free, nothing to buy etc.):

LCHF
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

And there's also a recent blog post from the same site about weight loss surgery that you might be interested in:

Does Weight Loss Surgery Make You Healthier? Maybe Not

Weight loss surgery, cutting away healthy stomach organs, is promoted as the only effective treatment for obesity. But the cracks are starting to show now – not surprisingly. Yesterday a 20-year follow-up of the largest study on weight loss surgery was published and it could be the largest setback yet.

It turns out that obese people undergoing weight loss surgery get an INCREASED need for medical treatment, even years after the surgery. Despite their weight loss! For example they need more inpatient care in hospitals. During the first six years after surgery the increase is very large (see figure above).

The cause is either complications from the surgery (like bleeding, infections, leakage of stomach contents into the abdominal cavity) or long-term dangers like bowel obstruction, anemia, gallstones or malnutrition.

Bloomberg News: Weight-Loss Surgery’s Health Benefits Found to Have Costs

Obese people who did not receive surgery ultimately needed less medical care. So how healthy is it to lose weight by surgery?

There was also an increased need for psychiatric medications (e.g. for depression and anxiety) for weight loss surgery patients.

We need a safer and wiser treatment for obesity. Amputating healthy organs is just an emergency solution. We need to stop giving simplistic calorie-fixated advice (the least effective advice in study after study) before exposing patients to risky surgery. These operations should be the last resort. Thus patients should first be offered advice on low carb (the most effective advice in study after study) and adequate support.

Weight loss surgery may be extremely lucrative for hospitals (the complications are an added bonus!) but if you are a patient: Be warned. And make sure you have good insurance.

Here's the link to the actual blog post if you want to get the links for the underlined bits:
http://www.dietdoctor.com/does-weight-loss-surgery-make-you-healthier-maybe-not

jennifer907

I wouldn't... Unless I were so overweight that it was practically a life or death situation. I believe you can lose weight naturally. I know it's hard, but there are so many people on here that have lost literally hundreds of pounds through time and dedication. It can definitely be done. Plus even with 25% covered, I think there would still be a rather hefty bill. I am more into natural treatments when it comes to medicine, so needless to say I'm not a fan of surgery in general unless it's the only option.

gabriellejayde

Last year I looked into getting surgery (lap band) but my insurance didn't cover it. I was VERY dissapointed and felt that it was my only way to lose. I felt that way because I knew I really didn't eat that much, and I was still quit overwheight.

If you asked me now, I'd say that not only would I not take it, but I'm so glad that I didn't have it done. I didn't realize how many calories I was eating. Now that I'm watching, I'm losing weight.

If you can lose weight on your own, even 20lbs feels like a huge accomplishment, nomatter what size you start at but not everyone can do it... it's ultimately your decision.

I do have a friend who felt that she really couldn't do it on her own and had gastric bypass. SHe's lost over 100lbs and really looks amazing. I'm sure she's much healthier now, but she was throwing up for the first few months a lot.

imwithgizmo

I would not do it. Feel free to friend me if you want more details. But no, I would not.

gertudejekyl

I wouldn't do it if THEY paid ME $100,000 ! DON"T DO IT !!!!! Read success stories on the internet--lot of very large have lost it all w/o that. !!!! Read Jim Obley's story Read Dr. NIck's story... or just go to Google and type in lost 160 pounds ..then see what kind of stories pop up. DON"T treat yourself like Frankenstein. :indifferent:

suckerlove

I can give you my opinion based on my experience. I had gastric banding April 18, 2012. To date I have lost over 60 lbs. I wouldn't recommend it for everybody. I can eat pretty much what I want but now that I am at max fill for my band there is vomiting if I eat too fast or over eat. I have difficulties keeping my night time meds down if they aren't fully dissolved by time I lay down to sleep. However, I had no vomiting for the first 5 months and if I get to the point where I can't take it, I simply go in and have her take out some of the liquid from my band. Now if I were younger, I would not have selected this option. I chose it because I am 38 and have been trying to have a baby for 6 years and my doctor feels part of my problem is the extra 185 lbs I was carrying around. I gave it a lot of thought, and as I am running out of reproductive years, I chose this more drastic option so I can start trying again as soon as possible. For me, it was the right choice, It has been nearly 7 months and I have not had one day of regrets, even on days where I don't feel that great. If you have any specific questions for me, feel free to message me or add me. Good luck.

onyxgirl17

My aunt got it done and she did lose the weight. She has also developed intestinal problems as an indirect result and has trouble absorbing food. She also now has collitis. I would personally never suggest it for anyone unless there was absolutely NO other way.

cindl24

I have to say, I agree with the others that say not to do it unless you have NO other options. I work at a nursing home and have seen some of the long-term "results" of the various weight loss surgeries. Most of them, like most dieters, managed to gain back all of their weight. Others just gained back some (a significant portion) of the weight. Some have some major digestive issues as a result. We all want the weight to come off quickly and to see the results. We are a very instant society. Shoot, I can get impatient waiting for the microwave to heat something! But it is important to realize that it took us a very long time to put all this weight on, so it'll take a while for it to come back off. Have faith in yourself and give this program a good chance to work. Like people who quit smoking, you have to have it in yourself to really want change. You are worth the effort. :happy:

lee91356

My insurance has a similar process and my friend took the class and said that she learned so much that she decided after the class, in which that time she dropped over 20 pounds, not to have the surgery and she's still doing great. She said it was really useful because it involved hand-on working with a dietitian and a behavioralist and a support group, things she said she never did nor would have done for herself and learned so much about real nutrition and health, not just about dieting.

Don't listen to all the stuff they fill your heard with, my friend said that they only say positive things and don't warn you about any negative things in the long-term or talk about how people regain their weight even after having surgery, or possible complications, in the class because of course the insurance wants you to have the surgery, they think its cheaper for them, do your own research and make your own decision.

So even if you dont want the surgery, or your unsure, take the class and get the free help. :happy:

judyde

My husband had Gastric Bypass Surgery in April 2012, and in 5 months has lost 116 pounds (from 285 to 169.) He's done well on it, but I agree with others that there are some cons.

First, are you an emotional eater? If so, I'd advise against it. My husband just liked to eat and was never full. Now he's full from small portions, so he's fine. But if you like to eat because you're upset or bored, it's not a good choice for you. He has had a few episodes of throwing up ("dumping syndrome") from it, but it's gotten better as he's learned what he can and can't eat.

He also has loose skin/fat from the surgery. His stomach is soft and squishy because he has not incorporated exercise yet. So you could end up thin and flabby and not feel any better. But you will almost certainly be at a healthier weight.

My husband is no longer on his CPAP machine to sleep. His blood pressure is down, his heart rate and cholesteral are all good.

We have a really good program in our area at Bryn Mawr (PA) Hospital with psychiatric evaluations, nutrition counseling, etc.

It's not the right decision for everyone. Just be honest with yourself and your eating motivations to find out if it's right for you.