Just had my consultation for bariatric surgery...

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  • manic4titans
    manic4titans Posts: 1,214 Member
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    My husband had the surgery 2 years 9 months ago. He has kept the weight off.

    Good luck and remember this is life time.
  • lamcnenly
    lamcnenly Posts: 12 Member
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    Hi Annette,

    I had lapband surgery in Jan '12 and am so glad I did. I am still in the process of getting it properly adjusted, but have lost 69 pounds and felt better than I have in years. Do not let anyone fool you into thinking this process is a breeze. Losing the weight is still a lot of work, and I am still having to work through my emotional/stress attachment to food. What the surgery has done is to allow me to curb the physical hunger so that I can do the other work and develop new habits. Don't let the naysayers make your decision for you, but also take some time to make sure that you are ready to do the work. It took about a year between my initial consult and the surgery, and I used that time to get myself properly prepared. Good luck!
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I didn't read all of the replies so I don't know if this was brought up but ... do you ever plan to have children. Cause it is not safe to have children after the surgery. The baby won't get the nutrition it needs.
    Think this through a lot.
    Plus it is not a guarantee, you can gain the weight back. Your stomach can stretch back out.

    This statement is ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
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    Surgery is not the easy fix it is often advertised to be, but there are circumstances (like yours) where it is a good and viable option.

    My mom had a sleeve done last summer, and her life has changed dramatically for the better because of it. Her fibromyalgia, borderline diabetes, and high cholesterol all resolved. She can move much easier now, so she walks several days a week and does Zumba. She has left her old couch potato mentality behind, and has found that being able to exercise has improved her mood drastically, and even reduced her panic attacks.

    Just make sure you always keep in mind that this will be something you need to work at daily for the rest of your life (even though it will get easier), and you will have a great chance at success.
  • Rockmyskinnyjeans
    Rockmyskinnyjeans Posts: 431 Member
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    I didn't read all of the replies so I don't know if this was brought up but ... do you ever plan to have children. Cause it is not safe to have children after the surgery. The baby won't get the nutrition it needs.
    Think this through a lot.
    Plus it is not a guarantee, you can gain the weight back. Your stomach can stretch back out.

    I call BS on this one. I've had 2 children since my RNY gastric bypass. Both are healthy and have more than adequate nutrition levels. I know a lot of other moms of post-op babies who would agree with me. I just wanted to step up when I read that. If it was not for losing the weight I was unable to lose without the RNY (multiple medical complications), I never would have had children.
  • brenda2bru
    brenda2bru Posts: 4
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    I'm going to tell you a story that could potentially ruin your day...

    I was always intrigued by weight loss surgeries, they sounded like such a quick fix.

    Until...
    My aunt had surgery about ten or twelve years back.
    Lost tons of weight and looked great.

    Then...
    She died on August 20, 2010.
    Since she couldn't eat anything, she became a major alcoholic.
    This in turn, weakened her stomach so much that it ruptured her scars in the middle of the night.

    Even worse...
    Her 8 and 10 year old daughters found her that morning on their first days of school that year.

    That was my wake up call. If I'm going to lose weight, I'll do it the right way.

    I just turned 23 last week so we're essentially the same age. I have not graduated college, or been proposed to, or married. I have also not become a mother or a grandmother. All of which I want to do!
    I have been big since birth. I have dieted forever. I'll lose weight and then gain it all back and then some. I'm really getting in gear now and in ten months, I know I won't need surgery, I seriously doubt you will either. Just the other day I read a success story of a woman who was in a wheel chair, then a cane, then hiking in the bad lands. If she can do that, anyone can.

    I promise I'm never this negative and I do like to support people as much as possible but there are better ways to lose weight! We're in this together, you can do it.
  • sarahwls100609
    sarahwls100609 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have had gastric bypass and lost over 120 lbs. Lots of complications since including adhessions which rquired another surgery and restricted to eating baby like foods due to severe gerd. It is definately life changing and a very strict diet. I can't eat meat. Strictly a vegetarian. However I would indeed do it all over again. Before GB I was a severe diabetic facing kidney dialysis on 5 insulin shots a day and 2000mg of metformin and severe bouts of depression, high cholestrerol and high blood pressure. My life has indeed changed for the better despite being restricted to my diet. Good luck and I wish you the best of success. :flowerforyou:
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    I think that it's pretty telling that someone who says they want bariatric surgery to solve all their problems doesn't even have a diary open to the public. Surgery is not the answer, even though you have convinced yourself that it is. Send me a friend request and also send friend requests to all the people on here that you can find who have lost lots of weight without this surgery and you can learn to eat right and save your own life. It happens every day, and it can happen to you, and I'll help you if you want the help, but you'll need to keep an open diary and keep logging. For now, exercise is a bad idea but I do have some ideas that could work and are gentle.
  • Rizabees
    Rizabees Posts: 80
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    I'm wondering why everyone keeps saying this is a "quick and easy fix". There's nothing easy about this. : /
    I never got up to the weight where I considered surgery, but the success stories I've heard are mostly from people who kept with the diet and/or exercise program. And the unsuccessful stories I've heard are mostly from people who did believe it was a quick and easy fix where they could just continue their old lifestyle.

    Good luck to you on your journey and I hope you're able to find the support system you need in order to succeed. :>
  • brenda2bru
    brenda2bru Posts: 4
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    I am so sorry to hear about your aunt. However, speaking from experience all she did was trade one bad habit of overeating to another bad habit of drinking. I had the surgery almost 10 years ago. Since then I have gained about 40 pounds back and when I look in the mirror and remember what all I went through, I decided to never allow myself to get that big again. I found this site a couple weeks ago and have lost 2 lbs. After the surgery, losing weight is a lot harder than before. If I had to do it all over again would I? Absolutely. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done but also one of the most rewarding. By the end of this year, I promised myself, I've fit comfortably back into my size 10 jeans and run another 5k.
    Best of luck to you.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    I'm Annette and I'm 22 years old.... Looking for friends who are going through the process to have surgery or who have already had the surgery (any bariatric surgery, really) that can be some support.

    OK, people who have posted advise and alternatives, I know you mean well with stories and advice. We all have our own ideas. The OP didn't ask for any of this, though! She asked for friends who can support her through this process. It is her decision and her responsibility to be fully informed. Annette, I am not in your shoes, but I'd be glad to be your friend! I do have a brother in law and a sister in law who have both had bariatric surgery.
  • sbilyeu75
    sbilyeu75 Posts: 567 Member
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    I know several people who have had gastric surgery. More often than not there are serious complications. About half of them have regain most of their weight. You will lose the weight fast, but that will leave you with loose skin which will most likely develop into you having more surgeries. It's not a quick fix.

    Please make sure you get plenty of counseling before and after the surgery (if you decide to go through with it). Get with a nutritionist and a personal trainer for before and after the surgery. You will need it.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
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    I can't say I approve, being almost 22 myself, no matter how heavy I am, I'll never get surgery to fix what nature can. What did big people do before surgery? Well they either ate right and exercised or they stayed big and died, but there was no magical fix.

    If you truly feel it's best for you, then do it, but if there's any hope in the back of your mind that you can do it the natural way, give it a try, even if just for 6 months, give yourself a small goal and get to it.
  • lhulmes
    lhulmes Posts: 1
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    I dont get this either? im extremely overweight for my height but using my fitness pal has put my mind into a new frame, ive watched my calories, still allowed myself the odd treat and lost 17lb so far and ive only been going 6 weeks. This is the first "diet" that has worked for me. Im a long way off my goal but i need to adjust my way of life to smaller portions and calorie counting.
    If you can reduce your calorie intake and exercise surly you wont need surgery? Would it not give you a greater achievement knowing you have lost all your weight all by yourself?
    Good luck for the surgery however maybe you should see how much you can do on your own in th 10months your waiting.
    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.
  • GabsMommy28
    GabsMommy28 Posts: 47 Member
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    .
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Actually, my statement is true. I went through the consultation and orientation. I took the time to specifically ask those questions and had them explained to me because I wanted to have children. As to the stomach stretching back out. Yes that can happen. Obviously not immediately but over time if you gradually eat more and more. So you don't agree with me but since I went through the process of talking to the bariatric surgery team at my hospital (when I use to live in Canada) I know what I am saying is the truth.

    You have need patently misinformed about pregnancy.
  • GeorgieLove708
    GeorgieLove708 Posts: 442 Member
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    If you really feel you need it, best of luck to you and I hope it helps you to accomplish your goals. I know people who've had it with great success, and other's who've had it and resulted in death or very serious medical issues. It's risky, but not unlike any other surgery. I do recommend you try your best to lose weight in the months between now and your surgery... losing some of the weight before will be a big help in your recovery and lowering the risks of the surgery.
  • GeorgieLove708
    GeorgieLove708 Posts: 442 Member
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    I didn't read all of the replies so I don't know if this was brought up but ... do you ever plan to have children. Cause it is not safe to have children after the surgery. The baby won't get the nutrition it needs.
    Think this through a lot.
    Plus it is not a guarantee, you can gain the weight back. Your stomach can stretch back out.

    This statement is ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
    Seconded.
    http://www.yourbariatricsurgeryguide.com/pregnancy/
  • GabsMommy28
    GabsMommy28 Posts: 47 Member
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    Since I don't need the stress of dealing with people that insist on arguing.
  • GeorgieLove708
    GeorgieLove708 Posts: 442 Member
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    OMG really? I think I know more about it than you, considering I actually have been pregnant. Considering while pregnant you need to be able to eat a certain amount to keep both you and the child healthy it is incrediably difficult. Plus it's the nutrients that is the issue. Maybe you are going for a different type than the one I was going for but the food would not stay long enough to get ALL of the nutrients from it. I talk to the doctors, and specialists about it specifically and they told me, each one of them, flat out that it would be very dangerous to get pregnant to the child as it could cause developement problems.

    I am not bashing the surgery, as I went in to have it too. It is her choice, if she wants more power to her and I wish her all the success in the world. For some people it is the extra help that they need. I posted what MY doctorS had told me to give her another thing to consider or bring up to her doctors if she was considering it.

    Just because you do not agree with the conversation that YOU were NOT there for is no reason to be attacking me.

    Plainly put, until you have a uterus, back off.

    Just because he's a man doesn't mean he knows nothing about pregnancies. Most OB's are men afterall. And the people who told you that were severely misinformed because that is not how pregnancy works. Even if it were true that you couldn't eat the proper nutrition needed for the pregnancy, anyone who has studied pregnancy knows that the placenta draws the necessary nutrients from the mother's body to support the baby. That is why severely undernourished women can have perfectly healthy, even fat, babies. ETA: Why they can as in why they do, not as in why it is occasionally possible. This is how pregnancy works. Plain and simple. As someone studying midwifery, I can assure you that your medical team was very misinformed.

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