Weigh lose surgery = Do's, Don'ts, Opinions! Need help!
calliem82
Posts: 9
Ok so my insurance through my employer is really good when it comes to medical procedures :drinker: . So here is my question :huh: . If you had the chance to get weight lose surgery done with maybe 25% or less of the FULL bill; I mean hospital stay, doc bill, everything being paid by my insurance or written off by my employer, would you do it or not? :huh:
Please I am looking for your opinions. I have been weighing my options, the pros and cons, the benefits and down falls. I know there are some BIG risks involved and I know there are some side affects but I am looking for thoughts and opinions of those who don't know me as well as my friends and family do so I can get a more un-bias opinion.
Please I am looking for your opinions. I have been weighing my options, the pros and cons, the benefits and down falls. I know there are some BIG risks involved and I know there are some side affects but I am looking for thoughts and opinions of those who don't know me as well as my friends and family do so I can get a more un-bias opinion.
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Replies
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The personal risks are still huge, and the success rate isn't much better than doing it the old fashioned way from what I've seen. You're still going to have to completely change the way you interact with food, and there are still ways to cheat and gain everything back. Surgery is so extreme I wouldn't even consider it unless the situation was immediately life or death.0
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I looked into lapband and decided it was not for me. Without knowing you, I would say resort to surgery only as a last resort if you have exhausted all other options. But ultimately, only you and your doctor can make the decision as to what is right for you.0
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I've considered weight loss surgery myself, actually met with the surgeon and had an appointment. I'm leaving it as a VERY LAST resort. I always tell myself my problem is not my digestive system nor the size of my stomach so why mess up a part of my body that's working just fine. It's smarter to just fix what is really broken which is my bad eating habits and poor lifestyle choices. It might be difficult and take longer but in the end I won't have to worry about malnutrition and my hair falling out etc. If you've done your research you'll know that there are many who have lost weight with surgery as well as many failures, and quite a few have ended up with serious health problems or even died. The decision to undergo WLS should not be taken lightly.0
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No I would not have the surgery. Even if it was 100% paid for, I would not do it. Counting calories, eating healthier and exercising is working for me. I would not want to go under the knife for something I can accomplish myself. I have had my fair share of struggles losing weight over the years, I have failed too many times to count ....but weight loss surgery was never an option for me. When I found MFP, and started doing it things finally clicked for me. Over the past year, my whole relationship with food has changed for the better. I have learned a new way of living. I figured that people who have WLS have to learn a whole new way of living post-surgery anyway so why not just learn the new way of living and skip risky surgery?
I am not saying WLS is wrong. It's just not for me.0 -
I've considered weight loss surgery myself, actually met with the surgeon and had an appointment. I'm leaving it as a VERY LAST resort. I always tell myself my problem is not my digestive system nor the size of my stomach so why mess up a part of my body that's working just fine. It's smarter to just fix what is really broken which is my bad eating habits and poor lifestyle choices. It might be difficult and take longer but in the end I won't have to worry about malnutrition and my hair falling out etc. If you've done your research you'll know that there are many who have lost weight with surgery as well as many failures, and quite a few have ended up with serious health problems or even died. The decision to undergo WLS should not be taken lightly.
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This, a weight problem has to do with your brain and your relationship with food, it isn't a defect in your digestive system.0 -
Personally, I wouldn't go for it. I know there are different types of weight loss surgery with different risks and effects, but I don't think I would have any of them. I'd be too worried about the risks of the surgery, and about the long-term risks, particularly with the more extreme surgery. And even with the less extreme surgery, I believe you still have to adjust and control your eating to avoid regaining. For those reasons, I see it as a last resort rather than first-line, and I'm hoping I never get to a stage where I have to use that last resort!
Having said that, I know there are people who have had it and found it very effective, and have no regrets.0 -
I have seen people who have had the surgery and some have made it work for them and others have not and went back to the way they were before surgery. I am taking what they call Health Living classes, basically they are doc supervised life changing appointments. I am learning about food from the dietitians, and being supervised by a doc to make sure I am healthy about all this and nothing bad happens, and I am even seeing a shrink to see what mental links I have to food. I still have 3-4 months of this process before I can even talk to the surgeon about surgery and if I pass all these steps then I will set a surgery date if that is where this leads to.
All the medical staff involved get together and they talk about the patient to see if they all agree that surgery is right for them. If there is doubt then there is the chance the doc will not do the surgery because of this huddle.0 -
I wouldn't do it either, i'd only do it if it's my last chance to save me from myself. Do you really think you're not capable of achieving your goals? You can change your lifestyle for life by taking tiny steps every day, you just need tohave supportive people around you and have good guidance (a good nutritionist, probably good psychological therapy, and a good fitness plan which doesn't necessarily have yo involve a gym membership).
If don't know how much you have to lose but you can do it if you truly want.
A good discount isn't a good reason to put your life at a greater risk!
Take care
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If my health were dangerously at risk and I were out of options, meaning I had tried and failed a significant number of times to maintain a weight that wasn't dangerously obese. But first I would throw myself into the therapy and lifestyle classes.0
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Me? No.0
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I looked in to it. My insurance would pay 80% after I paid my deductible. They required a 6 month doctor supervised diet/weight loss program. I planned on talking to my doctor, but I started changing my eating habits and exercising on my own. I don't want to have surgery. The only one I would have even thought about doing was vertical sleeve, and I would rather do it by myself and not be restricted forever.
Deciding whether or not to have surgery is a personal decision. It still takes a lot of work, and I've seen a lot of people that failed after having surgery. I've seen people that said it was the best decision they ever made, and some that regret it. But every person that I've seen that was long term successful started eating healthier foods and started exercising regularly.0 -
The personal risks are still huge, and the success rate isn't much better than doing it the old fashioned way from what I've seen. You're still going to have to completely change the way you interact with food, and there are still ways to cheat and gain everything back. Surgery is so extreme I wouldn't even consider it unless the situation was immediately life or death.
This is exactly what I was going to type, and my employer covers all but my (itty bitty) co-pay.
I refuse to have any kind of surgery unless it's absolutely necessary. In my case, I wasn't going to die in six months, so I started exercising and eating better. Plus, there's a sense of pride that comes with doing it the old-fashioned way.0 -
The choice is yours, if your a dealing with health issues that having surgery would make it better, I say go for it. Don't let anyone make you feel less of a person because you needed a little help. I have 3 co-workers that have had gastric done and they are doing great. one 10 yrs, one 3 yrs. and the other 7 months. Make your decision based on Your life and thoughts and no one else. People would always tell you what they would do. But what would YOU do? Good luck with what ever decision you make.0
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I am taking what they call Health Living classes, basically they are doc supervised life changing appointments. I am learning about food from the dietitians, and being supervised by a doc to make sure I am healthy about all this and nothing bad happens, and I am even seeing a shrink to see what mental links I have to food. I still have 3-4 months of this process before I can even talk to the surgeon about surgery and if I pass all these steps then I will set a surgery date if that is where this leads to.
You can do that without rearranging your digestive system, though. I see a doctor, a nutritionist, and a psychiatrist who specializes in binge disorders. You don't have to have surgery; you can just keep on doing what you're doing now. Why have surgery if it isn't medically necessary, especially if using MFP and seeing all of those doctors and taking classes is working for you? And if it isn't working for you, surgery won't either because you have to learn to eat and exercise properly to avoid gaining the weight back.
This is totally your decision, but you did ask for opinions. 0 -
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.0 -
Elective surgery is a big don't for me. I lost 100+pounds without surgery or gimmicks. I know a lot of people say this but if I can do it, anyone can!0
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Personally, I feel like weight loss surgery should only be considered when you're finding it difficult/impossible to lose weight any other way. If you're able to eat at a healthy deficit and exercise, and that works for you, I think it's much better, and far less risky, to do that. So many things can go wrong in a procedure like that, and for so many people it's really not necessary.0
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I used to work with a married couple who both weighed over 300 pounds. I knew them after they both had weight loss surgery. They had their stomachs tightened. Something like that. They were still 300 pounds plus and ate horrible. The guy would have Doritos all day long dipped in cottage cheese. (gross). For lunch they would eat so much. The worse part is they would both stink up the whole building. (which was like the size of a grocery store.) The bathroom was like 100 feet from the office. That is gross and not normal.
I am saying, if these are the results, I would NOT do it. I personally like "natural/organic" lifestyle, so I would not want to alter my body, unless it was life threatening. You can do it without surgery.0 -
I look at like a quick fix. That is what fast food is too, a quick fix. So just try it the right way.0
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If you had asked me this question anytime prior to about a year ago I would've said yes! I would absolutely do it! BUT through major lifestyle change, watching what I eat & getting regular exercise I have lost 98 lbs all on my own. I've never seen a dietician, nutritionist, personal trainer, none of that. Willpower & a desperate drive to change & be healthy have given me all the motivation I need. It's not easy & I'm far from perfect, but everyday I prove to myself that I CAN do this. With all the drs you're seeing & classes you're taking, I think you're definitely headed in the right direction all on your own. Outside the risks of surgery, you still have to make the same lifestyle changes that you'd have to with surgery. On a personal note, I have 2 aunts & an uncle that all had bypass surgery quite a few years ago. 2 out of 3 have eaten their way through it & have fained back a lot of the weight. The 3rd has also put some weight back on. The surgery aged one of my aunts tremendously & her hair thinned a lot & became dry & brittle. Dumping is also not soothing that sounds appealing to me. Continue with what you're doing & with that & the support of your MFP friends I think you'll find out you can do this on your own! I started at 314 & am currently as 216. If I was completely0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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 0
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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-not0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
I would not do it. Feel free to friend me if you want more details. But no, I would not.0
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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:0
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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.0
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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.0
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