Bariatric Surgery

This is something I have also given a lot of thought to. I've been referred by my GP a couple of times (because I move about a lot I have to reapply for NHS funding everytime), and I have got as far as attending a hospital assessment day and speaking to a consultant about this. However I have made a decision for now to keep trying with the weight loss naturally. I've got a long way to go with weight loss, and I don't know if I'm ever going to resemble a healthy weight (I've been obese since childhood despite being very active as a child), but it feels to me that whilst I'm still relatively young and not suffering any related medical issues due to my obesity then personally, and ethically, I have to keep trying to fix the damage I caused myself.

I think bariatric surgery is often seen as a fairly simple option and a good fix, however I know three people that have had the bypass done now, and I only know one person who had fewer obvious complications.
Person 1 I don't know that well, she is a work colleague so I've never spoken to her about her symptoms, however I do know she lost a lot of weight, but also had to take a lot of time off ill. She's the best case scenario as far as I can tell.
Person 2 had the operation 6 months ago. She still has problems with vomiting (and diarrhoea) after every meal, which has massively impacted her social life as she can never be more than a few minutes from a bathroom. She also feels nauseous almost all of the time, physically exhausted and had to leave her job. Additionally she had problems with very severe and painful wind in the days following the surgery leading her to be assessed for cardiac issues - this is because in order to operate laprascopically they inflate your abdomen with air so the surgeon can see what he's doing - however this can often be incredibly painful for the patient in the following days as this air is then stiched up inside the body and left to pass naturally.
Person 3 had the operation closer to 10 years ago, before it was routine to have it done laprascopically. He had bad vomiting/nausea issues for the best part of a year following the operation. Since then he has also developed hernias due to the weakness of his stomach muscles from the surgery, and GI bleeds - Drs don't really know what causes these but they suspect it is linked. And to top it off neither of these two have had the weight loss they were hoping for. Person 1 looks to be down to a BMI in the 25-30 range, although she plateaued around then, persons 2 and 3 both lost a few stone and then plateaued. Person 2 now has problems with loose skin, as she was overweight for so long there is no way it is ever going to shrink back to it's normal size. Person 3 has gained it all back as the pouch they create during the bypass grows like any stomach - admittedly this is his own fault because as his body allowed him to eat more he did, thereby creating a larger stomach, but as that is likely to be a contributing factor in the process of becoming a very obese person in the first place it's a very real concern.

On top of this I, personally, was also concerned about the implications on having a family. I am yet to have children, although I do want a family at some point, but with this operation there is a possibility that my body would no longer be able to take in the required nutrients for a successful pregnancy, and this was something that really worried me.

Surgery is a very final option. Any surgical process carries risks, not only whilst on the operating table but also in the fact that you have a lot of deep, open wounds for a long time, which can take a long time to heal leaving you open to infection. On top of that until your body adjusts to the effects of the operation the immune system is weakened as it's not receiving all the nutrients it requires, again increasing the chances of infection. And it is easy for your internal stitches to tear, especially in the first few days, meaning you may have to go back into surgery. (I also remember being told about a very severe complication that sometimes arose in the first couple of days after the surgery and unless caught immediately could lead to death but I honestly can't remember any more about it - perhaps somebody else may be able to help on that one?)

Having said all that I can see the temptation of the surgery. You clearly have a will to change things, or you wouldn't be signed up to this forum. For me I wanted this operation to aid my willpower, I wanted it to make me keep going during those weeks when I feel like giving up, which I think is the only way to be successful with an operation like this. And the idea of having that help to lose the weight quickly and completely sounds like a dream come true. I have no idea what it's like to be able to run without getting out of breath, or not to worry that every little chest pain might be a sign of cardiac disease, to be happy to squeeze through tight spaces and sit on the bus or train without feeling like I take up the whole seat, or even vain things like being able to look at myself in the mirror without seeing rolls and cellulite - and it would be so good to be able to put all that behind me. So when you see something like this that promises to help you do all that I can understand the appeal. And personally I'm not completely ruling it out, I just won't give up on my own ability to do it without somebody cutting into me yet. I think the point where I start to develop obesity related medical conditions like diabetes will be the point when I change my mind. And I'm aware that at my size it is a case of when, not if.

But for now the idea of having risky invasive surgery which leaves me with lifelong dependancies on medicine and health care, as yet unknown long term implications (you have to remember this operation wasn't really around 30/40 years ago, so nobody really knows what effect it will have on your body as it ages in terms of bone density, eye sight etc), the risk of complications, the disruption to normal life and routine and the likelihood of excess skin, it just seems less appealing than trying to do it myself.

the surgery is just a tool, a crutch so to speak...

i am a true example that you do not need surgery to lose a large amount of weight...

i may not have done it quickly but i have done it the right way with the same tools that the surgery patients need to use...planning, exercise, disapline and motivation...

just a few weeks ago a friend of mine's aunt passed away while having weight loss surgery...she was 43...

i urge you to reconsider having this kind of surgery...getting your mind right is a huge part of the battle that is being overweight and then getting healthy...maybe thats why ive not done what surgery patient do and lose a huge amount of weight quickly....

look at is this way...even if you just make small, really small changes in your food and exercise and only lose 1/2 a pound per week...that is still 26lbs at the end the year...you only have time, its not a race...

I went through the educational classes, psych eval, hours of support groups required, testing from several Doctors and was approved for surgery. What I learned through all of that is that in order to be successful you have to exercise, and eat less calories, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I need to do the same thing to lose weight and I wont have to rearrange my guts to do it!!! I didn't have the surgery, I started making small changes towards a healthy lifestyle and I am taking it off!

I had gastric Bypass and lost 50% of the excess weight. My surgeon called me a success. It took 6 months to lose it and then it all stopped. I was following all the rules. I went into it because I was such a hugh sweet tooth that I could not control. Out of curiosity in my 2nd month I ate some cherry strudel hoping I would get sick and never think of it again. I didn't. When I ask the doctor he told me only a small percentage of people get sick from sweets. I had to just be strong and not eat the sweets, which really wasn't that hard just because I was so determined to make it work. I did however develop Lactose Intolerance so no more milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream and such. I also had to watch carefully my fat intake and keep it really low becasue it made me have to run to the toilet no matter where I was.And I do mean run (speed walk). You will battle with hunger either real or in your head with cravings and thinking you are hungry.

Part of the reason you lose the weight is that the Villi (little fingers) in your intestines are gone (moved away with the bypassed intestines). But After about a year, year and half your Villi grow back and you will absorb all of your calories but not your nutrients. So that is why to fight to keep it off is so hard. Most ppl gain weight back around the 4 year mark, some gain only about 20 pounds and others gain it all back. Then you are left with 3 things, A very slow metabolism that makes you fight hard for every pound you want to lose and a much slower, SLOWER, weight loss. A stomach that stretches enough to allow you to eat nearly as much as before so you must conciously decide not to eat as much to exercise dillegent portion control. A lifetime of daily mega doses of vitamins, A need for lots of protien and high doses of calcium to prevent brittle bones and bad teeth. I am (and LOTs of ppl) are on 1000 mg of vitamin B a month and 50,000 ui of Vitamin D a week. I am actually fighting to get my levels above a 6.

There will be alot of loose ugly skin, mine was a surprise that it happened in my neck for the world to see. A lot of ppl cannot get thier skin to bounce back like when they were young and so have to always hide it with clothing or get it surgicly removed. Your muscle tone will be hard to maintain even with weights and exercise for the first year. You will not have to eat a tablespoon of food for ever as your pouch adjusts and is healed and can hold more. If you stayed on an ounce or less for life you would starve. Simple carbs will be your enemy and your downfall. You will get very drunk very quick if you decide to drink alcohol. Basically these are the things that you need to be aware of.

It may not happen to you but it is quite common. It is not a permanant fix. It is a jump start but you must work it for the rest of your life. Just as if you lost it without the surgery you must stay on top of it. I have gained back all of my weight loss (50 pounds) and am on here trying to lose that plus the 50 I never lost in the first place. After 4 years I still get sick after I eat about 6 times a week (not once a day but some days I do and others I don't) and by sick I mean a upset stomach so much that I have to lay down and I think twice about eating the next time. Sometimes all it takes is a piece of toast or a serving of vegatables. Sometimes it happens when I am out in public and have to ruin my time by going to the car to lay down. It is hit and miss when it happens. A LOT of ppl get reactive hypoglycemia so you may have to deal with that too.

My suggestion to you is to try it this way on MFP for a while and see how it goes. On here you will be doing what you will have to do later on even with the surgery. Now I am talking about Gastric Bypass, cause that's what I had. If you want to do it anyway there is a new one called Duendenal Switch which requires you to eat ALOT of fats but do way more vitamins and Calcium. They say there is no Dumping with it though. It is being talked about the way Gastric Bypass used to be so who knows if later it is found not to be a miracle once thought. I know that with Gastric Bypass you can revised it to DS with a handful of qualified surgeons but with the DS you cannot revise to another type. Good Luck. If you have any other questions You can friend me if you like or just message me. But mention the surgery in your message.

Be aware that ppl who are still in thier one and two year mark from the surgery date will have a positve opinion but they have not lived with it long term and thier opinion may change. Research the reasons ppl get the revision surgery and you will learn more about what the surgeon doesn't tell you. There is alot of self blame and shame that goes along with weight gain afterwards so some ppl will not want to speak up. There are also a host of physical problems that can develop from the surgery, hernias being the most common along with Gallbladder issues.