weight loss surgery

highlordb
highlordb Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi.....like alot of people i am morbidly obese. I have struggled with my weight all my adult life. i am currently 170 to 180 lbs over my ideal body weight. With that extra weight, I have crippling knee and lower back pain that makes every step unbarable.

What i am looking for is insight on weight loss surgery. What are the things they don't tell you, when they are trying to convince you to do it? is it difficult to go from a huge meal to practically nothing? Does the surgery help with the back and knee pain? how quickly does the weight go off? is it worth it? etc.

Any insight will help in making my decision to go forth with the surgery. Thanks

Brian

Replies

  • katedevall
    katedevall Posts: 240 Member
    I myself have never had that surgery.. However my mom had it about 10 years ago. There were some complications with hers with a staple gun misfiring and causing them to have to make her stomach somewhat smaller then it was supposed to be and she ended being in the hospital 3-4 weeks longer then she was supposed to be. Besides that it took her about 2 years and she lost approx 130-140 lbs getting down to 130ish.. It lasted for a year or two and she had steadily put on weight back up to 180. Which has been steady for 4-5 years now.. At first ot didn't seem hard for her to have the limited food because she simply wasn't hungry from have a smaller stomach and such. However in the long term she ended up getting a lot of excess skin which bothers her still today.. She feels the surgery was worth it, but I think there could be other means to trying to lose some weight.. It's all up to you what you'd like to do ultimately it's your body.. If you think it's your bed decision go for it.. With the weight coming off I would assume it'd help you knee and back problems some
  • free2live72003
    free2live72003 Posts: 186
    I had WLS over 2 years ago. I lost 160lbs and could probably stand to lose another 20-25 lbs, but I have stalled at my current weight of 165lbs for the last year which is ok with me as long as I don't gain.

    WLS is a personal decision based on many factors that only you can answer. For me, I had reached a point where I could not exercise due to bad knees and bad back, tried every diet and eating plan known to man and was dying a slow death with diabetes, high BP, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. I no longer enjoyed life and began to withdraw.

    Finally, I decided that if I were going to die anyway, I was at least going to exhaust all options to regain my health even if I died on the operating table after WLS. At least I could say I tried everything to live my life to its fullest. My doctors were telling me I had hormone and metabolic issues that would make it nearly impossible for me to lose weight by traditional measures and keep it off.

    I had surgery (gastric bypass) Nov 2010 and immediately (before I left the hospital) my BP, chol, and trigly. were all normal and I have not looked back since. I now do Zumba classesfor an hour 2-5x a week, participate in 5K races (mainly walk and slow jog), kayak, and just enjoy life to the fullest. Yes, my knee and back pain were greatly reduced after the weight came off, but the damage was already done---I had back surgery 2 months ago to help correct what obesity had done to my spine. But, I am back to zumba and walking and will do my first 5K of the year soon.

    I pray that I never go back to the life I had prior to the surgery. For me I finally feel free to live in my body instead of trapped by it. You must be at a place however, where you are willing to make the lifestyle changes required or it will not work for you. You still need to exercise and still need to watch carefully what you eat. But, that is so much easier to do when you see that your body is responding and you are feeling more alive and healthy.

    Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do....just choose life whatever it takes to get there and don't look back!
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    I will be having surgery in the next few months. Going with the vertical sleeve. I have written a good deal of information about the various surgeries and what to expect with them in my blog. I'd rewrite it here, but here's a link instead: http://rainhoward.blogspot.com/2012/09/bariatric-surgery-101.html
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
    My brother and I both planned to have weight loss surgery at the beginning of last year. He was going with gastric bypass and I was going with sleeve. Already had surgeon and everything. He had his in February and was in ICU until March when he passed away. I was absolutely devastated. I am now here trying to lose for both of us.
  • MsPudding
    MsPudding Posts: 562 Member
    I've not had weight loss surgery; two of my friends have and their experiences were as follows:

    Friend #1 - Gastric Band
    Initially she lost weight, but the bottom line was that she didn't change her relationship with food and started eating high calorie food that was simply easy to digest...like ice-cream, melted chocolate etc. She lost about a 1/2 the excess weight up until the point she discovered how to 'cheat' the band and then started putting it back on again. Things they don't mention upfront about the band is that a) it's not just about smaller portions but how many calories in total you eat and b) that you have to go back to have the amount of saline in it adjusted quite a lot

    Friend #2 - Gastric Bypass
    This is the big surgery - small stomach pouch and cutting the intestine and hooking it up again further down to cause malabsorption. He was about 200lbs overweight and lost all the excess in around 18 months. He did also completely change his eating 'style' to being far more healthy. The downside is that he then had to have follow-up surgery to remove tons of loose skin and he was out of action for a month or so after that. The other thing is that you need to have a raft of vitamins every day for the rest of your life.
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
    In 2004 both my mother and my aunt needed to lose half their body weight to get to a healthy size. My mother had gastric bypass, my aunt started using portion control without physical activity because she had severe asthma. They both lost the same amount of weight in about the same amount of time. My aunt continued to eat the foods she loved, but learned how to control her portions and eat recommended amounts. My mother had to eliminate quite a few of the foods she used to love because they made her violently ill (look up gastric emptying). My mother had a difficult time maintaining her weight and gained some (although not all back). My mother's hair got thinner and thinner, and she has to take vitamins and supplements for the rest of her life because she is unable to absorb them properly from food. Also my mother had 2 other surgeries to remove excess skin. As my mother began to gain the weight back she found she was going to have to exercise to maintain her weight. It was certainly easier now that she didn't have excess weight, but it confirms the formula that works: eat less, move more. Also, my mother has always had problems with scar tissue following surgery and last year was rushed to surgery to remove scar tissue that was obstructing her bowels. Sadly my aunt died in 2008 so we cannot compare their success past that date, but before she died my aunt had no side effects from her weight loss and although she had excess skin it was much less pronounced.

    Additionally, I work in a hospital where the number of patients with gastric bypass complications is increasing at al alarming rate. The complications include insufficient nutrient absorption, bowel obstructions, and those who have had multiple bypass surgeries and are still morbidly obese. Oh yes, you can have gastric bypass and out-eat the surgery.

    Like the other person said it is definitely your choice, but I think you are right to ask as many questions as you can before you have a major surgery like gastric bypass. If you are not psychologically ready to change your habits but are forced into it by the surgery you can have some severe emotional reactions. I have connections with about 3-4 people who had gastric bypass around the time my mother had hers. All gained a lot of their weight back and 75% of them went through a phase where they were very depressed or very aggressive and mean as they tried to manage the issues that caused them to overeat, which of course were not solved by surgery.

    Good luck with your decision.
  • babymine55
    babymine55 Posts: 127 Member
    hi.....like alot of people i am morbidly obese. I have struggled with my weight all my adult life. i am currently 170 to 180 lbs over my ideal body weight. With that extra weight, I have crippling knee and lower back pain that makes every step unbarable.

    What i am looking for is insight on weight loss surgery. What are the things they don't tell you, when they are trying to convince you to do it? is it difficult to go from a huge meal to practically nothing? Does the surgery help with the back and knee pain? how quickly does the weight go off? is it worth it? etc.

    Any insight will help in making my decision to go forth with the surgery. Thanks

    Brian

    Hi Brian...I commend you on putting your question out here in such an open forum. I can only speak of my personal experience.

    After years of going up and down the scales...to finally just going up and up and up...I decided I was only going to battle this monster ONE MORE TIME! I did a lot of research (I mean, OCD levels of research!) given I was paying cash. I decided on the gastric sleeve, had it done in October of 2009 and have never looked back.

    I will say, there was a fair amount of counseling before and after having my surgery. PLEASE KNOW...this surgery WILL NOT solve any food addiction issues or food attachment issues. If these are issues that you might be dealing with PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS. ...those that don't.....unfortunately are the ones that end up trying to eat around the surgery and end up right back or worse off than when they started.

    When I started, I was 370, I had definite knee issues, back pain, my sciatic nerve was straining to hold the weight on my 5'6" frame. I was in the beginning stages of edema, so, I was having to wear slippers and such wherever I went.

    According to my surgeon, my liver and stomach were dangerously enlarged and if I hadn't done something soon...I would not have lived to see my children grow.

    I lost steadily at first, slow and steady. Which was just fine with me. I had to adjust to the portion sizes that I was now limited to, however because I had the sleeve, there was no re-routing of my intestines and therefore NO absorption issues. All it meant was that the food I CHOSE to eat, had to count! I did get sad at times that I couldn't have a 'pig out day'...but, I was obviously never very good at limiting myself to just one 'pig out day' anyways, so...I got over it. Without exercising, I peaked at around 220....so, I got myself a personal trainer, someone who could show me what to do, how to do it.

    Just a couple days ago, I celebrated finally getting to 199 (about a year after my surgery I got pregnant with my 4th child, which slowed down the process a bit). Seeing that number on the scale was a beautiful moment. I have NO more back pain, NO more knee pains, my edema is long gone. I have discovered that I love to cook. That I love to taste GOOD food..not just food. I have discovered how to deal with certain emotional situations that before, I would have just fed away. It is empowering and liberating! I know that I never have to battle that monster again. I get to live. I eat about 5 or 6 times a day. Smaller portions...but, I enjoy EVERY SINGLE BITE. There's nothing that I cannot eat, however, certain foods make me full faster (dry poultry, rice, etc..).

    You asked are there things that they don't tell you.........that depends on the surgeon, for sure! But, I would say, make sure that if you are dealing with food addiction issues or past trauma that has turned into a food attachment issue-DEAL WITH THAT, be aware of it, because the surgery will not solve that. You can still suck on chocolate. You can still find ways to self-destruct!!

    I wish you the very best of luck in your search...weather you decide on the surgery or decide to do it on your own through diet and exercise, this is a great place to be!


    Jen :)
  • velsbree
    velsbree Posts: 69
    there alot of horror stories, I am a nurse and what they don't tell you is that risk of complication is very high.Not just post operative, on going bowel issues. If you go through with it do the sleeve.
  • Guggz
    Guggz Posts: 17 Member
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  • free2live72003
    free2live72003 Posts: 186
    No one convinced me to have the surgery. My body and my desparation to be well convinced me that I was running out of time and running out of choices. I had gastric bypass surgery 21/2 years ago and have never looked back. It was the best decision I ever made for myself. It is still alot of work and effort. I too had horrible knee and back problems. My knees, though permanently damaged are so much better and I even do umba now. My back was much better, but I still required back surgery 6 months ago. But that was a breeze at 160 lbs vs. what it would have been like at 325lbs.

    It is always a personal choice whether to have surgery or not, so I am not trying to talk anyone into it. But, I do freely share my expeience when asked. Choose to live your life to its fullest and get there by any path you can find that works for you.
  • grim_traveller
    grim_traveller Posts: 625 Member
    Like everything, there are a range of experiences. My own has been nothing but positive. I had RNY gastric bypass. It saved my life. I would under no circumstances recommend the band, and fewer doctors are offering it because of the complications, especially long term. I feel that all of the information I got before the surgery was accurate, and everything was fully disclosed.

    I would be cautious in listening to advice from those who have not had the surgery. You will get lots of bad, anecdotal, third-hand tales.
  • mambagirl
    mambagirl Posts: 137 Member
    My brother and I both planned to have weight loss surgery at the beginning of last year. He was going with gastric bypass and I was going with sleeve. Already had surgeon and everything. He had his in February and was in ICU until March when he passed away. I was absolutely devastated. I am now here trying to lose for both of us.

    Sorry for your loss and I commend you on doing this for BOTh of you!!!!

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