Bariatric Surgery Question

I'm 58 and had the roux en y surgery in January. I've gained and lost 100 lbs probably 5 times, struggled by entire life with my weight. I'm very happy I had it done, at least so far.

I would like your opinions on talking to someone about bariatric surgery. My initial thoughts on it are that it should be avoided if you are physically able to get up and move and eat less. I don't think it is a decision that should be made lightly or just for a 100 lbs or less. However, my mother has been struggling with her weight for as long as I can remember and I would guess that she is now around 400 lbs. She has always said she didn't want surgery but she isn't doing anything on her own successfully and is having considerable trouble getting around now. My brother and I are thinking about talking to her about the surgical option. She's 66 years old and I believe Medicare would cover it. I guess I'm asking your opinion as far as is it a good idea to encourage someone else to have surgery and also do you all think it is worth the risk?

So you think that having surgery is the answer to your mother's weight issue? You do realize that bariatric surgery is NOT a cure for her weight issue....it is a tool to aid in losing weight. Unless she changes her eating habits surgery isn't going to do her a bit of good. The risks involved far outweigh what she could do on her own if she set her mind to it. I have two relatives (father and daughter) who thought this was going to be an easy way out for them... well, he ended up spending a total of 11 months out of the first 18 months in intensive care because of a botched up surgery. He has since had to have surgery to repair the damage that was done. Physically, he aged 20 years and his health has suffered. PLUS he has NEVER learned to control his eating. He continues to eat tons of food... junk food... huge amounts of food... doesn't gain anything since his body doesn't absorb any nutrition. He is on tons of medication and believe me, the stench from the gas he lets out can clear a football field of people. The daughter??? well, she has gained back all the weight she lost plus an additional 75 lbs.... she never learned to eat properly either. it's all about behavior modification... if you aren't going to change the way you eat, there isn't any surgery in the world that will be successful...

if your mother was willing to change her eating habits, which is what she would need to do for the surgery to be successful...she wouldn't need the surgery in the first place!!!

For what it is worth... I've lost over half my body weight ON MY OWN... all because I made the decision to change my life... not because someone told me I should have surgery. Instead of approaching her about having surgery...how about helping her eat better? How about getting her started with simple body movements, working up to walking a block a day, then two blocks...it's not going to be easy... but she's going to have to learn to do this anyway if you think surgery is going to take care of her weight issues...

I had the lap band done in 2011. I know that it is very successful for a lot of people, but for me, I never had the dramatic results. I have only lost about 60 pounds in the past 3 years, which is something that I could have easily done on my own without having a foreign object placed inside my stomach.
Unfortunately, it took having surgery to realize that you can nip, slice, tuck, constrict and band your body up, but it won't fix what is going on in your head, and until you have that magical "AH-HA" moment, you will continue the weight loss struggle no matter what you do.
For a lot of people, doing that in-depth soul searching is way more daunting than forcing yourself to get on the treadmill or to choose that carrot over the cookie, but it is necessary if you are going to acheive permanent and long-lasting results.
Obesity is just a symptom of something else going on inside of us. It is never about the food. For me, THIS has been my biggest obstacle, and I am still looking for that moment when it finally connects for me.

If the person is not ready to commit to the process of making this a lifestyle change and getting to the root of their problems as to why they weigh 400+ lbs. then no surgery is ever going to be successful. Surgery isn't the end all be all, it can be used as a tool but it surely won't solve the problem... I have no issue with those that want the surgery to help aide them but for me I knew from day one when I weighed 560 lbs. that no surgery was going to help if I didn't fix what was broken in my head that aloud me to get to the size I was... So I committed to the process and have spent the last 5 years in therapy both mental and physical to get to the bottom of my issues and work my way back.... My family could preach to me (and did for the better half of a decade) for hours on end but until I was ready to make the change, they might as well of been speaking to the wall..... Best of Luck

I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've seen people who decided eating pizza or French fries a couple of weeks after surgery was a good idea, only to end up with an obstruction that has to be removed. If a person is not willing to dedicate themselves to the process it can be a disaster.

Bariatric surgery can be a wonderful tool, and when it goes well, has fantastic outcomes. But when it goes wrong, it's typically not a minor problem but a catastrophe. As much as you want a healthier life for her, she has to want it for herself in order to take the risk.