Bariatric Surgery

SweetChilly
SweetChilly Posts: 51 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
So I stumbled across this website:

http://www.weightlossforever.ca/

I guess they have a new office in my city! I'm considering doing something as drastic as surgery but I'm terrified. As anyone ever heard of "vertical sleeve surgery"? I've heard of gastric bypass but this vertical sleeve is a first for me.

Any thoughts on it? I'd call for a consultation but I'm a sucker for pressure... I once joined a weight loss program that costed me $1600 to go to and hardly went. All they had to do was give me the big sad puppy eyes and I was okkkaaayyy who do I write the check to?

Frick me.

But anyway, I'm now learning to be a bit more skeptical. But with skeptism comes no results. Ugh.

Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    So I stumbled across this website:

    http://www.weightlossforever.ca/

    I guess they have a new office in my city! I'm considering doing something as drastic as surgery but I'm terrified. As anyone ever heard of "vertical sleeve surgery"? I've heard of gastric bypass but this vertical sleeve is a first for me.

    Any thoughts on it? I'd call for a consultation but I'm a sucker for pressure... I once joined a weight loss program that costed me $1600 to go to and hardly went. All they had to do was give me the big sad puppy eyes and I was okkkaaayyy who do I write the check to?

    If you are terrified, then this is an extremely BAD idea...

    You also should consider this: If you cant control your eating habits and behavorial habits now as an overweight person, how do you know you can commit to the even more strict dietary restrictions AFTER a gastric-related surgical procedure?
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Bariatric surgery only works in the short term unless you successfully modify your eating & exercise habits.

    I'm not sure exactly what you weigh, but your ticker suggests that you only have 55 pounds to loose. I would be surprised if you are even a candidate for bariatric surgery as it is a pretty extreme option.

    Read this for sure:
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007435.htm
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    Bariatric surgery only works in the short term unless you successfully modify your eating & exercise habits.

    I'm not sure exactly what you weigh, but your ticker suggests that you only have 55 pounds to loose. I would be surprised if you are even a candidate for bariatric surgery as it is a pretty extreme option.

    Read this for sure:
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007435.htm
    I have to agree! I wouldn't go through the struggles of surgery with only 55lbs to lose, I think you'd have an easier time doing it the old fashioned way! Recovery can be very tough! Much harder than regular dieting and exercise!
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    The sleeve surgery is done by scope, they amputate a portion of your stomach leaving a small sleeve-like pocket there, the portion removed is the source of feeling hunger. It leads to a quicker weight loss than other surgeries but the long term effects are still uncertain. I had a friend who had this procedure and other than some minor side effects she has done well and lost over 100 pounds.
    It is something to seriously think about and use only as a last effort, IMHO.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    If you decide to lose weight without surgery, you will have to start being more diligent about your intake to make sure you're eating the right stuff in the right amount. If you don't, you'll either lose weight slower or not at all, or maybe even gain.

    If you decide to have baratric surgery, you will have to start being more diligent about your intake to make sure you're eating the right stuff in the right amount. If you don't, you'll either lose weight slower or not at all, or maybe even gain, with the added bonus best case scenario of throwing up immediately after eating & worst case scenario of damaging your surgically altered stomach & requiring emergency surgery to repair it, assuming the even worse worst case scenario doesn't occur.

    It's not something you should do out of desperation. I have a close friend who had the vertical sleeve & due to complications spent 6 months in the hospital.
  • cindymarguerite
    cindymarguerite Posts: 52
    I had the vertical sleeve about 6 months ago and I've lost 50 pounds. Weight loss surgery is only a tool- we still have to work twice as hard to establish new eating habits as well as cope with the initial 'break up' with bad food. Your head MUST be in a good place and you must be COMMITTED in order to benefit from the surgery. It's not as easy as a lot of people think....

    ** Also, they tend to only consider patients with one or two co-morbid diseases stemming from obesity such as diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, etcetc. Also, your bmi must be 40 or higher to be considered. At 19 years old i was 256 pounds and on the verge of diabetes and had horrible knee problems. I weigh 184 now and I am doing wonderful with my sleeve!
  • janet6567
    janet6567 Posts: 129 Member
    From what I understand reputable bariatric surgeons will not even consider a person as a candidate unless they are 100 pounds overweight. Then there are very rigorous tests including psychological testing. There are so many possible negative side effects and risks, that I'd consider this only as a last resort. I'm sure right now, 55 pounds seems like a lot to lose, but there are so many people on this site who have lost that much and more by eating healthy and exercising. As others have pointed out, once you have the surgery, you have to modify your eating habits forever. I've even known of two people who have had the surgery, lost some weight, and then gained it and more back. You seem so young, I'd hate to see you do something so drastic and then regret it later. Seriously, there are no "quick fixes" for being overweight. If there were, there wouldn't be any overweight people out there.
  • Laura8603
    Laura8603 Posts: 590 Member
    I had gastric bypass surgery 3 years and have lost and kept off over 200 pounds. With only 55 pounds to lose, you are probably not a candidate for weight loss surgery. For people with 75-100 or more to lose, it is definitely something to consider. I recommend people do their research and find the best surgeon in their area to perform surgery. Support groups and good follow up care are a must. I have had no complications since my surgery and it saved my life. I would NEVER have been able to lose over 200 pounds and keep it off without surgery.
  • Jenni063098
    Jenni063098 Posts: 2
    I had the vertical gastric sleeve, only after i had the lap-band which kept slipping and I had to have it removed. It has been almost 3 months since I had the gastric sleeve and I am very happy with it. It is a laparascopic procedure in which they remove about 75% of the stomach. I wish I would have done the sleeve first before the lap band, but wanted less invasive so started with the lapband. I have severely changed my eating habits. If you don't committ to changing then there is no point in doing the surgery. Just to get 60 grams of protein a day is a hard task to do with the sleeve or band, eating junk will not get the protein and nutrients the body needs, and will cause malnutrition. The good thing about the sleeve is there is no malabsorption, like there is with gastric bypass. The bad thing is that it is easy to stretch it back out if you over eat. So, it does not solve the problem but it will help if you are seriously committed to working hard at it. I have lost a total of 130 lbs in the past year and a half between the two. I would not have done it if I had less than 75 lbs to lose unless you have tried for years and years and are afraid you will never get there. Which ever way you choose, I wish you luck. I can try to answer any questions you might have. -Jen :happy:
  • tcmay72
    tcmay72 Posts: 82 Member
    i believe that surgery is the one where they remove a large part of your stomach. it was originally for extreamly obese as a pre surgery to the by pass but they discovered it to be so affective the other surgery was no longer needed. Surgery is not the easy way but it can be a very helpful tool to lose weight and keep it off. Just back in August i had the Lap Band or as my husban "who was not happy about my desision" calls it The Rubber Band thing. The last serious diet almost 2yrs ago, resulted in about 30 lbs lost over 7 months it was so hard! and i almost gained it all back in 4 months so with the wieght back and the diabetes in my near future i choose surgery. Depending on how much weight you need to loose and your reasons look at all options and choose for yourself. I know my surgeon prefered By Pass over the other but i believe i made the right choice for me. I have lost 40 lbs since Aug 18 and a bit of my hair too :0( i side affect I was aware of. It has not been easy but easier and fasted than the Great Diet of 2010. My daughter showed me this site and it has been very helpful since weight loss over 40lbs is slow going with the Band, also somthing I was aware of. Hope this was helpful. TC MAY
  • SweetChilly
    SweetChilly Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks everyone!

    You all have been helpful. I can't see myself doing something like this but I just wanted to find out more about it. I didn't want to call the surgeon and wanted actual insight from actual people.

    But yes, I won't be doing something like this any time soon. The complications that can arise is what frightens me the most. My BMI is only at 33.
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