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Susie - did you see the Back on Track thread?
I was wondering where she had surgery and how much of her stomach they took out. My doctor told me a horror story about a woman he worked on who went to Mexico for a VSG, experienced horrible complications and when she came to him and he did an upper GI exam, he discovered that NO VSG had been done. Instead, her stomach had been stapled, the staples had caused awful scarring and damage, she had scar tissue stuck to other organs...in short, a mess. So, he went in and fixed it.0 -
Nicole,
Your situation sounds very similiar to mine, except I will not be having the surgery till next week. It is exciting and inspiring to see you having such great success with the sleeve. It makes me even more excited for whats to come. I will definitly have to pick your brain about how you did it! Congratulations girl!!!
Thank u so much. And good luck on your special day!! Rememeber to take it easy and get ready for a complete transformation! And feel free to pick away! Lol.0 -
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Hi there!!
I had gastric bypass Nov 8th, 2011.... I had a few complications the first month, but now i am feeling fabulous now and down some weight too!
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Hiya Sheen! Keep in touch in this group even if its just to wave and say 'Hi'.0
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:happy: Hi everyone!! I am VERY excited to have found this group because I thought this site was anti-WLS for some reason. Lol.
I live in VA and have been approved for the VSG. I was supposed to get my surgery on 12/19/11 but it was abruptly changed to 1/9/12. I went to a class last week at the hospital that scared the living daylights out of me, so now I don't know if I want to get the surgery at all. I have NEVER had surgery before, so to be constantly knocked in the head with "you could die from blood clots" over and over again didn't make me want to go through with it.
I was supposed to begin my liver shrinking diet today but I didn't do it because of that class. I am just really confused right now. I have read some of your posts and they ease my mind a little bit, but I need to think things through a little more before I can go through with it. I have 2 kids to think about and I don't really have a support system anymore.
I am lost and just need to find my way through all my fears and the negativity I deal with on a daily basis. Hopefully your posts will help me.
Thx so much for sharing!!! :flowerforyou:0 -
MsWhite, I had a blood clot once and I survived! It wasn't even from surgery.
They are trying to scare you into walking a lot after surgery with the talk of blood clots. Trust me, having had one, I didn't need to be scared. I did not want another one and II walked like crazy. I know a few thousand people online who have had surgery (and some of them I know in real life too) and only two of them died from blood clots. In both cases, they didn't get treated. In one case, the ER blew them off and in both cases they never contacted their surgeons.
Moral of the story: if you don't feel right immediately post-op, CALL YOUR SURGEON
Also, if you can swing it, go to an ER at a hospital that does bariatrics. They'll have someone on-call who is knowledgeable about WLS and you'll get better care.0 -
:happy: Hi everyone!! I am VERY excited to have found this group because I thought this site was anti-WLS for some reason. Lol.
I live in VA and have been approved for the VSG. I was supposed to get my surgery on 12/19/11 but it was abruptly changed to 1/9/12. I went to a class last week at the hospital that scared the living daylights out of me, so now I don't know if I want to get the surgery at all. I have NEVER had surgery before, so to be constantly knocked in the head with "you could die from blood clots" over and over again didn't make me want to go through with it.
I was supposed to begin my liver shrinking diet today but I didn't do it because of that class. I am just really confused right now. I have read some of your posts and they ease my mind a little bit, but I need to think things through a little more before I can go through with it. I have 2 kids to think about and I don't really have a support system anymore.
I am lost and just need to find my way through all my fears and the negativity I deal with on a daily basis. Hopefully your posts will help me.
Thx so much for sharing!!! :flowerforyou:
Well there is definitely a lot of anti- WLS on this site and I have learned to ignore it all together because most are not educated on the subject to make any types of recommendations to peoples and they have not walked in anyone else shoes to be so anti WLS. This is your decision and I hope you make the best decision for you and your children and don't base it on ignorance and fears of others.0 -
It's ok to be scared. Surgery is scary and all the precautionary talk and fear that come with it are normal. The reason you are here is because you desire change. You have done all the legwork up to this point in order to give yourself a fighting chance at a better life. Do everything the doctor tells you too, you should be practicing holding your breath, blowing out candles lung exercises, you should be practicing your coughing, and yes keep walking, walking walking. Fear is strongest right before the change, it takes up real estate in your head and makes you doubt yourself. If you have tried everything else, every diet, every exercise and surgery is your last stop, then you are doing the right thing and should go for it. If you think you could try one other thing and get the results you need to live a healthier longer life with your kids...then go with your gut. Surgery will still be an option even if you want more time to digest the reality of it.0
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Hello! I am Steph. I am 29 years old from Wisconsin. I had gastric bypass May 17th,2011. My highest weight was almost 500lbs. The day of surgery, I was 381. I'm now 231. This surgery honestly saved my life. My health was going down fast. I'm a mother, so I need to be around for my son. I got denied at first but I appealed it and I won. The day of my surgery, is the day my life started all over again.0
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You've mentioned something that I think is **Key** ...."WLS does not fix your head"...I've often thought about doing an eating disorder program, at first I thought it was just for people who were anorexic.. but the more I read, the more I find that it's for all types of eaters.
I'd love to hear more about your story!
Good luck on your journey :happy:0 -
A little about me- I had WLS 12/22/2005 when I was 23 years old. I started my weight loss journey at 364 pounds. My lowest weight was 248 (Post Baby #1) over the past year i've gained up to 298 where I sit very frustrated today.
My WLS had a malfunction and i've spent the past 3 years trying to find a doctor who will fix it, once I found one and had a date, my insurance company changed and of course he doesn't accept my new insurance. So here I sit with a broken pouch and a constant feeling of hunger.
About my "Malfunction"- My stomach a.k.a Pouch looks like an upside down funnel. Everything I eat slides right through to my intestines and I never feel full. I'm always hungry and nothing I eat satisfies me more than 20 minutes. The last WLS doctor I saw said that this happens to about 2% of the WLS population. If I had it to do all over again, I would have had the DS with a more experienced doctor.
I've accepted my position as it stands and the only way around it now is do it on my own. I've put so much effort into working with various doctors on a revision and I should have been working on me. So here I am!! If talking/typing was exercise, I would have lost 5lbs already!
I have two kids- a 3 year old son and a 1 (almost 2) year old daughter...... boy do they give me a run for my money!! I work full time and between work and the kiddos I .....barely have much time for any hobbies!
I am here to be 100% supportive of everyone-- and i'm only an e-mail away! I was a very active member on Obesityhelp.com and I feel that online support is some of the best support you can get. I look forward to getting to know all of you 0 -
Have you considered just paying for the revision yourself, Kylebeth?
Also, if your insurance changed once and your doctor was out of network, it could change again and he could come back in. So really this situation is only temporary.0 -
Have you considered just paying for the revision yourself, Kylebeth?
Also, if your insurance changed once and your doctor was out of network, it could change again and he could come back in. So really this situation is only temporary.
I've looked into self pay- I was quoted $40K, with no complications, this excludes the hospital stay. I'm just not in a financial position to pay that much right now. Perhaps in the future that would be an option, but not at the moment. Also, I feel like it would be a gamble, considering my 7 night stay for Gastric Bypass the first time due to complications. Hospital bills can rack up quick!
I haven't looked into outside of the US though. I agree this could be a temporary road block, the only catch is, my insurance is through the Hospital that my husband works at. So if your not getting a procedure done at that specific hospital, it's not covered.
Who knows what the future holds! 0 -
Hi All,
My name is Samantha I had WLS November 2009 (can't believe it's been so long already!) I went in for surgery at 312 pounds. I was a junior in college living in West Palm Beach Florida and super active. When I moved home in May 2011 I was the director of a summer camp and running around just as much. By August 2011 I was down to 167. I was absolutely loving life, I had dropped from a size 28 to a size 8. Then I started graduate school and the cold weather hit, since I have gained back 20 pounds and have never been more unhappy with how I look.
My plan of attack is to cut out the munching ( I do this while cooking, then am too full for dinner and munch later). Nothing other than water past 9:00pm (later because I am in class until 7pm three nights a week so my bedtime is later). Exercise five days a week (thank goodness for the gym in my building). Back to the basics! Protein first, veggies seconds, limited carbs.
After one/two weeks I'll be cutting back to breakfast/lunch 12 oz protein shakes and a high protein dinner with greens. I lost 12 pounds before surgery doing this, I also think it will help to shrink my pouch back down.
I'm in this for the long haul, I want to continue being healthy. I want to continue buying adorable clothes. I want to feel confident in myself. Here's to 2012, holding onto my size 8 clothing and by confidence!0 -
Hello,
I am a 30-something mother of 2 and elementary school teacher. After ballooning up to 313 pounds I finally ended up getting sleeved May 19, 2011. It's been over 7 months now and I am down to 205. The last month or so has been challenging. I indulged over the holidays and started grazing. I'm on day 2 of a self-imposed liquid diet to try and stop the hand-to-mouth habit and detox from carbs. So far so good. I decided to try out this site after hearing good reviews about it. I need to get back into tracking what I eat and losing faster. Don't want to waste this prime weightloss period!
Looking forward to getting to know you!
-Kim0 -
Hi everyone,
Some of you already know me from the thread we used to keep around here, but it looks like there are a LOT more faces now!
My name is Rachael, and I had DS on 6/2/2011. I had considered surgery for several years but I was always too worried about the side effects of RNY. When I read about the DS, I felt like it was the answer I'd been looking for. I started at 350, managed to get down to 325 by my surgery date, and am currently at 238. I'd really like to get down to 170.
The first 6 months weight seemed to simply be falling off, but the last few weeks it's been at a major stall, going up and down between 230 and 240. Partly I'm sure that's due to the holidays and all the candy that seems to be EVERYWHERE! In any case, though, I'm renewing my commitment to logging my food on MFP, and getting back to the gym (I've been slacking off for a LONG time!).
-Rachael0 -
Hi! I'm Kim, and I had RNY on November 9, 2011. It will be two months on Monday and I've had a pretty good experience so far, having lost just over 40 pounds in that time. My BMI was only 40 but I was a very sick woman with diabetes and its complications. Sugars are pretty much normal now, and I am off all diabetes meds. I wore size 22 and now fit into a plus-size 16 (which we all know is not the same as a regular 16). I find MFP to be a fantastic tool for me. Right now I am still struggling to get all my water in, as well as my protein and vitamins. I seem to be able to eat most nutritious foods, but I haven't tried raw veggies or beef (my clinic's rules). I know that this is going to be a lifelong struggle for me though, because even with my eating restricted, I still manage to get in a few things I'm not supposed to have or have much of. You can't undo a lifetime's worth of bad habits in 2 months, right? I just read through the message boards and this seems like an encouraging place.
All the best to everyone in your journeys!0 -
My name is Nita, I had gastric bypass in March 2011. I was at about 270, and now I'm down to 186. Would still like to lose about 50 more pounds. I'm not losing the weight as fast as some of my counterparts, but I'm working at it daily. I belong to a secret facebook group for wls patients and future patients if anybody is interested in joining please send me a msg. you have to be invited to the group. As on mfp, the people are great, and full of advice and encouragement.0
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Hi, my names is Stephanie, I had a band done in September 2006 which worked well for me for 4 years, then something clicked in my body and the weight started coming back on. After many talks with my doctors we removed the band in the beginning of November 2011 and at the end of November we did a GVSleeve.
I am married for 17 years at the end of this month and have 4 children ranging in the ages of 13 - 23.0
