Weight Loss Surgery If you've had it, or are considering it, share your discussions here

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 07-30-2009, 12:00 PM   #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Needs2Lose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Posts: 13

S/C/G: 375/340/135

Height: 5' 3"

Post Reconsidering my choice of weight loss:

After seeing my doctor Tuesday and talking to him again about the WLS, I am leaning more towards having the WLS.

Talking to him wasn't my only reason for going ahead with wanting the surgery. After joining this group I started paying attention to what I eat and why. I did notice that I do love sweets and my control over that realization throughout my life works some times and doesn't other times. Because of the problems I am having with my knees and back and inability to be able to even walk around the house without severe pain makes me realize that I no longer can do this on my own. As I stated in the other thread, which I am sad to see is now closed, that some times one needs just a little bit of help to succeed in what I need to do.

*takes a deep breath*

It really is a tough decision and one I am not making lightly. Yes, I did do a lot of research 2 years ago and listened to those that had the WLS and how happy they are with their decision and most importantly, if they had to do it all over again would they still consider WLS, and they said yes, they would. That does make me feel more comfortable in my decision to also have the WLS.

Am I scared? ****, YES! Who wouldn't be? Going under the knife or whatever type of surgery one has, is a scary event.

Now? I am so glad I found this forum because I know I can read everyone's posts and get the support I will need to follow through with this decision.

Thank you all for creating and keeping this forum for all of those out there that need the support to lose weight no matter how they do it!

Needs2Lose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 12:02 PM   #2  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Needs2Lose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Posts: 13

S/C/G: 375/340/135

Height: 5' 3"

Default oops, forgot to add:

Also, my weight on the doctor's scale was 340. Well, that is ok. It will slowly be coming off!
Needs2Lose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 12:44 PM   #3  
Senior Member
 
jeweliek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Northern CO
Posts: 745

S/C/G: 213\see ticker\165

Height: 5' 9"

Default

Good Luck to you! My aunt did surgery and is doing so well. It has helped in all aspects of her life. She also sees a dietician and a therapist to help her. I'm not sure if these are recommended, but you may want to look into the extra help and support.
jeweliek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 12:54 PM   #4  
Annie - Indiana
 
annie175's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 5,654

S/C/G: 303/143/165

Height: 5'9"

Default

It is all good, accept any kind of help offered. I would do it all over again.
annie175 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 01:21 PM   #5  
Moderator & Happy Chick
 
Leenie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 12,125

Height: 5' 10"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by annie175 View Post
It is all good, accept any kind of help offered. I would do it all over again.
Ditto !!!


Good luck and to 3FC's

.
Leenie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 02:38 PM   #6  
Old Cackler
 
jiffypop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: northern New Jersey
Posts: 7,525

Default

wow - i KNOW that you've thought long and hard about this decision. how do you feel now that you've made it?

i remember when i finally realized i had no choice but to have surgery. it was peaceful, almost as if there was an understanding that this would be a new chapter in my life. and that the biggest thing i'd have to change was my ATTITUDE. remember - you'll have to develop whole new ways of coping with stress and people and, well, just EVERYTHING.

and that's OK. and we'll be here with you.
jiffypop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2009, 08:28 PM   #7  
Senior Member
 
MyGirlFriday's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas
Posts: 115

S/C/G: 287/see ticker/180

Height: 5'5.5"

Default

Believe me making the decision to have WLS is a huge one that noone should take lightly.
Surgery is very scary and there are alot of things that can go wrong...that is why you must know what you are getting into.
This is the perfect place to read, discover and learn about WLS. People are able to air their stories, share their ups and downs as well as make friends.

We are all in this together!

mgf~
MyGirlFriday is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 04:13 PM   #8  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Needs2Lose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Posts: 13

S/C/G: 375/340/135

Height: 5' 3"

Default

jeweliek: thank you for your response. Yes, a dietician and therapist are recommended when one does all the pre-meetings for the WLS. I'm glad to hear your aunt is doing so well!

annie175 & Leenie: I'm glad to hear that you would do it all over again. That does help a lot!

jiffypop: I feel nervous. Part of me knows I need this help and the other part feels as though I have lost control of being able to do this myself. I am giving myself a month to try it on my own again and if that fails then definitely I have to have the WLS. Just means I wasn't able to control my eating myself which doesn't necessarily a bad thing. It is probably akin to alcoholics and drug addicts.

It does warm my heart and bring tears to my eyes knowing there are so many people here that DO understand what I am going through as you have all gone through it as well. I am so grateful for finding this site.

Ok, just weighed myself on my scales. 8-3-09 4:12 PM (my time) 336.0. I actually started cutting back on the amount and what I eat on the 1st so I'm hoping I will be able to at least drop 10 pounds before the month is over. I will keep everyone posted!

*gives EVERYONE a big warm hug*
Needs2Lose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 05:15 PM   #9  
Moderator & Happy Chick
 
Leenie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 12,125

Height: 5' 10"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Needs2Lose View Post
It does warm my heart and bring tears to my eyes knowing there are so many people here that DO understand what I am going through as you have all gone through it as well.
Boy do we understand... you've come to the right place sweetie
Leenie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 07:03 PM   #10  
Old Cackler
 
jiffypop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: northern New Jersey
Posts: 7,525

Default

you're doing the right thing. Gotta tell you, though, what pushed me over the edge to have the surgery [besides being bedridden]: it offered me the best chance to lose the weight AND KEEP IT OFF!!!!

when i actually sat down and thought about how much i'd gained and lost over the years, it was MORE THAN 500 pounds - and that was nothing but CYCLING up and down, up and down.

At least this way, i have a fighting chance of keeping it off. if i gain, i can lose again [and it hasn't been the huge amounts of cycling]. work the tool. work the tool.

Leenie's right - we DO understand. WLS is not for those who have gained and and lost the same 15-20 pounds so that they go from, say, a size 8 to a 10 and back again. it's a whole different world in WLS!!!!
jiffypop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2009, 11:57 AM   #11  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Needs2Lose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Posts: 13

S/C/G: 375/340/135

Height: 5' 3"

Default

Leenie: *cries knowing she isn't alone*

I do have my fiance but it is still a struggle within me that I have a problem. He will listen which is great but there is a difference between understanding and KNOWING.

jiffypop: You are so correct! I hate those that say they have struggled all their lives with their weight when they only deal with that 10-20 pounds!

I believe if I got to over 400 then I too would have not even tried it any more on my on because then I would know that what ever I was doing wasn't working. I know I had troubles moving about at 375. I couldn't even drive! I am so very proud of you for the weight you have managed to lose! No matter how you did it!

I remember going through the seminar 2 years ago and even though someone has the surgery, it is still possible to mess up and gain weight back. So, keeping it off no matter how you do it, is a royal success story!

Well, I guess I have some good news!

Quote:
Ok, just weighed myself on my scales. 8-3-09 4:12 PM (my time) 336.0.
I weighed a few minutes ago: 11:30 AM 8-6-09 and I weighed 330.2!!!!! I was thinking I wasn't losing anything but this just makes my day! :rolf:

Now, I noticed there is another topic for support. Should I start posting there instead of here?

I don't believe I read the scale correctly so I am going to weigh again: Yup! 330.2!
Needs2Lose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2009, 11:59 AM   #12  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Needs2Lose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Fairborn, Ohio
Posts: 13

S/C/G: 375/340/135

Height: 5' 3"

Default

jiffypop: I am curious as to how you lost the 100 pounds in 4 months prior to your surgery? Did the surgeon want you to lose that before they would perform the surgery? 100 pounds in 4 months is really awesome!
Needs2Lose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2009, 12:31 PM   #13  
Old Cackler
 
jiffypop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: northern New Jersey
Posts: 7,525

Default

needs2lose -

that 100 pounds is part of the huge saga. yes, the surgeon wanted me to lose some weight before the surgery - he put it at about 20-25 pounds, because i weighed more than 500, and the load limit on the table was 500 - and we had to take into account the weight of the equipment [thank goodness i was unconscious - i'm glad i didn't know what they did!!!]

ok. so. in AUGUST 2001, i was hospitalized for 5 weeks, and then in a nursing home, learning to walk again. on admission, my oxygen saturation was in the 70s [and it should be 98-100 - this is a measure of how much oxygen is circulating in your bloodstream]. i couldn't stand, let alone walk, and they inserted a catheter and the fun started.

they found blood clots in my lung. and, despite the fact that i had a pulmonologist, no one -except the respiratory therapist who had to check on me because i was on oxygen - even thought that i had sleep apnea.

the therapist diagnosed it, and i was placed on a CPAP machine. BTW, i was on an 800 calorie diet, and GAINING every single day. i heard my doc and the dietician SCREAMING at each other - the doc believed i was cheating [NOT!] and the dietician wanted me to be on a diuretic.

the dietician eventually won - and i started losing. And went to the nursing home in a custom-built wheelchair [weighing about 490 or so]. and i was well-behaved there. i ate what they gave me, did physical therapy at least once a day. they couldn't weigh me because they didn't have a scale that went up that high. but, by the time i left 3 weeks later, there was more room for my butt in the chair, so i knew i'd lost SOMETHING.

So, about 3 weeks later, i was at the surgeon's office, for the evaluation. I'd lost about 80 pounds. i was SHOCKED. [ok - are you counting? this is about 80 pounds in 6-8 weeks!]. the doc was shocked.

i started asking around about WHY this happened. most docs said that i was exercising more and eating better. i countered with the fact that 2-3 roundtrips up and down the driveway DID NOT count as exercise, and i was eating no differently than before the hospitalization.

but the NEW pulmonologist - LOVE THAT MAN - said 'before the CPAP, you weren't getting any oxygen into your system. but now that you're on it, you finally have a metabolism!!!! '

so, i kept everything up, lost a few more pounds into January, and it ended up being a total of 97 pounds lost.

had nothing to do with diet and exercise, but with proper medical care. at least, that's what i think!!!!

Last edited by jiffypop; 08-06-2009 at 12:32 PM.
jiffypop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2009, 02:28 PM   #14  
KO
In Pursuit of Divatude!
 
KO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 4,671

Default

Jiff :Hug: I never knew that!! Woman you are 1 tough cookie. . .Thank God for GOOD Docs!
KO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2009, 05:09 PM   #15  
Old Cackler
 
jiffypop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: northern New Jersey
Posts: 7,525

Default

thank you, Kier! and you know some of them - Bertha. Kevin James. Marc Benton.

these folks saved me. oh. and that doc who fought with the dietician? she's not my doctor any more.
jiffypop is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:21 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.