I always tended to hang out at the 100+ board, but after my last weight loss attempt which got me about twenty pounds in six months and I have since put six of it back on, I have started the ball rolling on WLS, specifically gastric bypass. I've been looking at it off and on for years, but always thought it wasn't for me, but with getting ready to turn 41, I SO do not want to spend the second part of my life as fat as I have been for the first part!
So, here is what I understand:
This is tool in weight loss that can be overturned if you don't follow the correct eating patterns after surgery. You can put the weight back on!
The amount of food you eat is significantly decreased and there are certain foods I will not be able to tolerate after surgery or ever again.
There are other things too, but I guess what I want to make clear is that I do understand that this is not a quick or an easy fix. What I want it to be is a permanent thing that isn't so easily overturned, like a regular diet is for me. I can take off weight slowly, but I always manage to put it back on along with more. I started having a weight problem at the age of six and feel like I have been dieting ever since then. I'm tired of not being able to do things I want to do due to physical restraints or just the fear of looking ridiculous because of my size. There is a thin, active person inside of me and I want to find her!
So, what am I asking? I read the poll about post-op, but I really want to know if any of you who have had gastric bypass have any regrets about having had it done. Also, are there any pros or cons to lapband, other than that it is reversible?
I want this desperately, but to say I am not totally terrified would be a lie.
I'm sure these wonderful ladies can answer you much, much better then I ever could, having gone through it.
But I did extensively research WLS. For me and only me, I was headed towards the lap band. From all the research that I did, it looked to me to have that "long-lasting" power you are looking for. It is totally and completely adjustable. As far as I was told, with the gastric bypass the stomach CAN get larger after a while, therefore making it all too easy to overeat again. Having the ability to always be able to adjust the lap band was really what appealed to me.
The lap-band also is a lot quicker to recover since it is a way shorter operation and way less invasive and therefore less risky.
I have many friends who have been amazingly successful with the lap-band surgery. They said it was the best thing that's ever happened to them.
You should find a qualified doctor in your area and let him/her tell you all about the pros and cons of each method. They usually have seminars on the subject at no cost at all to you. Do you know of someone who's had WLS surgery in your area that you can ask for a recommendation? Or perhaps your own doctor can refer you to someone?
Whatever you choose, I wish you the very best of luck.
Kimberly,
In a heartbeat, I would have the RNY again--and Yes, I was terrified before also, but the key was that now I can say "in a heartbeat"--Before I wasn't sure how much longer my heart would beat. My health has improved & I have been able to do things that I haven't been able to do for 40 years. I take minimal medication now--I can walk! Those are the reasons that I made the decision. Now the nice side benefit is that I went from a size 26 to a size 12 in 10 months. I had very little loose skin & losing hair problems. The only thing that I don't tolerate is food with refined sugar (& haven't tried it for a long time for fear I might be able to eat it now). I'm better off believing that I can't tolerate desserts. ;-)
Do your research, talk to people, find a reputable weight loss clinic associated with a reputable surgeon, follow ALL THE RULES--protein supplements, iron, vitamins, calcium, B-12, fish oil, etc.
The only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. It is an amazing tool and I don't regret my rny for a second.
There are many, many different kinds of WLS surgeries and it is up to you to do your research and find one that is right for you. Everyone's decision is a personal one. My reasons for choosing RNY are on my website if you are curious.
Yes, you can put the weight back on. It is easy to do if you are not following instructions given to you by your surgeon. For instance, we are told to have a certain amount of meals/snacks. Some people could "graze" constantly (eating all the time) and gain weight. Some drink their calories which is a no-no tool. Some eat junk. This is a TOOL which means that you still have to do your part. It is not magic. It is not the "easy way out".
The amount of food you eat is significantly decreased (it's also malabsorptive so you hold on to less in your system). At a year out which is where I am, I eat a good amount - probably more "normal". It's not a teeny tiny portion anymore. As for tolerating certain foods, everyone is different. For me, I can tolerate just about anything. My tastes have not changed. I rarely dump - only on something really bad like a McDonald's McFlurry!! LOL! I had one to treat myself at a year out and had a major 'dump' (nausea, heart palpitations, cramping etc). That's the only thing that makes me sick. I can have an ice cream cone or a piece of cake, and I do not get sick. Some people get sick over a cookie. No one knows quite what they will be like until after this surgery. It is up to me to keep treats in moderation now -- the whole "tool" aspect - this surgery is not going to stop me from eating that piece of pie -- now it is purely up to my willpower like everyone else. But this tool has made it easier to lose alot of weight in a relatively short amount of time and has made me more "mobile" (I am learning to run now). I always thought if only there was a tool to get me to goal - or close to it - I would do whatever I needed to do to maintain. This has been it for me.
Post op surgery life is okay. I wasn't hungry early out and so it made eating a chore. Now it's much easier and enjoyable to eat again!
Please email me anytime - visit my webpage to learn about my surgery too!
breathe, kimberly, relax. yes, it's a hard decision, and you need to do all your research. and please realize that the first few months ARE HARD but it gets easier.
at this point in my life - more than 5 years out - it was the absolute right thing to do. don't get me wrong, i am annoyed every once in a while, especially about keeping up with the vitamins, but then i get back on track. it's about saving my life, keeping myself moving, and actually LIVING.
ya gotta figure out how to put yourself at the top of your priority list.
Lakegirl: Someone asked me if I had read the "Weightloss Surgery for Dummies". It will answer a lot of your questions and shows you a bit of what you can expect down the road. I am scheduled for an open RNY July 25th and a few weeks ago I had a meltdown and was questioning everything that I had been working toward (WLS). The people on this site have been there, done that and shared that with me. They helped me out a lot and then I read the book and that reinforced everything that they had told me and explained a few things that I hadn't even thought of yet. This is serious business and not easy. I'm like you lose a little; gain a lot back. FOR ME, this is my chance to have a life again. Only you can answer that for yourself.
You have very realistic and valid questions. Just the fact you have these questions in mind make me feel you are probably a very successful candidate for RNY surgery. I had my RNY October 2004. To date I've lost a total of 117 pounds. Do I think it's worth it, a resounding YES. Can you eat around the surgery, ABSOLUTELY. I've just recently joined Weight Watchers. Yes, this is not a complete fix-all for most of us. This is the reality. Can you lose a significant amount of weight, YES - without question. Will you still have to suffer your over-eating demons, most likely. This is the honest truth (as I know it). I am so grateful for the weight I've lost and struggle daily to be sure to keep myself in my current size 12. Be aware this is only a TOOL - not a complete solution (for most of us). If you have a tendency to be overweight, your body will still behave the same way after surgery. The advantage we have, is if we eat healthy (e.g., mostly high protein), we can maintain the weight loss fairly easily.
I hope this helps! I still feel it's the best decision I've ever made. Otherwise I'd be at least 350 right now (I'll take 185 and size 12 over 350 anytime).
To address other questions. I too, wanted to do the band. My insurance would not cover the band, only RNY. I was very hesitant. Now, I look back and I'm so grateful for the fact I didn't have a choice. The RNY seems so much more drastic, which it is, but, I have NO REGRETS. The few people I know that have actually done the band, have had more complications and far less weight loss. Now I want to be explicit, this is my viewpoint, not what perhaps others have experienced. The RNY gives you mostly, a permanent weight loss tool, whereas the band has had much more issue with slippage, and non-permanent weight loss. I actually really wanted to have the band when I started my research, but when my insurance wouldn't cover; I had to go with RNY. Well, now I am soooo glad this happened, as I know I would have never lost as much with the band. Anyway, I hope that anyone on this board achieves the success they are hoping for, with whatever method works for them. I do not believe in judging anybody. Just my personal philosophy.
I keep going back and forth with it while I battle for straight forward answers from my insurance company on what they deem as a "structured diet program for six months." I've been reading here and on Renewed Reflections.com as well as on Obesity Help.com. I made a mistake today of reading the memorials there and freaked myself out! Many of those folks passed away before surgery but then there were some who passed away after surgery...several with embolary pulmunisms (Sheesh, I think I spelled that way wrong, but you know what I mean) and some with cancer after the fact. I want to assume that the cancers were totally unrelated to WLS and I want to assume that avoiding a EP you need to walk soon after surgery. Some of the folks who passed away had extremely high BMIs, like in the 70s, but I still find little comfort in that. Don't take that the wrong way; what I mean is that when you are reading about people passing away after surgery, you are searching for things that make them different from you in order to reassure yourself that you are probably going to be fine. Another young woman died of a twisted bowel a year later...is that a surgical complication?
It's just so scary...and so is being overweight and I'm not always sure of the lesser of two possible evils.
I just had the Lap Band surgery 5 days ago. I wasn't sure at first it was worth it. The pain from the surgery...the liquid diet... It was rough. I found that I was going through food withdrawls.
What the others are saying is true. This is only going to be a tool, and that the bad behaviors that helped get us to our sizes is going to have to change. You can set yourself up to fail ANY weight loss procedure if you aren't committed to the necessary changes. I'm going to have to learn that I can't eat for comfort.
A couple days ago, I wasn't sure if this surgery was such a good idea. As the pain goes away, I'm starting to change my mind. =)
Yay! Sephrenia, me too! I just had the surgery and I think it is going to be a wonderful tool.
Lakegirl: I did the same thing, I read about people passing after the surgery right before I had my surgery. It really freaked me out. A lot. But I had gotten to this point and knew that I was going to go through with it. When the time comes, you'll make the right decision for you.
Good luck!
Kimberly - yes, death after wls happens. that's a fact. and there's LOTS of strategies to MINIMIZE the risk for yourself [and we'll get into those as time goes on].
HOWEVER, let's talk about the other deaths. Yes - embolisms are an issue. and you don't know from reading a profile on obesity help if the dead person had clotting problems [very common in heavy people!] beforehand. you don't know if the surgeon used the pressure boots while the person was in the hospital. you don't know if the person continued on the anticoagulants. you don't know if the person moved afterwards. there are just SO MANY UNKNOWNS here.
soooo, my advice would be to discuss your fears with your surgeon. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. and make sure the surgeon answers with STRATEGIES TO TAKE CARE OF YOU [not the other people who've gone before, but YOU]
there are always horror stories - one woman in my surgeon's practice died from a perforated bowel. but here's the REST of the tale. she had planned a vacation to Las Vegas several months after her gastric bypass, but the week before she left, she wasn't feeling well. the surgeon wanted to see her, but she refused. after she got off the plane, she REALLY didn't feel well, but refused medical treatment because she wanted to go back home to her surgeon.
she died within hours of getting off the plane in NJ of a massive infection. what's the lesson here?? yes, the perforation was a surgical complication. yes, she needed care, but she refused it at more than one point.
So, once again, there are horror stories, but we never know the WHOLE tale. and for all of you who are thinking 'jiffypop is minimizing the risks,' that's not the case. the risks ARE REAL, but you have to know the REAL RISKS before you can make a decision. and perhaps most important, you have to be prepared to accept the responsibility for taking as good care of yourself as you possibly can afterwards.
I had RNY bypass in Feb 02. It is a tool and a tool that needs to be used correctly and I didn't do that.
The positives: I lost 120 lbs in 8 months. Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Asthma, Bad Knees all greatly improved or virtually disappeared by 8 months. Despite not making it to my goal regain has been limited to 30 lbs over 5 years. Other dieting attempts I would lose 70 lbs and regain all of it in less than a year. Despite weight gain, my diabetes remains controlled on oral meds, I was on insulin before. (However if I do not change my habits I could end up on insulin again eventually)
The negatives: I stopped losing early. I did not follow the eating plan. I started testing limits and found that I could tolerate virtually all foods with little ill effects. I never exercised during that early time period to maximize the loss. It is now extremely hard to lose weight at 5 years post op. Example, in the past 3 weeks, trying sugar busters and an hour of exercise 6 days a week. I have only dropped about 5 lbs. IN between there just one bad weekend caused a regain of 2 lbs. 5 lbs is great but in persective of the loss you have after a Bypass it is frustrating. Surgery does nothing to retrain your brain, if you have an addiction to foods, carb snacking (as I do) that addiction can win over the tool. Sugar busters diet is helping me control the addiction factor. Right now I have to be satisfied with little triumphs, hope for life time habit changes that will eventually give me positive results no matter how long it takes. There are also additional health concerns after a Bypass that you must always be vigilant of after the surgery. YOu must keep up your vitamins and supplements as directed or risk anemia and other ailments due to difficiencies. You may develop a sluggish intestinal system and I have, so I need to take regular fiber or stool softners to avoid problems. Lapbanders do not have the same malabsorption issues.
So after all that is said and done, was surgery worth it? Yes, keeping 100 lbs off for over 5 years and being off insulin (which was causing me to gain even more weight)made it worth it. I should have been more serious about following diet and exercise early on. Now I have to really work harder than ever to maintain, not gain and hopefully lose more on my own.
Just know that surgery is a tool, to thine ownself be true, know that any food issues that you have will not be completely solved by the surgery. If you choose to have surgery, maximize your efforts to lose during that 1st 18 months, by following the diet and exercising. Also know that no 2 people are alike and never compare yourself to anyone else.
So give me an honest lowdown
