A Poll for Those Who are Considering WLS

Duckslove · 05-04-2009, 08:28 PM

I have started the hoop jumping for y insurance company for the RNY. I wanted the vertical sleeve, however my insurance company considers in experimental so they wont cover it. I am also nervous and know its a tool, but at the point where I feel like it is the nest option for me. My co workers are all being very supportive of the whole process. which is good considering all the work I miss ofr doctors appointments

CJZee · 05-04-2009, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subcriminal

... who put me on a very special low-carb diet (very different from atkins). So far I've lost 50lbs this year, and I'm only 30lbs from my goal weight.

Hi! I just started Atkins and noted that you said your low-carb diet was very different from it. Can you tell me a little about it, how it is different? Thanks for your story, it was very interesting. CJ

Volsfan · 05-07-2009, 08:57 AM

I attended a class on weight loss surgery and came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me at this time. I am having multiple health issues and need to lose weight now. I came away less afraid of the surgery but it was the lifestyle changes after surgery that turn me away from the surgery. The surgery is only a tool not a solution. Whether you lose weight by traditional means of a healthy balance diet or by using Weight loss surgery we have to change our eating patterns. I kept thinking if I cannot change my eating style now what would be the difference after surgery? I came to the conclusion that lifestyle change must occur before surgery, or else I would be much worse off in the long run. Before I would consider weight loss surgery, especially on the procedures that cannot be reversed, The doctors will have to prove to me that I cannot lose weight any other way.

jillybean720 · 05-07-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volsfan

I attended a class on weight loss surgery and came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me at this time. I am having multiple health issues and need to lose weight now. I came away less afraid of the surgery but it was the lifestyle changes after surgery that turn me away from the surgery. The surgery is only a tool not a solution. Whether you lose weight by traditional means of a healthy balance diet or by using Weight loss surgery we have to change our eating patterns. I kept thinking if I cannot change my eating style now what would be the difference after surgery? I came to the conclusion that lifestyle change must occur before surgery, or else I would be much worse off in the long run. Before I would consider weight loss surgery, especially on the procedures that cannot be reversed, The doctors will have to prove to me that I cannot lose weight any other way.

I had the same mindset as you before I decided WLS was for me. I NEVER wanted to have WLS for myself. I wasn't against it for others, but for me, I kept thinking that if I couldn't stick to a diet to lose the weight, then why on earth would I think I could stick to the rules you have to live with after the surgery?

So, I just kept trying the old fashioned way.

I dieted my way right to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis at age 25.

Now that I've had the surgery, I realize how off my views of WLS were prior to my surgery. I find it MUCH easier to stick to the lifestyle changes required now because my stomach is literally so much smaller, I can't eat too much (for now, as I am still early out - I know my stomach will stretch a bit after a year or two). And they removed the portion of my stomach that produced grehlin, which is basically the hormone that makes you feel hungry. Whereas before surgery, I felt like a bottomless pit and was frequently hungry, I now get hungry only occasionally, and when I do, a small amount of food satisfies me. This is a winning combination for staying on tack and sticking to the lifelong changes necessary for long term weight loss and maintenance.

Also, the most common procedures (bands and gastric bypass) scared me because of the changes required after the surgery. When I discovered the duodenal switch, I knew I had found the perfect WLS for me (no dumping, no blind stomach, no having to limit fat intake after the surgery, no having to count calories after the surgery, etc.).

All of that said, WLS is absolutely not for everyone, and I agree that you really need to know that traditional diets/lifestyle changes just aren't going to cut it for you. Along similar lines, if you do choose WLS in the future, different procedures are best for different people, so be sure to research ALL your WLS procedure options, as different procedures require different post-op lifestyle changes, so you need to find the best fit for your lifestyle, comitment, and specific health issues.

prettyfaythe · 06-12-2009, 02:12 PM

i attended the free seminar a local dr had for the surgeries, he explained the different ones they do. I would love to have the lap band. I figure thats the one thats best for me and what I want. The procedure costs around 11,000 yet the insurance I have barely covers a fraction of the cost. I'm trying to find a company for financing.

sarpinking · 07-11-2009, 06:31 PM

I am currently considering the Realize band or lapband as a way to help myself lose the weight. I'm going to the doctor on wednesday for my migraines, and after a weekend of bad shopping and many tears, it's finally something I am trying to eagerly pursue. Lap band is a safe procedure, there is a DR in my area that is one of the leading doctors for lapband and realize. I know this is just a tool. The problem is my depression. I've been dealing with and trying to overcome depression and anxiety since I was 10. I'm now 19. It just keeps getting worse. My mom has been considering lapband surgery for a long time now. We have good insurance where it is infact covered. And I'm hoping I can maybe start taking the steps towards this goal. I've tried WW and other calorie counting diets and failed. I'd been excersizing at the school rec center at the beginning of the year, but my migraines have inhibited me. I may or may not have PCOS, so lapband is pretty much a last ditch effort for me to enjoy my life. I currently do not enjoy it. I need to take my life back. And with this type of surgery, it is completely flexible and manageable.

I'm hoping by the end of this year a decision will definitely be made. I have too much to gain and nothing to lose if I don't do this.

jiffypop · 07-13-2009, 06:43 PM

oh sweetie - you sound so sad!!!! come hang out with us in the main part of the discussions.

Bunnababy · 09-28-2009, 11:48 PM

I am considering WLS for two reasons: One being I am 58 and two health problems that need me to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. The other reason is the nutritional information I will have to learn prior to surgery, which in my case might be enough to help me avoid surgery. I am thinking lapband. The one surgery center near me does 6 months to 13 months of nutritional and emotional counselling prior to surgery. I sent for an information packet sooooo.......we will see. I qualify with a 39.5 BMI and two health issues.

PMil · 12-14-2009, 11:26 PM

I had my Sleeve Gastrectomy done one and a half months back. I was totally frustrated with my weight and was losing my self confidence and was struggling to do my everyday chores. It was so frustrating as I was not able to be real active to fulfill the demands of my kids. I wanted to sit on the floor and play with my kids without being tired, wrestle on the ground with my puppy,roller blade with my children, run up a flight of steps and not be out of breath, bend over and paint my toe nails easily, fit in an airplane seat with space left over, fit in cute clothes and feel sexy...The list of Thinngs To Do can go one. And the day when I could not take anymore, I decided for my weight loss surgery. Then the struggle for deciding which WLS to go for, which doctor, cost etc. came. After doing a lot of research I opted for my WLS in Mexico by Dr. Zapata. Now I am waiting for the day when I will shed off all my unwanted weight and look and feel wonderful !!

KlassyKid · 12-21-2009, 07:16 PM

After 20 years of yoyo weight gain, loss and the and then gaining it all back I have decided to have WLS. I am getting up there in years and the excess weight that I carry is beginning to really take a toll on my health. I can not afford to have that surgery here in the United States so I am becoming a medical tourist. My surgery date is March 4th, 2010 and am really looking forward to spending my golden years as a thinner self.

LisaChunky29 · 01-03-2010, 05:06 PM

I am in my fifth month of Insurance required Doctor monitored weight loss. I have only lost two pounds (like I was lying when I said I can't lose weight). I hope they don't deny me for the surgery... I decided to go for it last June after my realizing that I have been on and off diets for 17 years and I am almost 100 pounds heavier than when I started. At 12 I weighed 163 pounds (what I wouldn't do to weight that now!) and by 17, I weighed 214. Now I am at 274! When does it stop! I get sick all the time, I had a fibroid tumor which they said could have been caused by my weight... Ugh. Then of course, there's the Acid Reflux disease. It simply doesn't end. I can't weight for the surgery! I know I can do it! I'll never forget my fist visit to the nutritionist this past September... She said she didn't know what we were going to talk about for the next 6 months because I alreadyknew so much about nutrition. That tells you something! Don't mind me, just venting. So, yes, will be finished with the 6 months in Feb, and then back to the wls doc. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Lisa )0(

sistahbadd · 07-04-2010, 05:10 PM

I am so ready for the second half of my life! For the first time in a very long time, I am so happy personally, professionally and mentally! I have been exploring this WLS avenue for almost 2 years. I am informed and ready to make this change. I have been obese all of my life and I am tired of this battle. I know I need help.

For the new ones investigating this surgery - I encourage you to seek additional counseling BEFORE you have the surgery. That is what I did with Dionne Bushrod in Pikesville MD! She has helped me work thru so many issues and I am at peace with me. She told me she sees a lot of people AFTER the surgery and wishes people would do what I did. That one "psych" session the insurance companies require is not enough for folks like us who have been obese for many years. (Note - my insurance company pays for unlimited visits except for a $20.00 co-pay.)

My surgery is on July 27th and I am scared (I won't lie) but I know I will be in capable surgical hands and realize God will take care of me.

I will post after I have the surgery!!

jiffypop · 07-05-2010, 12:12 AM

oh no, sistah - you're not gonna wait until AFTER your surgery to post - oh no. we want to hear the good, the bad, the fear, the organisation, just to make sure you're going down the path your doc wants you to go.

and congrats on making a decision - it doesn' really matter what the decision is, as long as it's right for YOU!!!

sooooo . which surgery are ya gonna have? lab band? gastric bypass, dueodenal switch? how did you make your decision???

Naja · 07-23-2010, 10:02 PM

I've done it all, diet plans, pills and strenuous exercise routines. I've bought work out DVD and used them, It just seems like my weight isn't going anywhere. For me its tiresome and depressing. A friend of mine had her weight loss surgery and her results are fabulous. That's all it took to convince me. I built up my mind to just go ahead with the surgery after a very very long time of thinking about it.

minnie · 08-13-2010, 10:14 AM

hi to all i have tried all knids of diet and diet pills and starving but i do lose weight and then gain 2 time as much back so i am in the process of getting it done i have had all classes and the lab now i have to have a stress test next week i am hopping that it is ok so i can get going i am so tired of being fat and not having energy so if any one that has had the surgery please help me to do what is needed