[DaughterOfAKing]

I need a lot of help. How much is the surgery? Can it be payed monthly? I don't have. Insurance or enough money to pay at once. I need as much info on it. Have you tried it? Have u lost any weight? Does it work? Anyone has before and after pics? I was diagnosed with PCOS, DIABETES, HIGH COLESTEROL, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND LATELY MY CHEST IS HURTING MORE THEN EVER SHARP PAIN THAT RUNS TO MY SHOULDER. I'M FREAKING OUT. I DON'T WANT TO DIE. I TRIED CHANGING MY LIFE AROUND EVER SINCE I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALL THAT AND I JOINED A GYM, WENT 5 times a week for 2-3 hours, changed my ways of eating and after half of a year or more doing this still no change? Why? I need help please.

[jiffypop]

hi there, Daughter!

ok. start breathing again. really. breathe. did you make an appointment to see the doc about your chest pains? that should be the FIRST thing you do this week.

about paying for surgery, that's something you'll have to discuss with the surgeon. some let you pay monthly, others don't. and different surgeries have different costs, so the best way to approach this is to figure out the best surgery for YOU, and then find a surgeon and figure out the money end of things. i've heard that quite a few surgeons have relationships with lenders.

so, about researching on this forum. check out the stickies at the top of the page - the LapBand stickies and the DS'ers sticky have lots of info about those surgeries.

most people on this forum have had RNY, but we also have quite a few who've had lapband, duodenal switch, or vertical gastroplasty.

and we have lots of success stories, and some not-so-successful.

check out posts by akrosy [akrosey?], jillybean23, KO, missangela, juliemarie, to name just a few. be sure to read the good, the bad, and the ugly.

it's incredibly important to do your research so that you make the right decision FOR YOU.

ok. breathe again. and remember: WLS is NOT a quick fix. it's more like hitting the reset button so that you get a second chance at unlearning everything that you thought you knew about eating and exercise, so that you can RE-LEARN it.

[pacman12]

Exercise alone, even if it's 2-3 hrs a day, won't make you lose weight unless you create a calorie deficit. Most of weight loss is related to diet. Do you track your food intake? Try a free site like sparkpeople or fitday.

Do see your doctor ASAP if you have chest pain - this is a warning sign and you need to be seen.

[missangelaks]

Read, read, and read!! Soak your brain with everything you can find on the subject! I have PCOS and therefore insulin resistance, I take meds that make it difficult to lose weight, have hypothyroidism, and have the tendency for starvation mode which all contributed to my gaining weight and made it impossible to lose on my own. Surgery was the tool I needed to turn the tables back in my favor. I still have to diet, I still have to exercise, I still struggle with my carb addiction...it’s just easier to do after RNY weight loss surgery. It is not a magic bullet, you can't eat whatever you want and still lose weight, the lifestyle after surgery is very, very difficult and takes months sometimes years to get used to...and will HAVE to be followed for the rest of your life or there will be health consequences.

It is not for the faint of heart, it is for the brave or the foolish...or in my case, the desperate.

Desperation pushed me to look into surgery, reading showed me that it is NOT what I thought it was (I was one of those under the impression that you could eat all you want and still lose weight), and, bravery or foolishness, I made the decision to do it anyway.

Good luck to you, my friend!

Angela