RE: Weight Loss Surgery (Full Version)

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TheShadows -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/22/2006 8:03:07 PM)

I'm 24 years old and good candidate for weight loss surgery myself, according to a dietician.  I know this may sound retarded to you, but have you had your thyroid function checked recently?  (TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 are the tests you'll need.)  Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, will cause you to stop losing weight when you're doing everything else right, (low-fat, low calorie diet, and 4 or more hours a week of intentional exercise), which you said you've been doing.  Your metabolism may be working against you, despite your best efforts.  Or you may have just hit a natural plateau.  If you haven't had it checked lately, try to get some answers from that before going under the knife.

Good luck in whatever decision that you make.  Let us know what happens!

Regards,
MrsShadows



SweetSarijane -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/22/2006 10:00:25 PM)

Thank you and my doctor has very recently done bloodwork on me including thyroid among other things. Thyroid is fine according to my doctor after reading my lab results. Did get put on a new med for something else though. I believe my metabolism is a big part of my weight loss difficulties and I have worked hard to get this weight off for so long. The surgery is a last resort thing. I had to try other ways and exhaust those first before considering doing this. If I'm approved and get it done, I will be the fourth in my immediate family to have it done. I will definitely update if I have the surgery.



Majik -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/23/2006 9:29:21 AM)

I had a gastric bypass done almost 3 years ago. To date I have lost 177 pounds. It was a lifesaver for me. I was on blood pressure meds, surgar was sky high and I had just been put on 2 different meds for my heart. I could hardly walk down to the mail box and back without being out of breath. Now I am only on something for allergies (think im allergic to oklahoma =P).

One thing I did before I decided to have my surgery is research, research, research. This sort of surgery is not a cure all. As with any diet aid it is just that...an aid. I had to completely change my lifestyle around. At first there was very little I could eat, but now I can eat just about anything I want except for sugar. Sugar makes me dump big time so I advoid it...bad thing for a self admitted chocolaholic.=]

I too listened to my doctor and the dietician and didn't have a huge problem with hair and nail loss. Plus I have kept up a pretty good exercise program. I'm also sleeping better as well and my metabolism has leveled out as well so I am now burning more calories than I was before the surgery. I still have a few pounds to lose but all in all I have been very satisifed with the results and the pre/post op care I have received. I was very lucky that my insurance paid for a tummy tuck. My doctor did a modified body lift and took off an extra 8 pounds of skin. I went from a size 18 to 14 overnight.=P Although now I can squeeze into a size 12. I never thought I would be this healthy again. I love my new body and my new attitude. I just regret I didn't have it done sooner.

One thing I would suggest before and after your surgery is to write everything down. Everything you eat and drink. This also includes those little bites and tastes we do cooking. You would be suprised at how much it actually is you eat in a day. I also write down my daily activities. Exercise and running around. This way I can plan my meals around what i'm doing that day.

I love my surgeon and he has been there since I had my surgery. I can call him anytime I have a concern. (And believe me I HAVE called him a time or two at home in the middle of the night even.) He is one of the top rated in the nation and I would recommend him to anyone.

If you or anyone has any questions please feel free to message me on the other side. =]

http://www.bariatricsoftexas.com/home.htm





JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/27/2006 1:48:45 PM)

Once my youngest son receives all the care he needs to get him into school I will undergo gastric bypass surgery. I have lost alot of weight on my own which I am told will make recovery that much easier. I have all my blood work done, psych exam, etc..I am just in need of my nutritional counseling to learn proper way to eat after surgery. I was once 340 pounds but am down to 250 on my own through herbal treatments, teas, better eating and cutting back on sugar. Exercise IS key, walking, if nothing else. I have hypothyroidism which makes it difficult to lose weight but not impossible. My target weight is 150 pounds because I am 5'8 1/2 so i'm a taller woman....I want to live a long life with my kids and with diabetes type 2, this surgery is almost necessary[:)]but i'm a strong woman and will make it through. I am guessing my surgery will be in Feb/ March of 2007



SweetSarijane -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/27/2006 9:39:45 PM)

I want to thank all of you for your replies, experiences, opinions, links and advice. I very, very much appreciate the feedback. I saw my reg doctor this week and am still going through the process to get my insurance to approve me for surgery. My knees are to the point now that my doctor thinks trying the shots on them may help me. I am continuing to watch what I eat and how much and working out regularly as I have done for nearly 2 years now.

Those of you who have offered to talk off thread about this, yes I would like that and will try to contact you soon or also please feel free to message me on the other side. Things have been on the busy side lately but starting to settle down some now.

I have a friend who fairly recently had the lap band procedure done and is doing fantastic so far.....it was done in mid July. She and I have talked at length about what she went through. I'll see her tomorrow night at an event and we'll talk more and I'll see how she's doing.

Those that asked me to let you know if/when I have the surgery...yes I will definitely do so.

Again, thank you so much all of you for your responses.

Edited to add that I've dropped 5 lbs recently according to the doctor's scales which makes me feel good.



SweetSarijane -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (10/27/2006 9:41:51 PM)

For those who have mentioned their plans and intentions to have one of the procedures as well, I would like to hear from you when you do it. I'll be rooting for you guys.



Firsttime -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/22/2007 11:16:19 PM)

I have read about those of you who have had the lap band and gastric procedures but I was wondering if anyone had the Duodenal Switch?  From all the research I've done it is least invasive and easier to digest foods and less complications.  Would love to learn more from those who have had it done.  Feel free to message me privatly if you wish.  Thanks!



slavenina -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/23/2007 8:58:15 AM)

I had a VBG in 2000 done. Within 6 months, the band had burst so to speak and a chunk of it had migrated up around my esphegous. They had to replace the band citing that it was defective. When the band moved, it opened a small hole where they had cut my stomache for the surgery. I got very lucky that this was caught as leaking stomache contents into your abdomen is not a good thing. During the second surgery, they also removed a chunk of intenstine so now I have VBG/RNY frankenstine plumbing.

7 years later, there are still things I cannot eat at all. Pasta comes back up -- or at least tries to as I can barely throw up at all. I just don't seem to have the ability to contract my stomache enough to throw up. Even with the flu, I can barely do it. And trust me, this is a problem. I can't eat more than about 1oz of meat before I want to die. Some crazy nerve *rewiring* happened after my second surgery...if I overeat, I get this intense pain (like i'm being poked with a sharp needle) on the back of my right arm. It lasts for hours as some kind of punishment for eating the wrong things. I can't eat raw vegtables, they get stuck. Bread gets stuck, especially if its a dense kind like sourdough. Can't eat anything that might *expand* once swallowed like rice, bread, pasta etc. I used to love rice :(

Worst of all, I am still somewhat over weight. And I need a tummy tuck, that I'm saving for. And new boobs...those are the first thing to go once you get this surgery. Any kind of unhealthy food gets down, but nothing good like veggies can. I'm constantly sick feeling. My metabolism is shot, although thats not really the surgery's fault.

Its not all good. I've personally know 2 women and a man who have died from complications from this surgery. A 3rd woman is slowing dying of starvation and has had a feeding tube for the past year or so. They removed too much intenstine and shes starving to death. Almost no hair left, nails are so receeded. She has this grey parlour about her. Sure, shes thin now, like Nicole Richhi thin and 5'9. At 31 she lives in a nursing home. She wishes she had never done this. So don't let the potential sucesses of the surgery diminishes the enormity of the risks involved. Ask yourself if you could live like her the rest of your life, no matter how short or long that may be. Its worse than death if you ask her.(She had an RNY by a very reputable doctor).





NightWindWhisper -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/23/2007 3:15:03 PM)

Sweet Sarijane you write: "I have tried low carb and other diets and can only seem to lose so much and then no more no matter what I do"  I believe this.

If a person is less than morbidly obese (as previously defined as >100 over normal bmi) weight watchers is what I recommend.  But beyond, and possibly at lesser obesity surgery may be the only practical option.  There is an increasing acceptance in the scientific/medical field, due to research, that once a person reaches a certain level of obesity the body's level of a hormone called leptin gets locked at a rate lower than it should be.

Imagine identical twins.  They are twenty and weigh 150lbs and are at an ordinary bmi (body mass index) (not overweight).  Each has a basal metabolic need of 2400 calories (kcals).  Four years later one weighs 250 lbs, and the other stays at 150.  Then three years furtther due to dieting they are now once again 150lbs.  Due to the seven years of aging, the one who stayed a normal bmi now has a basal metabolic rate of, let's say, 2100 calories.  However the one who become very obese, and who now weighs 150lbs again, has a basal metabolic need of  only1700 calories!  This means that the one who became obese finds it harder to both lose, and to maintain the weight loss.  Worse, the "urge to eat" is normal in the one who did not attain a high bmi, but quite abnormal for the one who became obese.  Also the one who remained at a normal BMI might need 4 ounces of a certain food to feel sated, while the one who developed the high bmi might eat 4 ounces and not feel sated at all.  In short once a person attains a certain level of obesity, they are hit with a hormonally (or lack thereof) triple whammy.  

At a certain point it is no longer a "matter of eating choice," it becomes a hormonal imbalance that is actually a disease, and which often needs to be treated as a disease, else the person can face major medical problems of many, many types, and which can lead to shortening of life.  One can only hope that sometime in the next perhaps ten to twenty years the leptin research will find a way such that the leptin hormonal level can be adjusted.

If you do opt for surgery, find a surgeon and a hospital that specializes is bariatric surgery.



CandleInTheWind -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/23/2007 4:18:38 PM)

sasshay  you lost all that weight and didnt need to have anything nipped or tucked wow....

I lost 60-70lbs abotu 2 years ago and i am covered in a fat suit....and the only way to get rid of it is to remove it....so far i have had about 10lbs worth of extra tissue removed...and honestlt i have another 10-12 to go...but that i will have to wait to raise money for...and i didnt even have the bypass done...i just lost the weight on my own..no magic way  just a broken heart

red



MasterRobsalayna -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/23/2007 4:23:45 PM)

Well, alayna doesn't know or understand all that you said, but sounds logical!  All alayna knows is that 6 1/2 years out, the surgery is a failure for alayna.  alayna just finished up a month ago another round of iron infusions (20) because alayna was so anemic due to malapsorption (and will likely have to have that every few years for the remainder of slave's life).  alayna takes vitamins four times a day due to malapsorption.  Long term (10 years out) for the GBP and related surgeries there is no solid data on success and problems.  alayna knows of people who are on their 2nd and 3rd revisions who only eat their food pureed to a pulp.  alayna thinks doctors who do those are very irresponsible.  And alayna enjoys eating and food too much to eat it like baby food.  This slave would never recommend this surgery and desperately wishes alayna had never had it done.



nyrisa -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/24/2007 8:29:29 PM)

I had the Roux en Y gastric bypass about 4 years ago.  I had researched it for about 3 years before having it done.  I lost about 127 lbs, and the difference in my health was amazing.  I was scheduled for surgery for a bulging disc in my neck, and after losing the weight, I no longer needed this because the pain was gone.  I also no longer had chronic pain from heel spurs, my back did not hurt, I could walk anywhere I wanted to go, and keep up with anyone, and no longer needed blood pressure medicine, and my cholesterol is normal now.  It is so nice to be able to walk at a normal pace, and not be short of breath, and to sleep easily at night and not feel like I am smothering.

I dont have any problem with vomiting after eating.  The amounts I ate in the first year were very small, but I was totally satisfied, never felt any hunger.  Now I eat about the amount a six year old would, and it feels perfectly normal to me.  I eat anything I want, nothing causes me problems.  When I was under a great deal of stress (hurricane totaled my house, death in the family,  family problems) I fell back into my old eating habits (bingeing on carbs) and gained back about 25 lbs over the course of a year.  But now that I have the stress under control, my old eating disorder is under control, too, and I am losing weight again on a healthy diet.

The most helpful thing for me in preparing for my surgery was reading the online journals of people who have had this surgery.  Do a google search under "gastric bypass journal" and you will find many.  After reading the experiences of so many, I can honestly say that there were no surprises to me about my surgery or recovery.  Except how fast I lost weight.  I could not believe the changes.  My husband would roll over in his sleep, and put his arm around me, and wake up alarmed, thinking there was a stranger in his bed. . *L*  It took him longer to adjust than it did me.

This is surgery that no one should ever be pushed to have.  There is the possibility of major complication and death.  But the risks are probably about the same as cardiac bypass surgery, and this saves as many lives as that does.  You just have to weigh the risks of the surgery, against the risks of continued or increasing obesity.   But if someone is in constant pain, and is having physical problems, then this surgery may make a huge difference in their quality of life.  I can only speak for myself, but I am very glad that I had it done.  I work with 5 other women who have had it, and only one has had complications (she had to have the opening of her stomach dilated several times to allow the food to go through properly).   She is doing well now, and she too says she is glad she had the surgery. 



niagarafallssub -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (1/24/2007 8:52:14 PM)

Wow, i just had open gastric bypass surgery on the 8th. i am 16 days post op.  i know the first week was hard for me, but it is getting a little easier.  It's hard though. 



Majik -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 9:31:00 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: niagarafallssub

Wow, i just had open gastric bypass surgery on the 8th. i am 16 days post op.  i know the first week was hard for me, but it is getting a little easier.  It's hard though. 


The first couple of months are the hardest. It's a total lifestyle change. Nothing you eat again will ever be the same. Food is going to taste different as well. I know for me there are certain foods I just cannot tolerate anymore.

If you have any questions or just need someone to talk to about how you are feeling or what's going on with your body please feel free to contact me on the other side. Support through the first few months helps alot. =]



windchymes -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 10:05:00 AM)

What is "open" gastric bypass?  Haven't heard of that one....[:)]  Good luck to all of you!



stef -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 10:37:38 AM)

"Open" refers to conventional surgery where they slice you open from pubic bone to sternum, like you see on all the TV shows, and the surgeons reach in with their hands and get to work.  The alternative is laparoscopic surgery, where several small (appx. 1 cm) insisions are made and instruments are introduced into the abdomen through these openings.  Carbon dioxide is pumped into the abdomen to inflate the space and provide a working  area for the instruments and fiber optic camera inserted via the small incisions.

~stef



windchymes -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 11:16:52 AM)

Oh.  I thought it was some new technology, duh. lol  Like "open" MRI.



lilypad1951 -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 2:58:32 PM)

i am finding this whole discussion very interesting.  this is not a 'down' on people who have had some kind of gastric surgery.  most diets are an absolute crock, and only cause the whole weight gain/loss swing, and depression that would seem to accompany it.  most people seem to forget that they really do need to eat a balanced diet and really examine what they are eating.  most balanced diets come from food prepared from scratch, not from frozen or packaged or fast foods.  the food prepared doesn't have to be elaborate, but can be cooked in advanced and frozen into meal-size portions.  changing's one way of eating is a slow process, it means altering/changing one's tastebuds.  anorexia and surgical banding are not issues in the so-called third world, and i realize it isn't the answer to everything.  i would say for about 98% of people, its bad dietary habits and lack of sufficient exercise, on a regular, ongoing basis. the big fad now is low/no fat, but our body needs fat.  breast milk for babies, is essentially divided into two portions, and the seconde half consists of fats the baby needs.  i am speaking as an RN with many, many years of experience, both in the community and in hospitals.
think alternatives rather than surgery...one has no idea who is put ting the knife to them, and/or complications that can ensue, including death.  one of my past life jobs, was as a nurse-anaesthetist in the USA.  i saw it all.



LeMis -> RE: Weight Loss Surgery (2/4/2007 3:17:27 PM)

I would research, research, and do more research.

Yahoo has some support groups that deal w/ weight loss surgeries, search OSSG (overweight surgery support group).  The proper type of protein, minerals & vitamins are extremely important along w/ water & exercise.  Having a complete set of labs done regularly are also very important.

Feel free to contact me on the other side.



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