Bariatric surgery possibly?

Brienicole · 07-25-2006, 07:02 AM

Well ive been thinking alot about it and I went to my doc today and she agrees that it may be a good option for me.. so I took the first step and have my seminar on aug 11th! Im really excited and need to share and talk so if there is anyone who has been here and had or is having surgery.. let me know!! thanks

Sammie · 07-26-2006, 06:53 AM

Hiya!

I had LapBand surgery 18 months ago, am at goal, having a tummy tuck in 20 days (eek!) and am very, very happy!

Good luck with your seminar! And don't forget to take notes! You would be surprised at how much info they throw at you.

Best of luck.

goddess819 · 07-26-2006, 07:12 AM

I responded to the Divas thread...but I've had the RNY surgery nearly 2 years ago and reached goal at 1 year post op before getting pregnant on our own with no medical intervention...now our daughter is due in just 12 days. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Anyway...I'd love to continue this on our Divas thread. Good luck at your seminar!

Kristy

R0xyg4l · 07-26-2006, 08:25 AM

Good luck with your seminar and surgery. Sounds like there is some great inspiration here!

And congratulations Kristy!

JennaBC · 07-26-2006, 08:37 AM

GL at the seminar! I've been to two of them...One with DH and one with MIL. DH ended up having the surgery and has been very happy with his choice. He has lost tons of weight but he has also worked very hard at it......I wish you nothing but success hun!

muppetgirl · 07-26-2006, 09:09 AM

Hi ladies. I too am going to be having the lap-band surgery done. I'm just starting on the process, but everything looks good so far. I went to the seminar and love the surgeon (he's also a lap-bander). I'm hoping if all goes well to be banded by the end of September. I have an appointment with my RE next Monday and I am going to talk to him about it and get his honest opinion, but it seems the way to go for me. I work at a hospital and more and more of the nurses and staff here are going the lap-band route. It may take a little longer to get the results, but I didn't put the weight on overnight and I don't expect to lose it overnight (although that would be awesome). I've decided to put off ttc until after the surgery. The surgeon brought up PCOS at the seminar himself. I had a ton of questions for him, but he answered them before I even got the chance to ask them. He said he has over 30 women he has banded with PCOS who are pregnant right now. I work with a girl in my department who was banded almost a year ago and is down 80 lbs. and within 2 months all her PCOS symptoms were gone and she has normal 28 day cycles. I'm confident that I'll be the same if I work hard and eat right. There are a lot of ways to cheat with the band as opposed to bypass. With bypass you can't eat sugar or you'll dump. There is no dumping with the band. The surgeon said the one thing people do to hinder their success is consume liquid calories (soda, milkshakes, ice cream) . My thing has always been never feeling satisfied when I eat. With the band my friend says she has to remind herself to eat sometimes because she's just not hungry. I'm still going to sign up for a weight loss support group and work out like crazy afterwards, but I can't wait to watch the pounds melt away. I'd love to have a few future and current banders to talk with and help each other along the way with this. Feel free to contact me here or my myspace. Good luck to everyone!!!

odiej · 07-26-2006, 09:19 AM

HI there. I am waiting for my surgery date for the RNY. I have 2 more tests to do before I get my date.

I need to have a sleep study done (tomorrow) and I need to have a scope done, then I will be ready for surgery.

Good luck to you hun.

* I am editing to say that not everyone dumps with the bypass, I have talked to many men and woman that have had the bypass and they don't dump after eating anything.

Sammie · 07-26-2006, 09:38 AM

((Hugg)) Hiya Jodi!

Have I told you I am excited for you?

Sammie · 07-26-2006, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muppetgirl

Hi ladies. I too am going to be having the lap-band surgery done. I'm just starting on the process, but everything looks good so far. I went to the seminar and love the surgeon (he's also a lap-bander). I'm hoping if all goes well to be banded by the end of September. I have an appointment with my RE next Monday and I am going to talk to him about it and get his honest opinion, but it seems the way to go for me. I work at a hospital and more and more of the nurses and staff here are going the lap-band route. It may take a little longer to get the results, but I didn't put the weight on overnight and I don't expect to lose it overnight (although that would be awesome). I've decided to put off ttc until after the surgery. The surgeon brought up PCOS at the seminar himself. I had a ton of questions for him, but he answered them before I even got the chance to ask them. He said he has over 30 women he has banded with PCOS who are pregnant right now. I work with a girl in my department who was banded almost a year ago and is down 80 lbs. and within 2 months all her PCOS symptoms were gone and she has normal 28 day cycles. I'm confident that I'll be the same if I work hard and eat right. There are a lot of ways to cheat with the band as opposed to bypass. With bypass you can't eat sugar or you'll dump. There is no dumping with the band. The surgeon said the one thing people do to hinder their success is consume liquid calories (soda, milkshakes, ice cream) . My thing has always been never feeling satisfied when I eat. With the band my friend says she has to remind herself to eat sometimes because she's just not hungry. I'm still going to sign up for a weight loss support group and work out like crazy afterwards, but I can't wait to watch the pounds melt away. I'd love to have a few future and current banders to talk with and help each other along the way with this. Feel free to contact me here or my myspace. Good luck to everyone!!!

Hiya MuppetGirl!

Congrats on getting started with your banding! The band is an awsome tool to work with.

With both surgeries a new lifesyle needs to be adopted, and liquid calories must be avoided with both (RNYers, correct me if I am wrong) And from my understanding, not all RNYers dump.

And your results with the band can be fairly quick. I lost my weight in 17 months, and there are plenty on a few of the support boards I post on who have lost in a very short time frame. I did however keep in mind that it took longer than 24 months to put the weight on, so I expected it to take at least that long to take it off (18 to 24 months is the average for goal)

You are a lucky lady to have a banded doc. They really do get what the whole journey is about. Very lucky!!

kiteless · 07-27-2006, 02:36 AM

I had my Duodenal Switch 17 months ago, and I couldn't be happier. I've lost 135 pounds, and I am at the perfect weight. You'd never know about my surgery by watching me eat. I am living a totally normal life for the first time in years. Check out duodenalswitch.com if you are interested in finding out more about this surgery. It saved my life!

Journeysmom · 07-27-2006, 02:39 AM

I got the Lap-Band last September. I've lost 60 pounds and feel so much better!
My PCOS is still a problem, but I'm hoping that as I lose more weight, it'll improve.
Good luck!

JJ Dynomite · 07-27-2006, 03:12 PM

I hate to be the one to pee on everybody's Wheaties here, but I feel the need to comment. For the most part, I am against bariatric surgery of any type. I believe it should be left for those who are morbidly obese; those who are so obese that they cannot get up and out to function in society because extreme weight and medical illnesses prevent them from doing so.

What people don't realize is that surgical bariatric procedures, of any type, are a relatively new phenomenon and virtually NO studies have been done to determine what the long term effects are on an individual who has elected to have his/her inners re-routed and re-assembled. Commonly what happens is the short-term benefits are glorified. There is no doubt this type of weight loss has helped people win the battle against heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, and other life threatening conditions. I don't contest the benefits the surgery has to offer because it's changed the lives of a lot of my close friends. But there are far too many unknowns here for me to be comfortable signing over my life to a doctor for this procedure. I did consider this as one of my options for weight loss, before being diagnosed with PCOS. However, an enlightening discussion with my gastroenterologist convinced me otherwise and I am thankful for his insight. He is currently doing research and studies on these after effects. By this I am not being doom and gloom. This is hard core reality and it is something one needs to take into serious consideration before any surgical procedure.

WLS, like any weight loss "program", is a lot of hard work. But it isn't a guarantee either. Your stomach stretches (after all, that's how the overweight have gained in the first place - we ALL KNOW what we do wrong behind closed doors!). Your stomach will stretch again. I've seen many people go through absolute hell getting WLS only to gain back most of it 2-3 years later. There's no way I'd put my body through something like that unless it was foolproof. Unfortunately, weight loss isn't fool proof and no matter what you do is going to require life changes and eternal maintenance.

If I'm going to commit to a lifetime of hard work in order to battle my weight issue, I'd rather do it the old fashioned way - diet and exercise. I believe that if a person is in such a state of desperation in the struggle to take the weight off and make life a healthier experience, they should be able to find motivation to commit long term to a program of eating better and exercising like there's no tomorrow.

And that's just my $0.02.

BethInBoston · 07-27-2006, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ Dynomite

I hate to be the one to pee on everybody's Wheaties here, but I feel the need to comment. For the most part, I am against bariatric surgery of any type. I believe it should be left for those who are morbidly obese; those who are so obese that they cannot get up and out to function in society because extreme weight and medical illnesses prevent them from doing so..

Good post JJ Dynomite...but I don't agree...your points are valid and I can understand that to some people, weight loss surgery may look like an easy way out, but without knowing that person's history and lifestory, I don't see how someone can make those assumptions...some people don't lose weight no matter how hard they try. I have tried for years and years to lose weight, but my body chemistry just doesn't allow it. In fact, when I work out and eat right, I still gain weight...I am morbidly obese and weigh 252 lbs, but I work out, kayak, hike, etc and still don't lose weight. Does that mean I don't qualify for surgery? I live like a normal person in society, except for the fact that I'm miserable on the inside for something I can't control. I don't think I deserve to be miserable the rest of my life because of the genes that I was born with...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ Dynomite

What people don't realize is that surgical bariatric procedures, of any type, are a relatively new phenomenon and virtually NO studies have been done to determine what the long term effects are on an individual who has elected to have his/her inners re-routed and re-assembled.

Bariatric sugeries, and long term studies, have been around for over 40 years...if that's not long term, what are you referring to?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ Dynomite

WLS, like any weight loss "program", is a lot of hard work. But it isn't a guarantee either. Your stomach stretches (after all, that's how the overweight have gained in the first place - we ALL KNOW what we do wrong behind closed doors!).

From what I've learned, WLS is just as hard, if not HARDER work for someone than dieting and exercise alone - it's a life long commitment and should only be entered into if that person is ready to make changes for the rest of their life. If someone stretches their stomach back out, then that is too bad and they obviously didn't understand the path they were going down...but I think the majority of people just want a chance at living a normal life, without being miserable about their weight and how they look and living with all the health issues...and I think the majority of people are ready to make the commitment. Why should they be judged for wanting to be normal and happy? Doesn't everyone deserve the same thing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ Dynomite

If I'm going to commit to a lifetime of hard work in order to battle my weight issue, I'd rather do it the old fashioned way - diet and exercise. I believe that if a person is in such a state of desperation in the struggle to take the weight off and make life a healthier experience, they should be able to find motivation to commit long term to a program of eating better and exercising like there's no tomorrow.

Honestly, this statement bothers me the most...do you really think that people who get WLS are so lazy and gross that they can't or won't commit to a weight loss program? I have been on Weight Watchers and working out 6 days a week for 1 YEAR and have lost a total 20 lbs. So what kind of program do you suggest I try? I am just curious...this is my LAST RESORT....I have put the time in effort in, not only with the diets and exercise, but with countless specialists and doctors...I don't want to become diabetic, or have heart disease or be infertile because of genetics and things I can't control...So honestly, I am really bothered by these statements (that I need to be so fat that I can't get out of my house) to get surgery...

Just my 2 cents!!!!

mduran · 07-27-2006, 07:52 PM

Hello everyone I have gone to the seminar. Right now I am waiting to do a phychological evaluation and then I have to see a nutritionist. my consultaion with my surgeon is on Sept 6th. I am nervous to have it done but I am excited also. I have found this website, it's simular to this on, but is for the WLS. It is wonderful tool to use especially when your looking for more helpful information. Another thing I like about the site is the sucess stories are really inpirational. And people, like on here, are really down to earth ans sweet. Here is the Site: http://www.renewedreflections.com/

Hope to see you on there. my user name if you wanna talk is moniqued.

JJ Dynomite · 07-27-2006, 10:11 PM

Beth:

Of course my points are valid, and so is everything else that I said in the previous post because I'm expressing my opinion. While you may not agree with it, while you don't have to agree with it, it is my opinion. The same can be said about you.

If you read what I said, I said "for the most part" I don't agree with the surgery. And that's true. I do believe it should be a procedure reserved for those most in need. Moreover, it should be for those most concerned with health benefits and not vanity fair. If you have a doctor who, after a history and evaluation, deemed you an appropriate candidate for this surgery, then that's great. Obviously you fall into the category of necessity. I don't believe, however, that every person who wants to get this procedure falls into that category.

The first bariatric procedure was performed in 1967, and I believe it was called the Loop procedure. Evidence in the medical community points to serious complications from this procedure. While gastric bypass and bariatric surgery in general has evolved over time, there really are not that many studies to show long term complications other than the obvious (dumping, vitamin deficiencies, etc). Where are the studies for RNY? Where are the studies for new(er) lap procedures? Where are the studies to show what happens to a developing adolescent who undergoes a bariatric weight loss procedure? If you would like a reference to a doctor who can validate what I've said, I'd be more than happy to supply you with a contact number so you can obtain the information I have.

I am in the same boat as you, just like many others who struggle every day with their weight issues. I am very much dedicated to eating right and exercising, which I now do faithfully. In just a year, after being completely religious to a program, I have only lost 8 lbs. Only in recent months has my weight loss changed, and only with the help of a dietician have I been able to shed the pounds I want to shed. At a glance, 8 lbs lost in a year is depressing. But you know what? 8 lbs in a year is a lot to lose, especially coming from gaining 60 lbs and sometimes more in less than a 5 month period (as I have in the past). Weight loss, no matter how minimal or how much effort I've had to put into it, is much better than weight gain, or even plateauing. It is reassuring to me that something is going right and that I'm doing the right thing and making the right choices. Again, this is case specific to me and is in no way a judgement about what you have decided to do for yourself.

I agree with you, I don't want to be diabetic and in that respect genetics is battling against me too. Diabetes runs rampant in my family.

But I have made a choice of how to handle the situation in my life, and you've made yours. You may not agree with what I'm doing, I may not agree with what you're doing and that's perfectly fine. I never once implied in anything that I've said that no one deserves the right to be happy or normal or that getting WLS makes you lazy, etc. That ws your interpretation. The only thing I've tried to express is that WLS is something I don't agree with and it's something I'm against for legit reasons. WLS is a privilege, not a right... and therefore shouldn't be abused.