Gastric Bypass Surgery
 

hi all,

i'm seriously considering having GBS. i went to an information mtg with the dr yesterday. he's very well known and has done something like 9,000 procedures in 30 + yrs.

i'm at the point where i'm getting nowhere with my wt. i will probably be able to take less of my meds and get rid of many of my ailments by losing this wt.

my question is; have any of you had bariatric surgery? how did it go?
thanks

Hi, first of all I don't know anyone personally who had gastric bypass. But my good friend has 2 ladies in her life and one of them went for the bypass and it didn't work. I don't know why these don't work, but that's what my friend shared with me.

This friend of her's who probably weighed 350, my friend guesses went to a weight watchers support group and something just snapped and it hit her. She has taken off 150 lbs to date and still wants to lose 50 lbs my friend says. This friend has had plastic surgery for all the loose skin etc. So that is one story.

The other day I got my hair cut. I've been going to this new gal over 6 months now and in the last 3-4 months, this almost 50 yr old has taken off over 50 lbs. She was close to diabetes and took control of her life. She eats no WHITE foods....has cut out junk foods and we know what those are and eats little meals thru the day. No more sitting down to huge meals. She is so HAPPY and everyone supports her and applauds her.

Now, the 45 yr old hairdresser in her "room" WAS probably 350 lbs. It's interesting the weight is the first thing one sees. This woman has taken off about 87 lbs to date. Again, eating no WHITES, getting junk out of her life and eating small meals thru the day. The other day I saw how pretty this woman is.

Both these younger gals go to a gym almost daily and walk a lot. I don't think they deal with other health issues that keeps them from moving.

Now for me and I went to a gym all my life, walked a LOT and since advanced OA and hip job mess, I've S L O W E D down so much. I hardly walk much at all and do have a recumbent bike in my living room and peddle slowly. Realizing how things have changed for me and so much inactivity now, what I did was stop bringing all BREAD into my house....None for over 6 yrs now. Every now and then I'll buy a little personal size pizza just to satisfy that carb fix. I was buying too many whole foods bulk cookies and STOPPED that about a month ago. We have to take control and realize what we are doing. I don't have diabetes and don't want it so that is on my mind at this later time in my life. I'm 77.

I don't know your story but wanted to share some recent stories from people in my life.

Oh, my daughter went thru some major issues in her life which included prescription drugs, and thru all her misery put on probably 70 lbs to her very svelt body that she and everyone in our lives knew. After a rehab stint, she joined Jenny Craig and this worked for her, she took off a lot of that added weight. She and her children are very much into nutrition and mostly alternative health now but it took a lot of down time and wake up calls.

Hope some of this helps and again I don't know what you have done on the weight issues over your life. Hope you find your answers. Caroline

thanks for sharing that caroline.

i've been down the diet stint; jenny craig, weight watchers etc; enuf in my life.
i've been much thinner maybe 4-5x in my life. much like others. i even lost 40lbs on my own but gained it back. weak maybe but that's what happened.

i don't just have risk factors for obesity i'm living it. diabetic etc.

i just don't trust myself to lose it. in fact, i'm going in the opposite direction.
if i don't do something i'm going to die early. i don't know how else to manage this lifelong problem ( heavy since 9 y/o).

A client hair dresser tried to get a bypass surgery she is 400 pounds.
The surgeon told her that she needed to lose 20 pounds by a certain date or the surgery was off. she could not lose it. so no surgery. I did not understand that. I felt sorry for her, she is desperate.
bizi

Hi Judy,

I know several people who have had gastric surgery. Most regained the weight after an initial impressive loss.

You generally have to lose a designated amount of weight before being approved for the surgery to prove that you have the self control to change your ways. The surgery is more of a jump start to weight loss, rather than a life-long solution. There are different kinds of surgery and each has it's own advantages/disadvantages.

My cousin had a bypass and has had diarrhea ever since. I don't imagine that happens to everyone. She also has to have B12 shots every month. She lost over 100 lbs at first but put most of it back on over the years. My brother's former MIL had some kind of gastric surgery and lost a lot of weight but she hasn't looked well ever since. Pale, lack of energy and put about half of the weight back on.

Instead of doing something as drastic as surgery, could you talk to a therapist and find out why you're having such trouble losing weight? I've had some success with making "rules" for problem foods. ie, never more than 2 pieces of pizza or 2 tacos. I don't keep junk food in the house. If I want it, I have to go out and buy it.

I'm sure there are success stories with the gastric surgeries, but I think there is also a lot of disappointment if you don't address the underlying reasons for overeating. A neighbour of mine had the lapband surgery. She found out that things like potato chips and cheezies went down pretty easily. She had trouble eating salads and some meats for a long time after the surgery. I haven't seen her for years, but she did very well for quite a while afterwards in spite of some bumps along the way.

I know it's frustrating as I've battled with my weight since I was a teenager. I've managed not to gain as I get older and weigh less than I did 15 years ago, but it's a constant battle.

I wish you success in whatever you decide. Keep us posted.

Carol

I once followed a blog of a man who did not have the surgery but ate/drank as if he did.
interesting.
I think he was able to lose weight this way.
I have heard of problems with the band....
I guess the sleeve is pretty common now.
Which surgery are you leaning toward?
bizi

NurseNancy, I have no direct experience of Gastric Bypass Surgery but am a member of the staff team of another world-wide mental health support forum.

A member there may be in a similar position to you. She (as others here have alluded to) has been told by her prospective surgeon that before Gastric Bypass Surgery can be considered she will need to lose a designated amount of weight by a designated time, see a registered dietitian regularly about her food intake and also see a mental health professional who has experience of working with clients who have weight issues regularly.

I do not intend this to be discouraging - just things for you to consider.

All the best.

Hi Judy,

You have been given some great information by your friends here. It seems obvious the change in lifestyle must come before commencement of this (radical) treatment. So, if the change can be made anyway, why not continue on that path.

I am going through a little sticky patch at the moment, another health issue increases Depression and that seems to trigger my Mirtazapine to make me excessively hungry. Yet, I am hanging on with the support and encouragement of my friends here and the welcome partnership of my adult daughter (who lives with me), who has joined me on my weight loss quest. It really does make things much easier, having a diet Buddy in the same household, eating the same meals, scolding you when you slip up.

Whichever way you ultimately go, it seems you will be following traditional dieting first. We will be here to offer you support through your journey.

Dave.

so dave glad that you have a dieting buddy now!
Continued good luck in this journey.
bizi
sorry about your other health issues...wish you felt better.

the dr did not recommend the band. says too many problems.
he recommended the actual gastric bypass. i still have more research & reading to do in order to decide.

thanks for all your support & info.
this dr is nationally known (Dr. Marema) & says he's done almost 10,000 procedures & taught many other drs. he comes up clean on healthgrades.

my other drs recommend him.
i've been dealing with wt issues since is was about 9. now i'm 66 & have many risk factors going against me. since i started insulin my wt has gone up. my endocrinologist told me it could but i can't remember why.

i'm very concerned about doing this & gaining the wt back. like i said. more research to do.

thanks again for your help.