Question:
Is it normal to change my mind about surgery frequently?
I KNOW I need this surgery for my medical issues and I know it is the right choice. I still feel like I'm "cheating" and when I see TV shows with people losing large amounts of weight naturally, it makes me feel like I shouldn't be opting for surgery. The pros of surgery and the restrictions on your body after make me feel it's surgery I should have. THat maybe that is the structure I need. — psturgill (posted on June 5, 2008)
June 5, 2008
What you are feeling is normal. The closer you get to surgery these feels
may get stronger. I feel the same way, I'm just beginning to start pre-op
testing and feel sad for some reason. We are leaving behind a way of life
that is comfortable and not good for us. You are doing the right thing my
havinig this surgery, sometimes I think that I can lose the weight without
surgery, but we have been there and done that. Now it's time to get the
tool that will standard us for a long time to come.
You are not along feeling this way. God Bless. Nevalle
— Toby2
June 5, 2008
A lot of people feel like we've "cheated" and took the "easy
way out"...That's the guilt you feel. Don't because this is not the
easy way out or "cheating" either. I can tell you right now...I
would not be here now (4 and 1/2 years after WLS) because the pain and
depression from being MO was more than I could handle both mentally and
physically. I am a different person now. I am happy and grounded and above
all healthier...I don't let anyone make me feel bad...They are uneducated
in WLS to make an opinion or make me feel bad about my decision. I can't
feel sorry for saving my own life and making the quality of the rest of my
life better. I will not apologize either...Instead, I tell people what a
great thing I did for myself. When you rob yourself of good health and
happiness and the ability to fit in an airplane seat or ride a
rollercoaster...or run in a 5K for cancer...or play with your children and
enjoy life...that's when you are "cheating" ... Cheating
yourself, when there is technology to give you back these things...
— .Anita R.
June 5, 2008
Paula, I'm assuming from your previous post that you're just starting the
process and haven't consulted a surgeon yet? Everyone I know and those on
OH have doubts as they begin their journey, and you're the only one who can
decide what is best for you. It took me about a year of researching before
I finally decided to check WLS out and select a surgeon, and then I almost
changed my mind again when I had to wait a couple of months to get in for
my initial visit. One thing about the WLS journey - it's not a quick
process, and its structure is different from other weight loss methods I've
done. I would suggest you select a surgical group that you're interested
in, and book an initial consultation with a surgeon. Then you'll have a
better idea if that's what you're looking for at this point. If you're
interested in how to find a reliable group, what to look for, etc. please
feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I'll share my
researched information that may help. Good luck!
— obeseforever
June 5, 2008
Paula,
I was right there with you just six short months ago. I questioned
myself the whole time I was going to the nutrition appts. and right up
until the day of my surgery, Jan. 17th, but I feel so much better already,
that I believe I would do it all over again. I didn't do it to be thin, or
look good, either, I just wanted to live long enough to enjoy my life. I
am down about 75 lbs. so far and I feel a little better everyday. I think
we have all tried to lose it "Naturally" but like many others,
that is not always possible, this is a wonderful tool, I have never lost
this much weight before, and I would do it all again
— Gert
June 5, 2008
I hope this will help you in your decision. I have a very close friend we
gained weight as we got older and have been on all kinds of diets, lost,
gained etc. I decided to get surgery. My friend said I was crazy- she would
never do that to her body; she could do it on her own- I applauded her as
she started once again another diet- but it was to be her lifestyle change.
I always felt she had more willpower than I did.
I had surgery. We both lost about 75 pounds. But then she stopped losing- I
continued. I lost 120pounds; she gained back her 75 plus of course more. I
am not saying- there aren't people who don't keep the weight off that they
lose on both sides- after 3 years out I put on 20 lbs. But I DO know this
surgery was right for me because- I had a problem with over eating and I
can eat the wrong things but I CAN NOT cheat in eating too much because it
keeps me in check. My problems are mine and I am glad I have this tool to
help me. I don't feel I cheated or took the easy way because this is hard-
it's still hard- because there are times when I wish I could eat more or
different foods but I can't even if I wanted too.
It's not a miracle cure- I still feel and experience everything I did
before- but I am healthier. I have to pay very close attention still to the
things I put in my mouth- but for different reasons. I can turn my
attention to other things I need to work on. My friend, struggles more and
more with her weight and the health issues caused from it. She still feels
she could not do the surgery. But she cries about not being able to lose
weight- I thiink more because deciding to do this surgery takes courage to
give up the choice to be able to eat some foods.I know it doesn't effect
everyone the same- but you never know where you are going to fall in what
you can tolerate and when. You have to be ready to really not care about
eating food; and then be happy when you can. Does that make sense? I dont
regret it 1 minute.
— Cdavis226
June 5, 2008
Studies have shown that a whopping 94% (approximately, I may be off by a
digit or two) of people who lose a significant amount of weight through
diet and exercise alone gain it all back within 4 years. The people you
hear about who didn't gain it back are far and few in between. Most people
do gain it all back. The surgery is a mighty powerful tool for weight loss
and, more importantly, good health. Use the tool. I did, and do not regret
it, and in fact have said a prayer to thank God that I got to have the RNY.
— Gina S.
June 5, 2008
I'm with you on this one. My MD requires 10% weight loss before they will
even consider surgery. I am at the place where if I can do this, why can't
I just continue on my own? I have lost 34 lbs now out of 137lbs to lose.
One thing that has helped with jumpstarting is the Sparklepeople.com
nuturition tool. Jackie
— Boggma
June 6, 2008
If you're tossed, go with your gut instinct. I know from experience that
surgery is not the "easy" way out. The issues at hand are still
there. Some may think that surgery erases the battle all together, it is
still a battle and one that you must consistently fight, surgery or not.
Best of luck to you!
— bariatricdivalatina
June 6, 2008
I always have been a guy that could do what no one else could do, except
lose weight and keep it off. As you get older your body stops allowing you
to lose but it keeps alowing you to put it back on. Finaly at 62 years
old, I bit the bullet and had the surgery, admitting I was a failure at
weight loss. You know, with the help of this tool, I am not a failure at
weight loss and I know the more than 100 lbs I have taken off in 6 months
will stay off. I eat a healthy diet now, and junk food is a thing of the
pass. RNY WLS enabled me to see the path I needed to take and it will help
you if you give it a chance. If you went to the hospital tonight and they
told your your appendex was about to rupture, would you think about the
surgery. Well today WLS is not much different, except your get to make the
choice. Make the right choice for your body and add years to your life.
Best of success to you.
— William (Bill) wmil
June 6, 2008
You will probably second-guess yourself right up to surgery, and you may
even have buyer's remorse early on post-op. It's natural. It sounds like
you know what is right for you, and you just need to trust yourself. You
wouldn't have gotten to this point if you hadn't already tried a bizzillion
diets and restrictions. That just doesn't work for everyone! Be proud
that you are taking steps to address the issue - no matter the tool you
need to use. Take care, Kris
— gonnadoit
June 6, 2008
I am 5 weeks post op and I too had all those scary feelings right up until
the time I had surgery. I lost 30 lbs pre-op and felt like if i could do
this then i could continue without surgery. I had major health issues and
would like to say that I am already off blood pressure meds and
cholosterol. my thyroid meds have had to be lowered and my blood sugars are
in the 80's. So I think this is definetly worth it. I am down 63 lbs total.
I think it is normal to have these thoughts. Best of luck to you.
Arden
— bikermama
June 7, 2008
I have tried diets and even SUCCEEDED with them for a while but the problem
with me always was that I could stay HUNGRY for only so long and then I
would give in. I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Basically what the
surgeons did was REMOVE 85% of my stomach and sew the rest back together
into a small tube that only holds about 4 to 6 ounces of food at a time.
When I asked my surgeon how big the portion of the stomach WAS that they
REMOVED, he took out a sheet of paper and told me that it was about the
size of the sheet of paper. That was the portion of my stomach that they
removed that was EMPTY. What it should have been was about the size of my
TWO FISTS put together FULL. It was TWICE as big as it should have been in
AREA which meant that it was THREE times as big as it should have been in
VOLUME! This means that the area that produced one of the the HORMONES
that is VERY INFLUENTIAL in creating the feeling of HUNGER, GREHLIN, was
ALSO TWICE as prevalent in my stomach! I was TWICE as hungry as everyone
ELSE! My stomach produced TWICE the hormone that CAUSED hunger than it
SHOULD have because it had TWICE the surface area of a NORMAL stomach for a
man of my size! I would wake up at 2 AM so RAVENOUS that I would need TWO
bowls of cereal just to quiet my hunger so that I could go back to SLEEP!
DIETING didn't work for long because I could not STAY hungry FOREVER! The
BEST thing about the type of surgery that I have had (the Vertical Sleeve
Gastrectomy) is that they REMOVE the portion of the stomach that CAUSES
most of your hunger! After my surgery I was on a CLEAR LIQUID DIET for 2
weeks. I did not even eat JELLO! it was just Water, Gatorade, and
Popsicles. During those 2 weeks, the HUNGRIEST I felt was best described
as if I was at work and someone had said, "I am going to Taco Bell,
anyone want anything?" I would then pause and think for a minute
while I was working and then after thinking, say, "Yea, get me a
burrito or something." There would be no urgency to the request and I
would not be the guy MAKING the suggestion. I would actually have to THINK
to see if I was hungry before making the decision. I had been on a liquid
diet before. Even with PUDDING and JELLO, I wanted to EAT MY ARM on the
FIRST DAY! This was a DRASTIC CHANGE!
It is NOT cheating if you need to have surgery to rid yourself of a problem
that will HANDICAP you for the rest of your life! Up 'till now, your
STOMACH has RULED your LIFE! It did so with ME! It is time to TAKE YOUR
LIFE BACK! The people on the TV are PAID to lose those "Large"
amounts of weight (as in the celebrity endorsements) and have TRAINERS that
HELP them DO IT. If NOT, they are often CHERRY PICKED from the CREAM of
the crop of customers that the companies have and they are STATISTICAL
ANOMALIES. If you look at the adds you will see that there is ALWAYS a
DISCLAIMER. There is ALWAYS a statement that says something like,
"The results shown here are not necessarily indicative of the results
that you will achieve using this product. Individual results may
vary." That is because the KNOW that the AVERAGE person using the
product CANNOT get those results! They put the disclaimer in so that they
cannot be SUED!
Take this for what it's worth. I am telling you up front that I am NOT an
"Expert" on Weight Loss Surgery. I am just a PATIENT that has
done some research. I encourage EVERYONE to RESEARCH EACH surgical option
FOR THEMSELVES! THIS is the information that I have found in MY research.
I have posted it here for you in an effort to help GUIDE and you help you
START your OWN journey into your OWN research.
There are a LOT of differences in the different types of surgical
procedures. There are a LOT of differences in different SURGEONS. Some
surgeons require more of their patients than others. Some PROCEDURES
require more of the patient than others. You need to do some research and
find the BEST fit for YOU. I just had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on
March 1, 2008. My surgeon did NOT require me to lose weight. I had a BMI
of 43.6. Now that isn't NEARLY as bad as many people. Had I been HEAVIER,
he may HAVE required it. I don't know. What I CAN tell you is that I was
having problems with arthritis in my knees and my shoulder. That was
almost three months ago. Now it is GONE. There is just a TWINGE every now
and again but NOTHING NEAR the constant agony that I was in before! I was
also a Diabetic 3 months ago. I have had to DROP all of my diabetes
medications on Easter Day because the ONE glucovance pill that I was taking
caused me to have my blood sugar to DROP to 53 POINTS! My sugars are still
a LITTLE high, but under 150 (usually between 114 to 140 after a meal) and
WITHOUT medication! In a FEW weeks with some MORE weight loss, I figure
that my diabetes will be in COMPLETE remission! I have lost 59 pounds in a
little over 2 MONTHS with my surgery (the VSG) and it was done WITHOUT
feeling HUNGRY!
From what I have learned, your MAIN options are the Lap Band, the Vertical
Banded Gastroplasty, the Gastric Bypass, The Duodenal Switch and the
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. There are other options, I am sure, but these
are the most common that I have found. There are also combinations of
these options ALSO available such as the Banded Duodenal Switch, the Banded
Gastric Bypass, and the Banded Sleeve Gastrectomy. The Banded options are
basically the same as the Regular surgeries but they have a Lap Band added
as additional insurance in case of future need.
The Lap Band: (http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/wlsurgery.html#LapBand)
is well known. It basically squeezes the stomach to make it smaller and
creates a pouch with a restriction at the top of the stomach which fills
quickly and empties slowly. The advantages of this surgery are that it is
reversible if needed and it is adjustable if needed. It is a HIGHLY
flexible procedure. This surgery is well known and accepted by many
insurance companies. It may be best for people who have a history of
cancer either themselves or in their family and may need to take
chemo-therapy and for women in childbearing years who may become pregnant.
There are also other reasons for wanting this type of surgery, but I don't
want to spend ALL day writing this. There is an effective Excess body
weight loss over 3 to 5 years of 50% to 60% noted in some studies. The
PROBLEM with this option is that there are sometimes complications with
this device. Some people have a reaction to the foreign object in their
body. People with immune issues should NOT have this device. Lupus and MS
patients for example, can have a reaction to the foreign body and it may
trigger an immune system response. Other issues with the Lap Band are that
it is common for the band to "Slip" on the stomach and cause the
pouch to enlarge thus causing the person with the device to eat more and
negating the purpose of the surgery. Some surgeons have started stitching
the band to the stomach to prevent this from happening. It would be wise
to ask your surgeon if you are considering this option if he does this.
Other times people have learned to "Eat around the Band" and
force the food PAST the band to fill up the rest of the stomach and thus
defeat the purpose of the band. Actually, this is an issue with ALL weight
loss surgeries. All can be defeated by a patient who is either ignorant or
intent on doing so. It seems to be MORE common with the Banded options,
however. Another issue with Banded options is that occasionally the bands
will erode the outside lining of the stomach causing damage to the stomach
that often needs repairs and calls for a removal of the band and or a
revision to some other type of weight loss option. This happens in about
less than 1% of the Lap Band Surgeries but it IS something that needs to be
taken into consideration.
In the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty:
(http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/wlsurgery.html#VBG) (commonly known as
stomach stapling) the surgeon makes a cut into the stomach to create a
pouch. He sews the pouch and places a band at the bottom of the pouch.
This banded option has less chance of the band slipping since the cut in
the stomach holds it into place. It also has the advantage of being
somewhat reversible but is not as easily reversible as the Lap Band. It is
NOT as well known as it's more famous banded cousin, the Lap Band. There
may be difficulties in getting this option with some insurance companies.
It has many of the advantages and disadvantages of the Lap Band surgery
with the exception that the Band does not tend to slip and let the pouch
expand.
The Gastric Bypass: (
http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/wlsurgery.html#RNY) is made when the
surgeon cuts the TOP of the stomach off and creates a pouch. An OLDER
version of this surgery left the stomach intact but had a line of staples
that was used to create the pouch. This method is no longer in use much,
if at all. The surgeon then takes a length of intestine and BYPASSES it.
He takes the LOOSE end that is still attached to the intestines and sews it
to the SIDE of the pouch that was created from the TOP of the stomach. The
BYPASSED intestine is then attached to the side of the intestine that was
connected to the pouch so that BILE from the bile duct can empty bile from
the liver into the intestine. This option is often the DARLING of
insurance companies. Many companies that won't pay for any OTHER Weight
Loss Surgeries will pay for THIS one. THAT makes THIS surgery quite
popular for many surgeons! This surgery has the advantage of being a
HIGHLY effective tool in the arsenal of weapons against the foe obesity!
It has an effective rate of weight loss and maintenance of 60 to 80% in
some studies at 1 to 2 years. The DOWNSIDE of this weight loss option is
that there issues of malabsorption of minerals and vitamins due to the
bypassed intestine. This often leaves the patient reliant on his doctor
for the special supplements required to maintain his or her health. Other
issues are dumping, nausea, and vomiting. Dumping is basically when you
have diarrhea that is caused by the intestine's inability to absorb the
food that was eaten. Along with the diarrhea can come intestinal cramping,
sweating, palpitations and other unpleasant side effects. Some people
experience dumping with sweets. Others experience it with fats. Each
person seems to have their own issues but whatever they are, they cause
them to excrete the food that they ate before it was fully digested.
Nausea and vomiting, while experienced by many in ALL weight loss surgeries
is NOT experienced by ALL. It does seem to be MORE PREVALENT in the
GASTRIC BYPASS and DUODENAL SWITCH patients according to the research that
I have seen. The gas and foul smelling stool are also a result of the
shortened digestive process due to the bypassed intestine in both the
Gastric Bypass and the Duodenal Switch. There is also something called the
"Mini Gastric Bypass" This was quite popular a while back but
there where problems that were soon discovered that KEPT the procedure from
becoming a popular option. You can read MORE about this procedure at this
location:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Mini-Gastric-Bypass---The-Ideal-Weight-Loss-Solution&id=361143
.
This is a direct copy of the entry for the post on the Mini Gastric Bypass
in the section defining the procedure under the Variations of the Gastric
Bypass in WikiPedia. The quote begins here: "Loop Gastric bypass
("Mini-gastric bypass"): The first use of the gastric bypass, in
1967, used a loop of small bowel for re-construction, rather than a
Y-construction as is prevalent today. Although simpler to create, this
approach allowed bile and pancreatic enzymes from the small bowel to enter
the esophagus, sometimes causing severe inflammation and ulceration of
either the stomach or the lower esophagus. If a leak into the abdomen
occurs, this corrosive fluid can cause severe consequences. Numerous
studies show the loop reconstruction (Billroth II gastrojejunostomy) works
more safely when placed low on the stomach, but can be a disaster when
placed adjacent to the esophagus. Thus even today thousands of
"loops" are used for general surgical procedures such as ulcer
surgery, stomach cancer and injury to the stomach, but bariatric surgeons
abandoned use of the construction in the 1970s, when it was recognized that
its risk is not justified for weight management.
The Mini-Gastric Bypass, which uses the loop reconstruction, has been
suggested as an alternative to the Roux en-Y procedure, due to the
simplicity of its construction, which reduced the challenge of laparoscopic
surgery. It is claimed that construction of a long tubular gastric pouch
reduces the risk of inflammatory complications, and renders it as safe as
the RNY technique." While it has been CLAIMED that the change to a
longer tubular Gastric pouch reduces the risk of inflammatory
complications, there is little research that PROVES it. If you are
interested in having this procedure done, keep this in mind. The entry for
Gastric Bypass in WikiPedia can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass_surgery . Here is a short
animation that shows what is done for the Mini Gastric Bypass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFQPLF9IjtI .
The Duodenal Switch: (http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/wlsurgery.html#DS
) is the STRONGEST tool in this arsenal of weapons! Many surgeons think it
shouldn't be used lightly and often only recommend the procedure for people
with a body mass index OVER 50! In the Duodenal Switch, the surgeon
REMOVES approximately 85% of the stomach including MOST of the region of
the stomach that produces the hormone grehlin. Grehlin is one of the
hormones that create HUNGER. Removing the section of the stomach that
creates hunger is a HUGE feature of this procedure. The surgeons then sew
the rest of the stomach back together and create a tube shaped stomach that
resists stretching. The stomach varies in size depending on the surgeon
and the patient but can be anywhere from 2 ounces to 6 ounces, perhaps
more. The next step of this procedure involves bypassing the intestine
just like in the Gastric Bypass. Instead of attaching the intestine to the
SIDE of the stomach, it is attached to the BOTTOM of the stomach where the
intestine used to exit. The bypassed intestine is then sewn at one end
near the liver and the far end of the intestine is sewn to the intestine
that was attached to the stomach to pass bile to the intestines as it does
in the gastric bypass. This procedure is MORE efficient than the Gastric
Bypass in losing weight. This option has an effective rate of weight loss
and maintenance of 70 to 90% in those same studies. The downside when
compared to the Gastric Bypass is that Insurance companies often do not
know of this option and are often reluctant to pay for it. This option has
many of the same issues as the Gastric Bypass. There are some severe
malabsorption issues. There are often issues with dumping, nausea,
vomiting, GERD (acid reflux), gas and foul smelling stools. Many surgeons
have been reluctant to perform this surgery due to the severity of the
complications that can arise. This is why it is often reserved for those
who are considered severely morbidly obese. Many surgeons had looked for
an alternative to this surgery which lead to what was initially considered
a "Half Duodenal Switch" or as it later became known, the
"Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy."
The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy:
(http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/wlsurgery.html#VSG) (if you get the
same picture as the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, just scroll UP) is a
GREAT tool to use in the fight against obesity. While not QUITE as
effective as the Duodenal Switch, it is often JUST as effective as the
Gastric Bypass without the severity of the side effects of EITHER of those
two options. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy initially started as an
attempt to create a safer Duodenal Switch alternative. While early
attempts were not as successful in weight loss reduction, this was mainly
due to the fact that the surgeons were relying on the larger size stomach
often used for the Duodenal Switch patients who often rely on the
"Switch" part of the surgery for some of the weight loss. Once
the surgeons started reducing the size of the STOMACH, the Vertical Sleeve
Gastrectomy became a much more effective tool at helping the patient loose
weight. In the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, the stomach is cut and
approximately 85% of it is removed. Just like the Duodenal Switch, most of
the cells that produce the hormone grehlin are removed. This eliminates
most of the hunger that the patient used to have, if not all of it. The
stomach that is made from what is left is turned into a tube that is
resistant to stretching. This tube is often designed to hold from 2 to 4
ounces of food or liquid. At this point the surgery is complete. The
surgeons just need to close up and the patient needs to recover. The
upside to this surgery is that it is simple and has one of the LOWEST rates
of complications of all the weight loss surgeries. It also has one of the
HIGHEST rates of excess weight loss with one study in California coming in
starting at 58% to 77.9% loss in a ONE to TWO year study and one doctor in
England reporting that 100% of his patients had a weight loss and
maintenance OVER 70% at 6 YEARS of living with the Sleeve. He also
reported that patients with hypertension, diabetes, impaired glucose
tolerance, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, or arthritis were all cured or
improved after surgery. It has also been said that this is the ONLY
recommended option for people with immune system problems. People with
diseases like Lupus or MS can have this procedure because there is NO
foreign object placed in their body. This also is one of the few
recommended options for people with organ transplants. People with
transplants need their intestines to metabolize their anti rejection
medications. There are possible issues with GERD in this surgery as there
are with the Duodenal Switch There are NO malabsorption issues with this
surgery. There are NO additional foul odors. There is NO additional
intestinal gas. While nausea and vomiting is common in ALL weight loss
surgeries, it is NO MORE PREVALENT in the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy than
in most of the other options. If needed, the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
can be easily converted to a Duodenal Switch should additional Weight Loss
measures need to be taken at a later date. This act is called a
"Revision." Having your Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy converted to
a Duodenal Switch would be said to be having a, "Revision of your
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy to a Duodenal Switch."
The Biggest DOWNSIDE to the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is that it is
considered "Experimental" by many insurance companies. While it
has not been practiced HERE in the US as a weight loss option for very long
(about 5 years or so) it has been done for QUITE a while in Central and
South America and in Europe for quite some time. The surgery has been used
HERE in the US for OTHER reasons for QUITE a while. It has been used QUITE
effectively to treat stomach cancers and ulcers with good effect. These
treatments have been done in the US for quite some time.
There is a NEW option that is being explored for people that have had the
RNY that may be expanded to include OTHER weight loss surgical options and
possibly be used to REPLACE them in the future if it becomes approved for
that use. This new option is called stomaphyX. The stomaphyX surgery
basically takes a post down the INSIDE of the stomach and then FOLDS the
stomach in upon ITSELF and makes the available volume INSIDE the stomach
SMALLER. There is NO CUTTING on the abdomen or anywhere ELSE. All of the
surgery is done through the esophagus. None of the stomach is removed or
cut. At the moment, from what I have been able to find according to MY
research, the device is only approved for use with Gastric Bypass patients
to help make their existing pouches smaller. Permission is being sought to
expand the device's use to other types of weight loss surgeries and for use
on patients that have NOT had weight loss surgery but to be used in PLACE
of traditional weight loss surgery. From what I have been able to find,
this device has not been approved for this use yet. To find out MORE about
this option go to this link:
http://www.themorbidme.com/2007/09/stomaphyx-incis.html .
Options for getting surgeries that are not paid for by insurance can be
found if you are persistent. You can sometimes petition the company and
get them to reconsider with a doctor's explanation. You can also self pay
or take out a loan. Many times, the surgeries are cheaper in Mexico or
other central or South American countries. Do some research to find your
options.
Not every surgery is going to be right for every person. Frankly, for ME,
if I were an obese male with a BMI under 50 (which I am) or an obese woman
NOT of child bearing age, I would choose the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
(which I DID). If I were an obese male with a BMI OVER 50, I would get the
Duodenal Switch. If my insurance company would not COVER it, I would get
the Sleeve. If not THAT, then the Gastric Bypass. I would keep working my
way down the list until I found SOMETHING that I could get. If the
insurance company wouldn't pay, I would try to take out a LOAN (this is
actually what my wife did for me). If I were a WOMAN of child bearing
years or a person facing the possibility of chemotherapy or some other
health issues that would require periods when I would NEED more sustenance,
I would want the flexibility of the Lap Band. The short of it is, Do YOUR
RESEARCH and CHOOSE the right surgical option for YOU! If you can't get
ONE option for a reason, at least get another! For the sake of yourself
and the ones you love, do SOMETHING to fix the problem before it is too
late. If you die due to health problems caused by obesity, it is TOO LATE!
Whatever surgical option you choose, for whatever REASON you choose, we are
ALL here for the same reason. We are here to HELP and BE HELPED. Please,
let's respect each other. There are those on the OH boards that consider
themselves to be "Experts." Most of these folks do not have any
medical experience. They are patients just like me. It is best to take
any advice you get on the OH boards with a grain of salt (if not the whole
cellar). Some folks have a severe bias towards or against certain
surgeries. There are folks who will TELL you that the surgery you are
considering is WRONG and is BOUND to fail! IGNORE these people. Not every
surgery is right for every person! DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and and CONSULT
with your PHYSICIAN or your SURGEON! I cannot stress the importance of
doing your own research enough.
There is a revised version of this post at my profile page. I have added
some links to some web sites that have some interviews with some surgeons
that perform weight loss surgeries and have videos that actually SHOW the
surgeries. You can watch the surgeries being performed and get many of
your questions answered by the surgeons as they explain what they are
doing. They explain the positives and negatives of each procedure. My
Profile page can be found HERE:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/hubarlow/ . Look for a post called
Surgical Comparisons. If you can't find the post on the profile page, look
for the post in the March Archives.
I hope this helps
Hugh.
— hubarlow
June 9, 2008
Paula, Do not consider what other people had done. If you look at the
small print on most of the shows it says "results not typical"
If you are like most of us that seek corrective surgery to stop the weight
problems, you can't move forword without intervntion. Let me tell you, in
2004 I had my surgery and I had some problems, but I wouuld go through all
of those problems to get to where I am today. I still have about 40 lbs to
go according to the internest and that is OK. Everyone tells me that I
don't need to lose anymore. In the beginning I would go into my room and
cry while my family ate. I missed one of my favorite buddies, and that was
food, food and more food. now I am working one about 4 years post op and I
could not be happier. There are things that I couldn't possible do before.
I had some who were behind me for the surgery and some (such as my
husband) who didn't want to see me take the chance of taking my life with
this surgery. But at 426 lbs, I was taking my life in my hands everyday.
And I couldn't do anything. I was embarrassed to do anything and I have
moved forward. Don't be afraid to move forward, but understand, it is not
easy. You will go through a lot that is not terribly easy, but it is
definitely worth every ache, pain and so forth. Trust in God, or whoever
you higher power is, they will show you the way. God Bless. Debbie
— imdebbie
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