Would you do it again?

Hello, I am scheduled for surgery 9/19/03. I am very excited but am wondering if any of you out there would do it again? I am a little nervous about the malabsorption issues. Other questions include: How long were you off from work? How did your co-workers react to your rapid weight loss? How long did you take pain meds? How long after surgery before you could exercise? What is the best thing about your surgery (other than the weight loss of course)? What is the worst thing about your surgery? Do you attend a support group? I look forward to your responses. Thanks. L. Stewart

LE DEANNE, HI,MY NAME IS SUSAN KYLE,I TOO,HAVE A SURGERY DATE OF 9-19.I LIVE IN OHIO.I HAD A PREVIOUS DATE OF 8-19,BUT MY STRESS TEST SHOWED ABNORMAL, SO I HAD A HEART CATH DONE,THANK GOD,NO BLOCKAGES.SO,I HAVE THE NEW DATE, I LIKE YOU,WONDER ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS,ARE YOU HAVING THE LAP-BAND, OR THE ROUXENY DONE?LE,EVERYONE,THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT,WOULDNT HESITATE TO HAVE IT DONE AGAIN.WRITE TO ME,IF YOU'D LIKE/MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS [email protected]'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. SUE KYLE

Hi, my name is Jeani Castelli. I had my surgrey on 4/14/03, and I have successfully lost 110lbs. Would I do it again you ask...IN A MINUTE!!!!!!! It is the best thing that I have ever done for myself,and I would have done it 20 years ago, had it been available, and as widely known about as it is now. DON'T GIVE UP THIS CHANCE, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. Not only do I have a new lease on life, but I have a LEASE on life. Email me at [email protected]. God bless Jeani Castelli

In a heartbeat! I was off work for six weeks, but could have returned after three. 9 months out my co-workers are shocked by my weight loss, especially those who only see me once or twice a year. People did not really notice the loss until about 50 lbs, at 85 lbs they react like I lost the weight overnight. I do not tell everone I had WLS, only those I feel need the information. I started exercising right away, with walking the halls at the hospital after surgery. I kept increasing the pace and distance from there to the full-fledged weight training program I am on now. The best thing about the surgery is the disappearance of all of my co-morbilities (back pain, knee pain). The worst thing is the scar--but I can live with it, I look at it as a small badge/trophie. I do not attend a support group, but still keep up with this site.

I'd do it again without a moment's hesitation. It has been the best thing that could have happened to me. I had my surgery on 6/30/03, about 10 weeks ago. I've lost 52 pounds which is exactly 50% of what the doctor expected I would lose in total. I had open RNY and was off from work for two weeks. I work out of my house doing transcription. I can work my own hours and don't have to drive anywhere. I just took it at a slow pace. My husband tells me I experienced a lot of pain while in the hospital. I have no memory of it at all and he says it was managed well with medication. When I came home I was on liquid vicodine which I used a couple of times a day for another week. Then the pain pretty much gone with the exception of when I twisted or turned the wrong way or one of our labs jumped on my belly. I was able to start taking long walks as soon as I got home from the hospital. Other than lifting, the doctor didn't put any restrictions on me. The only reason it was somewhat difficult to do was that I got fatigued very quickly. In fact, up until this week, I felt exhausted a lot of the time. But this week, I think the burst of energy you will read about on this site finally hit me and I can't sit still. As far as malabsorption, I have not had the easiest time re-introducing foods. I haven't been able to tolerate meat at all yet. My doctor says that's not uncommon. But I use protein shakes for two to three meals each day and then have cheese and dairy for the remainder. It's actually kind of nice since while obese, cheese was pretty much off limits. Although many people on here have said that their pouches seem practically limitless, mine is very touchy and only allows me to eat about five to six spoonsful using a baby spoon. Then, if I push for more, I generally am sorry I did. I attend a monthly support group meeting, which is mandatory with the practice that did my surgery. You must attend for a minimum of a year. It's fun and nice to be with people who are experiencing what you are. I frequently come away with new ideas. The worst things about surgery? The worry ahead of time and waiting so long before getting it done. The best thing about surgery? Feeling and looking better than I have in years.