a newbie ~ should i or shouldn't i? Is it a fast fix to have surgery?

Darlene, Surgery is not a fast fix. It has to be used as a tool to help you lose weight. But this tool, used as you would be taught can produce weight loss. Everyone loses at different rates, some lose most of their weigh in the first six or nine months, others it may take up to 18 months. You can never go back to your old ways of eating. You have to commit to eating a healthy diet of lean protiens, good carbohydrates and low fats. Also you need to incorporate exercise in your life. You need to research different types of surgery, talk to a doctor about it and any one you who can give you reliable information. Weigh the pros and cons, and then decide if this is something you want to do. Good luck with ever you decide to do. Sher

Hi Darlene... You sound like a very intelligent woman...one thing I will say about this surgery is, It's surgery giving you a tool to your stomach...NOT YOUR BRAIN....So, the changing out the bad foods for good, healhty foods is your job, not the surgeries. GET THE CRAP OUT OF THE HOUSE.....NOW! Why wait? No one needs it. You don't need to start your kid's lives out as unhealthy eaters and thus become obese as kids and adults. I don't know if you've thought of a surgeon, yet, but, I suggest going to Dr Aranow's seminar. He has them once a month on a Tues night. You will learn SO much about obesity, it's related health issues and bariatric surgery.. It was at this meeting that I knew I would die a lot sooner from being so morbidly obese than from the surgery itself. I'm not pushing his seminar to force you to pick him for a surgeon, just to get the wealth of knowledge that he presents at his session. It's awesome. I knew by the end that I needed this surgery to LIVE. Now that I've had the surgery, I went from 330+ lbs (5'8") and a size 4X and 30/32W...I've lost 130 lbs and now am in a size L top and a 14/16 pant. It wouldn't hurt me to lose another 25 lbs, but, if I don't, I won't be sad. Another thing that I had to do was get all the junk out of the house (I have an 8 and 6 year old...I'm 43) If my kids want candy, they get it at the check out and have just that. No bags of candy here at home...if they want ice cream, I take them to Friendly's for it. No ice cream here at home except sugar free popsicles and fudgicles. If it's "bad" food, I take them or send them out for it with hubby. I just can't sabotage myself this way. Hubby had the surgery last June, too and he doesn't need it either. The one thing I do allow is pretzels in the house. I do have a soft spot for them and enjoy eating them from time to time. If there is snack food in the house, it's in the single serve snack bags (for their snack at school and they're the baked ones)...this way, if I have an "insane" moment, I'll just have had a small amount instead of out of a big bag. If you do have the big bags around...take out a serving and put in a bowl..that's it. Don't eat out of the bag. This surgery is a "tool" to help measure how much you can eat and lets your body lose the weight you need to. The behavior modification is up to you. You need to follow the "rules" and adhere to them. It's not a magic wand and won't work if you don't really work it...and in a hard way. If you'd like to sign up for Dr Aranow's seminar, call his office at 860-347-9167. Not sure if there's room in the Feb meeting, he just had the Jan one last Tues. You may get in for March. This is the first step in making a decision. It's a decision you need to think long and hard about. And, it has to be YOUR decision...not your husband's or your familie's decision. Yes, you can discuss it with them, but, you may get negative responses to it...Know it's not a cop out and the easy way out. There's nothing easy about having major surgery, having our intestines dissected and put back together, healing, learning how to eat in an entire new way, and then changing our lifestyles to such that it changes our lives. For me, it was the best decision and I can't believe I let myself get as big as I was and didn't do it sooner. Check out my before and after pix in my profile. You'll see. And, that after pix is from last summer, I'm a bit thinner still now. Good luck to you. Paula Paula

Well All I can say is this could have been written by me 2 years ago. I am a little over a year out, went from a top weight of 311 to todays weight of 175, with a goal of 160 in mind, and it has been worth it 100%. A quick fix? Not by a long shot!! A new beginning and a better way of living? you betcha. I can chase and catch my kids now. I can sit where I please, wear what I please, go where I please without being 'the fat lady" I work full time, run a cattery, raise 4 kids, clean the house, run errands, and enjoy life without dragging 130 excess pounds around with me. We all have to make our own decision on this- but all I can say is if I had to go back and do it all again? I would.

Darlene- You have a reason to be nervous about the lifelong changes that need to follow bariatric surgery. It's work and requirs a higher level of viglience than many of us needed to practice while we were struggling with our climbing weight. But, those risks pale in comparison to the health risks of remaining obese. As you know, the morbidly obese suffer higher rates of mortality from not just heart disease but also cancer; they endure far greater complications from diabetes; and, they endure extreme health risks from numerous other medical issues because many symptoms are masked (or too easily attributed) to the excess weight. But, as I gather from your post, you appreciate that the risks of surgery need to be balanced against the risks of continuing along your path. Fortunately, you have a very skilled surgeon in your corner who, along with with his fellow surgeons at Fairfield County Bariatrics, has a great reputation for surgical skill and patient attentiveness. Secondly, at Norwalk Hospital you will have plenty of support. In addition to the FCB support group meetings, we have general patient lead meetings twice per month where we try to encourage one another, provide a forum where we can vent about what has frustrated us and try to learn from one another. These meetings are FREE and OPEN TO ALL (regardless of where you might have had your surgery). These meetings start at 6 p.m., are held on the FIRST WEDNESDAY and the THIRD MONDAY of every month; we meet in the first floor volunteer conference room of Norwalk Hospital. I can only share my own experience as someone who started as a 510+ pound Mr. Mom. It was arduous not being able to go on amusement park rides with my little girls, heartbreaking when I couldn't leap up and run to them when they needed me (due to arthritis, heal spurs and a bunch of other medical maladies) and difficult knowing that, at some point, they would face taunts from their friends about their very heavy father. Plus, I wanted to get healthy for me-- I wanted to be able to choose any spot in a parking lot and not worry about the walk to the store, I wanted to climb mounains and hike and kayak like I had always dreamed, and I wanted to be able to sit on the couch if I wanted to and not because I had no strength to get up but because I just wanted to relax. Gastric bypass and the support of family and friends made all that possible for me. And, the same opportunities are available to you.

Hi Darlene! Not too long ago I was where you are now. I was on the fence for months. I went to a support group meeting and another woman at the meeting asked me "What do you really want?" I had that question on my mind multiple times a day. Eventually I knew how bad I wanted it. It took alot of soul searching and being honest with myself. This is definitely not a "quick fix". It is a lifetime and lifestyle change. I thought long and had a mindset before I had surgery what life would be like afterward. So that when my family went out for ice cream and I had a protein shake, I didn't feel deprived or angry. I find I think about food more now than before I had surgery. As in what can/should I eat, how much protein is in this, vitamins and supplements, fluid intake and exercise? Everyday I am faced with choices, as everyone is. Sure I want chocolate or I think I want that fried whatever or to eat that last little bit. It is usually a really bad idea and to walk away from it is just as difficult now as before. The end results may be a bit more drastic than before. Many of the reasons you have listed are the same as the ones I had. This decision is the most selfish thing I've ever done. For me, the only way this would work had to come from me. All the support from family and friends wouldn't amount to a hill of beans. I am totally responsible for my success or failure. It's a commitment I not only make to myself every day but at every meal and every time I eat something, every time I take my supplements, drink and exercise and even when I don't do these things. So I'll ask you - What do you really want? What are you willing to do? You'll need to take your time, this decision can't be rushed. How long? I can't tell you that but I'll let you know it was a 3 year journey for me. I am truly dedicated for my decision and all the changes; good, bad, easy and difficult. I wish you all the best as you think this through. Lisa

Well - have you made any appointments yet to find out more??

yes, thanks for asking i've made an appointment with my primary, had an ultrasound and called and talked to my Dr. i'm moveing forward and scheduling the other tests. I'm excited and scared. thanks SO much for your support.