Andrea

At the BTC they transected my stomach (no band) and bypassed about 120 cm of intestine. I did ask my surgeon if it would be proximal or distal and he said that it is kind of in between. Here's my take for what it is worth. There are women in my local BTC support group that are 3+ years out and are still at their goal weight. The surgery is a tool. It will not stop those cravings. If you don't use the tool the correct way your can regain weight. There are some who try sugar to see how much they can eat before they dump. Another is back on regular popl NOT ME! why try that? I haven't dumped and don't want to I didn't get through this to head back to those old bad habits. To me the sugar free candy takes just as good as the real stuff. I figured if I could get through those first 6 weeks I had the willpower to make lifestyle changes that I needed to make. One thing that stuck with me is that my family doctor said that the people he has refered to the BTC have seemed to do better adjusting post surgical. He attributes that to their experience as well as the comprehensive aftercare program. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks, Janine. I guess that 100 cm is not far from 120. I do intend to make all of the life changes necessary. Believe me, my family will be making them as well! What momma cooks and eats, the family will also! I just am so scared that I will screw something up because of my food addiction. Thank you so much for your reply. Andrea

The fears you have are valid and they are the exact same ones that I had prior to surgery. I was really scared I would fail at this yet again. I couldn't imagine not wanting to eat post-op. I thought how in the world am I only going to be able to eat 1/2 cup of food and not want anymore? Well I did. Funny thing was that post-op eating food lost all its pleasure. It actually became work. I had to eat 6 small meals a day, and it seems like all I did was eat. On top of that I didn't really feel like eating. I knew going in to surgery that carbs were my downfall. Now I really limit my intake of them. I think I have bought 1 loaf of bread in the last 6 months (and that one became moldy!) If you are able to go to the BTC I would check them out. Dr. Boe was my surgeon and he did a great job. Plus that is all they do there so they are specialist in the field of bariatric surgery and aftercare. If you have any more questions, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. Janine