questions about gastrobypass surgery

Will you get really sick after you have the surgery? If you are really obese are your chances of dieing from the surgery higher? Will you start losing weight right away after you have the surgery?

1. It depends on the person. I had a great surgery, in fact at first I was convinced that I hadn't had surgery at all (other than no appetite and not being able to eat much). I have thrown up a few times from eating too fast or something not agreeing with me. I'd say I throw up about twice a month and I'm 3.5 months out, so I'm still leanring my tollerances. 2. talk to your dr about your risk factor. my dr told me i was about three times more likely to die from complications of being obese than having the surgery. chances are if you are big enough to need the surgery, youre going to need a surgery at some point from something weight related anyway. 3. yes. you might initally gain some weight in the hospital from the fluids. personally i walked 4.25 miles while in the hospital, and i came home with a 4 pound loss an day and a half after surgery. Bottom line- speak with your doctor and if this is something youre even CONSIDERING, start a medically supervised weight loss plan now!

Whew! Carrie you sure pack some heafty questions. I'm going to try to answer them...but I may end up sounding repetitive, and I apologize up front for that. Will you get really sick after you have surgery? Hmmmm...define 'really sick'. Will you feel like shopping till you drop at the local mall? No. Will you be so nausuated that you feel like throwing your guts up? Maybe. Will you feel like walking laps in the hospital hallway? Probably. Everyone has a different pain threshhold. Everyone's body is different. Can anyone get a guarantee that they won't have any ill effects post-op...post ANY op...? No. We can each tell you how we felt..tired, sore, a little nauseated, very sick, alot of pain, etc. That will tell you nothing however because you are as unique as each of us are. If you are really obese are your chances of dieing from the surgery higher? Fact of life...the more obese you are, the higher your risks are of anything. Period. The higher your risk of having comorbidities such as diabetes, heart failure, gall bladder. The higher the risk of having complications during a surgery...for gall bladder, gastric bypass, appendix, tonscelectomy. The rate of deaths is at an all time low....I read it is now at 1%. No, wouldn't want to be that 1%. But no surgery is 100% safe. Why not? Well...we are all human and as humans, have organs that can fail. Remember, you are having a surgery because the condition that is present is causing issues for the organs, etc in your body. That is true even if you are just getting your appendix out. Your surgeon is the best one to discuss these concerns with. From a lay person's view however, if your appendix burst, you would want a surgeon to knock you out and take it out ASAP because you know if that doesn't happen, you WILL die alot sooner than you want to. For the morbidly and super morbidly obese person, if you don't get a handle on your weight, you will die way before you should. WLS is a tool to help you do that. For those of us who have had the surgery, we felt pre-op that is was well worth the risk. For most, we view it that way even more post-op. Will you start losing weight right away after you have the surgery? While in the hospital, you will gain ~10-15 pounds from all the fluid you get in your IV. When you get out however, within the first week, you will be amazed. You typically lose that PLUS 10-15 MORE pounds! Many people lose 100 lbs within the first 6 months. After the first year post-op, weight loss does slow WAY down. That is when you have to kick yourself up a notch and exercise, drink your water, and eat right 24/7. WLS (weight Loss surgery) is a tool. What you do with that tool is up to you. Be sure you know all you can about the tool before you get it. Go to surgeon's information sessions. Ask the surgeon questions. Ask your peers questions. I wish you alot of luck. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like..but remember, on here, we can give you our best opinions, but ultimately, you need to discuss these concerns with your surgeon. Sherri