im considering surgery (m)

im 33 f 5'9 360 -355 pounds i have tried all the diets and went for a by consult in 1999 and was so scared after the visit i decided not to go thur with it i have diabetes and high cholestol and my diabetes is getting worse this last yr or so. i am taking metaformin 3 a day anyway im scared i want to loose the weight but im so afraid of the complications that i cant make a decision...i have come relize that i am addicted to food i live to eat not eat to live can anyone offer any words of encouragement or advice? my dh is against the surgery he has never had a problem with his weight he doesnt understand he thinks that all i have to do is stop eatting lol but i cant stop

I will say that I dont think surgery is for everyone.. however I knew I had to do something for me before it was too late. Almost my entire family has struggled with obesity and obesity related issues. Most of us post on this board. This surgery has saved our lives. I totally understand that its not as simple as not eating or not eating as much. You have to decide what is right for you. Complications can and do happen but things also happen due to being obese. Like I said its not for everyone and I dont think that I can help you make that decision. If I could go back, the only thing I would change is I would have done it sooner. My dh didnt give me any positive or negative feedback so i thought to hell with it... I need to do this for me and if he has a problem with it then he will deal with it. He is now thrilled with my decisions.. he sees me doing things every day that I couldnt do before. I am sorry if im rambling here. I hope this helps atleast a little bit. I wish you the best of luck with your decisions. Sarah

Hi, Sarah is my daughter, My sister Jane had the surgery a year ago...I am 5 weeks post op...and my other sister Mimi, had Lap band today...I second everything that Sarah said...It is a very big decision, and a very personal one...Do your research...Ask questions...Read some of the profiles on here...This is a very good site...and one that you will get a lot of answers to your questions...Everyone here is very supportive...Most everyone who is obese is addicted to food...WlS...is a tool for you to learn how to use...If you abuse it ...there are consequences...The results of living with obesity can be devistating....My best advice to you...Is to do your research...and make the decision for yourself...You have to know what is right for you...then act on it...You are young with your whole life in front of you...You have to decide how you want to live...and we are here to give you support...Good Luck Amy

Hi Gwendolene, i was right were you was last yr,i fought long and hard with my weight for 10 yrs,well i sat around telling my daughter that i couldnt play with her because i was sick,i was sick because i couldnt learn to stop eating the bad stuff,i talked it over with my whole family and some agreed and some didn't, i was sitting here at 255 and felt like i was dying,so i decided that this was right for me,so i had rny and it has saved my life,yes i have had complications,hernias,adhesions,but i will tell you i had alot more complications at 255 then at 115lbs,i am still having complications,but if you have a great support system and you do as your told you will do fine,this surgery is nothing to decide in a week,it took me 3 yrs and somedays i think why did i do this and then other daysi think, i love the new me.....i can run,laugh and be happy with myself......just do what is best for you ok.............vickie

Gwendolene, It is certainly a huge decision to make. I've been thinking about the surgery for years as well and it was only this summer that I finally decided it was right for me. Some have made the decision to have surgery much quicker than I did, but I had to wait until I knew for sure. That's what you should do. Don't rush into this. Do your homework. Find the best surgeon and program. Go to information sessions and do a lot of soul searching. The way I finally had to look at it is that the only health issue I had is high blood pressure (I now know that I have sleep apnea, but I didn't know until after I had made the decision to have surgery****pt thinking that I'm healthy...I only have high blood pressure. Then I looked at my family history of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. I knew that was the road I was headed down if I didn't do something and that scared me. I want to do something now instead of waiting any longer and having more health problems. Kind of a 'nip it in the bud' kind of thing! I started weighing (no pun intended!) the pro's and con's of having surgery and, for me, the pro's of having the surgery were far greater the con's. My surgery is next Monday. I'm scared to death! I'm afraid of the unknown but I still know this is the right decision for me. When I think of all the food I won't be able to eat, as I'm also quite addicted to food, I have to remind myself of all the benefits I'll be gaining. I'll be more mobile, which to me means getting down on the floor to play iwth my nieces instead of sitting on the couch watching them. I'll be able to buy clothes in the latest styles instead of having to buy whatever is available that actually fits me. I'll be able to go hiking with my friends. Take your husband with you to an information session and to a consultation with the surgeon. Let him ask questions that he has on his mind and let him know that this is something you have to do for yourself. In whatever decision you make, I wish you all the best.

Hi there Well your story sounds so much like mine. I have struggled with my weight for about 25 years now (since I was a teenager). And I am so sick and tired of this food addiction controlling my life that I finally decided to make my decision to have the surgery. I first looked into the surgery about 3 years ago and like you I talked myself out of it. Now I have my surgery date set for Dec. 4, 06. Oh don't get me wrong I am scared half to death but I just finally said this is it either I'm going to have the surgery and try to get my life back or I am just gonna keep on going the way I am and die at a young age. I am a 39, F, 5'1",330lbs. I am going to have the bypass surgery because that is the best one that I feel is for me. If you are terrified at that one you could always go for the lap band. Like others have told you, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Best of Luck Mini-Me

I too have diabetes & this was the main reason I had the surgery. I went from taking 4 meds & blood sugar level of 300 to to just 1 piil & the latest reading is 120. My AC1 level is now 7 & my Dr. said when it got to 6 I could get off everyhting. I ate none stop & thought about food all the time. Now I think what I can do. I did a 5 mile hike Sat & finished that. I was at the point that if something didn't happen, I was going to loose a leg or my vision to diabetes. This surgery has changed my life. Is your Dr aware of all the benefits this surgery will have for you? Is there another medical person that you trust that would have a different opinion?

I have been thinking about this all summer, and recently decided I was going to do it. My seminar appointment is Jan 2. I have been through a lot of the samething with my husband, it has taken a lot just to get him to go to the seminar and listen. But in the last few weeks he has come around a lot. He knows how many times I have tried, and how hard I have worked on excerise, and what I am right now is the end result. Although he doesn't like the idea of surgery, he agrees with it, mostly now, at least he isn't complaing anymore. When I told my doctor he was thrilled. If your doctor isn't you need a new doctor. Do your research on the surgery, and the effects on your body without it and talk to your husband. Let him know it is not as easy as he thinks, and no one goes into this as an easy way out. for me it is a last resort.

it seems as if it has been a while since you have been on here, but i just read your post and thought i would reply in hopes you will come on here again and see it. i have been thinking for a long time about having suregery, like you have tried all the diets, exercise, etc. just to lose and regain + more. i am tired of being a yo-yo dieter and the efffects that yo-yoing has on my health. i do not have any other major health problems, but heart disease and diabetes runs in my family and so i know it will soon catch up with me if i don't do something. i went to a seminar in ashland after researching my surgeon and hearing a lot of positive things. dr. wheeler is a man that will not sugar coat things and tell you everything will be okay, but he will tell you the truth, give you info, and support your decision. i went to a seminar of his in oct. 2006 and listened to everyone ask their questions and listened to his responses, i was very impressed. i made an appt. for consultation in nov 2006 and he said i would be a good canidate for the surgery. i completed all my testing except for the pap smear by dec. 3, 2006 and then had the pap jan. 9, 2007...i was submitted and approved by my insurance on jan 12, 2007. i go formy pre-op teaching on jan 30,2007 and then i will be given a date. i am nervous and excited, sometimes i change my mind about the whole thing on an hourly and daily basis, but mostly i just want the surgery to be over with and begin a new life with a new body that will work forme not against me. my husband is worried too, and sometimes says he thinks i haven't tried hard enough on my own, he isn't overweight, neverhas been,but all in all supports my decision. i would advise making an appt. with several different surgeons and comparing them, it might help you. this oh board is my inspiration and i look at it everyday, especially when i begin to question my decision...good luck with what ever you decide.