NEW here.... Help?!?

Hello, I joined a while back when I was looking into Gastric Bypass. However, I developed Pseudotumor Cerebri and I'm losing my vision due to it I was sent to Dr. Pender here in Greenville. I saw Dr. Pender about 2 weeks ago. I am going on Dec. 5th for my chest x-ray/upper GI/ etc.... and to meet with him again.   He told me that I was too great of a risk to have it done any other way except "OPEN" unless I  drop 25 lbs.  My BMI is 64.  I was wondering if anyone had a BMI that high and if they did NOT have to have it OPEN. I also go for tons of tests on my heart next week and to see the psychologist......  I'm really scared about all this and to be honest I don't want to do it..... (had my gallbladder taken out and it's caused me lots of problems.) I know I NEED to get this done in order to have a chance at a healthy life and also for my vision to no longer suffer. (ready to get off all these meds too!) I just feel like I'm so fat that if they put me to sleep for this I will never wake up...I wonder if anyone else felt like this? ;) Thanks and I am glad to see a place like this, where we can all come together and support each other.

Welcome to the NC board!  I'm sorry you're having a problem but I'd trust my doctor.  My BMI was 58.3 but I'm 5'10" and that makes a difference I'm told.  I had my RNY lap in 2002 but would have had it open if I had to, I am soooo happy to have had WLS!!!  Every surgery is a risk, but to me my risk was more that if I hadn't had WLS I would probably not be here now.  I had a lot of co-morbities also (all gone now).  Talk to your doctor and tell him your concerns, hopefully he'll be able to put you more at ease.  There are a lot of wonderful people on here and we have all been in your shoes or are in the process of it.  Sorry to hear about your Pseudotumor Cerebri, and good luck with the tests, I hope they go well and you're cleared for WLS if that's what you need/want.  I thought about WLS for 5 years before I actually went through with it, so do your research and make sure you're ready.  

It is totaly your decision.. My BMI is not quite that high but my Dr. required me to make a show of loosing weight. He explained that when you loose weight in shrinks your liver and makes the surgery safer. The way I understand it ...the liver lays on top of the stomach. If you decide to have the wls just try to buckle down and follow a diet plan that works for you. You will be suprised how fast 25lbs can drop. If you are the type person that has trouble feeling full .....a high protein- low carb diet my be easy to follow.  I am counting calories plus trying to keep away from bad carbs. But my reason is to try to train my brain to understand portions. I have an endless pit of a stomach. Tee Hee. My surgery will have to be done open anyway because of previous surgeries. I know what it feels like after surgery so I am OK with doing it this way. But all of us are different. I would rather have it done Lap but am willing to do what ever it takes. It sounds like if you drop the 25lbs you can be done Lap. I would be planing my meals with that in mind starting now.    Welcome to the board and good luck with the decision making. There are a lot of people hear to give you their opinion that have already had the surgery.  If you have question ask them...these people are great. Do research and see what experiences these people have to offer. Good Luck Myrtis

Wow Myrtis your day is coming up quickly!  I know you're excited!!!  I'm having gall bladder surgery on the 20th and I can't wait to be done with it!  I'm tired of the pain!!!  Anyway, just wanted to give you a shout out!!!

Sheryl, Sorry to hear about he surgery. It looks like most of the people which have wls end up having to do this. I wish Dr. B would just go ahead and take mine out now but he wont unless it looks bad. Just think once it is gone the pain will go away. Good Luck I will be thinking of you Myrtis

Thanks Myrtis!  I am looking forward to being pain free but hate having to have another surgery (WLS, hysterectomy - ugh)...  I'm going to call him tomorrow and see if they'll take my appendix out at the same time...lol!   Talk with ya soon! Sheryl

Hi Myrtis!  Just wanted to give you the info Dr. Pirrello gave me about gall bladder issues post wls.  He said that about 10% or less have to have their gall bladder out and that if you take the Actigal (or generic Urisodal that I had) for the first six months, that percentage drops to way less than one percent.  I figured I'd rather go that route, and so far, no problems at all with the gall bladder.  Hope that helps!

First, I'd like to welcome you to the NC forum. I look forward to getting to know you better as you decide the best route for you to take.

Re: anyone with a high BMI having surgery LAP. We have several members that have had LAP with a high bmi ... to be honest, I'm not sure of the actual bmi's for these people, but try contacting "Cinderellen", "Cagair" and "Candee518" ... I believe that all had relatively high bmi's and also had their procedures LAP.

Wishing you all the best in your quest for a healthier life.

Barb

I was 62-ish when I was approved for surgery and 58 when I actually had it done.  All Dr. Chapman said was that I needed to lose weigh to shrink my liver so that he could lift it with the lap instruments.  There are doctors out there that will do it lap on a higher BMI, I guess Dr. Pender isn't one of them.  He could be trying to give you incentive to lose weight too, I don't know. Either way, Myrtis is right, if you do what you can to lose weight ahead of time, you'll be better off.  I was put on a 4 slim fast a day diet for 4 weeks prior to surgery.  That sounds impossible, but it wasn't so bad after the first three days.  I just drank a ton of water and chewed lots of chewing gum.  Whatever they require of you, however they do it, if you believe that this is the right choice for you, then it's worth doing it. Good luck. Ellen

Having just completed my surgery last week, I can tell you that I faced the same fears and concerns that you are having about not waking up.  In fact, I think we had a huge thread going on the topic. Believe me, I worried about waking up - I worried about complications - I worried about how my life was going to change - I'm amazed I didn't develop an ulcer in the few weeks of preparation.  But I know I made the right decision - it isn't an easy decision, and it isn't an easy path - but it was the right tool for me to change my life.  I want to live forever.  I seriously do.

As for the weight loss requirement - my doctor put me on a liquid diet 2 weeks before surgery, and I dropped 19 pounds in 2 weeks.  PLUS, I felt so much healthier already just with the loss of sugar and addition of protein.  I was honestly amazed.

The lap surgery is going to be so much easier for you to recover from, and so much LESS risky for infection - the weight loss will shrink your liver and make it easier for them to operate.   Nikki