New w/ questions
OK I just started the surgery process. Had my beginning eval, and plan on surgery in the next couple months. I have done reasearch, and have heard different things, but I would like to hear real life accounts on the surgery process. Anything, and everything. Insurance problems, surgery pain or probelms, how you feel afterwards, how fast do you notice the weight comming off, ect. I know it doesnt take much to fill you up, but do you get hungry, or feel weak. Im excited, but concerned that I am hoping for too much. Thanks
Well i am 10 days post surg! I started the process in July i had no problems with my insurance which is Blue cross blue shield i wanted the sleeve but was denied and told i would b approved no worries for the RNY which my paper work was resubmitted the day i got my letter about the sleeve and that was the friday come monday i was approved for my RNY surg!
Surgery? Sure i was hurting when i came out, but the more i moved around (i walked the halls ALOT) and walked the faster the gas bubbles passed which is the most uncomfrtable part of my surgery i thought! i was only in hospital 3 days i came home on the sat i spent sat and sunday in bed layin around watchin telly and come monday i was movin about a lil come tuesday i was on my tredmill right now 5 out of my 7 incisions have almost healed up completely! ive been sleepin on my stomach for a while now with out any discomfort! day of surg i weighed in at 270 as of today im 255.8 i have not felt weak since leavin the hospital lol was hard for me to stay in bed sat n sunday but havin a bunch of stuff saved on tivo to watch made it easier! this was my experience! if u have questions dont hessitate to ask :)
Surgery? Sure i was hurting when i came out, but the more i moved around (i walked the halls ALOT) and walked the faster the gas bubbles passed which is the most uncomfrtable part of my surgery i thought! i was only in hospital 3 days i came home on the sat i spent sat and sunday in bed layin around watchin telly and come monday i was movin about a lil come tuesday i was on my tredmill right now 5 out of my 7 incisions have almost healed up completely! ive been sleepin on my stomach for a while now with out any discomfort! day of surg i weighed in at 270 as of today im 255.8 i have not felt weak since leavin the hospital lol was hard for me to stay in bed sat n sunday but havin a bunch of stuff saved on tivo to watch made it easier! this was my experience! if u have questions dont hessitate to ask :)
I had an open RNY on Aug 17, 2007 (not quite 17 months ago). Not everyone with open has trouble, but my first three montsh were pretty rocky... oozing incision, more pain (and longer-lasting pain) than I expected, depression, etc. I felt much better once I got past those first 3 months. On the other hand, I have never thrown up after eating something, have never gotten anything "stuck", and have only seriously dumped twice, in all that time.
I experienced what I would say is probably a normal number of stalls along the way. I started at a high weight of 332 and a surgery weight of 224. I reached the"100 pounds lost" mark just a day or two after I hit 6 months out. I am now down 172 pounds, but have only lost about 7 pounds in the past seven months (partly from natural slowdown because I am only about 15 pounds from my goal) and partly because of recuperating from three surgeries in 5 months) {sigh}. I don;t know how much you have to lose, but if you start out very big I will arn you that it can take losing a LOT of weight before your clothing sizes start to change (and before people notice the weight loss other than in your face). I had to lose 50 pounds before I dropped even one clothing size and about another 40 to drop the next one. I was not prepared for that, and it definitely contributed to my depression. I had lost over 30 pounds when I returned to work but no one noticed except in my face! Talk about discouraging! As you get smaller, though, the sizes change more quickly and people notice the weight loss a lot more.
I did not have any trouble getting insurance approval, but my surgeon's insurance person was great at telling me exactly what we needed for Aetna to approve me. I still do not get physically hungry, but I do get weak when I go too long without eating and my blood sugar drops.
The surgery will change how much you can eat and how your food gets digested, but it will NOT change the unhealthy ways you may be using food (eating for comfort, eating when stressed, giving in to cravings, etc.). Anything you can do to address these issues before surgery will make things easier after surgery.
Everyone's experience is a little different -- some have a much easier time with the surgery than I had but have more trouble with eating certain foods post-op than I have -- but the one thing that we almost all agree on is that whatever the highs and lows of the pre-op and post-op process, we would do it again (and most of us wished we had been able to do it sooner)!
Lora
I experienced what I would say is probably a normal number of stalls along the way. I started at a high weight of 332 and a surgery weight of 224. I reached the"100 pounds lost" mark just a day or two after I hit 6 months out. I am now down 172 pounds, but have only lost about 7 pounds in the past seven months (partly from natural slowdown because I am only about 15 pounds from my goal) and partly because of recuperating from three surgeries in 5 months) {sigh}. I don;t know how much you have to lose, but if you start out very big I will arn you that it can take losing a LOT of weight before your clothing sizes start to change (and before people notice the weight loss other than in your face). I had to lose 50 pounds before I dropped even one clothing size and about another 40 to drop the next one. I was not prepared for that, and it definitely contributed to my depression. I had lost over 30 pounds when I returned to work but no one noticed except in my face! Talk about discouraging! As you get smaller, though, the sizes change more quickly and people notice the weight loss a lot more.
I did not have any trouble getting insurance approval, but my surgeon's insurance person was great at telling me exactly what we needed for Aetna to approve me. I still do not get physically hungry, but I do get weak when I go too long without eating and my blood sugar drops.
The surgery will change how much you can eat and how your food gets digested, but it will NOT change the unhealthy ways you may be using food (eating for comfort, eating when stressed, giving in to cravings, etc.). Anything you can do to address these issues before surgery will make things easier after surgery.
Everyone's experience is a little different -- some have a much easier time with the surgery than I had but have more trouble with eating certain foods post-op than I have -- but the one thing that we almost all agree on is that whatever the highs and lows of the pre-op and post-op process, we would do it again (and most of us wished we had been able to do it sooner)!
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Hello and Welcome!!!
I had my RNY 9 months ago... I can honestly say it is the best thing I have ever done for myself!!! I am currently down @ 135#, and have about 50# more to go. I feel great. I had no major complications, 1 minor infection at my JP drain site, but that cleared quickly with oral antibiotics. I was in the hospital for one night. The worst part was having the drain pulled out 1 week after the surgery, hurt like hell.. but just for a few seconds. The only other really tough part was trying to get comfortable at home those first few days after surgery. I basically slept in my recliner for about the first week. I just couldn't get into the bed, it hurt to bend down. The weight came off quickly in the first 6 months, and has been slowing down, but still coming off. I can work out easily, and feel so much better. I started out at a high weight (344#), so I have a lot to lose.
I got sick a few times early out, when trying new stuff, but nothing I couldn't handle. I have not got sick in a long time. I have dropped about 8-9 sizes, and can buy clothes in just about any store now. That is a real plus for me.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Good Luck to you
Caroline
I had my RNY 9 months ago... I can honestly say it is the best thing I have ever done for myself!!! I am currently down @ 135#, and have about 50# more to go. I feel great. I had no major complications, 1 minor infection at my JP drain site, but that cleared quickly with oral antibiotics. I was in the hospital for one night. The worst part was having the drain pulled out 1 week after the surgery, hurt like hell.. but just for a few seconds. The only other really tough part was trying to get comfortable at home those first few days after surgery. I basically slept in my recliner for about the first week. I just couldn't get into the bed, it hurt to bend down. The weight came off quickly in the first 6 months, and has been slowing down, but still coming off. I can work out easily, and feel so much better. I started out at a high weight (344#), so I have a lot to lose.
I got sick a few times early out, when trying new stuff, but nothing I couldn't handle. I have not got sick in a long time. I have dropped about 8-9 sizes, and can buy clothes in just about any store now. That is a real plus for me.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Good Luck to you
Caroline
MY JOURNEY BEGINS...
Thank you all for your replies. It has helped me to think I AM doing the right thing. I am extremely motivated. I have been overweight my whole life, but always active. But after many years my knees are now shot and being heavy makes things worse, I decided to have surgery.
Now my next question is how do you know how much weight you will lose? Do you set the weight goal, or ? The reason I ask is as I am looking through pictures on this site, some have lost a lot, and others not quite as much in the same time frames. Im at 290, and would llike to be below 150, is that unreasonable? Im excited, and worried all at the same time. I have never been a normal weight, it seems like a rebirth.
Now my next question is how do you know how much weight you will lose? Do you set the weight goal, or ? The reason I ask is as I am looking through pictures on this site, some have lost a lot, and others not quite as much in the same time frames. Im at 290, and would llike to be below 150, is that unreasonable? Im excited, and worried all at the same time. I have never been a normal weight, it seems like a rebirth.
Whether it is realistic for you to get to below 150 pounds depends on a lot of things... especially how tall you are! It also depends on what kind of bone structure your have (petite, average, large), inherited traits (like being large-busted), and your age. Even how long you have been obese sometimes factors into is (as does how heavy you were to begin with). You can look at a BMI chart/claculator to see what the insurance industry says you "should" weigh, but be warned that not everyone who has WLS can get down to a "normal" BMI. I love what my surgeon says... God made your body and HE decided whether it was meant to be a size 6 body or a size 12 body, and you simply cannot force a size 12 body down to a size 6 body and remain healthy... so the REAL goal is to get to a weight that is healthy (and maintainable) for you.
Although I am THRILLED to be a size 12 instead of a size 28, I would LOVE to be a size 8. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I would be surprised if I ever get to buy a size 10 (unless, of course, I find something with some serious vanity-sizing going on!) I am short, but not petite, and I have ALWAYS had very muscular thighs (with big kneecaps (yes, the bones themselves) and large breasts ("c" cup in Junior High). My goal weight is the top of what the BMI says is "normal" weight for me. I'm still hoping to get there, but I am almost 17 months out, so I don't know whether I can or not (I'm also 46 years old and age DOES play a role in how much you can lose). It's just numbers, though... the important thing is to be physically and emotionally healthy... and to enjoy your life.
Lora
Although I am THRILLED to be a size 12 instead of a size 28, I would LOVE to be a size 8. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I would be surprised if I ever get to buy a size 10 (unless, of course, I find something with some serious vanity-sizing going on!) I am short, but not petite, and I have ALWAYS had very muscular thighs (with big kneecaps (yes, the bones themselves) and large breasts ("c" cup in Junior High). My goal weight is the top of what the BMI says is "normal" weight for me. I'm still hoping to get there, but I am almost 17 months out, so I don't know whether I can or not (I'm also 46 years old and age DOES play a role in how much you can lose). It's just numbers, though... the important thing is to be physically and emotionally healthy... and to enjoy your life.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
I would be thrilled to be a size 12 too!! I almost cannot wait to be able to shop anywhere, and to buy clothes than are in, instead of clothes that cover the rolls. lol I am mainly doing this for my health as my knees are shot from years of being overwieght, and overuse. They both need to be replaced, but @ 35 and heavy no one will help me. So hopefully getting lighter will buy me some time before i will have to get them replaced. Thanks again , Lisa
My Doc has set my first goal weight for me, he wants me to loose 100 pounds and i cant wait to hit that goal so i can then set my own goal! I have never been thin... well minus when i was BORN! lol always been chubby and then in high school i was plain over weight... When i started this process i weighed in at 295 i believe, threw the whole process i lost weight come the day of my surgery i was weighed in at 270! As of right now i am 254.2! Oh and i am 5'6 tall. Iam now 11 days post op! Im working out now and have been walkin on the treadmill since tuesday ofcourse i worked up to my now 45min walk, as well as working out of the Wii Fit I am so ready to break free from this fat suit! and be healthy and be able to run around with my son and not almost keel over and die!
Following everything my nutritionist told me to do aka dont drink with meals when i drank dont drink with a straw and instead of gulping down my drink to sip it! take smaller bites and chew 30-33 times every bite and to put my fork/spoon down after every bite also to continue my Wii Fit addiction of working out an hour plus a day on it! I was not required to change my diet bcuz when i went to my first appiontment with her i took a food diary of exactly everything we ate as a family and myself as well and portion size/serving size which a website helped me out during my 3 month supervised diet thing that my insurance required. the site i use is called http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ i still use it but not as much as i did! Surgery has not slowed me down at all nope :) i think im a lil tougher lol i only say this bcuz ive had 3 previous operations b4 and all of them alot more servre then this, this op ofcourse i was worried about but after the first day i couldnt wait to get home and recover in my own bed! :) u know in those movies where u see that person roamin the halls? hehe that was ME i roamed and roamed and roamed the last night i was there i didnt sleep more then an hour i was just so ready to see my doc get my drains taken out (which btw feels weird!) pack my stuff and get outta there! my doc showed up at 9am sat morning took him 15mins to take my drains out and have a joke about a couple things with me by 9:30 i was dressed my hubby had our bags packed and our stuff in the car! We were outta there by 9:45am! The nurses were like gees u r ready to get out of here arent u!
~Kira~
~Kira~
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