I have a question..please give me an answer

Hi.. I am still relativley new to the board but I am hoping to be approved for WLS sometime this summer. I have friend who is trying very hard to make me change my mind. SHe told me that if you have surgery it is only good for so many years and then you have to have surgery to undo it. I have never heard of that before. Unless you have problems you do not get a reversal do you? She said she knows folks who have had it done, got it revised and then gained all their weight back. I just think she is trying to bluff me but i am not listening to her. SO could you give me the answer please....so that i can shut her up once and for all? Thank you.........Patty B

Your friend is either confused-maybe she is thinking about gastric banding- or full of s**t. RNY gastric bypass is permanent unless there is a huge problem. Please ask her for the names of these people so you can talk to them about their experiences. Here is my experience. I am 15 months out from my surgery. I am less than half of what I weighed and still losing (at a much slower rate than I was at first). I could not posssibly be more pleased with the results of my surgery. I have gone from 320 pounds to 158! From a size 28 to a size 10! I am 35 years-old and feel better physically than I did as a teenager! Before my surgery I had high blood pressure, beginnings of heart problems ( and a resting heartrate of 90 beats per minute) , constant pain in my feet and legs, and was on the fast track to type II diabetes. I could barely walk a mile and was easily winded on steps. My blood pressure is now textbook perfect, my doctor says my heart sounds 15 years younger (resting heart rate is about 60 BPM), my feet and legs almost never hurt, and my blood sugar is fine! I can run 2 miles and sprint up steps! My life is soooooooooooooooooooo much better in every way. The only people I am aware of who have gained back substantial weight are those who did not see the surgery as a lifestyle change and continued to abuse their boodies. If you do what your doctor tells you to do, and decide that you want to be healthy, not just thinner, you will loose weight for the long haul. There are people out there who have kept their weight off for 20 years or more! Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Patty, While I hate to say "Don't listen to your friend", you need to decide for yourself and no one else. Some people may have had to have it reversed, but it might have been for medical reasons or something else of that nature. Alot of people who have had the surgery don't ever have it revised. Maybe to help in your search for your answers, I would go click on the library and type in revisions. There you should find all sorts of information concerning why some people had to have it done. But no it doesnt happen to everyone. I wish you the best of luck in your journey..... Hugs Lori

Hi Patty, I have heard of people gaining the weight back but I honestly don't know how they did it! I am 8 months out and have gone from 272.5 to 166.5. My "pouch" simply will not allow me to eat enough to gain it back! I think someone would have to really pu**** to stretch the stomach out, but I know it is a possibility. I was afraid that I was a food addict, but after the surgery, I simply did not want to eat anymore. I enjoy most of the foods I ate before but in small quantities. By the way, I was 50 years old when I had it done and wish I had done it when I was younger. I no longer have diabetes or high blood pressure. My cholesterol is 115 (down from 220) and my tricglycerides are 93. I feel better than I have felt in 20 years! Karen

Sounds like she's confused. There's a big difference between reversed and revised. Very few people ever have their surgery "reversed" while there are some who have to have revisions because their original surgery failed to help them lose the weight. You need to do your own research and take what your "friend" says with a grain of salt since you know she's trying to talk you out of it.

Just simply tell your friend that you value her advice but really you have to follow your own heart. No one can live your life but YOU!!! Maybe she has reasons for what she says maybe it is her own fear or merely jealously I do not know. However when it comes down to it the decission is yours and express to your friend that you see she disagrees but you really want this surgery and you need her support. A true friend (which I am sure she is) will be there for you and your decision and will put her own opinion aside to support you. In time she will come around true friends all ways do. She is just looking out for you. God bless and prayers hugs