unsure

Ok some of yall might remember me. I was supposed to have surgey (RNY) back in December and found out that my thyroid was way low. So all this time I have been trying to get it back into the normal range and now it is. The problem is, now I am having second thoughts about the surgery.  I was totally ready for it back in Dec. but now Ive had so much time to think about it, I am scared.( Of course reading the failed surgery forum didnt help at all.)  Once they cancelled my surgery I quit eating like I was supposed to and now I just think, if I couldnt stay focused enough to stay on the diet before the surgery how am I going to do it after the surgery? I hear so many people say its the best thing they have ever done. But then I hear so many people who have soooo many complications afterwards. I dont know what to do. I keep thinking maybe I can lose weight without the surgery, but so far I havent. I know you cant expect to get different results from doing the same old thing.  Has anyone else felt like this? 

I THINK I CAN UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE WAIT MAKING YOU SECOND GUESS YOUR DECISION NOW.  I DID NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE WAIT LIKE YOU DID, BUT I DID QUESTION IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.  EVEN THE DAY OF SURGERY I WAS STILL SCARED I WAS MAKING THE WRONG DECISION.  ALL I CAN SAY IT WAS THE BEST THING I COULD HAVE DONE.  I KNOW OTHERS HAD COMPLICATIONS, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WENT WRONG WITH ME.  ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS EVERYTHING THEY TELL YOU TO DO AND IT WORKS.  I WOULD BE GLAD TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT MY JOURNEY IF YOU WOULD LIKE. 

I had to wait almost a year to have surgery due to jumping through all of the hoops required by my insurance and yes I was scared and wondered if I was making the wrong decision.  Really it was the best thing that I could have done for myself.  I have to say that the diet after surgery really isn't as hard as it is pre-op, if anything is hard about it, most of it is eating and drinking enough early out.  Only you can know what is right for you, but even people who have had complications I've yet to meet one personally who wouldn't do it again.  On the failed surgeries, it is possible that the people either didn't have the right surgery for them or they thought it was a quick fix and weren't mentally ready for it.  I know that while I'm at goal, I am terrified of gaining weight and getting back to where I was before.  Best of luck to you and whatever you decide to do!

I was one of the lucky ones and had a insurance company that approved me within a few weeks of  submitting my request for wls....I was at 365 lbs and i had fears I couldnt follow the diet and I had fears I was making the wrong choice by haveing the wls....I even woke up from my surg asking the nurse what the hell had I just done...I had a few bumps in the rd along the way...I can not tolerate the vitiams or the protien shakes...I went trugh so many diffrent vitiams and protiens it wasn't funny. I also had alot of added extra stress on me from the day of surg untill I was almost 9mths post op i was going threw maritrial probs...I still fight head hungery and most of us due... I am a little over 1 year post op and have lost almost 160 lbs and I am less than 40 lbs from my goal wt i set for myself...I will tell you this is scary but for me the benefits out way all my fears...I haven't had any major complications...I take prenatual vitiams and I found 3oz protien shots from walmart and can take both of these with no problem...I work in a hospital and we really dont see to many people with complications...I work with 10 people who have had both the rny and lap band and each of us have done well...I would do it all again because wls has helped me save my life...I am so happy now and I have so musc I am able to do that I was unable to do a year ago...I can play with my kids and take walks with my husband...this was the hardest decision i have had to make and it was the best thing i could have ever done...

I had surgery on January 18th and my surgeon was also Ronnie Keith. I can tell you that he is a great surgeon and he has a great staff both at his office and at the hospital. I know quite a few people who also had him as a surgeon and they all say how wonderful he is and no one I talk to has ever had any complications from their surgery. The key to great success and little or no complications is to do as you are instructed by him and his staff. If you have any questions or concerns, I will be glad to help as I am very familiar with Dr. Keith's plan and how everything works around his office. This site is the best thing I have found to help answer any questions and get great advise. You are doing the right thing, if you could lose the weight and keep it off you would have done it long before now and deciding surgery was the best option. The one thing you must know, understand and accept is that this is a new lifestyle (a great and healthy one) and your eating habits will change but it isn't all that bad. My advise is to only buy enough supplies from Dr. Keith's office to get you started and then look for other options to get your protein and vitamins. He doesn't have a very good selection and he is always out of a lot of things. I am currently looking into different options myself.

I did some thing before I ever went to the surgeon that was beneficial for me: I went to a psychologist for nine months to figure out how & why I got into the mess in the first place. My hope was that I would figure out a way to avoid the surgery, but I realized that I was too far gone to do it on my own. The best I could average was a weekly loss of .5# and I always felt hungry because of my Type II diabetes and the side effects of the oral meds I took. By the time I was done with the therapy I was totally committed to the process. I would do it again, but everone has a slightly different experience.

Hey Mary,
I haven't had my surgery yet but I wanted to say hello.  We are literally neighbors and I thought how great it would be to have a close by buddy.  I am hoping to schedule my surgery for June.  I am going with the Relize band.  I meet with the bariatric coordinator this Friday.  yeah.  I too have thyroid issues and also deal with anemia.  Just wanted to say hello from Te****eh.
Hope to go through this together,
Christina

Mary,� I spent all of my adult life thinking "maybe I can lose weight" in one way or another...with Weigh****chers, Atkins, South Beach, Phen Phen,�cutting fat, counting carbs, doing aerobics, going to�the gym.�� In the last 30 years I've probably lost�and regained 20 times....every time putting on an additional 10, 20 or 30 pounds.�

If you have less than 100 lbs to loose, if you have no co-morbidities, if you're active,�if you can still get around and do the things that you need and want to do....then maybe you don't need the surgery.

But, if you are having pain in your back and/or knees, if you are diabetic or even borderline, if you have high blood pressure or sleep apnea.� If you can't keep up with your kids, if you pass up doing things with your friends, family or partner because you don't like the way you look, don't have the energy,��or just feel too damned fat, if you've tried and tried and tried to loose weight and have always failed...well then you�should seriously consider the surgery.�

Of course there are always horror stories,�but Dr. Keith is an excellent surgeon.� Norman Regional is a center for Bariatric�Excellance.�� You should expect�the best possible outcome, not fear the worst.��

After surgery your cravings and tastes for certain foods are going to change.� The surgery forces you to pay attention to what and how you are eating.� It's much easier to stay focused on your diet when you have this tool.� You can, of course, still eat mindlessly...but your pouch will remind you that this is not a good idea.�

I wasted too many years being fat.� Oh I was happy, I had great friends and a wonderful husband....but I passed up on doing a lot of things because of the way I looked and felt.�� Finally about a week before surgery I was getting nervous and having doubts...so I sat down and made out a Pro/Con list.�� For me...and I can't speak for you...the Pro list was LONG and the Con list was only that I was nervous about the surgery.�

I'm 57,� I'm off all my meds,� my knees don't hurt, I actually enjoy shopping for clothes,� I can keep up with my grandson,� I enjoy�getting out and working in the garden,� I can actually get down on the floor and get back up without calling emergency services. LOL.� I enjoy my life.� I never really realized how much my weight had taken away from my life until�I started getting it back.

Good luck on your decision...only you can decide what's best for you.�� If you want to�talk feel free to PM me and I'll give you my home phone number.���

Edited to add: I think what "shorter" did in seeing a counselor and working thru issues is a very smart thing.

 Hmmmm...wonder why my post has all the little symbols?  Very strange...I certainly didn't type them in there.

Mary,

It is normal to have doubts especially when you have to wait for a long time. Trust me the after diet is much easier to stick to. LOL Your body makes you stay on it. even at almost 18 months later my tummy still dictates me sticking to my diet. Whatever decision you decide on we are here for you.