Should I go through with it?

Hi everyone! 

I'm new to this site and I need some advice. Let me tell you a bit about myself: in 2007 I had Gastric Banding done and over the year lost almost 80 lbs. But then my Dr lost his license to practice in Canada and therefore I lost my support. During the years that followed, I got married, had two kids and gained all my weight back and then some. I am now ready to commit to doing something about my weight. I have started the process of seeing the bariatric staff at Toronto Western Hospital and although I don't have a date yet for my surgery, I know it's going to come. But I'm scared. I've heard all sorts of good things and all sorts of bad things. I need some unbiased advice from people who have gone through it. What were some of your struggles pre and post op?

I guess the most important question I want you to answer is "if given the choice, would you do it again, knowing what you know now"? 

I'm really struggling so any advice, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated

Thank you so much 

Wendy xo 

Hi Wendy,

I am 6 months post-op and would do the surgery again in a heartbeat!  I have been very lucky and the struggles have been quite minimal and very manageable.    

Recovery from surgery was not as bad as I anticipated and I was feeling really good within a few days.  

Learning to eat post-op has been an adjustment and a bit of trial and error, but I was armed with all of the info from the program and have been able to use Web resources to fill in any gaps.

The only negative that I can mention is that my hair started to thin out a lot at 4 months post-op despite meeting my nutritional targets and taking vitamins.   For me, this is a small price to pay for my progress to date.

I am down 100 lbs since starting my post op diet 6 months ago.  I feel great and cannot reccomend this surgery enough to anyone considering it.  My only regret is not doing it sooner as it has truly changed my life!

@shrinkingJulia - wow 100lbs in 6 months! That's amazing! Congratulations! I'm so glad to hear the recovery isn't that bad from the surgery. It actually wasn't bad from banding either, and I've had two cesarean sections do trust me, I know about pain lol 

I read some of my nutrition folder last night and was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of foods we can have post op. With banding it was so strict and limited. I still have issues with vomiting, my band is too tight and I haven't been able to get it loosened because 'I'm not their patient'. Ugh

Do you mind if I ask where your surgery was performed? How has the support been from the staff?

Hi Wendy,

I'm almost 5 years out, wow where has the time gone.  Sorry, back on topic.  Would I go through this again?  The only thing I would have done differently, is to do this when I first looked into the Weight Loss Clinic.  It is a scary thought, to go through all this.  Then before I made up my mind to do this, it was the fear of "can I change long term".  But I got to the point where I had decided and I was going through it.

I have lost about 145 lbs.  And have a bit of problems with acid and worse problems with milk.  But in less than 4 months, I was outskating my boys at public skating.  It was the things like that which truly mattered to me.

Cathy

I would do this again in a heartbeat. I have never regretted my decision.

I am 4.5 years out. I had my surgery at TWH. Great staff. The hospital stay was a breeze. I was up walking before they knew it literally. I also have had 2 c sections and remembered the most important thing was to get moving right away.

Would I do it again. You betcha. Wish I had done it sooner. It will not be all rainbows you will have to limit your food choices to maintain but it has improved my health immensely

Hello,

I would do it again. I have never felt better. I have so much energy. I must share that this tool has worked for me because I truly worked on myself from the inside first.  I worked through previous trauma and had to let go of a lot of guilt, shame, anger and sadness(that was the most weight that I lost). I had to reassess my values, beliefs, priorities and goals. I dusted myself off, dug deep and acknowledged all of my skills and abilities and got to work on restoring myself. Today I am 100 lbs lighter. I went from a size 20 to size 8! I walk 10 kms per day minimum. I watch less TV. I am out more.  Make a habit of stepping outside my comfort zone. I care for myself as well as I care for my daughter. I am mindful about my eating but I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. 

Good luck! Enjoy your journey. 

Honestly,  I would do it all over again. I also had gastric banding,  lost 180 lbs. Kept it off for about 5 years but then I regained 90 lbs. I decided I needed to do more research,  found out that the banding only lasts about 5 years. If I'd known that before I'd have gone straight to the bypass. Long story short,  I had the bypass,  lost 130 lbs. I've regained about 40 lbs but that's because I've gotten lax about my diet,  just need to buckle down which is why I'm back on this site.  I can't tell you if it'll work for you but I would do it again,  in fact I'm considering having it tightened up. If I hadn't done it I'm sure I wouldn't be able to walk,  because of the damage I did to my joints (weighing 400 lbs at 5'4") I've had both knees replaced  (couldn't have happened without the weight loss). I'm in a good place and I'm glad I did it,  both times. 

 Good luck and listen to your heart. A lot of people have me negative advice before the surgery,  some people told me "I know you weren't happy but you need to stop losing weight and gain some back" . The only person that can make that decision is the person in the mirror. Keep doing your research and trust yourself

Hey Wendy!

I am 47 weeks post-op. I had it at HRRH with Dr. Hagen. Would I do it again... absolutely. We had our local support group meeting last night, and there were a few newbies. One girl asked if many people had this or that happen to them. about a good 25% said yes, while the rest of didn't have anything happen. Out of a group of 30 people, that's a good idea of how people experienced surgery. 

The key thing is being mentally ready. You need to be in order to handle any, even if the smallest of things that might go a little sideways. There is a lot of education out there. Good, bad, or indifferent. Do you what you think is best for you, your body, and your family if that's the case. 

For me, I have not had any issues pre op or post op. Not to say that every day is a walk in the park, but I do keep a mental checklist of my new lifestyle. 

Good luck!

Cheers,

Skotti 

The best comment I heard from someone was..."you have kids right?"  Answer "Yes"   "think of all the horror stories you hear about pregnancy and birth"  "Did it stop you from having children"  My answer "No".  So.....  I had surgery Jan 2016.  Since starting my program I have lost 103lbs now.  I haven't been this small since the early 90's.  I am 51 and loving my live now.  I play soccer 3 times a week and have so much energy.