Can anyone share thoughts on...
their own personal WLS journey and how it could have been better?
Hi to everyone! I am at the very beginning stages of my WLS journey. When I say beginning...I mean I have done some research and I am scheduled to meet with a surgeon at the end of Jan. In the mean time, I have been looking around and trying to make the best educated decision I believe I can make on what type of surgery I feel will give me the best WL tool to work with.
Now I have been to just about all the forums lurking around taking in all the information people have posted. The one thing I have noticed is on each surgical forum you get a lot of the "I love MY procedure" as well as brainstorming on how to make that specific procedure work better for individuals on that specific board. Stuff I like to call the "GOOD". So now here I am on the revision board....looking for the "BAD" and the "UGLY". I am really interested in getting some information on why a specific procedure didn't work and why you good folks are now/ going through or have already switched to a different method of WLS and why you feel the revision is a better choice.
Many thanks in advance for any and all that share their stories. I look forward to learning about your experiences.
Wishing all a prosperous 2009
Hi to everyone! I am at the very beginning stages of my WLS journey. When I say beginning...I mean I have done some research and I am scheduled to meet with a surgeon at the end of Jan. In the mean time, I have been looking around and trying to make the best educated decision I believe I can make on what type of surgery I feel will give me the best WL tool to work with.
Now I have been to just about all the forums lurking around taking in all the information people have posted. The one thing I have noticed is on each surgical forum you get a lot of the "I love MY procedure" as well as brainstorming on how to make that specific procedure work better for individuals on that specific board. Stuff I like to call the "GOOD". So now here I am on the revision board....looking for the "BAD" and the "UGLY". I am really interested in getting some information on why a specific procedure didn't work and why you good folks are now/ going through or have already switched to a different method of WLS and why you feel the revision is a better choice.
Many thanks in advance for any and all that share their stories. I look forward to learning about your experiences.
Wishing all a prosperous 2009
(deactivated member)
on 12/29/08 9:46 pm
on 12/29/08 9:46 pm
I wish that emotional eating issues had been discussed, I wish I had been told that the surgery wouldnt fix EVERYTHING and I wish I had been told that the surgery would only work long term if I totally changed the way I thought about food. Now I'm back where I started (kinda) and now feel like a failure since I gained weight back. It doesnt always turn out this way for all. I say search your soul and find out why you are over weight to begin with, that will help. Much luck to you, you are in the right place, these boards and this website have so much support and info.
Shawna,
Thanks for sharing your information but PLEASE do not think of your journey as a failure. We all have a different journey to experience. Look at this as a lesson learned . Continue on with a strong heart and know that the experiences you've had along with the additional knowledge you have gained will make the next step better than the last.
Best of luck to you through this process!
Happy New Year...
Tanya
Thanks for sharing your information but PLEASE do not think of your journey as a failure. We all have a different journey to experience. Look at this as a lesson learned . Continue on with a strong heart and know that the experiences you've had along with the additional knowledge you have gained will make the next step better than the last.
Best of luck to you through this process!
Happy New Year...
Tanya
First thing you need to know is you are already on the right track by doing research, thoroughly, prior to surgery. I also agree with everything Dawna said.
Here is my experience, when I had my RNY 8 years ago I didn't have the pre-op teaching nor have the post-op following up that I am getting now. Another thing, medical science and surgery has progressed so much.
My current physician teaches bariatric surgery and has never lost a patient. I checked him out thoroughly because I wanted to make the best out of my second chance to change my life.
I am doing the same thing and putting in the foot work by putting in little changes in order to make sure my surgery in March and I are both a success.
Feel free to contact me and ask any questions.
Pat
Here is my experience, when I had my RNY 8 years ago I didn't have the pre-op teaching nor have the post-op following up that I am getting now. Another thing, medical science and surgery has progressed so much.
My current physician teaches bariatric surgery and has never lost a patient. I checked him out thoroughly because I wanted to make the best out of my second chance to change my life.
I am doing the same thing and putting in the foot work by putting in little changes in order to make sure my surgery in March and I are both a success.
Feel free to contact me and ask any questions.
Pat
(deactivated member)
on 12/30/08 2:11 am, edited 12/30/08 2:12 am - Togo
on 12/30/08 2:11 am, edited 12/30/08 2:12 am - Togo
about the emotional eating issues.
i always looked upon the weight loss surgery as something to give me a big boost in the right direction. and that is exactly what it did. i felt better and desired to get better so i got better and when i got better i wanted to get even more better and so on and so on.
your emotional eating issues will change as you go through the journey, meaning after the weight loss because the weight loss encourages to make changes.
you will be motivated to pick out good things for yourself more and more.
when the surgery has gone it's distance some will have made changes and some won't. those that won't will ... what can i say. but those that did will be in a good place and they will have learned about the emotional issues.
it is not something you need change ahead of time. the weight loss will make you want to learn and change and progress.
so don't worry that you don't have the answers before the surgery. you will have them afterwards.
i always looked upon the weight loss surgery as something to give me a big boost in the right direction. and that is exactly what it did. i felt better and desired to get better so i got better and when i got better i wanted to get even more better and so on and so on.
your emotional eating issues will change as you go through the journey, meaning after the weight loss because the weight loss encourages to make changes.
you will be motivated to pick out good things for yourself more and more.
when the surgery has gone it's distance some will have made changes and some won't. those that won't will ... what can i say. but those that did will be in a good place and they will have learned about the emotional issues.
it is not something you need change ahead of time. the weight loss will make you want to learn and change and progress.
so don't worry that you don't have the answers before the surgery. you will have them afterwards.
20 years ago, when I was 25, I had a vertical banded gastroplasty. [VBG] I lost 120 pounds - all my excess weight at the time. I regained that weight and 5t0 pounds more over a period of about 5 years. I have lost and gained many pounds since then. The first thing that came to mind when I read your question was that I was "young and dumb" and too ready to call myself a failure when I began to gain weight. I now know that vbg's are rarely done these days because of their high failure rate. After about a year, I felt no restriction and I never really had any complications or problems with the VBG. I should have gone to the surgeon to check the procedure back then but I was too ashamed. Over time, I fell back into my old compulsive eating habits. That basically meant eating my way through life.
Whats different now? I been around the weight issue block about 1000 times more now. The yo-yo gets old. I've tried and had some level of sucess with almost every commercial diet out there. Finally, I started seeing a psychologist who specialized in working with eating issues. I continue to look at my food behaviors and I am working on a different way. Losing weight has never been an insurmountable problem for me [if I can get myself through the first usually hellish weeks - I usually can stay with a diet for awhile] But keeping it off has been a problem. When I read that people with morbid obesity have a less than 3% chance of keeping the weight off by diet and exercise alone (over a 2 year period) and that same statistic rose to a 50 - 70% over a five year period rate of success with WLS, I was sold. I finally wondered whether there was a problem with my original surgery and after an endoscopy, my surgeon found 3 problems one of which was a ruptured staple line - the reason I felt no restriction.
I'm older now and for the first time, my weight makes me feel physically bad. Everything hurt, huffing and puffing walking up hills, GERD, etc. All of my immediate family suffers from obesity and I can see how being older and obese is no fun. I don't have any co-morbidities like diabetes or high blood pressure - but I don't want to develop them either. Anyhow, as Garth Brooks sang "I'm too young to feel so damn old". I'm not looking for magic, I think I finally have the maturity to understand I'm going to have work at this for the rest of my natural born life - but at least with the WLS tool I have a fighting chance of keeping it off. At 25 all I could think of was when I get skinny...then I will be happy...imagine my surprise when I truly came to understand that happiness is not a size 10. [though comfort and convenience is].
I chose the RNY because 1) the VBG isn't done much anymore and it failed on me the first time. 2) I was told that once you have tried and not been successful at a strickly restrictive method .i.e. VBG or Lapbands - you generally need a more radical surgery the RNY [gastric bypass] is both restrictive and malabsorptive - to lose weight.
Horror stories exist but mine wasn't one of them. The only thing I ever suffered from surgery was an embarrasing case of hemmoroids a few months out. I did regain the weight. but I didn't ruin my health and I was young enough and genetically blessed enough that I have not had to deal with the serious skin sagging issues so many do suffer with.
I've lost 20 pounds over the last month and its amazing how much physically better I feel. Its easier for me to diet when I have a specific goal in mind - my surgeon said losing weight would reduce the risk of the surgery for me.
I hope this info is in some way helpful Good luck!
Rhonda
Whats different now? I been around the weight issue block about 1000 times more now. The yo-yo gets old. I've tried and had some level of sucess with almost every commercial diet out there. Finally, I started seeing a psychologist who specialized in working with eating issues. I continue to look at my food behaviors and I am working on a different way. Losing weight has never been an insurmountable problem for me [if I can get myself through the first usually hellish weeks - I usually can stay with a diet for awhile] But keeping it off has been a problem. When I read that people with morbid obesity have a less than 3% chance of keeping the weight off by diet and exercise alone (over a 2 year period) and that same statistic rose to a 50 - 70% over a five year period rate of success with WLS, I was sold. I finally wondered whether there was a problem with my original surgery and after an endoscopy, my surgeon found 3 problems one of which was a ruptured staple line - the reason I felt no restriction.
I'm older now and for the first time, my weight makes me feel physically bad. Everything hurt, huffing and puffing walking up hills, GERD, etc. All of my immediate family suffers from obesity and I can see how being older and obese is no fun. I don't have any co-morbidities like diabetes or high blood pressure - but I don't want to develop them either. Anyhow, as Garth Brooks sang "I'm too young to feel so damn old". I'm not looking for magic, I think I finally have the maturity to understand I'm going to have work at this for the rest of my natural born life - but at least with the WLS tool I have a fighting chance of keeping it off. At 25 all I could think of was when I get skinny...then I will be happy...imagine my surprise when I truly came to understand that happiness is not a size 10. [though comfort and convenience is].
I chose the RNY because 1) the VBG isn't done much anymore and it failed on me the first time. 2) I was told that once you have tried and not been successful at a strickly restrictive method .i.e. VBG or Lapbands - you generally need a more radical surgery the RNY [gastric bypass] is both restrictive and malabsorptive - to lose weight.
Horror stories exist but mine wasn't one of them. The only thing I ever suffered from surgery was an embarrasing case of hemmoroids a few months out. I did regain the weight. but I didn't ruin my health and I was young enough and genetically blessed enough that I have not had to deal with the serious skin sagging issues so many do suffer with.
I've lost 20 pounds over the last month and its amazing how much physically better I feel. Its easier for me to diet when I have a specific goal in mind - my surgeon said losing weight would reduce the risk of the surgery for me.
I hope this info is in some way helpful Good luck!
Rhonda
Amy Farrah Fowler
on 12/30/08 10:02 am
on 12/30/08 10:02 am
I researched here first, then selected my surgeon, since each surgeon I went to initially tried to persuade me to get whatever they did, and a few even lied to me about doing procedures in order to get me in the door. Grrr.
I also looked on here to see what problems people were having. I saw plenty of lap bands needing to be removed due to problems, and dumping RNYers, many looking for revisions. I stumbled onto the DS board, and couldn't find people wanting revisions. Then I got a hold of the medical studies and learned the DS had the best stats for initial weight lost, and maintained weight loss.
Well, those happy DSers were right. I honestly don't have one regret. I can easily live with eating style, and when I've lost to goal (lost 120 lbs to date), I can add back a bit more of my beloved carbs and sweets.
Doing your research here is a wise move on your part. I almost made some life altering mistakes until I researched more. Good luck!
I also looked on here to see what problems people were having. I saw plenty of lap bands needing to be removed due to problems, and dumping RNYers, many looking for revisions. I stumbled onto the DS board, and couldn't find people wanting revisions. Then I got a hold of the medical studies and learned the DS had the best stats for initial weight lost, and maintained weight loss.
Well, those happy DSers were right. I honestly don't have one regret. I can easily live with eating style, and when I've lost to goal (lost 120 lbs to date), I can add back a bit more of my beloved carbs and sweets.
Doing your research here is a wise move on your part. I almost made some life altering mistakes until I researched more. Good luck!
mew6495
on 1/2/09 12:05 am - MI
on 1/2/09 12:05 am - MI
I had Proximal RNY in 2001. It got me to goal, improved my health and emotional well being. As with the majority of RNYers, I did not suffer the "dumping" issue. Even for those who did at first, this condition seems to disappear within the first year out. Some choose this wls because of this condition hoping it will keep them away from sugars. Do to some weight gain and some other issues I was experiencing I had revision surgery in 10/2008. My revision was to the ERNY (extended RNY) which provided me with a short common channel (similar to the DS). My original RNY there was hardly any intestine bypassed not allowing for much malabsorption.
If it were my original wls I would probably opt for the DS do to the long term statistics. But remember ANY wls you choose is a "TOOL" and should always be treated as such. It will not be a fix all. Just as long as you understand you will have to make some behavior modifications to maintain your success with whatever tool you choose you should be successful. Each wls method has its pros and cons, be sure to research all and make sure you are comfortable with living with them. For instance, RNY there may be dumping and there will be certain foods you will not be able to tolerate at all, even healthy ones. With DS or ERNY there is a bit more gas and "bathroom" issues. With band there is fill and unfills and possible slippages. You're doing the right thing by asking questions and researching. Keep it up!
If it were my original wls I would probably opt for the DS do to the long term statistics. But remember ANY wls you choose is a "TOOL" and should always be treated as such. It will not be a fix all. Just as long as you understand you will have to make some behavior modifications to maintain your success with whatever tool you choose you should be successful. Each wls method has its pros and cons, be sure to research all and make sure you are comfortable with living with them. For instance, RNY there may be dumping and there will be certain foods you will not be able to tolerate at all, even healthy ones. With DS or ERNY there is a bit more gas and "bathroom" issues. With band there is fill and unfills and possible slippages. You're doing the right thing by asking questions and researching. Keep it up!
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