I'm thinking about having this surgery....please help

hi Marlena, When I was first thinking of WLS I was thinking of the lap band, but decided against it one, my insurance co wouldn't pay for it and friends of mine that had it only lost 80 lbs in 2 years. I figured that if I was going to do something as significant for myself I may as well go for the gold. I thought about this for a year and finally decided to go with Lap Gastric Bypass and I have lost 90lbs since 9/12/05. I dont know alot about the Lap Band but we will be here to support you with whatever decision you make. Hugs, Britt

Thanks Britt, The reason I was thinking about the band because it was not as risky as the bypass. Now I'm considering the bypass however I need to read up more on post op. I need to know more about the "new" eating habits. I want to do this but I want to do this right...I'm afraid of failing and I refuse to do this and gain all the weight back.

IF YOU'VE GONE FAR ENOUGH TO EDUCATE YOURSELF, YOU WON'T FAIL MS MARLENA! KEEP READING, READING, READING! I'VE BEEN ON A 4 WEEK STALL & HAVE NOT GAINED ANY OF MY LOST WEIGHT BACK. I'M NOT LOSING BUT IF I HAD STALLED PRE-SURGERY, I'D HAVE GAINED IT ALL BACK BY NOW! FLUIDS, PROTEINS (PACKAGED PROTEIN PRODUCTS &, SEAFOOD, POULTRY & MEATS) ... THOSE 2 ARE A MUST ... THEN DAIRY, GREEN VEGES, FRUITS, WHOLE GRAINS (in order of importance) ... & THEN ONLY THE SMALLEST AMOUNTS OF "WHITE CARBS" IF YOU CAN TOLERATE THEM &, ONLY IF YOU HAVE NOT GONE OVER YOUR DAY'S CALORIES. IN THE 1st MONTH OR SO, YOU'LL JUST BE EATING A FEW SPOONFULS OF ANYTHING. YOUR CALORIES PER DAY WILL BE AROUND 300. I'M 3 MONTHS OUT & AM UP TO 500-800, BUT I'M FINDING OUT I'M LOW ON THE CALORIES; I SHOULD BE AT 800-1,000 & NEED TO INCREASE MY PROTEINS A BIT. 1,000 - 1,200 CALORIES A DAY IS THE MAX FOREVER. NOT TO WORRY; WITH YOUR POUCH, THAT IS VERY EASY TO DO. YOU'RE GONNA GET RID OF FAT & SUGARS (CARBS). THE ONLY CARBS YOU WANT ARE COMPLEX CARBS THAT COME IN VEGES (GREEN VEGES ARE THE BEST) & ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT. BECAUSE OF YOUR LIMITED CALORIE COUNT, YOU'LL EAT PROTEINS 1sT TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ENOUGH IN ... YOUR BODY MUST, MUST, MUST HAVE SUFFICIENT FLUIDS & PROTEINS. THEN, YOU ADD THE REST LIKE I NOTED ABOVE. IT'S NOT AS COMPLICATED AS IT SEEMS BECAUSE ONCE YOU HAVE THE SURGERY, YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE AN APPETITE & YOU DON'T HAVE MANY CRAVINGS. THE ONLY CRAVINGS I'VE HAD ARE FOR CEREAL & SALAD. NOT LIKE BEFORE SURGERY WHEN I CRAVED THINGS THAT WERE BAD FOR ME THAT WERE PACKED WITH SUGAR & FATS. YOUR POUCH SEEMS TO CHANGE YOUR EATING DESIRES AS WELL ... WHAT YOU WANT PRIOR TO SURGERY IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU WANT AFTER SURGERY. &, WHEN YOUR BODY GETS USED TO BEING FED PROTEINS, IT "DEMANDS" PROTEINS, SO YOUR BODY DOESN'T WORK AGAINST YOU LIKE BEFORE SURGERY. YOU'LL LEARN TO REALLY READ LABELS. &, WHAT YOU CAN TOLERATE IN THE EARLY STAGES RIGHT AFTER SURGERY WILL BE LIMITED, BUT AS YOU HEAL & AROUND 3 MONTHS, MOST OF THE FOODS YOU NEED, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TOLERATE. LIKE, EGGS (PROTEIN) ARE HARD FOR MOST PEOPLE RIGHT AFTER SURGERY ... BUT, LATER MOST CAN EAT THEM WITH NO PROBLEM. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

CHANGED YOU TO 95#s PER OUR PHONE CONVERSATION, MS BRITTY ... 90 FROM SURGERY + 5 RIGHT BEFORE SURGERY.

Hey Marlena, I know its a heavy and hard decision to make, but I have had several online friends who have gone from the lap band to the bypass. I think from reading your posts, you are probably like most of us and addicted to food. You said you were afraid of not eating what you like...but isn't that what got us into the shape we are/were in??? Lap Band is for those people in MY opinion who don't really want to committ to the surgery, and losing weight forever, because if you can drink a vanilla milk shake, you can...it will fit through the tiny opening. I don't have that much self control. You are not "punished" and re-conditioned for making wrong choices...just the thought of eating sugar makes my stomach hurt Most people are not disciplined enough for lap band...I know I was not. Now, that aside, your tastes are going to completely change...no matter how you think they won't, its really funny how they do. As for the pureed stage, its not baby food as long as you don't want it, don't eat it. You can eat all kinds of great foods. I highly recommend BEFORE AND AFTER, by Susan Maria and she has a website on the OH site, www.Bariatriceating.com I know I sound like I am uncaring and tough, but that is because this surgery has completely saved my life and its so hard for me to see people who are suffering like I was, and not encourage them to do something. I now see obese people walking in the mall and I want to run up to them and tell them, "Look at me, I was like you, you don't have to be like this...I have the answer!!!!" I was very high risk, most doctors in the USA would not have done my surgery if I had gone to them, they would have slammed the door in my face. I had a previous stomach surgery that Dr. Byrne had to reverse before he could do the bypass, but I thought to myself...I am going to die anyway, so I knew God had led me this far. Why would God bring me here to let me die? Dr. Byrne not only did the surgery, but faster and easier than he had expected, and I am now down 82lbs, and only 30lbs from goal. I know you can do it too. I am almost 6 months post op, and I would do it again in a heart beat!! Please read my journal, and email me if you have questions. I am happy to answer any questions and do whatever I can for you. I know once you make the decision to do it, you will never regret it. By the way, I eat pretty much whatever I want to now, except sugar...which makes me really sick, so as long as I stay under 5 gms per serving, I am okay. I eat salads with broiled or grilled chicken, boiled eggs, steak, shrimp, sugar free puddings, sugar free pies, fruit, bread, sandwiches...just I eat 2-3 bites and I am full!! You will do great, don't worry. Feed your faith, not your fear! That was my mantra as I was waiting for surgery. Keep reading online here, ask questions and I know you will make your decision. Its very personal for everyone, but the one common denominator is that we are going to have to face our obesity at some point and DO SOMETHING about it!! Take care, God Bless Deborah I will be praying for you to make the right decision for you!

that's exactly what I needed to hear. I just want to be able to take my daughter to her favorite restaurant and not be tortured. I want to be able to at least have a decent salad(I love salads funny huh but I do) or something healthy like grilled chicken or something like that. Right now my focus is to loose 30lbs if I can do that on cutting back and eating healthier then I know I won't fail the surgery. When I said food I like I'm not talking about sweets or over eating or anything like that. I just want to be able to have a steak even if its only 3oz. A grilled chicken breast or even a small salad. I don't eat sweets. I eat wrong. I eat a lot of starches and breads. Which I'm cutting and trying to drink more water. If I can drop 30lbs I'm sure I will succeed in keeping this weight off once/if I have the surgery.

NICELY PUT, MS DEB ... I FEEL THE SAME WAY ... I WANT SO MUCH TO TELL EVERY OBESE PERSON I SEE ABOUT THIS SURGERY, BUT I WORRY THAT I WOULD HURT THEIR FEELINGS. I HAVE HAD A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT WLS, THOUGH, AS PEOPLE SEE ME LOSE THE WEIGHT & ASK WHAT I'VE DONE. I UPDATED YOU TO 82 #s ... GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Hey Melinda, ME TOO, bread queen here!! I still love bread, and funny that doesn't hurt me like it does others! Which is kinda bad, but I have to watch my bread intake...still!! Really, you are talking about eating 3 oz of steak or chicken, girl, you won't be able to! I was actually laughing, but not at you, because I was the same way! I love love bread and carbs, I am a carbaholic, but key lime pie is my absolute favorite, and so when we had seafood one night, I had a key lime pie for the family, but I made myself a sugar free one. No, it wasn't as good, can't replace sweetened condensed milk flavor with anything else, but...it did satisfy my wanting to eat it, and I did have a literal lick of a real piece for the flavor. Usually if I can just lick something and get the flavor, then I don't want it. Your tastes will change, I promise, so don't freak over the food issue now, it really becomes a non issue once you have the surgery. I go to restaurants, I go to McDonalds...but I order a happy meal, with unsweetned tea, and I give away the fries, and I eat the middle part, the meat and cheese, but can only eat a few bites, so I rip it in half and give that to my sons or husband who are more than happy to eat it. I have had an occasional french fry or chicken nugget, but not much, because I don't want to get sick, and the goal is to lose weight, not try to see if I can tolerate old bad foods. Don't fret over nothing. I am "obsessed" with food now, but in a different way. I love to buy organic veggies and make a huge salad...everyone laughs because I go to such lengths to prepare an awesome salad, shrimp or chicken, and add chickpeas, eggs, and so forth to boost the protein, then I eat 2 bites and I am done!! It is incredible, I want more, but I can't eat it...so I supplement with yummy protein shakes from www.bariatriceating.com the Protein Delite are the best! Go to your appointment, and do the class, and you will feel better. The surgery with Dr. Byrne to me is no risk at all, but of course there is a risk in all surgeries. You will do fine, he is the best. Look forward to meeting you at the Bypass Support Group! We meet in restuarants...LOL but it helps us! I usually get a salad with chicken or shrimp, they have all kinds of things. Mexican by the way, is the easiest place to eat at once you are post op...pureed is refried beans, and a container of ground beef and some warm water, mix it together and it makes a "slurry" and it was yummy...and cheap..oh yeah, I added cheese to mine too. You can even order it at Taco Bell, but you have to be real detailed in what you order, they just can't seem to understand I want a taco without the taco and refried beans with cheese on the side....so I had to explain it everytime. Don't worry over losing weight before surgery either, that is why you are having surgery! Enjoy yourself now...but one thing I would advise is to get off sodas and caffeine asap, because I had terrible caffeine withdrawal and headaches in the hospital, but I lived on diet Dr Pepper and Diet Coke. I very rarely if at all have sodas...they will stretch your pouch anyway, its now Crystal Lite baby! Propel is great too. Read my profile, you will see some recipes and stuff. Susan Maria's book is great too, I read the whole thing in one sitting it was a page turner and very helpful for me. Take care, and have a great weekend! Deb

BECAUSE OF MY STALL & EXHAUSTION ISSUES, I HAVE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF SUPER ADVISE & I'VE BEEN DOING SOME ONLINE RESEARCH. I WENT TO bariatriceating.com & THERE ARE SOME NEW Q&A PAGES ON HER SITE ... I THOUGHT OF YOU BECAUSE ON THE ONE WHERE YOU CAN ASK MS SUSAN MARIE QUESTIONS, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT EATING, FOOD, & CHANGING OUR FOOD DECISIONS TO HEALTHY DECISIONS. MAYBE THEY WOULD BE OF HELP TO YOU. HERE ARE THE ADDRESSES ... I HAD TO LAUGH BECAUSE SHE MENTIONED EATING STEAK SEVERAL TIMES & I KNOW YOU LOVE STEAK, MS MARLENA. http://store.bariatriceating.com/bafhe.html http://store.bariatriceating.com/asksusanfaq.html http://store.bariatriceating.com/featuredrecipe.html GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK