QOTD-Monday-

I'm off work today and stuck in the house so let's have a question of the day.  Copy and paste the questions and then add your answers.  This will be for those that have already had surgery and is designed to help answer common newbie questions. 

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?

9.  Any regrets?

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  I was snoring so bad that my husband told me "either do something about it or I'm moving to another bedroom".

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  The first time, I jumped in blindly and had a lapband but when I had my revision, I did a LOT of research.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  After my lapband failure (inexperienced doc), I chose the RNY because I couldn't "cheat" it-I'm a HUGE chocoholic and junk food eater.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? Yes, my insurance only paid for either lapband or RNY- I did not have the choice of the sleeve or I probably would of chosen that.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  Choose the MOST experienced doc you can find and one that has a comprehensive PROGRAM in place for support and aftercare.  I was the 15th band my first doc had placed and I personally know #9, #14 and #16 and NONE of us were successful so I don't think it was OUR fault.  My RNY doc is very well known with tons of experience and I reached goal in a little over a year with his help.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?  Take before and after photos.  I LOVE looking at mine-they keep me honest.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? No, I hear all the time people say their's did but mine did not.  I still love the same foods I did before I had surgery.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  I can eat everything, but milk and fried foods make me a little nauseous.  I can no longer vomit either which is weird.  I physically can't do it.  I don't dump as long as I eat sensible portions of food.

9.  Any regrets? Just that I didn't do it sooner.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened becasue of you having surgery?  Aside from the weight loss, it has to be the people I've met along the way.  They have truly enriched my life more than any amount of weight loss could of.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? When my darling grand daughter, who was 10 at the time, invited me to lunch at school and said  "I've already talked to my teacher about not letting the other kids tease you about being fat".... 

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  I had been researching off and on for a couple of yrs, but after the incident above I jumped in....

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  I discussed the pros and cons of several with my doctor....

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? No

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  Ask questions, research your options, and follow your doctor's orders!

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? Don't to listen to nay-sayers...

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? No

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  Ice cream, now if I'd just learn my lesson and stop trying it over and over and over again....

9.  Any regrets?  That I didn't have it done yrs earlier!

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I LIKE to exercise now!

Thanks Steph.  I love doing these questions of the day!

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? When my mother died of complications from diabetes...

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  I had been researching it for many years...

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  I discussed the pros and cons of several with my doctor....

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? No

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  Ask questions, research your options, and follow your doctor's orders! <---great answer - keeping it!

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? Talk to people who have been through it, and build a support system...

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? I like onions now...so weird because I DETESTED them before!

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  table sugar, regular milk and simple carbs

9.  Any regrets?  That I didn't have it done yrs earlier!

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I LOVE shopping for normal sized clothes!! I can wear all the cute stuff now!

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  I wanted to get rid of my Type II diabetes.  I was terrified of losing a foot, or my eyesight, or having to go on insulin.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  I was lucky enough to have an old friend who had had RNY and been successful with it, so I leaned that way from day one.  When I heard lapband involved maintaining a port, that sealed the deal for RNY!  None of that constitutes research, really, but that is what I did.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  See #2.  I heard from everyone that RNY is the "gold standard" of WLS, so may as well do it right the first time and never need a revision.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?  No.  My insurance has a specific exclusion for WLS, so I always knew I'd have to pony up out of pocket.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  Surgery is risky, but take a hard look at the downward spiral you're in now.  You know where that's headed!  Wouldn't you rather take a chance on life?  And get a really, really experienced surgeon.  The experience level of the surgeon bears a direct correlation to the absence of complications.  [Sorry, that was two things rather than one.  I couldn't choose.]

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?  Read up on the post-op regime (protein, liquids, vitamins, etc.) so that you know what you're in for and what you need to do.  There are excellent books on the topic. 

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?  No.  I still adore cookies and all manner of badness.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  None.  Unfortunately.

9.  Any regrets?  No.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I'm off all diabetes meds, so my original mission has been accomplished.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The year before that a diving friend had gently asked if I'd ever considered any type of surgery. He'd had the old stomach stapling 20+ years ago and told me how much his life had changed, so it had been in the back of my mind...way in the back! But when I got diagnosed with T2D I got scared. My MIL died from complications after a double amputation and I didn't want my husband going through that twice.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? I jumped THEN I did the research. I was very lucky that my PCP suggested the surgery and recommended Dr. Garth Davis. At the time I had no clue who he was but since I didn't know any other Drs doing the surgery it was a place to start. His next seminar was a couple months away so while I waited for it I went to a couple of the seminars by local doctors I had found. I was NOT impressed! I DID like Dr. Robert Davis who did their seminar and decided to go ahead. Luckily, again, my insurance required a 6 month supervised diet and the clinic's list of links sent me here. Having those 6 months to spend on OH reading the good, the bad and the ugly was a huge blessing. So I did jump in to having the surgery but had the good fortune to do alot of research before the fact.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have? Mostly research here but also by talking to those who went before me...succesful and unsuccessful.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? No, by the time I found out insurance didn't cover anything but the lapband and RNY I had already decided on it.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? Make sure you are making this decision for YOU, not for anyone else. Listen only to yourself, do your research and make the decision based on YOUR wants and needs. This in one time you HAVE to put yourself first.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? Take photos and measurements. I depend on both to show me how well I'm doing because it took a long time before my brain could see it in the mirror!

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? Not really. Immediately after surgery I was very sensitive to sugar/sweets, everything tasted lots sweeter than I remembered but that's worn off.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now? I haven't found anything I CAN'T eat but there are several I choose not to eat or eat very little of. I've never liked chicken breast, it's always been very dry to me, so I'm still eating dark meat. I used to eat lots of red beef, especially steak. Now I like a very small piece of good quality steak but can't stand it heated up later, so Beast has to eat all meat leftovers unless it's gound beef. I've had no problems with milk and other dairy at all but I don't drink much milk now because of the carbs and calories, I'd rather spend them elsewhere.

9.  Any regrets? Not one! I know others say they wished they'd had it sooner but I don't. I know I wasn't mentally ready to do this all those years ago. So yes, I wish I had the last 25yrs back in a thinner body but I know in my heart if I'd had this surgery in my late 20's/early 30's I would have been a dismal failure.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery? The way it's affected my husband. I like the way he looks at me now. And not in a sexual way. He's so glad that I'm finally able to do all those things we planned to do all those years ago. The changes in my body are such a surprise to him, too. He'll walk by and feel my shoulder bones, or comment on how slim my arms look. It's things like him saying how much thinner I look as I walk across a parking lot. Or how my stride has changed without all that weight. He delights in the changes as much as I do and I know he's genuinely happy for ME as well as himself.

1.� What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?
knew that i could never diet/exercise enough to get away from almost 500lbs...with my back, was never going to be able to get ahead of the weight

2.� Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?
some research, mostly blind...knew of different types, but that was about it

3.� How did you decide which surgery to have?
I�took what my insurance would pay for initially (VBG)

4.� Did insurance effect your decision?
The first time yes, on the revision, no, I�chose the VSG because even if I�don't succeed and loose enough, it is the first half of a DS and I�could go farther if needed.

5.� What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?
Expect pain and a real learning curve at the beginning, but when the lbs start to shed you will forget all of that...also, get moving as much and as early as possible...and follow your doctors orders when it comes to diet...and don't "try" different things you shouldn't eat just to see if you can...that just leads to re-instating bad eating habits...lastly, get in a LIVE�SUPPORT�GROUP...I�owe Deb Flores BIG�TIME�for helping me at the beginning and during the revision process, she and Sean were there for me

6.� What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?
Start exercising if at all possible, clean house of all "bad" items if at all possible, and in my case for the second surgery, I had a case of isopure delivered and refrigerated along with all vitamins before i headed for the hospital...Go to a LIVE�SUPPORT�GROUP and talk to people who have been through it all

7.� Did your taste buds change after surgery?
Both times, they did and even now from time to time...wierd

8.� What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?
ice cream (I�shouldn't know this), and any sugar give me major GAS�except wine...go figure

9.� Any regrets?
Yes, that I got to almost 500 before the first surgery, and that I let the insurance company decide the first time...and that I didn't exercise more at the beginning of the first suregery

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?
I�met lots of friends here...and I�feel better in general

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?
A horrible photo of me taken at my daughter's house at Christmas.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?
Lots and lots of research,

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?
I didn't want the lapband because I didn't want the option of having it reversed, and I didn't want to deal with fills. At the time, (five years ago) it was pretty much either lapband or RNY.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?
Not really, but it sure helped.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?
Check out all the various types before deciding.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?
Do lots and lots of research.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?
YES - I find I like much "fuller" flavor foods than I used to. I need more punch per bite, since I can't have many bites.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?
Rice. Not even ONE grain. It gets stuck every time. I don't understand, because I can surely each things much larger than rice.

9.  Any regrets?
Not one. Except maybe finding out I don't dump. Wish I'd never found that out.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?
My knees stopped hurting! Or, at least, most of the time.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? pain!  in my feet, knees, hips and back.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? MAJOR amount of research, interviews, reading, lectures and seminars

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have? based on the info I found out i knew I needed the restriction and the dumping associated with RNY, otherwise I knew i would not stop eating high fat/sugar foods

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? no

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? figure out what YOU need for YOU and don't let your family and friends influence your decision. no one knows you better than you - and sometimes that includes your doctor.  They aren't magic, they just have more school than you.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? get your mind right before surgery and continue working on it the first year, find a good therapist and use them

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? yes!! 

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now? cannot eat too much dairy late in the day, cannot handle ANY sugars and low tolerance for high fatty foods. Also most recently any carbs (good/bad/high fiber) cause a crash. 

9.  Any regrets? NONE

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery? i can do the active things I like now and not spend hours/days in bed icing down sore/swollen knees