Are most of you happy with your decision to have this surgery?

Hi All,

I have been peppering the board with a ton of questions so thank you for all your responses. I saw my Dr the other day and told him I did not want to have the surgery and he pushed me a bit on ith the other way. He said he does not know anyone *****grets it. Now I have scoured these boards left right and six ways to Sunday so I know there are some who have regrets. But I guess I want to take my own survey of sorts- so I will ask the question...

In general- are most of you happy with the decision you made? Or if you had to do it over, knowing what you know now- would you not do it?

Thanks !

I have regained a fair bit of weight (and working to lose it), and I am facing a revision to RNY due to GERD. I'm still very happy with my decision and I'm glad I had surgery.

15 years out in July and never regretted it for one minute!

I have taken it very seriously though, taking vitamins, exercising, etc, so am way healthier than most of my 56 year old peers

While I won't say I wish I'd done it earlier, as I wasn't ready in my mind to commit to what is needed. Today, I am trilled and am loving life. This side of the bench is great - come on over!!!

having VSG was the single best thing I have ever done for myself. I wish I had been able to do it years earlier but am so grateful that I did have it nearly 10 years ago.

122# lost and kept off. I follow the rules and get my vitamins. I have no health issues except thyroid disease which I had prior to surgery. I take no prescription meds besides synthesis.

Knowing what I know now, I'd do it again in a New York minute! I'm healthy and happy! No medication, can play with the puppies or grand-baby on the floor! What could be better than that?

I do walk 5 miles everyday, watch what I eat, and take my vitamins... it a good life.

I had mine in March of this year and I don't regret it a single minute. I actually wish I wouldn't have waited so long. My recovery time wasn't bad and it's really helped me reevaluate things in life. I just knew that I didn't want to be at that weight when I turn 40 in a couple years. But it's not an easy fix for sure. Everyone has to make their own decision on this and I'm glad I did go ahead and do it. My thing now is I have to watch my bank account due to all the cute clothes I can wear now lol

I wish I had realised it was an option for me years earlier. I had read about the band, but knew that a lot of patients were disappointed with the results, had problems with it, and needed further surgery later. I had heard about "stomach stapling" and "bypass" surgery, but I thought it was just something celebrities did. I had basically given up on ever being able to be a healthy weight until a doctor suggested the surgery to me and gave me a referral.

But it's not just a question of should you have the surgery. You also need to consider if this is the right time for you to have the surgery. While revision is occasionally an option for some, you need to think of the surgery as your one and only chance to get to a healthier weight. You need to be ready to make some sacrifices. It's normal to be nervous, but underneath it all you want to go into the surgery feeling confident that you've made the right choice.

I think you'll get mostly positive responses, but in fairness I should point out that people who are unhappy tend not to participate long-term in forums like this.

Do you have any specific concerns about the surgery?

i do not have any specific concerns about the surgery itself. I just want to be able to eat normally ( in the long term, I know I will have the pre and post op diets) like the rest of the world. When I say that I mean- will I be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner once a year? Special Occasion meals, etc etc. I know the eating will drastically change and I actually have already started to make those changes, I would just like to know that there will be some sense of normalcy once again in life after the surgery

That's a very good question. I'll paint a picture of what it's like at a year out, and hopefully others will give you a longer-term view.

After the stomach is fully healed, most people who've had VSG are able to eat all types of food, just not in large quantities. A few people develop lactose intolerance. (I had mild lactose intolerance before, but it got worse after surgery. Not a big deal, I just stay away from dairy.) A few people might develop other types of allergies or food intolerances. For example, vegetables and legumes that are undercooked don't sit well in my stomach. I don't handle food with lots of onions well either. I don't get ill, but the food feels "pointy" in my stomach. Fortunately the feeling passes quickly.

Dining out: For the first few months, on the rare occasions I wanted to dine out, I only went to cafes, coffee shops, and other places where it was easy to order a small quantity of food and eat only half of it. Otherwise you get tired of explaining to the server that the food was fine; you simply couldn't fini**** At a year out, I avoid restaurants that expect you to order a main dish plus appetiser plus whatever. Some servers will make a big deal out of it. "You don't want rice? Shall I bring you extra vegetables?" I'm open about my surgery, but I get tired of justifying my food choices to strangers. And if someone else is paying for me, I feel a little bad about wasting their money. If dining out is an important part of your social life, prepare to make some major adjustments, at least for a while.

These are very minor annoyances to me personally, but I want you to be prepared.