New at all this ...

Hi my names Kristina I'm new to the thought of WLS certainly not new to obesity im 322 lbs I also have Crohn's disease and that's kept me out of work im 21 and got married this year and recently  devastating    news this summer that because of my weight I haven't been able to carry a pregnancy to term we have lost two babies and it's killed me. This has all lead me to this situation this is out of my hands now and I'm scared . My dad got a gastric bypass 14 years ago and lost a lot of weight but he's sick all the time. After growing up watching him sick constantly from that surgery I swore I'd never do it. Well I went to my first consult last week thinking I'm going to the least invasive and reversible method and do the lap band and the doctor practically laughed in my face and said I won't lose anything over 50 lbs and that would be stupid. He is pushing me towards the sleeve but I'm really not ready for that I have had several surgeries and have had many other health issues my whole life im out of work because I'm sick all the time and I can't imagine asking for more pain discomfort and sickness. I'm at a loss I feel defeated I have dreamt of nothing more then being a mom and that has now been taken from me and my husband and it's my fault what should I do?!

thank u for taking the time to read this 

God bless 

Kristina 

Kristina:

No one can tell you what's best for you. You should weigh all your WLS options to determine which one is best for your lifestyle. You're a lot younger than most of us, and you're going to have to live with your decision for a long time: you want to make the right one and, preferably, not have to have another surgery down the road.

There will be NO guarantees with any surgery Some people will lose a lot of weight with one procedure while another person will have much lower results. All you can do is choose the one you think is best for you and do everything you can to make it work. But I WILL say that having WLS was the best thing I ever did for myself. With one exception, all my comorbidities are gone, and I feel much, much better. I was convinced, 11 years ago, that without the surgery, I wouldn't live to see fifty. Last month I hit the "double-nickel" milestone (55.)

Good luck to you, no matter what you choose. Do lots of research. Ask lots of questions. People are here to help! 

Bette

Thank you so much the support is so unbelievably helpful ! Congratulations on coming so far what WLS did you have ?

Kristina

Band, December 2003.

His approach may have been rude but he had a point. It is the least successful of all of them with the most complications. These boards are full of people that had to have them removed. I only know of three or so people that have done well with them. They are also not meant to last in your body forever and often need to be removed. The sleeve is what and many had. I was ready to do whatever in two weeks and have had no complications. It is very different from the gastric bypass as there is no rerouting of the intestines. Everyone is different though so you need to find what will work best for you.

I'm so pulled between both because my aunt had lap band and she lost 120 with no issues im very scared of vsg i. Going to just keep reading people's stories my minds not made up yet thank you so much for replying all of this support is incredible 

Kristina 

Can I ask what is about the sleeve that scares you?

It's cutting out something that's meant to be there that freaks me out and I was in so much pain after I got my full bladder out that's all I keep comparing it to... You weren't scared? 

Kristina

I would lie to say I wasn't scared but I was in this for life. Our stomachs are too big and they are just taking them a health saving size. Plus I still have no hunger almost two years later. They have been doing the sleeve a long time. It has been done on ulcer and cancer patients for about 80 years now I think. It was proven and approved as a stand alone procedure.  That is why I chose it. Plus you retain your polyuric valve which is quite useful.

Statistically, the Sleeve is the form of WLS with the fewest life-time complications. The Sleeve is very simple---it reduces the size of your stomach, nothing else. It makes it very difficult for you to eat too much IN ONE SITTING, just like the Band is supposed to do. (And nearly everyone who's had a Band and then revised to a Sleeve says it works like they thought their Band would, but didn't.) But like the Band, YOU still have to make good choices, count your calories, and get regular lab work done to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need.

For many people, it reduces hunger, especially for the first couple of years. That's because it removes the tissue where most of the body's ghrelin is produced. (Ghrelin is often called the 'hunger hormone'.)

The Sleeve is a WONDERFUL procedure for folks whose problem is simply portion control, people with 'normal' metabolisms. Unfortunately, some of us don't HAVE normal metabolisms---some of us are super-efficient at storing energy in the form of fat. The more we diet, the more efficient our bodies become. If you think you might hve a super-efficient metabolism, then you should be looking closer at the RNY /gastric bypass and the DS/duodenal switch.

Given your BMI, I strongly urge you to look very closely at the DS. The DS is the form of WLS with the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, especially for those of us with a BMI greater than 50. It's also the very best at resolving or preventing diabetes and high cholesterol. Like the Sleeve (the Sleeve is the stomach portion of the DS), it still allows you to take NSAIDs, or any other medication you might ever need, and leaves you with a fully-functional stomach.

I know several ladies who couldn't conceive or carry to term before their DS who have had successful post-op pregnancies. I even know one who acted as a surrogate mother for her sister's child!