Does anyone really regret having the surgery?
I'm sure people ask this question a lot on here but I would truly like to know if anyone can say they wish they had not had WLS. Is your life better or worse because of it? Is there anything you wish you had known prior to having surgery?
Okay thanks for your time!!
I wish i knew about the risk of alcohol abuse after the procedure. Unfortunately, something i had to learn the hard way. Please just be aware and do some research on that. People are probably sick of me bringing this up and trust me i don't want to be the resident alcoholic around here. I just hope that by being honest i can help someone else avoid it. Still, I do NOT regret having the surgery. One hard year is nothing compared to a lifetime of a healthier and happier me.
Lisa (38) my goal is 160 lbs.... my dream is happy and healthy
I think it's great that you (and a few others around here) are so dedicated to bringing awareness to transfer addiction, especially with alcohol. No one on my medical team warned me about transfer addiction, but I read about it on here, so when I tried a few drinks at maybe 10 months out I realized quickly that I was very susceptible to it and I stopped. I don't drink anymore. Ever.
27 years old - 5'5" tall - HW: 260 - SW: 255 - LW: 132.0 - Regain: 165.0
Pre Op - 5.0, M1 - 25.6, M2 - 15.6, M3 - 14.0, M4 - 13.4, M5 - 10.8, M6 - 13.8, M7 - 9.8, M8 - 7.8, M9 - 2.8, M10-2.4, M11-0, M12-7
Lower Body Lift with Dr. Carmina Cardenas - 5/3/19
Thank you, how infuriating that surgeons are not warning their patients about this! I believe the statistic is 1 in 5. That's extremely high! My PCP believes it is actually much higher based on her patients that have had WLS. That is not even counting the ones that are out there suffering and haven't reached out for help. I really wish i had known and maybe i could have caught it before it was too late...like you did! Congrats on making that decision for yourself. Its so hard...I still struggle with it daily.
Lisa (38) my goal is 160 lbs.... my dream is happy and healthy
Congratulations!!! You not only dealt with obesity, but also with drinking. Congratulations.
I never went all the way into real addiction, but I got close at least 2 times. I guess one time was not good enough for me.
I stopped before I got so dependent that would need a professional help.
I don't drink alcohol anymore. I sometimes miss a taste of red wine, specially when we are out and I have nice steak. But because I already developed allergies to red wine - I stopped drinking that a long time ago. But I don't miss it enough to start drinking again.
Alcohol helped me relax, and helped my digestion. And my IBS. Or so I wanted to believe. I manage well without alcohol. Get tempted? Sure I do, but not enough to take chances. After 3 months of complete sobriety, I realized that some my overheating issues were due to drinking alcohol. I still overheat, and I can perspire like crazy, but not as much as I did when I drank alcohol a few times a week.
BTW- before RNY, I used to have lots of nice bottles of alcohol in my house. And before my RNY,I never really abused it. When I heard about transfer addiction - I never thought one day I would be in danger of that. I am glad I knew about that issues before I got to a point of no return. But I know I wasn't far away from it.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
No i have heard that quite often about the alcohol. Fortunately I HATE alcohol..never drink so I don't think that'd be my issue. I hope you are getting the help you need. I'm in recovery myself (opiates) and I know how hard it is but never give up trying.
I wish I had been ready to do it 5 years earlier. Not a single regret.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.