Need advice Post-op OR Pre-op for Gastric Bypass.

Does any one have any advice for me??? I am scheduled for gastric bypass December 9th and to be honest with you, I am afraid. However I am 100 pounds overweight and I have a 2 year old son to live for. I want to be able to live for him, take him to the park, run around the park with him, run after him while I aam teaching him how to ride a bike, be able to walk an amusement park with my son and husband. Those things are so very important to me. I met with my surgeon yesterday for a consultation and it kind of put a bigger fear in my heart. He "stressed" the risks in this surgery before he "stated" the benefits of me having this WLS. I would LOVE to hear from anyone who is having it done, to people who have recently had it done, to people that have had it done a few years ago. I would like to know all the positive things they feel and all the negative things they are going through. Can some one talk to me????

Girl don't worry about being scared, that is so normal! The night before my surgery I remember thinking...maybe I should just try Jenny Craig one more time! I had my lap RNY on April 19th and it's the very best decision I've made in my life. It isn't always easy, sometimes you are kicking yourself and asking why you did this to yourself, but most days I just feel so much better. I used to think I would be the one person this wouldn't work for and I'd never get to my goal but now as I see this tool working for me I finally see that..YES, I will get to my goal and that throws me! Just remember that you HAVE to do your part. This isn't a magic pill and you have to be willing to make alot of lifestyle changes. I've lost 63 pounds in less than 5 monthes and it feels SO much better than ANY food I've ever put in my mouth could taste!!! Good luck and take good care of yourself. Denise

I too did this for my 3 year old son, I wanted to live to see him grow up. I didn't think that I would be worse off 9 months post op, then I ever was before surgery. You have to do what is right for you. You need to know that there are many risks involved with this surgery, as well as complications. You wouldn't be able to make an informed decision without these risks being explained to you by your doctor, as well as other research that you have done. I have had nothing but complications, and my son was better off having his mommy fat, then how he has me today. With that being said, I would NEVER tell anyone NOT to have the surgery. You do what is right for you. You know that MOST people come out of this surgery with flying colors, and life is peachy for them, but just be aware, that some of us DO NOT come out O.K....If you didn't know this, you wouldn't be fully educated about this surgery. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

im someone hoping to have the procedure, mainly in the next month or so. but what mainly convinced me to have it was my son and family as well , but you have to want to do it for yourself. you are already living the cons with heavy wt on your knees,legs etc. heavy breathing and not being able to fit anything. so it can only get better. i wish you luck but with make sure you are making the decision for you. go to groups, read more of the other forums. ask the same question in other forums. keep us up to date on your decision and outcome.

I am NOT trying to stir anything up, but your comment, and I quote, "you are already living the cons with heavy wt on your knees,legs etc. heavy breathing and not being able to fit anything. so it can only get better." Is not true for some of us...NOTHING got better for me since surgery, sure I have lost most of my weight, but I am so sick, I have had 6 surgeries, I just got discharged from the hospital this Wednesday after my 6th surgery. I can't work, I can't care for my 3 year old by myself, my family is so stressed, I can't have sex with my husband, I have a permanant PICC line in my arm for IV access, this has financially ruined us, I could go on and on and on...but I think you get the picture. To make an educated decision about this surgery, you NEED to know that there are many people like me that exist. We are obviously in the minority, but still, there are lots of us out there. I wouldn't wish this upon ANYONE!! And I pray that you have an uneventful surgery, and a speedy recovery.

I am 9 days post op and feeling great. I had surgery for me. I am just begining this journey it is the best thing i could have done! I had a Lap RNY with absolutely no complications. I came home from the hospital in 2 days. I had very little pain, and I am no longer taking any pain pills. I was not scared until the weeks before surgery and I second guessed myself everyday. However I had done my investigation long before that and knew it was what i wanted. Being scared or nervous is normal. Good luck in your journey and if you have any questions feel free to email me. Robyn

I think regardless of which surgery you choose, if any, everyone is a little scared of the what ifs. I personally am choosing the lap band because it is reversible if ever necessary. The down time is very minimal (important to me because I have 5 kids to take care of), the complications are less severe (for the most part), and there is no "Window" of time. I read the lap band forum postings everyday, and keep up with the regrets too. I have been gathering as much information as possible from all sources. So far most people are happy with their bands. The biggest complaint I see is that it is not quick enough. Slow weight loss is okay with me as long as I am losing, and a lot of people on this site have had great weight loss success. In comparison to some of the problems I have read about on the main board with RNY, the complications with the lap band seem to be minimal. Flipped ports, too much or not enough restriction, hitting plateaus, productive burping, and things such as these. I haven't seen any life threatening complications so far. I hope this is helpful to you. I am in no way saying the RNY is bad, I am just saying this is my choice. I know two people who had the RNY and they have no regrets and are doing wonderful, both approaching 100lbs since the beginning of the year. I also know 1 lap band patient and she has lost 65 lbs as of March. Good luck in your journey, Kim

hello Lora, My name is Sandra and today is my rebirthday I have lost a total of 145 lbs and physically feel very, very good. I have 3 girls and now I have so much energy that they now have a difficult time keeping up with their mom. My only regret with the surgery (not really a regret more of a concern) is mentally everything changes. I wasn't always heavy but about 5 to 6 years ago I lost myself and did not care for anything anymore except my beautiful girls. I lived and breathed for them. I am not saying this was a bad thing but I made no time for myself and like I said before I lost myself. With my weight loss I now have to learn who Sandra is again and it hasn't been easy. My girls are excited for me but also feel that I am selfish because I now make time for myself which they were not use to. My marriage has never been strong more of a comfort zone than a love relationship. With the weight loss I now get a lot of male attention and that puts a major strain on my marriage. Mentally I went through a lot of ups and downs. I did not realize that this would happen. It seemed to me that I should be estatic with the weight loss but there would be times I would either be extremely sad because people paid more attention to me just because of my looks...after all I thought how dare them...I am the same Sandra as before. Other times I would be pissed off because I got tired of hearing you look so different. In reality yes, I did look different but it took me awhile to really realize it. If I had to do it over again, YES, I would still have the surgery. One thing that I would encourage you to do after your surgery is to take alot of pictures of your journey!! I did not do this and sure wish I would have! I do not want to steer you wrong (my letter sound like I have had a negative experience) I love the surgery and how everything has worked out