This REALLY is the time for you to seek help other than what any of your peers can give you because your situation seems to run much deeper than what it is. Perhaps you can find someone that deals with post-op bariatric patients. I am sorry for all you're dealing with but PLEASE seek help.

I hope that you find inner peace and the help that you so critically need right now.

 

God Bless,

Carla

Hello! I'm sorry to hear that you feel as though you've made the wrong decision. You are still new and perhaps the fact that this surgery may benefit you in the long run is not a realization for you yet.

You may ask yourself how in the world can this person tell me anything positive when they too are a regretful post-op patient themselves?! Well, I just feel as though some people need a nudge especially when there's a chance that later on down the road things may be different for them and life may be much better than expected. I am just the opposite. I had surgery on July 21, 2008 I was up walking that afternoon and dismissed the next morning. Life looked promising and I did not regret my decision in the least. Now approximately 5 years later the bright light that was once a blinding beacon has become very dim. I too have a post on this board and available for you to read. 

Unfortunately I was dying and I considered my mother because I'm an only daughter and she relies on me a lot. I had multiple co-morbidities, the most progressive was the fatty liver. I would have never known about it  had I not became ill enough to go to the E.R. 

I sincerely hope that your feelings change about your decision. I know of a couple of people that actually "manipulated" their way into surgery. One didn't qualify according to her insurance criteria so she paid cash and was only 30 pounds overweight, she chose the lap-band. The other was only 36 pounds overweight and took about 4 years to intentionally go up and down the scales before she finally had enough weight on her to meet her insurance company's criteria for RNY. When she first saw me she tried to say that I didn't recognize her I did and told her so and she proceeded to tell me..."I finally had it done." My reply was and????. She didn't educate herself or "jump through all the hoops" because she walked into it blinded and had to ask me questions about the dryness of her skin and hair and she complained about having limited food choices. I just told her that she should have learned about the possible side effects due to nutritional changes and imbalances because everyone is different and that was the end of that. 

I guess what I'm saying is that you were obese and made the decision to have this surgery and neither of these people really were actual candidates. They were more interested in the "high road for the sake of vanity" route than they were for the sake of their health. The issue of being restricted never has been a problem for me and I really do hope that you are able to make it through this period but most of all I hope I've helped you with something that I've said in an attempt to make you feel a little better about your choice. I have realized myself that had I not had my surgery there wouldn't have been a chance in the world that one of my illness had been diagnosed because it seems as though it may be that I was genetically predisposed to it as well as me being super morbidly obese.

A variety of different, tolerable protein drinks may help with some of the way you feel, if you don't already have a few different ones to choose from. 

Hope things get better and God Bless you

Carla J.

 

Hey... I'm in the same boat! Kept 100lbs off for 5 years then unexpectedly got pregnant. Long story, but my son has some severe medical issues and had to have open-heart surgery at 2 days old. He was in and out of the hospital for the first 6mos of his life. Now 15mos, he's doing well, but the stress had taken its toll. I was up 45lbs. I went back to my surgeons office for a physician monitored diet. I've lost 15 lbs in 5 weeks, but I'm miserable. I'm eating less than 1200 cal/day and drinking so much water, I think I might drown!! My docs office said that unfortunately they are now realizing that the RNY bypass is not the best solution for long term because it did not take into consideration the impact of our bodies hormones. Many of us who are several years post op from RNY are now struggling to keep the weight off and only "eating like a bird" will work for our bodies which have now learned to live on MUCH less food than the average person. My appointment last week was the first time since my surgery 6 years ago that I regret my decision. I really hope there's more research that will help us because all I want is to be normal! Not obese... Not thin... I just don't want to feel like a complete failure! Anyone else out there feeling this way??

First please allow me to introduce myself! My name is Carla I, like probably many of you, am a WLS Vet and a member that's been away from the board for far too long and I regret having weight loss surgery to this very day PERIOD.

I had Lap RNY July 21, 2008. I was "promised the world" by my medical team and it really looked like things were going to be better. I had surgery on the 21st, I was up walking by that afternoon, my surgeon told me he was impressed and dismissed me the next morning. But, somewhere in the first 2 post-op years life began a u-turn and things went WRONG. Let me clarify what I mean when I say that I was "promised the world", you'll live a longer, happier, healthier life. Of course that's what all of us wanted and some of us may have even been overachievers as I was and it looked like I was home free but just as I was coming around to third base life threw me a curve ball that blacked my eye and put a knot on my head; when that ball hit me it had such an impact that I also fell and skinned up both knees and even broke some fingers. I made it to third base alright.....I fell face first right on the base. I've gotten up may times but it's unfortunate that I can't seem to be able to leave third base. Stuck in the middle!!!

Now that most of the sarcasm is out of my system I'll move on with the story.

I had a dedicated exercise routine every morning, the only things that stopped me from walking were rain and snow. I even walked in the heat 3 or more miles every morning. The weekends were for 5 and 10 miles it depended on how I felt. My doctors felt that there was a problem with my continued rapid weight loss and asked me to not exercise so much...ha! They soon found out that IBS was the real culprit. I was diagnosed in the earlier months of 2009; at times I couldn't eat and there were days I was barely able to even drink water so the weight loss overdrive part was figured out. By now, it's mid 2009 and I awoke one morning with the rain hitting the roof and widespread pain hitting me all over; I believe the pain in my spine was the worst. I was x-rayed and found to have degenerative disc disease. From that I was prescribed pain pills that were a giant turn off because I refused to be a zombie so those stayed at the drug store. I was then sent to a rheumatologist who further diagnosed me as having Fibromyalgia. During this time I also began to notice that my fingers and toes would get cold but I never really paid attention to that problem until I came out of the grocery store one day. I looked at my fingers and thought I had somehow gotten blue ink on them. My self imposed question was,but from what?! I then realized that after I warmed them the "blue ink" went away. I asked my rheumy about it and he simply said Oh, that's Raynaud's Phenomenon and gave me some much appreciated literature. I thought that was the end of it all and I was determined to find a way to cope.

In 2010 I began to have episodes where my heart felt like it was doing jumping jacks, I would tremor, and sweat, and get light headed. I informed my PCP and other medical professionals and walah.....reactive hypoglycemia. Everybody wanted to tell me what to eat, how often to eat it, and when to eat it. That was a laugh within itself. This was a situation where one direction DID NOT fit all, especially me. I tolerated those detrimental instructions until I went out for a 3 miler on a nice, warm day in May 2012 and blacked out. I was barely comprehensive only because I was on the phone with my mother and it was her voice that kept me from totally going to sleep. I still can't remember most of the events that lead up to that episode but I do remember a friend whom I was waiting on assisting me to their car and getting me home. It took 2 days to recover from that fall. Oh it left me with a black, swollen eye, a skinned up chin, and a knee that still gives me trouble but it didn't stop me from walking; I continued to get in the occasional 3 or 4 mile walks when I could especially on the weekends; it didn't matter that it gradually felt like pins and needles were sticking me when I walked as my body temperature rose. I just didn't even care about my fingers swelling to the point of feeling as if they were going to burst I continued on my dedicated walks. I mean why not?! I had slowly weaned my body away from relying on carbs as it's source of fuel and I'm back to mostly protein, low carb vegetables and berries, only when tolerable and my weight has stabilized at around 187 pounds from initially 400+ pounds. I've learned a lot about myself and I've learned that grains, most dairy, fats, nuts, beans, legumes, breads, crackers, sweeteners, most all other fruits and yeast is NOT on my menu and I don't ever settle even if I am hungry and I'm out of the house. I'll sip on a bottle of water before I give in to convenience that I'll have to pay for afterwards.

Well, that just about does it for me and why I regret having weight loss surgery.

Wait!!! It's 2013 and all of those uncomfortable, gradual, changes were leading up to Erythromelalgia.

No doubt these illnesses may have been recessive and weight loss just gave them the spiked shoe to kick me in the rear. I often voice my opinion that I wish I'd never had the surgery. I wouldn't be alive but I wouldn't be in this position either. Nope....no dependents or significant other to have to worry about leaving behind, and my family, they just need to get over the idea that I'm still their crutch and do things and live life for themselves. I have no more hopes in medical science and I often pray that one night I'll lay down and go to sleep and continue sleeping. Morbid but true. I DO believe in God and have heard the questions.."do you believe in God, do you pray, are you a Christian?!" What is this?! Are Christian's not allowed to express their carnal emotions?! Besides, I always say that I PRAY, I wonder if the word "pray" is the give away word that I'm a non-believer?! (sarcasm)

Thank you for reading this post even if you have no input, thank you anyway!

I am so sorry to hear about your health issues and WLS regrets. I am 15 years out, regained 70 of the 150 over a 7 year period, then got my act together and lost 50 in the past 8 years. There were a few times I regretted the surgery, but it changed and saved my life. My lab numbers are "perfect" for a 50 year old according to my doctor, but I do sometimes wait for the "shoe to drop", and try to always stay positive. I wish you the very best.