Hello all!

Greetings!

I am new here.  I am considering WLS and am looking for information everywhere I can get it.   I found this place for people with BMI's over 50 and thought it would be a great place to talk with other people like me :)  I am 5'2 and 304 pounds with a BMI of 56 as of my last DR visit. 

I have a husband and a grandmother that lives with me, along with a cat and an iguana.  I am excited to be learning about this WLS stuff.  My mother and I are both going in for the same surgery when we decide on what type to get, in Carmel, IN at St. Vincents Bariatric.  I'm hoping for a Duodenal Switch right now, it seems to be the most successful at treating diabetes which is what we would need.  Thanks for reading this and hope to make a lot of new friends here!

Welcome Elyssa!

I started with a BMI very close to yours as I was 344 pounds at 5"5 with a BMI of 57.  I had surgery (RNY Gastric Bypass) a year and 2 months ago.  With a lot of hard work and determination, I have gotten my weight to 160 pounds (BMI 26) so far.  I am working on losing another 20 pounds.  I was an insulin dependent type II diabetic, had mild high blood pressure, and sleep apnea that have all been resolved by my weight loss.  

Although I had a RNY, the DS is a fabulous surgery for us super morbidly obese patients.  There are quite a few very successful posters here who've experience in your surgery of choice -- so I am certain that they will chime in soon to give you more feedback.  

Let me know if there's anything I can answer for you!

Thanks Kat!

I at first wanted the RNY surgery as it was less complicated but I did some research and decided the DS was the way to go for me for the results I wanted.  I have 175 pounds to lose and that's a long road to travel.  I have sleep apnea and diabetes too, and I'm hyperlipodemic with high blood pressure.  My mom has all that too and we're looking to do this together in a buddy system type way so we keep each other on the right track.  Thanks for your reply!!

Hey, I had all the same co-morbidities!  :-)  I've lost about 184 pounds in 13 months.  You can do it!  

DS is a great surgery.  So is the RNY and VSG -- they all have their place for different people.  You've already gotten ahead of the game having chosen your best option.  

Welcome to the OH family.  You are learning about the right options for you and your health.

Welcome  

My highest weight was 449 and I'm 5'-6".  My BMI was over 70 and I had high blood pressure,  obstructive sleep apnea and borderline diabetic.   I had the VSG 14 months ago and it was the best decision of my life.   All surgeries have their pros and cons and this is a great place to research them all.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.

Welcome Elyssa!

You'll find lots of help and support here, whatever path you choose.  I'm only 6 weeks post-op from VSG surgery and all my silly questions get thoughtful, considered responses.

You'll also find lots of pet lovers here!  How do the cat and iguana get along?  I can't even imagine how my cats would deal!

Good luck with your journey!

Best,

Sarah

The cat and the iguana don't see each other at all really.  My husband runs a homeless shelter and has the iguana in his office there at work where Izzy can see him all day and get interacted with by lots of people.  Tiger, the cat, is a fat butt and lays around on my grandmother all day and wants everyone to stay in bed so he can lay on them :)  They did meet once when Izzy was a lot smaller and the cat tried to paw at Izzy's head.  One tail flick from Izzy was enough to teach the cat not to touch Izzy again!

Congrats on being post op and good luck on your journey, too!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I'm calling my insurance company tomorrow to find out if they even cover this surgery.  I would think they do.  I have Anthem BCBS, I think its federal, does anyone have any experience with them?  I'll find out more tomorrow and post my findings.  I'm having a lot of trouble with anemia from heavy periods from PCOS and I'm hoping that when I'm lighter that will go away.  PCOS makes you put on weight so fast.  I put on 20 pounds in about two weeks, no kidding, just eating regular food. :( 

Hopefuly that will get better once I'm lighter!

Welcome!! My highest weight was 339 and I maintain around 140 at 5'7" tall. I had RNY 6.5 years ago. It was the right choice for me. As others have said, the sleeve, RNY, and DS are all good surgeries if we do our part. That is the most important part of the equation. Personal responsibility is key. Sadly many people never learn that lesson.

Good luck on your journey!! We are here to cheer you on!!