Gastric bypass made me skinny but not happy

If you started out at nearly 500 lbs than it isn't surprising that you had complications.  Any surgery at that weight is prone to complications.  You could have had your tonsils out and wound up brain dead.  It happens.

I have had a lot of issues with bowel obstructions.  Do I blame WLS?  No, I would have had those issues no matter what abdominal surgeries I had.  I had 2 c sections so I guess I regret having those babies because the surgery left me more vulnerable to scar tissue and intestinal adhesions.

I'm not making light of your situation.  I had complications, so did a lot of others but I don't make it my mission to try to scare people away from a surgery that might just save their life because they may be one of the very few who have issues.  I've known people who died after WLS.  But that doesn't mean I can scare away people who need it because they may be one of the very, very small percentages who don't make it.

No one is putting you down or making light of your problems.  In fact you would be surprised at the amount of compassion and support you would find here if you didn't come in with your guns blazing warning everyone of the dire consequences of having bariatric surgery.  

We all have our stories and they are all different.  No one is going to have the exact same experience as another.  You can do everything right, all the best doctors and hospitals and care and all the right pre op tests and still wind up on the other side of the statistics.  No one blames you for your problems or even blames you for trying to help others avoid your plight.  Just have the same respect for those of us who still are glad they had the option for treatment of our morbid obesity and took it in spite of the price we may have paid.

I didn't have WLS (twice!) to get skinny.  I had it to get healthy and ultimately I have achieved that goal.  It took a lot of time and many, many surgeries and a lot of work on my part and my doctors but I can finally say that I am healthy.  And I know I could never been healthy at this point if I hadn't of lost the weight.  And I could never have lost the weight, and kept it off without the help that surgery has given me.

I sincerely hope all your problems are resolved and you can have the quality of life you desire and deserve.  

Couldn't have put it more beautifully myself

What are you all so afraid of? I'm not going to cover up what happened to me in unicorn poop and glitter because it makes people uncomfortable. I have said it before. I am not anti WLS but people need to be aware of what can happen. 102 weeks in the hospital...a great deal of it spent in ICU...I worked for the government and was medically retired because I wasn't expected to live...my husband left me after I got home...I missed 2 years of my children's lives....PTSD. That isn't even close to being all of it. I've dealt with all of it in therapy...I didn't come here seeking support, I came here to make someone...even if it's just one person...realize that this is how it can turn out. My ex husband whom I am friends with started preop testing this morning for the gastric bypass. I'm not trying to scare him out of it. He knows what can happen. Not everyone does.

I think it is the surgeon's job to inform their patients of the risks involved.  You are not informing people you are trying to scare them.  A big difference.  

When my kids started driving I explained to them the risks.  That they they needed explaining because any fool should know the risks involved in driving.  But I did not have to tell them horror stories of all the people who died while driving.  Because they know that death could be one of the outcomes of driving.  But guess what?  They decided that the freedom that comes with their license was worth taking the small risk that something could happen.

And I would hazard to guess that dying or being severely injured while driving is much greater than the risk of having WLS.

I remember before my first WLS thinking about the worst possible outcomes.  I had 2 little girls at the time who had no father.  My youngest daughter's father was dead.  If something happened to me they would have no one. 

Before my surgery I heard of two people who died following surgery, one of them was on a board I was on and had fought and fought to have surgery even though he was over 600 lbs and knew he had a greater than average chance of problems but I remember him saying before the surgery that whatever happened he knew he was doing the right thing for him.

Maybe I was being selfish but my feelings were that if I died having surgery then I was okay with it because I did not want to live the way I was living for the rest of my life, no matter how much shorter it probably would be because of my morbid obesity.  I was willing to risk everything because I honestly felt I had nothing to lose anyway.

My youngest daughter is morbidly obese.  I have never talked to her about WLS but she told me she would never consider it because she saw what I went through.  Of course she knows it is rare but she doesn't want to take that chance.  I would never try to talk her out of it.

She is only 20.  Maybe in 20 years if she becomes so obese that she no longer has any quality of life like I did, she may change her mind and decide that the risk is worth the possibility of regaining her health.  That is her decision.

I mean seriously, you must have known there were possibilities of complications?  Maybe you were like many of us who felt that it only happens to other people, not ourselves, but in any case you went ahead because you decided the risk was worth it.  You rolled the dice on a better life and you lost the bet.  I am so sorry for that.

So inform all you want but please don't try to scare away people from what may be their only chance at a healthy life.

I posted my story in the section titled "weight loss surgery complications" what do you expect people to post here? What do you think this section was created for? it's not all sunshine and butterflies. I told my story. I told my truth. 

I'm glad you posted your story here.  I've read here many times and I do think it's important that people see all sides of the surgery.

You didn't inform you scared.  Big difference.

I've known women who've had severe complications during childbirth, some have even died.  I myself experienced the worst possible complication of pregnancy, a still born baby.  But I don't go around warning others to avoid having a baby.  

Most people contemplating surgery have pretty much made their mind up.  If they are desperate to have WLS nothing anyone says will deter them.  And if they are on the fence they will use any excuse to back out.

I sincerely hope that all your health issues are resolved.  I know what it's like to have severe, life altering health problems and it's a miserable way to live.  But I was also able to heal and I hope that for you, too.

Again, you are not understanding what we are saying. The way you posted it is the problem. You came in here with your guns blazing against WLS due to your complication instead of providing helpful information. You could've just came in here and provided your life story with more details than just saying that WLS caused you immune issues and that you had to spend 2 years of your life in hospitals. One, we don't know what type of surgery you had. Two, we don't know who your original surgeon is and if there were any complication during the procedure. Three, we don't know what you did after the surgery and if you followed proper instructions as far as your diet and exercise goes by your surgeon. 

Also, for you to state that you were very healthy at 500 pounds before the WLS, then why did you get the surgery if you were so healthy? To lose weight? Then why didn't you try eating healthy and exercising without the surgery?

We all know that there are complications but it is becoming more rare now as technology has more than grown and not to mention the experiences of these surgeons since 2008. Regardless of how healthy you are and how you passed every test with flying colors, the surgery can still cause complications. You could have complications prior to surgery and then have no complications at all after surgery. It's unpredictable and there;s always the risk which is why it's your decision to make ultimately. 

Most do not do it to get skinny but to get healthy for their families, to help with their other health issues like PCOS, back pain and joint pain for myself. I want my life back which is why i have decided to do this surgery and i honestly think it will change my life. 

So please if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't post. However if you are here to truly give us a possible complication warning, then post it in a nice way and provide us with information instead of WLS RUINED MY LIFE type of thing. That is discouraging and not to mention scary for those who haven't had the surgery yet.

Social security disability problems? Just curious, did ' we ' pay for your surgery? My vision is blurry, oh wait, that's a red flag in my face. Hope you are in the mend

What is your present diagnosis?  What was the diagnosis that had you in and out and in and out of the hospital?   It looks like there are many short visits, in and out in a day, some slightly long.  None extending for two years.   When did you have to go to rehab?  Certainly not after a great majority of your visits to the hospital, you don't usually need any rehab service for a short stay.    

I did not have my surgery to get skinny.  I did it to get healthy.  So, I am pretty sure that I would be very obese and unhealthy if I had not had it.  I really did not have anything to lose by having the surgery, except for weight and feeling miserable.   Are you blaming your problems on the surgery and not really examining what the real contributing factors were.   You certainly cannot blame the end of your marriage on surgery.   How about because you had a bad marriage, a bad spouse, or you were a bad spouse...I know people who have had major health issues, chronic illnesses, disabilities and there spouses stuck with them every time.

What is the diagnosis that is causing you to need IV every few weeks.?   What procedures were done when you were in the hospital?

I just wanted to say I appreciate your post and am grateful to be able to hear the downsides and risks since I am scheduled for VSG in two weeks. I am sorry so sorry for what you have gone through.