Best weight for sugery
Hi there, I don't know if this is the right forum to ask so move it if you want to. I'm 5.7 weigh 277 down from 325, it took me six months, a lot of effort and I am tired. I could use a push and according to my family doctor, this sort ot surgery seems to be a the way to go. Is there an ideal height to weight ratio for surgery?
My second question is how long after surger will I be up, around and ready to swim or do other forms of exercise, how long does the pain last, I'm a real coward when it comes to pain.
My second question is how long after surger will I be up, around and ready to swim or do other forms of exercise, how long does the pain last, I'm a real coward when it comes to pain.
Welcome! The DS is about the best going for percentage of long term success regardless of starting weight. You might take a look at www.dsfacts.com. There are studies and personal experience articles there--also a list of vetted DS surgeons. Your surgeon may be new and you might want to do some research on him before you let him cut on you. As far as your choice of surgeries, really take time to understand the commitment to taking vitamins and protein, and follow-up care. All the surgeries have pros and cons, it depends on what you're willing to undertake for a life-altering change for the better.
--gina
--gina
5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
******GOAL*******
Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish?
Join us on the Lightweights Board!
DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny
Welcome.
Post operative pain varies with each person's individual pain threshold and the type of surgery. I had open surgery. The nurses had me out of bed walking 4hours after surgery. I took pain medication For about 2 weeks. I went back to work full-time at 5 weeks and was totally wiped out for the first 2 months.
I think lap surgery is probably less painful. That being said, whatever surgery you have done is major and it takes awhile for you body to recover. My surgeon recommended no exercise except walking for 3 months. I think swimming would be ok, though.
Good luck on you journey.
Post operative pain varies with each person's individual pain threshold and the type of surgery. I had open surgery. The nurses had me out of bed walking 4hours after surgery. I took pain medication For about 2 weeks. I went back to work full-time at 5 weeks and was totally wiped out for the first 2 months.
I think lap surgery is probably less painful. That being said, whatever surgery you have done is major and it takes awhile for you body to recover. My surgeon recommended no exercise except walking for 3 months. I think swimming would be ok, though.
Good luck on you journey.
-Gail-SW 257 CW 169 GW 165
I am 4 weeks post operative today. My DS was done laproscopically and had no complications, however I did have my gallbladder removed a couple of years earlier and the scar tissue was difficult to work around. I think that made my abdominal pain a little worse than someone who hasn't had abdominal surgery before.
I was up and walking every 4 hours after surgery, my surgery was around 12:30PM and by 8PM that evening I was up and walking the floor. The more you walk, the stronger you get...it hurts and sometimes I just didn't want to do it, but it's so beneficial.
I had horrible nausea and esophageal spams in the hospital that caused me to say 4 days instead of the traditional 3. Once these were controlled with medication, I was much happier.
After getting home, exercise seemed a lot more difficult. Walking seemed like a chore, I was sore and tired and just really wanted to be left alone. But I did it several times a day. Just to the mail box and back, neighbors driveway and back.
I asked my surgeon about getting in the pool after surgery and he asked that I wait until at least my 6 week follow up to make sure that my incisions are completely healed. So no pool until I am TOTALLY healed on the outside.
At 4 weeks post op, I can tell you that I tire out very easily. Shopping at the store today about kicked my butt, sometimes just showering, getting dressed and making breakfast makes me very tired. I am just taking it easy and know my limits, if I get tired I vocalize to my family that I need to rest and they typically leave me be. Well...as much as a 5 and 9 year old can.
I was up and walking every 4 hours after surgery, my surgery was around 12:30PM and by 8PM that evening I was up and walking the floor. The more you walk, the stronger you get...it hurts and sometimes I just didn't want to do it, but it's so beneficial.
I had horrible nausea and esophageal spams in the hospital that caused me to say 4 days instead of the traditional 3. Once these were controlled with medication, I was much happier.
After getting home, exercise seemed a lot more difficult. Walking seemed like a chore, I was sore and tired and just really wanted to be left alone. But I did it several times a day. Just to the mail box and back, neighbors driveway and back.
I asked my surgeon about getting in the pool after surgery and he asked that I wait until at least my 6 week follow up to make sure that my incisions are completely healed. So no pool until I am TOTALLY healed on the outside.
At 4 weeks post op, I can tell you that I tire out very easily. Shopping at the store today about kicked my butt, sometimes just showering, getting dressed and making breakfast makes me very tired. I am just taking it easy and know my limits, if I get tired I vocalize to my family that I need to rest and they typically leave me be. Well...as much as a 5 and 9 year old can.
HW: 404/ SW: 380/ GW: 155
As far as "best weight for surgery" goes, it depends on a few different factors, really.
First you need to calculate your BMI. It is a formula using your height and weight. I don't know it off the top of my head, but most weight loss surgery sites have a calulator you can easily use.
This site has one under the "Tools" heading.
I put in your height (5'7") and weight (277 lbs.) and your BMI is 43.3 with these numbers.
If I remember correctly, I think the DS is recommended for those with high BMIs (over 40 or 50) or those who are considered "super obese."
But I have seen blogs about people who have had the DS with lower BMIs and I know some surgeons that require a patient with a BMI higher than 50 or 60 to lose a certain amount of weight before they will do the surgery.
It also depends on the type of co-morbidities you have.
Sleep Apnea is a significant co-morbidity. Also Type II Diabetes is one that is significantly considered when trying to decide which surgery is best. Both the RNY gastric bypass and the DS have been found to cure Type II Diabetes because of the positive metabolic change they cause immediately after surgery, even before you start to lose weight.
After both the RNY and the DS, you must take vitamins and supplements for the rest of your life to ensure you do not get mal-nutritioned.
There are big differences in the RNY and the DS though.
With the RNY, you cannot take NSAIDS ever again after that surgery because the stomach pouch or "stoma" and re-routed intestines are too sensitive and can be severely damages by those meds.
The Pyloric Valve at the bottom of the stomach is no longer used to control the passage of food from the stomach into the intestines, so everything that goes into the stomach after the RNY is quickly passed on through the digestive tract.
Because of this, there are very uncomfortable side affects to eating the wrong kinds of foods after the RNY. "Dumping Syndrome" is what it is called and it is severe stomach cramping & diarreha along with severe sweats.
This is the body's reaction when you eat high-fat, high-carb or high-sugar foods after the RNY. And naturally when you experience dumping syndrome, it lessens the absorption of your vitamins and supplements you have put in too.
So if you have a lot of self-control and think that you can easily prevent yourself from consuming the wrong kinds of foods or if you can tolerate the "dumping syndrome" and think you will have no need to take NSAIDS or anti-inflammatory drugs, then you might want to choose the RNY. Also, the RNY is covered by many insurance policies.
The DS makes a tube or sleeve stomach instead of a pouch and it still has the Pyloric Valve intact after surgery, so the "dumping syndrome" is not a problem with the DS patients. Plus with DS, you can still take NSAIDS and anti-inflammatory meds. A big problem with the DS is that most insurance policies do not cover it. Many patients have to self-pay if they choose the DS and usually it is a more expensive surgery.
There are less surgeons that do the DS also.
Then some surgeons won't do the DS in one procedure. They will only do it in 2 separate surgeries, which are 3 to 4 months apart. They will do the stomach or sleeve part and then later do the intestinal bypass.
I have been told that the reason for this is because it reduces the risk of complications. But I have read that many think it is an attempt by the surgeons to see if you will lose enough weight with just the sleeve and then opt to forego the bypass procedure. Then others say they do it to lessen their odds of making mistakes and thereby avoiding malpractice lawsuits.
I have also read that many patients who have had it in 2 procedures, have not had the same amount of weight loss as those who have had it in one. They say that if done in two surgeries, the DS is not as affective. That is somehow lessens the affect of the metabolic changes brought on by the surgery.
With both these surgeries, you have to learn to eat correctly also. The diet has to be high-protein, low-carb. Plus, the amount of vitamins and supplements your body will require afterwards is much higher than a normal body, simply because you do not absorb nutrients as well as you used to. The cost of those vitamins and supplements can be pretty high.
However, if you have co-morbidities that you have to take meds for now or you have other medical costs for, those costs will most likely go away or significantly lower after having surgery.
You need to keep in mind that there are significant differences in each weight loss surgery, so you really need to do your research and be proactive about your surgery decision. I highly recommend that you do not leave the decision up to your surgeon as to which one is right for you.
I have found that each surgeon has similar, but slightly different guidelines they like to follow as far as what surgery they will do on which patients. That is one factor that you have to be aware of.
Then you have to consider what surgery your insurance (if you have coverage) will cover.
Most do not cover DS or Duodenal Switch. I personally think that is a travesty because the DS is the most successful and my opinion is it gives the patient the best quality of life after surgery of all weight loss surgeries that are available. That is just my opinion though.
All in all, I am saying you need to do your research, find out all the information you can about your insurance coverage (if you have insurance) and then be proactive about your choice. It's your body, your life, your ultimate decision.
I'm sorry for the lengthy response, but this is all important information you need to consider.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck!
Carla
First you need to calculate your BMI. It is a formula using your height and weight. I don't know it off the top of my head, but most weight loss surgery sites have a calulator you can easily use.
This site has one under the "Tools" heading.
I put in your height (5'7") and weight (277 lbs.) and your BMI is 43.3 with these numbers.
If I remember correctly, I think the DS is recommended for those with high BMIs (over 40 or 50) or those who are considered "super obese."
But I have seen blogs about people who have had the DS with lower BMIs and I know some surgeons that require a patient with a BMI higher than 50 or 60 to lose a certain amount of weight before they will do the surgery.
It also depends on the type of co-morbidities you have.
Sleep Apnea is a significant co-morbidity. Also Type II Diabetes is one that is significantly considered when trying to decide which surgery is best. Both the RNY gastric bypass and the DS have been found to cure Type II Diabetes because of the positive metabolic change they cause immediately after surgery, even before you start to lose weight.
After both the RNY and the DS, you must take vitamins and supplements for the rest of your life to ensure you do not get mal-nutritioned.
There are big differences in the RNY and the DS though.
With the RNY, you cannot take NSAIDS ever again after that surgery because the stomach pouch or "stoma" and re-routed intestines are too sensitive and can be severely damages by those meds.
The Pyloric Valve at the bottom of the stomach is no longer used to control the passage of food from the stomach into the intestines, so everything that goes into the stomach after the RNY is quickly passed on through the digestive tract.
Because of this, there are very uncomfortable side affects to eating the wrong kinds of foods after the RNY. "Dumping Syndrome" is what it is called and it is severe stomach cramping & diarreha along with severe sweats.
This is the body's reaction when you eat high-fat, high-carb or high-sugar foods after the RNY. And naturally when you experience dumping syndrome, it lessens the absorption of your vitamins and supplements you have put in too.
So if you have a lot of self-control and think that you can easily prevent yourself from consuming the wrong kinds of foods or if you can tolerate the "dumping syndrome" and think you will have no need to take NSAIDS or anti-inflammatory drugs, then you might want to choose the RNY. Also, the RNY is covered by many insurance policies.
The DS makes a tube or sleeve stomach instead of a pouch and it still has the Pyloric Valve intact after surgery, so the "dumping syndrome" is not a problem with the DS patients. Plus with DS, you can still take NSAIDS and anti-inflammatory meds. A big problem with the DS is that most insurance policies do not cover it. Many patients have to self-pay if they choose the DS and usually it is a more expensive surgery.
There are less surgeons that do the DS also.
Then some surgeons won't do the DS in one procedure. They will only do it in 2 separate surgeries, which are 3 to 4 months apart. They will do the stomach or sleeve part and then later do the intestinal bypass.
I have been told that the reason for this is because it reduces the risk of complications. But I have read that many think it is an attempt by the surgeons to see if you will lose enough weight with just the sleeve and then opt to forego the bypass procedure. Then others say they do it to lessen their odds of making mistakes and thereby avoiding malpractice lawsuits.
I have also read that many patients who have had it in 2 procedures, have not had the same amount of weight loss as those who have had it in one. They say that if done in two surgeries, the DS is not as affective. That is somehow lessens the affect of the metabolic changes brought on by the surgery.
With both these surgeries, you have to learn to eat correctly also. The diet has to be high-protein, low-carb. Plus, the amount of vitamins and supplements your body will require afterwards is much higher than a normal body, simply because you do not absorb nutrients as well as you used to. The cost of those vitamins and supplements can be pretty high.
However, if you have co-morbidities that you have to take meds for now or you have other medical costs for, those costs will most likely go away or significantly lower after having surgery.
You need to keep in mind that there are significant differences in each weight loss surgery, so you really need to do your research and be proactive about your surgery decision. I highly recommend that you do not leave the decision up to your surgeon as to which one is right for you.
I have found that each surgeon has similar, but slightly different guidelines they like to follow as far as what surgery they will do on which patients. That is one factor that you have to be aware of.
Then you have to consider what surgery your insurance (if you have coverage) will cover.
Most do not cover DS or Duodenal Switch. I personally think that is a travesty because the DS is the most successful and my opinion is it gives the patient the best quality of life after surgery of all weight loss surgeries that are available. That is just my opinion though.
All in all, I am saying you need to do your research, find out all the information you can about your insurance coverage (if you have insurance) and then be proactive about your choice. It's your body, your life, your ultimate decision.
I'm sorry for the lengthy response, but this is all important information you need to consider.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck!
Carla
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