Intro / questions

Hello to all, I have just found this forum from a friend of mine who has undergone the RNY surgery and she said to start here in my gathering of information.   A little about me I am 29 yrs old and have struggled with Obesity since I was a young child, it has gotten worse in the last 8 years or so and after trying and failing at all the standard weight loss methods I have now turned to looking into this surgery to end the battle.   In my younger years I said if I got "too fat" I would do something about it and I think I passed that mark at about 21. I was always one that believed it was all a mental problem you just had to control yourself and be determined to do it but I now after several unsuccessful attempts to lose weight and actually gaining more than when I started I know there has to be more to it.   I am looking to hear opinions on the Lap RNY and what are the worst parts of the surgery and the life after. I am looking for the bad stuff, ruff patches and problems. I am the type of person that would rather know all the bad stuff before than to deal with the unknown later.  Any posts are welcomed and I look forward to reading more guys thank you.

I have now turned to looking into this surgery to end the battle. There's nothing short of death or maybe some serious chemo and radiation treatments to the taste buds that ends the battle. This surgery ain't gonna end the battle. I'm only 4.5 months out and I can already tell that. But what it does do is give you a weapon for the battle. It's like showing up to a gunfight with an M16 rather than a slingshot.  Bad stuff? Again, I'm only 4.5 months out and my experience is definitely limited when compared to some of the vets around here, but my list of bad stuff is extremely short. There hasn't been one day that I would've told someone that I made a mistake. Taking iron and calcium supplements every day and sublingual B12 twice a week a pain in the ass? Definitely. A bigger pain in the ass than not being able to wipe your ass or tie your shoes? No way. Not being able to drink with meals anoisome? Yeah at first. More anoisome than having to ask for a chair in a resturant cause you know you can't fit in a booth? Nope. Maybe I'm luckier than some, but it has not been a problem so far to say goodbye to some of my favorites. Mostly because so many of my favorites are still on the menu. Again, maybe I'm luckier than some, but all kinds of meat, cheese, eggs, fish and other high protein foods are still in my diet. Waking up in the middle of the night with gas pains cause you've been sleeping to soundly to fart and then having to walk around the house for 5 minutes or so to work a couple loose is a problem. But no where near the problem that the high probability of stroking at age 55 was. At some point in time I'll probably introduce sugar back in to my diet just to see if my brain can handle eating a little rather than a lot. That day is way off. At some time I'll have a drink (never was my problem) just to see how it feels and how I handle it. That day is way off too. And I'm perfectly content with those limitations. I know it will sound weird to you cause it woud've sounded weird to me 6 months ago. Being content with limitations was an oxymoron to me. The only regret that I have is that I didn't do this earlier. It's not bad to recapture your life at 47. In fact it's great, but sometimes I wish I hadn't let 35 through 47 be as diminished as it was.

Do it! Do it! It is not the panacea, but it is the big gun if you are going into a battle. Sure, there are a lot of little "bothers", but (I read this here) "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!".

Best of luck in your decisions.



Lou

RNY is a good tool for weight loss. BUT, you do have to follow a protocol the rest of your life. Limited food intake, avoiding sugary foods, exercise, protein supplements, and taking vitamins and calcium citrate forever.  Surgery complications are not common, recovery is normally within 4 weeks. You may have some weakness for a couple of months after surgery. Dumping can be a problem for some people. This is when you feel anxiety, may be sweaty, rapid hearbeat, diarrhea, nausea, or all of this together. I've never had it, but it normally occurs in some people when they eat a surgary or greasy food.  Hope this helps.

I hear you on the tying shoes and wiping the rear end thing.    I guess the fear is that I would go thru it and like all other avenues I have tried it fails and then reather than jus****ching the weight come back plus some penalty pounds I now have serious issues on top of the weight.   I have seen both sides of this, My mom had the surgery when I was a kid and was never heavy again and after some time she really didnt have any issues but the meds every day, Then I watched my girlfreind go thru the open RNY and seen all the pain she went thru only to fail and now have to possibly go back for revision and start all over again hoping that she  and a friend of mine has no complecations and has lost an astounding amount of weight and says she would never go back and tells me the protein shakes and vitamins are nothing.   I understand surgery is only a tool but so is Weigh****chers and Atkins and Gym memberships and if I have failed with those tools, why would this tool be any different. On Atkins I lost over 100 lbs and felt awesome. I was going to the gym twice a week. I even bought the leather motorcycle jacket I always wanted but couldnt ever find big enough to fit. Then the routine got monotonous  and the urges got the best of me and 18 months later and 130 lbs heavier here I am again.         

There is a lot of general info on my profile about diffent surgeries feel free to read it.  Also you might want to consider all the WLS possiblities.  Just because the RNY was right for your friend doesn't mean it's right for you.  I had the DS, and it's been the perfect solution for me.  I was obeses since I was 7, which is when I was put on my first diet.  I was told all my life to eat less and exercise, I was an active kid but the weight just didn't come off.  The older I got the more obesity became a problem....I wasn't a successful dieter, and I knew that  weight loss surgery wouldn't change a lifetime of habits.  So after doing some research, I found a surgery that would basically do the work for me....give me lots of wiggle room in case I fell off the wagon (so to speak) and help me keep the weight off for the rest of my life (i was 33 when I had surgery). I had the DS at 472 lbs in feb of 2006 by my 18th month anniversary I was at goal, and have stayed that way since (actually I'm a bit below goal now).  I eat a lot, often and the "wrong" foods...but the weight stays off because of the "magic" of malabsorbtion.  it's not for everyone, but it defintely worked for me.  So make sure you research all your options, because what works for one person defintely may not work for another. Scott

I would start by saying research all your options.  Look into all the surgeries and decide what is best for you and your needs.  Since I'm only a couple of weeks out I will tell you my experience so far.  Keep in mind everyones is different.  My surgery took about twice as long as the normal because I had some unknown scar tissue due to a car accident I had had about 12 years prior.  They also did a liver biopsy while performing my RNY.  This caused a little more pain than normal but all was good.  I went in on a Monday for surgery and was discharged Thursday Morning.  I slept in a recliner for a couple of days since it was hard to set up and get out of bed.  I can say I set there in the middle of the night a few times wondering what the hell I did to myself.  I don't know if it was the drugs or even if that is normal.  I can tell you because I researched this completely and was comfortable with my decision these thoughts left as fast as they came because I had the reasons in my head already as to why I did this.  After that everything has been fairly smooth.  I'm walking my son to school everyday which is a little over a mile roundtrip.  I did start back to work the next week but I work out of my house so that consisted of setting and checking emails and making phone calls.  I will start my travel again after about a month at home.  I have had food get stuck one time which creates pain in your chest its hard to breath, you froth at the mouth and heave.  As soon as the food gets unstuck you are back to normal.  That is the only bad experience I have had and I will say it is my fault.  You have to learn to take very small bites. Chew, chew ,and chew some more!!!!!  And take time between bits.  I would also advise you to test different protien drinks and find ones you like before surgery but don't stock up because your taste will change.  After surgery for the first week everything tasted sweet. I have rambled enough but if you have any specific questions feel free to contact me. Tony

Hey, I'm less than three weeks out of surgery, so my credibility to comment is limited. That said, I wish I had been able to do this 10-15 years ago instead of age 54. It was a scary decision. This is a drastic measure for a drastic health problem. And, it is a commitment to a life-long lifestyle change. If you think, "I can lose the weight and when I do, get back to normal," forget it. You will never be "normal" again, and if you want this to work for a lifetime, then accept the days of "pigging out" or (as in my case) a pattern of emotional overeating are over. Forever. I had the RNY on March 24,  was home the night of the 25th, and returned to week on Wednesday of this week. I've lost 40 pounds in that time. But along with following the doc's plan to the letter, I've also opened up to dealing with the reasons I over-ate in the first place. That's no picnic, but it as much a part of recovery as the new dietary requirements, exercise, etc. It's a lot about food, but not just about food. It's everything in your life. RNY is the tool to open the door to a new life. If you can accept all this, then do it. Think of the years you will have ahead of you, in health, while you are still young.