questions and advice needed

Hi, I am new to the boards AND this is my story. I am 21 and having been battling with my weight for as long as i can remember and currently am gaing after being on JC for 6 months. I have visited with a Bariatric sugereon last jan. and though i would give myself a lttle longer to try to loss it on my own... but it hasn't worked. And now i am thinking about going for my nutriental meeting and psych one that are needed. I am just not sure if I am doing the right thing. I hear both good and bad but the bad does scare me and i worry that i will regret it but also fear not doing it now and having to do it later down the road and looking back thinking that if i had just done it i would be so much healthier and feeling better. I am 220ish and have few side effects of having this weight on my 5'2 frame.. so far. I guess my major concerns are would you do it again, do u ever regret it, and how bad was the pain (toleriable and worth it in the end?) Any advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. thanks Nicole

i would do it again in a hearbeat. im 58 and suffered with my weight problem all of my life. i say go for it now!!! its wonderful not dragging around so much weight, ive lost 70 lbs in the last four months and feel great. i for one, did not have much pain, more a kind of discomfort the first week after surgery. now im doing well, and i love my new shape and all the things that are now easier to do. good luck with your decisions, jacki

hi nicole don't jump up and spend money on the psych eval or the nutritional meeting just yet -- do that after you get an approval from your insurance company -- you don't want to spend money and find out that you have to wait for an approval and your eval and meeting have expired this is major life changing surgery -- do a ton of homework -- it's not an easy fix -- check out a bunch of surgeons and find one with a great team approach -- there is no need to spend a ton of money -- out of pocket i have spent $400 on what insurance will not cover -- get references on a surgeon -- get references on hospitals -- will your Primary Care Dr support you?? you will need paperwork from your Dr. -- will your insurance cover 'medically necessary weight loss surgery' -- make sure you always use the words 'medically necessary' are you married?? do you have children?? do you work or go to school?? do you have family/friend support?? this will be a new way of eating for the rest of your life my husband had surgery on 5/22/06 and he would do it again i had my surgery last wednesday and i would do it again we both had open RNY -- not much pain at all -- just discomfort -- already off pain meds -- check out the different types of surgery available -- check out which ones are covered by your insurance -- go to the free support groups in your area -- talk to a ton of people -- read other webpages -- you may need a dr supervised diet with your primary dr -- but, read read and read everything -- find out the good and the bad -- be open minded when people talk -- and ask a ton of questions -- remember, this is your life good luck roberta

Hit a couple of support meetings to bounce your questions off of post ops and get input. I found this very helpful when I was considering surgery. There are two in Ocean County that I am involved in -- one in Toms River and the other in Lakewood. Let me know if you need more info. Nannette

Nicole, I was 36 when I had the surgery and I was 480 lbs. So if you asked me if I would do it again...then I would say yes. But if I was your age again...I'd have some real concerns. Here's why: 1. You are setting yourself up for a lifetime of serious nutrient deficiencies; osteoporosis is one that you have to worry about the most. 2. I am guessing you have not had a baby yet. The fact is that when you become pregnant, a growing baby takes all the mother's nutrition first, so you can end up quite sick after a pregnancy if you aren't followed by an OB-GYN who is familiar with WLS. 3. Long term studies have not been conducted on younger patients...it is not known whether this surgery has long term side effects on people who have the surgery at an early age. Have you tried a supervised medical diet ? Not Jenny Craig or any other diet that proposed that you stay away from real food. Virtua Hospital in South Jersey offers a program called Fit Smart. You have a dietitian that gives you a real food eating plan, an exerise person who develops a fitness plan for you and behaviorists that help you try to figure out why you over eat. I would consider this type of plan before you have surgery (and by the way, many insurance companies require a supervised diet before you can get coverage for WLS). Many hospitals and doctord have similar plans. But if you are certain that WLS is for you...Do a lot of research. Find a great surgeron who has a great aftercare plan. Go to support groups. Meet people who are your age who have done this. The one thing I can tell you for sure is that weight loss surgery is a life changing procedure...Not just that you lose weight, but you have to be monitoried by medical professionals for life in order to be healthy. People who have had weightloss surgery who do it right are on stricter diets than people who have not had WLS surgery... Finally, the pain from the surgery is bearable. The doctor will make sure that you are comfortable. But their can be serious complications....Read not only the boards where people tell you good news about WLS, read the ones that tell you about the people who have not done so well, and those who have actually died. I knew a girl from my support group who died from complications,,,,She was only 27. I say this not to scare you off...But to tell you WLS is not the only answer...but an option that if you choose it, has serious implications for the rest of your life. So think...read and meet people...Try some less radical approaches to WLS and think about it some more... I admire you for being so young and wanting to take control of your weight. I wish I had had your strenghth and dedication when I was your age... Kelly

Hi Nicole: I was about your weight at your age. I am now 51 and my weight prior to surgery was 456. I went up to 496 at one point. I had the surgery in June and have lost 120 lbs. When I was 21 the options to weight loss surgeries were stomach stapling and the majority of results were disasterous. I did Weigh****chers, Jenny Craig. Nutri-System, Liquid protein, etc. I would lose and then gain back and then some. One thing that I have learned this surgery is not a magic potion. It is a life long committment. You have a tool to use that in the beginning is very helpful in losing the weight. But after about 9 months to 18 months, you basically go back to a normal lifestyle. No, you can't eat the amount that you used to but if you are not careful and make the right choices you will gain and be right back where you started. You have youth on you side. Having said that, youth could also be your biggest detriment to this kind of committment. I agree with the others on the board. Go to several support meetings. Read the posts on these boards. Talk to your PCP. If I was 21 and know what I know today (OK all you oldies how many times have you said that) I would do it. Really be sure that you are willing to change your lifestyle and make the committment. Best of luck. Any questions contact me. Jeanne