MAY CANCEL SURGERY...AGAIN

DONT WANT TO GO THROUGH WITH THE SURGERY ...BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE WEIGHT LOSS....TO ME WITH THE SURGERY U TRADE ISSUES...OBESITY...VS COMPLICATIONS AND MALNUTRITION....PEOPLE GET SO UPSET ON THE MAIN BOARD WHEN ASKED ....THE LIFE SPAN OF A GASTRIC PATIENT...I THINK IT WILL SHORTEN MY LIFE SPAN....I MEAN IF U COMPARE IT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD A ARTIERIAL BYPASS..PARDON DONT KNOW THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY... DO NOT LIVE A SHORTEN SPAN?.....I THINK ALTERING YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO OTHER PROBS.....I AM JUST RAMBLING ...BECAUSE I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISION...CANT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF DYING...AND LEAVING MY CHILDREN....SO I DONT THINK I WILL GO THROUGH WITH IT....WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY.....WHY NOT.....THE LONG TERM QUESTIONS SCARE ME

I do not know the risks involved or the life span, but I don't think that you giving diet and exercise one more shot is wrong. If you can do it with out the pain of the surgery I think that that is wonderful.

Chasing Karma, Welcome to the non-ops board. I firmly believe that if & when WLS becomes the right choice for any one of us, we will know it for sure. Since you aren't feeling sure that it is for you then I really think you have made the right choice. You never know when this will be the try that takes you all the way to your goal! Best of luck to you on your journey. Blessings, Maren

Okay, honey, it's time to give this diet thing one last try. That's okay. You need to be sure that surgery the route you want to take, because the risks are large; but so are the benefits. So let's try plan B, at least for now... You're among friends here. Some of us can't have the surgery secondary to the insurance terrorists. Some are chosing to not have the surgery because they just need to know for sure they tried the best they could. Others, like yourself, have obvious deep down, hardcore, real thing --fear! That is valid. You're not ready. Period. And that's fair. Now, let's figure out what you ARE going to do. We know you need to do something, and surgery isn't it--at least for now. So, what do you want to do instead?? There are lots of different eating plans out there. Why don't you throw your ideas out here to us, and if any of us are on the plan you're thinking of, we can give you advice. If it's something we've never tried: maybe we'll learn something!!! No matter what happens, you follow your gut instincts. Here if you need anything, Jessica

Hi there Karma and welcome to the non-op board. I have felt all the things you have felt and I also decided that I just couldn't stand to confront the "what ifs". But there is a big "what if" that we must ALL confront. "What if" the last program we started on we actually stayed on? I have calculated that I could have lost my body weight 12 times over if I had stayed on a program that I had started. I have been overweight for about 25 years. If I had started a program in the first year then I would have succeeded and I wouldn't be in this position now. How many of those that get surgery in the end look back at their 6 months pre-op diet and imagine what it would have been like if they were able to drop 48 lbs, which is barely 8 pounds a month. Surely simple enough. We've all lost at least 1 1/2 - 2 pounds a week when we were successful on our programs. Imagine multiplying that over the times that we could have finished and gone on to healthier lives. I have lost 50 lbs in 10 weeks. I dare say that is more than many post ops could lose. I am not bragging, merely stating a point. I thank my God every single day for giving me this power to take control over my life. And after praying I panic, thinking that I am going to do something that is going to sabotage my own success. I don't know what changed my mindset. Perhaps the idea that WLS was the only way I was going to lose weight made me look at myself, my strengths, and say no way girlfriend, you are far stronger all on your own. I don't know the answer. I do know that I wasn't ready for this surgery. Every single doubt I had grew until I realized that there was no way I was going to do this. As far as knowing whether or not this type of surgery shortens your life, I really am not educated enough on it to answer that. I can say, however, that the post-ops 3, 4 and even 5 years out are writing on the boards stating that they have issues that can't be explained. Pains that can't be fixed and are on really strong pain meds that take over their lives. I don't know that I want to take that risk. I am not sure that rerouting my insides is going to change the way I feel about food. I changed that already. I had to before I lost control of myself. Those that have WLS have to deal with the pain and discomfort of their new bodies along with the changes in their heads. I don't envy them. I would much rather set my head straight and then follow through with the surgery. I guess my question then would be, if you get your head straight first, then why the surgery? I think I have said it before. Be honest with yourself about how hard you have tried to get back your life. When you do that only then can the decision about what to do come more easily. God speed in whatever you do. Donna

Hi, I have lost 140 pounds since late April 2004. It can be done without surgery. I have used LA Weight Loss. I also workout faithfully morning and evening. I think LA is a great program. Find the program that works for you and stick to it. Good luck to you. Lynette

Wow, Lynette! That's extremely impressive. It took me 16 months to lose 140 pounds. And like you, I exercise a lot. Best of luck. Kasey 365/215/195 (nonop)

Welcome to the board! I am here because I decided 8 days before my surgery that my kids and husband needed me too much to take the risks. I have always said that I didn't want to die from being fat, but I didn't want to die from trying to get skinny, either. I got honest with myself. My past diets didn't fail me--I failed them. I gave up. So now I am doing Somersizing--Susan Somers plan--a variation of atkins--I have lost 13 lbs. since last Thursday. If surgery were truly in God's plans for you, He would have kept this fear from you. Pray for direction.

Karma, I do not have a great success story to share. I wish I did. But I want you to know that I believe if you are adamant about not wanting to go through this surgery (as I am) then it is NOT the time for you to do it. I, too, am more concerned about the risks, complications, and long term effects than I am about losing weight at this point. Yes, it CAN be done without surgery. I agree about trading issues. I know for a fact that my insurance would not pay for reconstructive surgery after the weight loss and, frankly, I do not want to live with all that skin like that for the rest of my life. I also do not want to voluntarily go under the knife KNOWING how many risks there are...when I KNOW that if I just get to it and stick to it, I can do it without surgery! YOU GO AHEAD AND GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY! This is YOUR decision! I, for one, will support it! Best to you, Karma...and God bless you! Kandy

I considered WLS surgery, and I found myself scared to death of the risks, the surgery itself and what they do to your stomach, and the extreme eating changes you have to make after the surgery. I decided to opt for a less risky, gentler way to lose my weight. I also gave up being in a hurry to lose weight. That was one of the main reasons I was considering it, and I needed to lose that. I felt that the surgery was too drastic a way to lose weight. I've joined Weigh****chers (again) instead, and I really am alot more committed to it this time. Denise Phares