Has anybody seen this on MSNBC.com?

I came across this on msnbc.com. Since my surgery is 8 days away it made me nervous. Here is the link.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26076054/

For years I was a meat cutter with H.G. Hills.  Every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas some news channel would run a story on the risk of problems involving you holiday turkey.  That is what this article made me feel like.

Yes there are risk!  No lie, no sugar coating it, no making it into a happily ever after fairy tale.  But aren't there risk involved with walking across the street? Flying in an airplane? Drinking the water from your kitchen faucet? 

My question is this, and it is the same question I asked myself before my surgery.  What are the risk involved with living my life in an extremely obese body?  Would I live to be 65?  Would I live a fairly productive life?  Probably not!

So, there are risk, but the benefits I have gained so far have out weighed the risk.  I have lost 165 pounds, my wife has lost 185, and my sister has lost 169.  Do you have any idea what this does for my family?  WOW!

The article said that 1 in 4 would suffer from complications.  don't focus on the negative.  Look at the positive...3 out of 4 would not!  SUPER!

My suggestion...take a deep breath and live everyday to it's fullest.  Enjoy whatever time on God's marvelous little planet you have! 

I'll be lifting you up in prayer for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery!  And I can't wait to hear all your new self will be doing!  YEAH!!!!!!!

Thank you so much Scott, by the way I love your blog. I have been reading it. I love the recipes. i felt the same way, but I guess it is only natural to freak out. I have a pseudotumor and I tried everything to lose weight and I did research on WLS for 4 years now.  I shall go on. I have prayed over this and I have received my answer and I will be in surgery on 8/26 with bells on my toes. Thank you for your prayers.

Like everyone has said, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

I too have pseudotumor cerebri (intracranial hypertension). I was on 1000 mg of Diamox per day. I now take only 250 mg and feel great!

I knew there was a good chance of the PTC going away completely with the weight loss but there was no guarantee. I will take the reduction in medication for it though, along with losing the diabetes, high cholesterol, painful joints, snoring, shortness of breath, and other medical problems.

If you are on Diamox (acetazolamide) or any other medication for the PTC, ask your anesthesiologist about putting it in your IV while you are in the hospital. I was very nervous about missing even one dose and my anes. looked it up and found it is available in IV form. By the time I got home I was able to take my pills again. My symptoms come back very quickly if I miss a dose of my meds and I knew I didn't want to have to deal with that on top of surgery.

Good luck! You'll do great.

Amen Scott!!!  I agree with everything you said.  I had my surgery July 12 of this year so I don't have the experience that Scott has but I will tell you with only loosing 10% of my body weight so far I already feel soooooooooooooooooo much better.  I can actually bend over and tie my shoes ,not comfotably yet, but I can do it!  I can get up out of my chair easier and can walk some without getting out of breath.  Yes, this new way of eating is a pain in the neck but so was not being able to do the things other people could do.  I all most have a lap again so it will be easier for my youngest grandchild to sit with me in the recliner.  Due to my weight and other mediical conditions I was on the fast track to a wheelchair and I'm only 58 years old.  I decided the surgery was worth the risk and the lifestyle change.  Besides I had already made a lifestyle change once when my health got so bad and my weight skyrocketed.  At least this lifestyle change was going back in the right direction.

This is a decision only you can make, no one else.  If you are considering this surgery for anyone else, don't.  If you don't do it for yourself I believe you wil fail.  My husband wanted my to have this surgery for several years, but until I was able to wrap my head around it and decided I was willing to do the work I knew I couldn't do it.  Don't get my wrong I want to live for my husband, children and grandchildren, but I'm the one who had to made the change so I had to believe I was worth the effort; and I AM!!!!

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

B

Thanks Baboo. Like I told Scott it is only natural to freak out. I have prayed about it and I will be in surgery on 8/26. Any surgery has complication risk and so does driving a car. I know you feel so much better. I have an aunt that died twice and was in a coma twice. She had CHF and she was on an oxygen tank. She was overweight for years, oh yeah I forgot she had asthma. She received gastric bypass surgery I believe 2-3 years ago. She is off  the tank, she also used  to walk with a walker, she no longer does that, actually she is doing wonderfully. I did make the decision for me, because the condition I have (pseudotumor cerebri), I can be blind in 2-5 years. I would like to see my grankids if my son has any. Thank you so much. I will keep updating my progress after my surgery.



Ang

Scott said it very well. There is risk in ANY surgery. 20 years ago, I had a buddy who had his tonsils out at age 32. A "routine" surgery done eveyday. Everything went well with the surgery itself, but sadly, he developed a blod clot and died.  Very rare, but it happens.

My sister-in-law was super-morbidly obese and deeloped all kinds of health problems, including diabetes. She got an infection in her toe, which spread to her foot and then her leg. She waited too long to seek medical intervention (removal of the leg), and died from gangrene poisioning. 

Surgery, ANY SURGERY, carries with it risks. But asScoot said, being obese carries a guarantee that you will have other health issues, not be able to fully participate and enjoy life, and eventually will kill you. 

One has to weigh the pros and cons of  WLS and decide if it is the right thing for them. Also, it is no "miracle cure" and I was never told that by the Doctors or any post-op patient. It is definitely not an "easy way out", even though some folks assume it is or will be. It is , as we all hear so much, a "tool" to help YOU get control of your weight and life. It takes education, determination, dedication, hard work and following your WLS team's rules and plan for eating and exerciseto be successful. 

Another thing to consider, how many times does the general media report "Good news"  as opposed to "Bad News"?  News media seem to gravitate to the "bad" in everything the report, or rather, sensationalize.   For some reason, "bad news" sells.

Remember, the anxiety and nervousness you are feeling is "normal".  We all had it prior to our surgery. Just take a deep breath, relax, turn it over to a Higher Power, and concentrate on getting ready for your "new" life and the "new" you after WLS.

God bless and good luck to ya!!

Thanks for this post.
I would be wary of anything that was all positve. I have to understand as much as I can about the positive, neutral and negatives of the situations and then make a desicion. 

 
My hubby and I are both very nervous also. It seems all the negatives are super magnified the closer we get . His RNY is in just two more weeks and then mine at the end of Sept.

Each one of us might have a different way of going about making sure it is the best choice for us.

I have made a list of everything (because I like lists.:) that I expect good to happen out of this. I have made my neutral list of what I expect to happen as far as life style change and what I need to take care of.  I also have a ready list of symptoms and such so I can get the medical attention if we need it, And this board is just an awesome resource.

My husband isnt like me though and has come to his own conclusion and own suredness through his own means. But we are here to support each other when something goes right and when it might go wrong.

This is still your choice all the way up to the OR, dont let the pressure get to you if you dont feel comfortable or ready yet,  you will still have to take care of you afterward.

There is no way to cover everything that might go right or wrong with this. You just have to be sure in you that you have done your best to keep your eyes open to all the possibilites and that is what you want and what you can handle with the surgeon you have picked. 
Your surgeon and the team have a plan going for you and You have to be able to trust in that.

 When they gave us our date I did ask if I could change it if necessary...just in case I had a change of mind or didnt feel ready yet. They assured me that I could and it wouldnt be a problem with our insurance because we had already been approved it was just a matter of changing dates or not doing it at all, but encouraged me not to.

I've been on both sides of the fence, but I will tell ya, life is easier from the smaller side. You are gonna do greaT!!!!

I think I was the most nervous person in the world prior to surgery.  It is normal.  I looked at the article on MSNBC.  It is all true.  Those complications do happen.  What they didn't do was give equal time to all the folks who this surgery has literally saved their lives.  If you are going into this surgery thinking this is a quick and permanent fix, then think again.  It is a tool that helps you (us) to lose weight for about 18 months at a more rapid than normal pace.  In that time, you (we) must learn what caused us to overeat in the first place, learn to eat the right way, and learn not to make food our lives.  After the 18 months or so, the weight will come back if you don't make every effort to keep it off.  Like I said, this is a tool, not a miracle.  I think you will do fine.  You will be in my prayers.

Marilyn