Regrets?

I am 3.5 years out from DS.  I have no regrets! 

My vitamin levels, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc are WONDERFUL. 

I run/work out at least three times a week... I lift weights and am preparing for my wedding this Sept. 

I had no complications except adjusting to eating smaller amounts.  Now at 3.5 years out I can eat normally -- a personal sized pizza and a salad or a normal size entree and soup.  No one who didn't know me "then" knows I had WLS.  I can eat anything -- cookies, pastries, steak, veggies (raw or cooked), etc with no side effects.

The only times I have problems is if I do something stupid like eat an entire box of Pop-Tarts...then I have diahrea. 

Speaking of eating Pop-Tarts...no surgery fixes binge eating / eating disorders.  I am a binge eater.  My DS surgery has helped me lose weight.....and helps me keep it off when I do something stupid (like the Pop-Tarts) but in no way did it fix my "brain" and make me dislike food.   So you need to know besides physically losing weight you have to make peace with whatever (if any) demons that have helped you gain the weight to begin with. 

It's good you're questioning / researching and making a well-thought out choice!

Good Luck to you!

Cindy

Yesterday, I received a note from this web site congratulating me on being four years out from surgery. It also asked me if I would post, saying that those of us who are more than a year or two out have valuable information to share. Honestly, I just had brachioplasty (arm reduction) and had completely forgotten my anniversary. My husband and I spent a while last night talking about how our lives, mine in particular, have changed.

I just sought and found the video by "melting mama" and watched it with great interest. She has some really valid warnings and insights and I appreciate her honesty and willingness to share her experience.

I, too, have experienced anemia (actually was transfused with iron several times last summer) and hope that my new higher iron intake will resolve the problem. For the record, I am a 50 year old woman who still has a period every 28 days, which the hematologist blames as much as the WLS.  Aside from that, I also have hypoglycemia when I eat what I ought not to eat (refined sugar, bad carbs) and had an incisional hernia that needed surgical repair. Overall, I have tried to be vigilant with vitamins, iron and food and have maintained pretty close to my goal of 165. I originally landed at 160 but for some reason, my body stays at 165 rather naturally. But it is not effortless. I have to watch what I eat. I love the life that I have now. I feel healthier and happier than I ever have (same husband, better sex).  I no longer dread the following:  flying, walking into a room and having people see my size before they see me, clothes shopping and shoe shopping (went from WW to regular width), eating out, the heat, walking more than a few hundred yards and small chairs in people's homes. My health is good right now and I know that could change but I also know that health is guaranteed to no one.

All that being said, with my limited complications and my pre-surgical co-morbidities, I only regret not having done this sooner. But that is me. I think that the value of the "melting mama" is that she shows that this is life-altering surgery that can have some pretty serious complications. I think that you have gotten excellent advice from many who have said that it is good to question and make sure that this is right for you.  RNY is undoubtedly one of the most drastic weight loss procedures and therefore can have numerous and drastic complications for some folks. Should you go into this, I hope that you will go in with your eyes open.

I hope that, whatever you decide, you find peace. This is an emotional decision and I wish you the best. Good luck.

Warmly,
Judi

I understand your concern and hesitiation, I think everyone second guesses their decision.  I did about 2 years worth of research before jumping in and just putting myself in the surgeons hands.  I had lathroscopic RNY almost 6 years ago (8/22/02) and if I hadn't had the surgery I probably wouldn't be here now.  I'm 5'10" and my highest was 425lbs/395 day of WLS.  I had all kinds of medical issues (high blood pressure, type II diabetes, high cholestrol, acid reflux, sleep apnea, heart problems, asthma, I was also depressed but wasn't on any meds...  I know I'm forgetting something), I had back and leg pain continually.  I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without being very winded.  Even though I tried not to let my weight stop me from doing anything it did and I didn't realize until after WLS how much.  I have been lucky and haven't had anything negative happen WLS related, my skin isn't too bad (some saggy but heck it had been stretched for 39 years), I am no long on ANY pre-WLS medications except for allergies, allergy related asthma (which is a lot better) and my daily vitamins.  I have so much more energy, life is good and I am very happy with my WLS.  I would CRAWL back to my surgeon if I needed any type of revision or any problems at all. 

Please if you have ANY questions feel free to ask...  I feel like WLS isn't for everyone but it was definately for ME! 

Best of luck!!!

 wow...I agree with what everyone has written. No regrets, healthiest ever been, testing for my 5th belt in kung fu in the fall..... size 4, healthy, healthy.
Yes, you have to stick close to what you are told to do. Protein, vitamins, exercise. I would NOT open the pandora box of eating sugar again.
Bottom line....don't do it if you are unsure. We all have a healthy fear of surgery risks pre op, but you need to know in your heart that this is right for you and have to be willing to change your eating and lifestyle for life. Those who look at rny as a 'quick fix" end up sabataging themselves with weight gain post op.
Would do this again in an instant...and if I knew about this earlier in my life would have done it sooner!!

I've read all the reply posts and it just makes me want to cry, remembering how life used to be. It's hard to adjust to life after surgery, but it's been so worth it. To answer your question, I'm 2 years out and haven't had any complications. I wouldn't want to do the first 3 months again for love or money, but it got easier after that. For me, the psychological part was the hardest. I always ate when I was happy, sad, mad, nervous, just about any reason, and all of a sudden it was gone. I can eat normally now. Sometimes I wish I could sit on the porch and eat some ice cream, but I've found a way to get around it. I freeze a SF pudding cup with some FF Cool Whip in a little cone - it tastes just like chocolate ice cream, I swear. I also wanted a milkshake, and found a good alternative. Mix 1 c. light vanilla soy milk, 1 SF chocolate pudding cup, some Splenda, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and some ice in a blender. My whole family just loves it and I can't keep soy milk in the refrigerator. I went 2 years without a hot dog (tried one a while back and it didn't feel so good), so now I make turkey chili and a turkey dog with a light wheat bun, and shazam, I can eat a chili dog. Once you get through the first year and learn your limitations, it's really not that hard. I dropped from 340 to 125, and for the past several months I've been comfortably stable at about 130. I can wear a size 2 or 4, and that's great, but the best part is sleeping flat at night without smothering, I can walk 10 miles and not even feel it, most of my joint pain is gone, I've done more fun things in the past year than I've done in the last 20 years (amusement parks, riding bikes, swimming, etc.). My high blood sugar went away, but I do have reactive hypoglycemia, so I've got to eat little bits all through the day to keep myself going. (I don't have a problem with eating all day.) It's a hard decision. I struggled with it for years myself and started to jump off the operating table the day of surgery. Best of luck to you.

Hi, Daphne!  Perhaps you may want to consider a less invasive surgery such as the LapBand?  Granted, the weight loss isn't as rapid but ANY WLS requires cooperation on the part of the patient...a person can out-eat RNY or DS as well.  A fellow I know had LapBand and he lost 60 pounds in 4 months even without a fill!!!  That's not shabby at all.  Of course, weight loss rate is as individual as the individual themselves regardless of which surgery one has.  With the LapBand, your intestinal system is still intact so you'll still absorb nutrients (along with calories & fats but that's where cooperation and determination come in to play).  Depending on how much of a "fill" you get with the band, you may need to take a vitamin supplement, which is recommended for folks who are dieting even without WLS.  The LapBand can also be removed if you are having some adverse issues with it.  You can up your fill or have some taken out if you're getting too much restriction.  Some folks do well with the band, some don't (as with any WLS).....but if you're unsure as to which direction to take, perhaps go with one that CAN be reversed.  RNY can be "reversed" as well but only to a certain extent.

I don't know much at all about the VSG so you may want to pop over onto that board as well.  You're doing the right thing in researching the heck outta this!    Please keep us posted as to which direction you take.  Whatever you choose, we're 100% behind you and wish you the best.   

Ladies, Thanks so much for your posts.

I had RNY 8/14/2001 and I was at a highest at 296.

The day before surgery I was 284.5.

I WOULD do it again. It does NOT make your life perfect by ANY means but you have to
examine where YOU are starting at - NOT just your weight.

I do believe IT can cerainly be a beginning to a NEW life BUT you cannot depend solely on the surgery to change your life.

Weight loss is NOT a panacea for unhahppiness, but for many people  that is what is standing in their way of happiness.

I struggle w/ emotional eating and food.

I take iron and potassium (prescription amounts) and a vitamin I also take b-12 under the tongue tablets from Trader Joes - CHEAP from there, too!

I would do the surgery AGAIN in a heartbeat even with the stuff that I STILL have to deal with.

I am in counseling for DV/child abuse, PTSD - and
my self perception is VERY damaged but NOT from weight loss surgery.

I am sure that IF I had done a better job following "the rules" of Weight loss surgery or Pouch Rules, I would have had NO complications OR have to take NO iron or Potassium, but really those are such small prices to pay for weighing less than what I weighed when I graduated from High School (NOT a happy time in MY LIFE).

I think that for some of US counseling - on going is necessary to deal with the reason food
is a comfort, and whatever else we USE food to do for us NEEDS to be looked at and changed.
You have to be willing to MAKE PEACE w/ yourself and food.

It takes work.

It is scary and you have to have courage to do the counseling with a compassionate
experienced  counselor.

The issues I deal with now are in part from my childhood growing up NOT feeling good enough or like I even had the right to exist unless I was doing something for someone.

Not feeling like I would ever get to be happy EVER.

Feeling like people dont like me,  can hurt me whenever they please, feeling like I am someone people are ashamed to be with, NOT feeling like I was PRETTY (pictures SAY otherwise)

As a heavy person I experienced REALLY bad treatment from perfect strangers and it really further damaged how I felt about myself.

For me in all I would say that weight loss surgery was my first step to loving myself.

I cannot answer for anyone but myself on that though.

I would have lost more weight if I had been more diligent w/ the RULES and exercise, but I didnt want it to be constantly fearful of regaining a really low weight and thinking about food, what I can or cannot eat - I didnt want to make ANY foods off limits to me because then I would automatically WANT them ASAP.  IT sets me up for a diet like mentality and that is NOT why I wanted OR had the surgery.

While I work on my issues I think more weight will be released from my body.

FOR ME - I truly believe that the extra body fat and body weight that I have now are here for a reason - to help me deal with the psychological issues that are scary for me to learn other ways of coping and getting through my feelings.

IF I had lost past this weight I MAY have never gotten this chance to deal with these things
so in a STRANGE weird way it is a gift to have NOT lost down to what I would LIKE to be at.

I see as I am writing this, that the extra body fat and extra body weight are a gift for me to become completely healthy as a WHOLE person not just my physical body.

Lisa in AZ  296/HI  284.5 day before surgery     162 lowest  181 current

I am 5'2" in case anyone wanted to know....

Hi Daphne, in the 1980's I had a stomach stapeling, there was no support and they didn't know what to do post op. On April 12, 2007 I had RNY and let me tell you now, everyone has opinions and you have to take what someone says as their gospel word. I have had no complications and am off all meds for GERD, reflux, high bloodpressure, sleep apnea. I no longer have back pain or knee pain. Now...this is what I did to be a success and yes you will be a success too!
Make life style changes now, if you aren't exercising start now. Find a work out buddy. Know who in your family/friends will support you. Follow your Bariatric protocol. Get involved in support groups. WLS is not the easy way out, you will have to agree to take your vitimans everyday, don't drink diet pop/soda, eat protien first, don't drink 30 minutes before/after meals and exercise...can you do this? Sure you can. Stop crying, start thinking positive your life is going to change for the better.

I have no complaints because i made this decision.. You need to do what is right for you too..
Do this only if you must is all can say... know that life will be forever different.
Eating, supplements. vitamins, mind, and physical changes will all be different forever.
this is a forever thing. not just a year or two... do your reading and educate yourself as only you truly know you...
Everyone here will probably say they as happy with their decision.. but remember only you know you.. so Learn about yourself too prior to do this and make sure you are prepared...
Good Luck