Anyone 10+ years post op ???

Im interested in hearing from people who are 10 + years out from surgery...I seem to be able to find many that are around that 5-6 year mark but not many after...

What is your life like today? Hav eyou had any complications from the surgery? Have you regained? Do you still feel restriction or are you able to eat more than you did right after the surgery? Would love to hear any other comments or insight you may have....


Stacey

I don't really hang out on non-DS related boards so I don't run into the long-term posties from other surgeries. There are a few 10 year posties on the DS board - people that started with either a lap band or a RNY, and revised to a DS (thus the reason they are on the DS board).    We did have one DS'er post for a while who was 15+ years out, which was cool, but she didn't stay long - she didn't really need support.     There just aren't that many online -  I would guess there are a couple of reasons for that:

As someone who is three years out, i can tell you that WLS is not the focus of my life anymore.   I still do my stuff - take vitamins, eat protein, etc - but I don't need to live and breathe it every day like I did during the early post-op days.     I would imagine at 10 years out, they are focused on other things.

Secondly, the internet was still pretty new back in 1997-1998 so most of the people who had surgery back then didn't even think about online support.    OH wasn't around back then, and Carnie Wilson had not yet publicized her surgery - so obesity and weight loss surgery was still a dirty word nobody wanted to discuss.

It's not that they don't exist - just most of them don't hang here because they weren't here pre-op.  OH holds a much stronger bond for those of us who were here when we were going through the thick of things.

--BT

contact Michelle aka vitalady !!!

Im a few months shy of 15 year out- Had a RNY - was 300 pounds. I am now 165. I go from 150-165 every couple of years. I am so glad to have found/reconnected with the OH community- want to start the school year back at my fighting weight. So I am "back on track"

Weight gain is possible (for me)with small snacks (aka grazing), sliders (my personal fave PRETZELS) and just know being willing.

I seem to always stop it when I get the his point-I am a compulsive eater and I think I will do this dance for the rest of my years

I have struggled with severe anemia post op and hyperglycemia.
I take mega iron and b12 daily and that seems to keep it oaky. Years past i have to have IV iron treatments. The hypoglycemia - I just am mindful. When I am eating what i should not- I know I will get a sugar crash (I call it "the shaky bakies") I carry fruit juice with my at all time.

However, funny thing is... when I do the pouch rules and use my tool and eat really clean/ Guess what? No hypoG'z

This surgery did save my life. However, i need to be a responsible pouch owner and read and follow the instruction manual LOL

Enjoy the blessings of this day
Angela

love  your post gives me some hope Ihave regained some but now I am working my butt off to get it off ,snacking is so easy to pick up weight on ,& yes when I get sugar I do not dump I get the shakes so bad & sometimes I do pass out for hrs at a time so I try so hard to watch that ,
     hey & I love your pic is that your dog I have one you can see him on my site ,
                                 GOOD LUCK TO ALL & OBEY YOUR POUCH LOL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

this is where we all went. OH started in 98, this group started in 99. Anyone on it has to be 1 + yrs, tho anyone can lurk at any stage, and i highly recommend it!

I'm a 1994 model, myself. I am currently weighing closer to 100 than 110, but there are other things in my life (not WLS) that are making it hard to eat. i won't stay this low. And I'm not really tall at 5'1", so 110-115 is about right for me. As long as I stay away from sugar, i hold my weight easily. Well, ok, that's hold it DOWN. When my personal world shatters, apparently the wt falls off. (not divorce or hospitals here)

many leave the wls world, only to come back later with nutritional or regain issues. we can never forget who we are. we have a fatal disease that is out to get us (morbid obesity) and so we need to stay banded together, so that when one person learns something new, many others will benefit. The nutritional needs 5-10 yrs ago were not even discovered by most of the country, and even today, barely scratching the surface of which deficiencies and how to treat. About 15 yrs behind on how to prevent.

so, even if you are not active on a board, still keeping up with scanning topics is critical, I think. I would guess the reason my dh and I are still doing ok is because we still do live support groups (we are visible--accountable) and the online community. My dh is a 95 model. he lost 100% of his excess, too. his only regain was, you guessed it, sugar.

This November I will be 9 years out from my open RnY.

I have had regain, most of it due to having trouble losing baby weight.  This spring I found out that I do need a revision though.  My stoma is the size of a quarter rather than a dime.  I also have a small intestine issue that is making it hard to lose. 

As I'm currently pregnant I hope to be having my revision about this time next year.

I will say that I can eat and drink pretty much anything I want other than rice.  I still have rice issues.  I know that I shouldn't be eating and drinking a lot of what I do and that this has contributed to the weight problem.

I look at my revision as a second chance at using my tool correctly.

PS: DSrs, do not send me messages that I should have a DS instead of a revision.  I'm not one bit interested in DS.

Hi Stacey'

I am a 11 yrs grad. my surgery was May 1997 at that time my weight was 398, I lost 200 lbs in a little over a year and eventually got down to 175 my goal.  unfortunatly I have managed to gain about 45 lbs. I know the reason is that I eat mainly carbs, always have You see when I had my surgery I was not given any instructions or counseling I was just told good luck and try what I wanted to eat.  I did exercise ALOT! but I still have flabby skin.  I am also anemic and have low b-12 i take supplements and b-12 shots.  I was lucky I had no complications just a bad case of Gerd.  I just discovered OH a few days ago and I am learning so much about all the mistakes I made but one thisg is for certain if I had it to do again I would without hesitation WLS saved my life and also gave me a new and wonderful life.  Feel free to ask me anything.  I hope everyone here will help me get on track and break my bad (carb) habits. Good Luck to you

Pam