Surgery in your 20s- Complications when your old.

Hey guys,

 

So i posted a link in the regular RNY forum about chickening out from my RNY surgery 9-16.  Its here: 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4645220/Help-me-from-c hickening-out/

 

Most older women in the forum advise agaisnt having WLS in your 20s. They argue we dont know the risks and the lifelong committment.  While your 25 and loosing weight its great, but when your 10+ out it gets awful. 

 

What do you guys think? Have your doctors addressed this? 

Well I've read some of the posts on link and I realize it is a big decision to make. My advice is to think if you can lose the weight you want without doing the surgery. I mean, in my personal experience I know that I couldn't. All my life I've tried everything, from meds to a less invasive surgery and nothing worked for me. And every time something failed I would gain even more. It was so frustrating and I was getting depressed and losing my life and after all I am only 23 years old. I knew that I had no choice but to do it.I don't want to have the obesity shadow for the rest of my life and struggle at ordinary things until I am older and can't take it anymore. I want a life NOW, I don't want to wonder at every single job interview if my weight is going to be a problem, I want to be able to wear clothes and feel like I look beautiful, I want to have a man look at me and know that he thinks I am attractive and someday I want to get pregnant and have a safe journey for me and my baby. So that was my option. You have to think what matters the most to you and if you really think that you can do it without the surgery and if you fail (not saying that you will, just to think about that possibility) how continue being obese will affect your future. 

did you have lapband? 

No, RNY

I agree with Dessalves. It's all in the quality of life you want and what you can handle. At the rate youre going, do you feel you will you be able to make it to age 60 plus? If the answer is yes, then by all rights, reconsider. This surgery is more about getting healthy in the long run than losing wight fast. If you "feel" healthy the way you are now, I would think long and hard.

I think being skinny and healthy for my daughter greatly outweighs a life full of vitamins and supplements. And I HATE pills. But I've seen the handful of pills daddy has to take every day for diabetes and I definitely don't want that. I had the diabetes you get when you're pregnant, so I know it's not far off. *****ing my finger several times a day was no fun. I don't want to put baby #2 in that danger again.

I KNOW I can't do it alone though. I have asthma and can hardly make it up the stairs without my rescue inhaler. Exercise is out of the question. I also have a huge portion control problem and I'm ALWAYS hungry.

Have you considered VSG? That's what I chose. Less vitamins, fewer chance of malnutrition, and no rearranging of organs. That part just creeps me out about the RNY. Plus, if I do get pregnant again, I'm scared the baby will take all the norishment and not leave any for me if I had RNY. That may sound silly, but I've heard it talked about before on here.

It's your decision either way. I, like you, am using insurance that runs out pretty soon. Woohoo what a great 26th birthday present. Pretty much makes the choice up for me though. I need to use this insurance for all it's worth! And being able to fit into single digit jeans for the first time in my life won't hurt either. Not sure how I feel about the smaller boobs yet though lol.....

Who knows what the future holds for me.  My father who is 59 has diabetes and MS (though, MS is not related to obesity).   He can barely walk for more than an hour without needing his scooter.  Thats the part that depresses me. 

 

I have thought about the sleeve, but I really dont like the idea of a permanent change. At least with the RNY, if worse comes to worse they can reverse it.   But trust me, the part about rearranging my insides freaks me out too. I guess thats the reason im pretty close to chickening out of this surgery... I'm scared of how my life will be like when im older, taking vitamins everyday... worrying about how much protein I eat everyday, and malnutrition.  

I have 38DDs, pardon me.. but i could care less if they become A's. LOL!  Plus theres always plastic, which makes them look sexier than before anyways. =) 

it's pretty rare that they will reverse a rny and you won't go back to "normal" if they do. i'm almost 3 years out and rarely think about my surgery when i'm not on the boards. it's just not necessarily a part of my every day life anymore. i've lost about 100 pounds and have maintained it. the co-morbidities i had are gone. for me it was 100% worth it. i had a tummy tuck in june for my excess skin. 

oh but my boobs did not get smaller! i went from a 44DDD to a 34G, since that size is damn near impossible to find the bras i wear are a 38DDD but they aren't doing my boobs any favors. hopefully in a year or so i'll be getting them reduced.

I had surgery at 24 and it was the BEST decision of my life. I am more healthy now and I am enjoying and living my 20s, not just being a bystander. Yes, I've had complications, but no more than I would have being obese. 

I had my surgery (RNY) when I just turned 18 I am 23 now and am 169 pounds down and have kept it off. Best choice I ever made! No problems or regrets. Let me know if i can be of more help