What Made You Do It????!!!!

Hey Everyone, This is my first time posting on this board. I am happy to know I am not alone is this fight!. I wanted to know what made you all decide to do this in your 20s vs waiting later or not doing it at all? Also, I have to give a shout out to all my sisters out there. I love yall pictures...yall are so fly even before surgey and I get so many good ideas for outfits from this board!!!

Hi Kristy, welcome and it's nice to meet you. I'm fairly new to the boards too, about 4 months. I am still pre-op, and just about to start the process of getting WLS. My insurance actually begins today and I'm planning on making my appointments, etc. The reason I am taking these steps to hopefully get approved and get WLS now instead of later is because I would like to avoid the health problems associated with being obese later in life. I am sure there is much more damage done in getting diabetes and getting rid of it versus never having it at all. Also, I feel like I am wasting time. We are only young once and this is the time when we are supposed to be our most beautiful. I feel like excess weight is a huge (negative) factor in the choices I make day to day. It affects the jobs available, the people you date, friends you make, and how you feel about yourself. Some people may disagree with this, but it's my experience and how I feel about it. Another reason is that at 20-something surgery is a lot easier on your body than it is at 40-50. Also, I really hope my skin will bounce back without the need of plastic surgery since I have my best skin now instead of later. It's a personal choice and if you are completely happy now and feel like post-poning until later in life, that may be a good choice. I wish you luck!

Hi Kristy! I am about 7 months post op. I'm actually a week short of being 7 months post op, and loving it. I had this surgery now for a good amount of reasons. Its a long list but here goes. - I was tired of my knees hurting when I walked - I was terrified of knee replacement surgery - I wanted to be able to have children - I wanted to be able to play with previously mentioned wanted children - I wanted to be able to touch my toes - I was having trouble doing daily hygenic tasks - I couldn't walk a mile without wanting to fall over - I was tired of squeezing into suits for work - I hated that my clothes cost more and more with each lb I gained - I disliked getting winded all the time - I found myself sleeping more and more - I lost the love of activities I used to like as a teen - I had blinding back, hip, and neck pain - I was tired of being sick all the time - I wanted to be able to curl up in my boyfriends lap and not have to worry about hurting him - I wanted to be able to be piggy backed by said boyfriend - I was worried about dying before my time - I had high blood pressure, boarderline diabeties, migraines, PCOS, heel spurs, gerd, and breathing problems - I had a fear of never seeing 30

Hi Kristy and welcome to the board! I had Lap RNY on August 16 and have lost about 40 pounds. I chose to have this surgery now b/c I had no real health problems except high blood pressure and being obese. I didn't want to wait until I started to get all those problems that come along with being obese then have the surgery and have a higher chance of me having complications during surgery. My dad has border-line diabetes and my mom has heart disease and I do not look forward to those. Also, my insurance runs out when I turn 23 in November and it was either now or never (I know that is not a good reason, but I was supposed to have this surgery 2 years ago, but chickened out). I wish I did have it then! This was the best deision I have ever made to have the surgery and I feel great! -Lynn Lap RNY 8-16-05 297/258/150

Kristy, I'd have to say there were several reasons I chose to do this now: severe depression, bordeline diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, joint pain, back pain, sleep apnea, etc. But not any one of those compares to the main reason, my son. He is now 7 years old, at the time I started researching about the surgery he was 5, he was 6 by the time I had the surgery. I couldn't even sit in the floor and play with him, but now I can play with him anywhere I want, I can even go to his soccer games! That right there is truly the reason I decided to chuck all the risks there are with this surgery and go for it. To this day I've never regretted it. Roux-en-Y~4/20/04 starting weight 312 current weight 175 total loss 137lbs.

Hey there. Welcome to the boards. I decided to undergo the procedure because my whole body was hurting, all the time, I was on more medication than an 80 year old woman, had light case of sleep apnea, and basically just 'EXISTED'. I didn't really live life. I always hid at home, tucked away where nobody would hear me, see me, know I was there. The way I looked at it, I wasn't risking my life to undergo this surgery because there really wasn't one that existed for me. It's really sad when your 55 yr old mom has to carry in groceries for you (@23 yrs old) can't do it yourself because of carpul tunnel, shoulder pain, back pain, bad knees, and flat foot(because of all the weight). I'm very happy with my decision and thank goodness everyday that I didn't wimp out. The boyfriend tried stopping me several times, but this was something I looked into and researched for a good year before I went through with it. My mind was set. I haven't looked back since! I just wish I'd done it sooner! Thankfully my employer provides good insurance and I was able to have it done 1 month after my final decision! If you like photos, I update alot with photos. I still don't see a drastic change in my body, but I KNOW I look different to others. Most people don't recognize me now. It's funny how people treat you fat vs thinner... lap last 2/16/05 rny Dr. Nazarian f.a.c.s. 237/141(1 lb away from normal BMI!)/115...that's what both my sisters weigh anyway!

Why wait and wish I had done it younger? Many people say that the years prior to WLS are years lost...I wanted to start living now. Plus I am a health care provider and it is uncomfortable being large becuase we are supposed to be healthy ourselves. Here are some reasons: -there are more risks for people who are heavier and older than someone like myself had surg at age 25 and starting wiehgt 250. Why would I want to wait to get to be any bigger? -slight social phobia due to my weight -severe foot and knee pain -constant fatigue -didn't want to become diabetic, high blood pressure, etc. -want to have children someday and to have them at a healthy weight due to the risks involved with having a baby at high weight. -felt like crap in general just looking in the mirror -sick of buying new clothes that were bigger sizes... i am fine with buying smaller ones now though.

like many, i started putting on extra pounds in high school and the scale steadily climbed in college. after reaching 200 lbs. i stopped having a monthly period and was diagnosed with poly-cystic ovary syndrom, after 225 lbs. it stopped all together. i was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2004 and after reaching 250 lbs. my blood pressure started to register in unhealthy numbers. my family has a history of diabetis and last year, a doctor confirmed i am pre-type-II-diabetic/insulin-resistant. basically, i got a huge wake-up call with issues i didn't think i'd be battling until later in life. on the cusp of 30 and battling various weight-related health complications, i've decided that WLS is a good option for me. i am not expecting to be instantly popular, succesful, find a perfect man or get the perfect body. i just want to have more years health-complication-free. and frankly, i'm tired of the way my weight has altered my lifestyle in tiny ways. i no longer enjoy snowboarding, a sport i used to really like. walking up three flights of stairs leaves me breathless. walking and talking with friends uphill is difficult for me. my WLS goals have less to do with the scale and more to do with how i feel about myself and my body's abilities. i'd like to be able to comfortably paint my toenails for example. and get back on the slopes. after studying my food choices/trends with a medical doctor, nutritionist and psychologist, i know i am a food addict. unlike a drug or alcohol addict, i cannot stay away from my drug of choice. i must continue eating to live. in our fast-paced lifestyle it is difficult for anyone to make good decisions regarding balenced nutrition. our food is altered to look, not taste, better. hormones are injected into meat, fish and eggs. chemicals are added to vegetable and fruits. work and commuting time exhaust us, and quick food options are tempting. i need the behavior-modification of WLS to help me jump-start a heathly way of life. this is no diet - this is life-changing. why wait?

I decided to have the surgery because I went from a functional fat girl to an old fat girl. I have been on the heavy side all of my life, but I was always very active. I played varsity sports in high school and could work 80 weeks for the longest time.....but as I got older and married and became a mother (at the young age of 21) I was not able to do as much. Eventually I was not able to walk long distances or work 12 hours shifts without being sooooo tired. When I became what everyone thinks of fat people....lazy, tired, unmotivated, and all the other crap I knew that it was time to do something. Also I was in nursing school at the time and finding out that running around working as hard as a nurse has to was not going to be possible without WLS. So, I finished nursing school on April 26th this year and had GBS on April 27th. I've never before made a better decision for myself. I had some complications and spent some extra time in the hospital but I wouldn't change it for anything. Good luck with your journey!!!

Great question! I had WLS because I went to see an orthodedic surgeon because my knees were getting so bad....he looked me in the face and said that I would be needing knee replacement in both knees if I did not lose weight but that my knees were so bad that I would not be able to exercise enough without making them worse to lose the weight. KNEE REPLACEMENT AT 26??? NO WAY!!! (been waiting to use that one!)