Recent Posts

Welcome  Molly,
   I am still a newbie so I am still learning the ropes but there are many here at all different stages. I find if I don't get an answer (which I usually do) I at least walk away with a smile. Hang in there. I'm glad you reconnected with OH friends

Hello Poweful Positive Attitudes Group,

I had Gastric Bypass surgery October 2004. I will be 45 yrs. old in March. I am an evangelizer of the good news and a credit analyst.  I have been morbidly obese all my life. I have a lifetime of mental and physical scars from obesity. Before and after surgery I tried Weigh****chers, other methods of losing weight.  Every thing! 

I have gained back over 80 of almost 300 pounds lost initially. I joined Barbara Thompson's back on track program so I can get back on track.  I never reached my goal of 200 pounds. I am considering a revision but I am not getting my hopes up on that front since revisions are hard to get approved.  My program leader already checked with my insurance and they is an exclusion in my insurance that will not approve lap band over pouch. 

I use to exercise on average 5 to 6 times a 45 to 75 min each session and weights at health club and at home with Leslie Sasone DVD's. I was very active and one reason for my gains over time I am less committed to my workouts. So far in January I am exercising 3 to 4 times a week 30 to 45 min sessions with walking away the pounds DVDS. I am ashamed to go back to health club since I have gained 50 pounds since the last time I was there--which was February 2009.

2009 my knee gave out and did not exercise for 2 months last year and I have not been able to get back on track since. 

My biggest down fall is my addiction to and love of food. Surgery can not fix this so I have to fix my head with this problem. My plan is to start attending support groups each month and doing on-line back on track program with Barbara Thompson. 

My highest weight after RNYis 388 which was this month March 5th.  My lowest weight after surgery was 302, and then I went up to 311, next year 321, last year 338 and this year Jan 2010 372.

I am happy to report since reconnecting with my OH.com friends I am down to 374.  I am getting back on track.   Thanks for all your support and your continue support on my journey.  If any one has any more suggestion please   

So I get a call from Clara, the insurance guru at the surgeon's office today.  BCN is not going to put any bit of rush on my appeal process, so there goes my March 31 surgery date.  Actually I am good with that, because honestly I don't feel well prepared.  I need to get my vitamins in order and line up some protein drinks plus a whole bunch of other stuff - and the thought of it all just overwhelms me.  So I think maybe it was meant to be this way.  Now I have time to get my ducks in a row.


***of course I still don't really believe it's going to happen since I am not actually approved.  Clara says there's no reason for me not to be - that EVERYTHING they want is there (BCN).  But I won't believe it til I hear the word APPROVED!!!!!!  Sigh.

Hi Moonlight! Ugh - I totally understand the second guessing.  I have been going through that myself lately.   But I keep coming back to the conclusion that RNY is the best choice for me....I hope you can find peace in your decision, too!!!!

Yvonne rocks!!!!!

Good morning, Moonlight. I considered the DS before settling on RNY. In my case, it was because my surgeon of choice no longer offers the DS, and I would have to drive farther than I wanted to see the surgeon on a regular basis. I believe follow-up with the surgeon is really important, and an hour seemed like the max I was willing to drive (I didn't like the program that's in my town).

Why did my doc stop offering the DS? I believe it was because the post-op nutritional challenges are greater than they are for RNY. In both procedures, because of bypassed intestines, malnutrition is an issue with any patient who doesn't carefully follow the "vitamins for life" prescription. Of course, in any pool of patients there will be some "noncompliant" folks... I guess the results of noncompliance can be even worse more quickly with DS than with RNY.

In my case, I figured I've gotten used to taking all my diabetes and other meds, so switching over to vitamins won't be a big deal, and so far (six weeks out) it's not that hard to take 'em all. And the thought of getting beri beri or other nutirtional deficiences is scary enough to keep me on the vitamin path. So preventable, so easily... I like having that much control over my health!

Honestly, after looking at all the surgeries for six years before actually going through with RNY, I got the impression that DS is the most severe... i.e., lose weight fastest and keep it off longer more easily... plus fewer eating restrictions for some people (i.e. no "dumping" syndrome for most DS'ers). But... see above about really needing to watch vitamins. And... I've read some scary things about bowel habits changing (many people have a lot of diarrhea)  that really made me re-think DS as well. Of interest... my insurance moved from considering DS "experimental" a few years ago to approving it as medically necessary in the same category as RNY. I believe the insurance folks "work the numbers" and they must feel that DS is at least as effective as RNY for weight loss, with similar complications rate. But, you'll want to do more research on that.

You don't mention lap-band... many people choose that surgery when they are of lower BMI. Some folks like that it is reversible and adjustable... and that the weight loss is slower. Lap-band can fail completely in some people if they don't adjust their eating habits, though. by fail I mean just not lose any weight. I know one woman well who went through lap-band and simply changed from a binge eater to a grazer... and didn't lose a pound.

I like that after RNY, you WILL lose weight during your 6-18 months "honeymoon period." I'm finding that very motivational for all the lifestyle changes. Of course, the weight stops falling off you so easily after that and this is where your new diet and exercise habits will really be important. As a good post-op RNY friend said, "it's like a do-over for the last 100 or so pounds you gained... then you're on your own again for keeping it off."

It can help to discuss these issues with your support group. Does your surgeon offer one? Also, you may find your surgeon, with her/his knowledge of your health history, to be of great help in making the decision.

Lastly, my advice is to try to look behind each opinion's motivation. You've made a great choice to come here... but I'm sure even we have biases (I have one against lap-band, which I may not have hidden very well ). Even dieticians and surgeons can have specific reasons they support or oppose a certain surgery. If you can get to those reasons, you can decide for yourself if you agree from your point of view.

As another poster said, this is an incredibly personal decision, one that you will live with for the rest of your life, so do your homework and go with what makes you feel the best about the outcome. Attitude is vitally important to the outcome of any of these surgeries because you're changing your lifestyle as well as having surgery... and frankly, that's the hardest work.

Best wishes on this road! Continue to ask questions, even the silly little ones that may occur to you, and you'll find that there are a lot of helpful people here and other places on OH.