Question:
quality of life?????

hi, i have been reading profiles of others and i cam across one that said wls patients don't have a good quality of life long term...has anyone heard this????i am in the beginning stage of of my weight loss journey and i am still trying to choose which type i will have...this has left me a little confused.....on a happy note ...YOU ALL LOOK FABULOUS... thanks    — traci.traci (posted on April 23, 2009)

April 23, 2009
Hi Traci, I would have to say my life quality is better which I beleive will give me quantity! People say a lot of things about the surgeries..but for the most part I believe we make our own choices on how things will go. Some of us have medical issues..that would be why we had surg in the first place. It would be interesting to see this persons quality of life BEFORE surg. With out actually speaking to these people take it all in and sort thru the info..keep what you need and toss the rest out.(even mine!)I think MOST of the people on this site are happy with the life changes! I know I AM! Good luck hope to see you on the LOSERS bench!!
   — tootsie52

April 23, 2009
Traci ... I celebrated the NINTH anniversary of my VBG (vertical banded gastroplasty; I'm such a dinosaur I don't even think they DO that surgery anymore)last Friday, April 17. I can honestly say that, if I HADN'T had the surgery, today I would: weigh well in excess of 500 pounds; have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, uncontrolled Type II diabetes, severe sleep apnea, and if I could still walk on my severely arthritic knees it would be a miracle. I probably couldn't leave the house because I couldn't find clothes to fit, and thank God they make size 12 women's shoes or I'd be barefoot as well. It also wouldn't surprise me if, sometime in that nine years, I hadn't up and dropped dead of a stroke or heart attack, both of which are prevalent in my family. But since I DID have the surgery, I have lost and maintained over 140 pounds in the last 9 years, no longer have sleep apnea, have Type II diabetes (very well controlled, thank you) as a result of genetics (I have just about every genetic risk factor there is) rather than size; controlled high blood pressure and normal range cholesterol, and can walk more than a foot and a half without requiring oxygen. I can also fit in lawn chairs, through turnstiles, and in arena seats; I no longer look around to see if I'm the fattest woman in the room -- because I know I'm not. No, all my problems did not go away when I lost the weight -- the emotional baggage I was carrying when I was heavy was still there when I woke up from the anesthetic -- but I'm MUCH better equipped, not to mention motivated, to do something about it. Bottom line -- I lived to see my sons grow up into the wonderful young men they are, and anything else is just a bonus.
   — Cheryl Denomy

April 24, 2009
Cheryl, beautifully put! Good for you. Maureen, Akron
   — Muggs

April 24, 2009
Tracy, Hi, my life is absolutely wonderful since having surgery. I am not yet at goal, but I can walk 5 miles without keeling over. Last night I took a Zumba class at the gym it lasted 1 hour and 4 months ago I wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes but last night I made it to the end of class and it was fun! I ride my bike 15 miles 3 times a week, before no way! I was a type 2 diabetic (severe), had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, problems with both knees and one ankle, incontenance, you name it I had it. I no longer take any medications. My blood sugar has been normal since the day after surgery. I no longer have to take shots several times a day, none, not one! My quality of life is beyond better, it is fabulous. I will live to see my granddaughter grow up and will see her siblings being born. I will see my daughter marry someday and see my son graduate from medical school. Those are all things that I worried about before. I am healthier and feel better than I have since I was in my 20s (I am 48). So for me, this was the best thing I ever did for myself. I am a self pay so this was a hard thing for me to do, but I do not regret one penny of what I spent. I wish you all the luck in the world, this can be the best decision you ever make. Research it, then make the decision that is best for you. Cathy -RNY 12/12/08 78 pounds lost so far...
   — brindledanes

April 24, 2009
Go over to the grads forum and ask people who are over a year post op how they feel about their decision to have surgery...I am 5.3 years post op RNY and my long term health is by far better than being MO...I have had some issues with vitamin deficiencies...but armed now (after malnutrition at 4 years post op) with research and knowledge of how my body works and how REAL malabsorption of nutrients is with RNY...I am preventing those deficiencies by taking good amounts of the right vitamins on a very tedious schedule daily (It's hard work....but it's important) and I get labs every 6 mos to a year...or more if I am trying to raise a certain vitamin or mineral level.. The WLS was the tool I needed to control my over eating and eating the worng foods...The choices I make now are solely up to me and while it's work, as are all things worth working for are, It's not that hard once you feel the benefits of being healthier, happier and thinner...I do not believe surgeons teach enough about vitamin deficiencies and the irreversible damage that it can cause...Or the importance of getting labs AT LEAST yearly...And not just the basic vitals...but ALL THE VITAMINS, minerals and trace elements...20 plus tubes of blood to check for vitamins and minerals...Without those labs, you may not know that you are deficient until it's too late to repair crumbled teeth, brittle broken bones, neurological and nerve damage...etc...And all it would take is a little more knowledge about vitamins and how important they are to take and have tested with labs! Prevention is possible, but it's YOUR responsibility to make sure it gets done...and soooooooo many don't because surgeons tell them...Just take some kids vitamins and call me WHEN things go wrong! And they WILL go wrong....Sad! I am loving life after surgery...I wouldn't trade it back that derned vitamin schedule and eating healthy for all the comorbities I had MO! I have a the best years of my adult life these last 5 years post op... 5 years long term and I feel totally blessed. I am sexier, more energetic, healthier, thinner, ALIVE and have an awesome quality of life at 45 than I did at 35....I am going to grow old. I didn't think that 5 years ago...
   — .Anita R.