Question:
Should I have gastric bypasss surgery
I am a male 5'8" and weigh 235 lbs. When i first had my dr. consultation i weighed 248 lbs with a bmi of 37.8. I have done all my tests and am waiting on my last dietician visit. I want to get down to about 165 lbs with a bmi of 25.1. Is it worth going thru the surgery to only lose 70 lbs? I have a hard time losing weight. Thanks in advance for your response — rickman44 (posted on December 20, 2010)
December 20, 2010
Hi, I too was about 70 pounds over my ideal weight. My advice to you is
that you should weigh the other options available to you. I had a gastric
band in 2006. I then was told that I needed to go through a gastric bypass
as the band had eroded my abdomen. Without questioning my doctor I followed
his advise. For some reason my bypass failed. I was back to the weight I
had started at. I sought out other famous doctors who had no answers for me
except to say that there is a 30% chance for GBS to fail. Anyway I went
ahead with a revision surgery & almost died. I am still struggling with
my weight & would definately advise you to get your running shoes out
of the closet & take baby steps to loosing your weight. If you have no
co morbidites this is an EXTREAM STEP TO TAKE.
Best of luck.......... what ever you decide.
amrighty
— amrighty
December 20, 2010
If ur asking that question than I would say no. U need to be in a mental
and spiritual place where u know that u have no other options. When I got
to that point I no longer asked I just knew.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 20, 2010
For me it was the best decision I ever made for myself. RNY 2 June 2009. I
was 253 and today I am 143.2 The medical doc and I sat down and decided
that my weight should be maintained between 140 and 145. I am at the
maintenance stage now. I walk everyday, Curves 3 days a week and now Zumba
2 days a week. Before my surgery I was diabetic, hypertensive and
hyperlipid. I was on 1 med for sugar, 4 bloodpressure meds and on lipid
med.....Now I am on Synthroid and vitamins. Before I watched people
kayaking and hiking on TV now that's me doing those things....I was given a
second chance on life.....not going to waste a minute of it. So is it worth
it....HELL YES !!!!! But once you have the surgery...work the program and
don't just use this as a "quick fix" cause it isn't.....good luck
— karensaporito
December 20, 2010
Rick, I"m not even sure that at your current weight you'd quality for
GBS. I'm wit the others who suggested you try alternative methods. If I
was 70 lbs overweight, I think it would have been more manageable than
starting at 150 overweight. GBS is a lifestyle change. Gone forever are
the pizza parties and carefree eating days (thank god).. but.. you would be
forever focused on protein intake and sugar/carb content. I'd say if you
have an alternative (more exercise, rigid diet etc) you should give that an
honest try before you make that leap !!
— KQinNC
December 20, 2010
Rick,
I agree with Edward. You have to make that decision yourself along with the
medical staff. I had RNY three years ago and it was the best decision I've
made. My eating habits have changed and I feel better. Plus my boyfriend
from high school (45 years ago) came back into my life and I was proud to
see him again.
— Muggs
December 20, 2010
If you have to even ask, than no. You are not ready. You have to know
instantly that you want the surgery and that you will succeed in it with
out a doubt. But if you have to ask anyone if you should, than I believe
you are not ready. Until you are, do not go forward with it until you are
ready both in mind and body.
— SPIRIT2002
December 20, 2010
The other posts made some really good points. You also have to be mentally
ready if, God forbid, there are complications to the gny. The major reason
I made it through 10 months of complications is that I was prepaired for
emotionally and psychologically.
— Kathleen W.
December 20, 2010
All I can say is that I am so happy that I had the surgery. I have zero
complications and in 8 months, I have gone from 262 to 148 and love having
my life back. Only you can decide what you do. I would just say that if you
do go for it, to make sure you have a GOOD doctor.
— tfqh99
December 20, 2010
It took me 5 yrs to make the decision. I was at 378.6 and started dieting
on my own, when i got to 308 i started going back up again, that helped me
make my decision. the final decision was because of all of the heart
desease in my family. make sure you are making your decision for the right
reason. do you have health conditions? If your decision is based on
"looking good" then rethink it and hit the gym. make sure you
have a good surgeon. most good surgeons would not operate if you have any
doubts at all. for me it has been the right decision. I am now down to
263.5 (surgery 10/25/10) but not without complications. this is major
surgery, remember that.
— caxb2009
December 20, 2010
Hi Rick,
I had rny aug 09, it probably saved me... i was on diabetes, blood pressure
and cholesterol meds, all of which i am off now, have lost 120lbs, if you
can get it under control on your own it would be better. I would do the
surgery again in a heartbeat, but its not the "easy" way out as
people would like to think. its been an emotional roller coaster, tons of
testing, and counseling. go on "you tube" and watch the people
who have documented their journeys, thats what i did. make an informed
decision. i could barely walk from the weight i was carrying, knees hurt
all the time. during the surgery they found i have NASH, non-alcoholic
liver disease.. so get the weight off and eat healthy, doesnt seem like you
are a candidate for the surgery. good luck
— MarthaJ0110
December 21, 2010
In my opinion, just about anyone can make the lifestyle changes necessary
to lose 70 pounds without having weight loss surgery. The issue really is:
will you be able to keep the weight off? Numerous studies have
underscored the sad fact that fewer than 3% of those people who lose fifty
or more pounds are able to keep from regaining that weight after five
years.
Weight loss surgery is a valuable tool in that endeavor, but it is not a
magic bullet. Most WLS candidates need to make a profound, lifelong shift
in their relationship with food in order to remain successfully under the
'obese' classification.
Gastric bypass is not for everyone. In my case, my insurance demanded that
I be at least 100 ponds overweight in order to even be considered for the
procedure. That may indicate a systemic "cheapness" on their
part, or it may be that weight loss surgery has risks that are outweighed
(no pun intended) by being morbidly obese, but which are lessened by simply
being obese.
You seem to be doing the right thing: research. Keep it up. Ask
questions, listen to the answers (but be prepared to discard the specious
ones). And also, compare the end-game results of each of the more common
weight loss surgeries. Some have more serious health issues in the long
run than others. Good luck to you.
— MastoDon
December 22, 2010
I had GBS 2/19/10 and it was the best thing that I have ever done for my
health. Yes, I had some minor problems but was able to resolve them.You
probably have struggled with your weight for awhile or would not be
considering this step. If you don't have the surgery, will the 70# turn
into 100+. What health problems do you have now and what will you have
later if you don't have the surgery? 70# can effect your health in a big
way.Go pick up a 70# feed bag and really see what a difference losing that
amount could make on your body. Careful consideration of the risks and
benefits of surgery are a must. You have to be informed. There are several
different surgeries available. They do surgery on your stomach, not your
head and that requires some of the most difficult changes.
— tandalyncarter
January 1, 2011
I would say think long and hard as this is major surgery. If you have
other contributing factors (diabetes, High blood pressure, etc.) that are
hard to control than I would think maybe yes. But for only 70 pounds (I
know that is a lot)I would think long and hard. I am 5'9" and was 110
pound over my desired weight of 185 and would not have done it if not for
my increasingly uncontrolled diabetes. It was the best decision I ever
made, and I say this only 32 days out, as my diabetes is gone and I have
lost 40+ pounds but I would not have taken the risks just for the weight.
I found I could be active and overweight but the other factors made the
surgery a no brainer. Think long and hard.
— TonyPegel
January 3, 2011
I had my surgery almost 5 years ago for heslth reasons. I was 348 bls
5"8 1/2" tall. I am so glad I had the surgery. This is very
important you must follow exactly what your doctors tells youto be
successful. I have gotten off track and have gained some weight back but my
surgeon is working with me to get me on track. I went from a size 28W to a
size 8/10, I am now in a 12 it has made a world of different in my life not
only my health but everything. I no longer take diabetic medicine and do
not have to take Blood pressure medicine. The surgery was well worth it I
just wish I had done it sooner.
— Linda McMinoway
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