Question:
HELP! I'm terrified, but think that WLS is the best route for me.

I'm 22yrs old 5'7" and weigh 280lbs. I gained alot of weight very quickly and suffer from depression, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and GERD. I feel that WLS is the best thing for me to do and am educating myself as much as possible, but I am SO scared. I have never had any kind of surgery before. Can anyone offer me some piece of mind and tell me what I can expect during recovery and life post-op. Will I be in pain??? For how long?? -Jessica    — Jessica P. (posted on January 16, 2006)

January 16, 2006
Hi Jessica! I am 26 years old and my highest weight before surgery was 297. I gained my weight very quickly after my kidney transplant from the high dose of steroids I was on. The surgery became my only option from my doctors since dieting and exercise alone was simply not working. I had the surgery in September of '05 and I am doing wonderfully. I am down to 217 pounds and my comorbidities are disappearing. The diabetes is gone! The joint problems have disappeared! I was on 3 different BP medications 3 times a day and now I only take .1 mg of clonidine once a day and that will be ending soon. My GERD is completely gone so I don't have to take the protonix anymore either. Post-op life is different for everyone though. Pain is not bad depending on how much you can tolerate. I was off of my pain meds within a week of coming home and I could take care of everything by two weeks out. I am sure you will have many more questions as you embark on your weight loss journey. Feel free to email me anytime or if you use yahoo messenger you can contact me that way. My username is fbc_pastorswife . I will be praying for you as this is a big decision and as you can see it has been a big change for me. God bless you Jessica!
   — Pamela B.

January 16, 2006
Hi Jessica, I had my surgery on Nov 1st, 2005. I am 37, I weighed a little less than you, but was about 4" shorter than you, and had a few issues with joint pain, high blood pressure and a very bad back.. This was the single most important medical decision I have made for myself, and I too was scared and unsure, but I will tell you this I would do it again in a minute to feel as good as I do today, I have lost 52 pounds so far and feel just wonderful. I am off all of my medications and am able to exercise and be more energetic. It is a lifetime commitment, but it also can save your life, especially if your health is headed in the wrong direction. As far as pain, yes there was a little, but the hospital takes good care to make sure that you are comfortable. I would recommend getting a spinal if at all possible, you will recover quicker and need less anesthetic. You are literally up and walking the evening of the surgery. I went home in just 3 days and back to work in 4 weeks, I had the open gastric bypass (micro-pouch). Its a big step, but you will not regret your decision!! Best wishes to you!!!
   — April

January 16, 2006
suggest that you read about all the choices of wls, band ,rny,and my favorite the DS, visit the DS forum and ask about it, here a chart that may help. http://www.lapsf.com/weight-loss-surgeries.html
   — walter A.

January 16, 2006
Jessica I understand totally how you are feeling but I knew this was something that I had to do if I wanted to be around for my daughter and see her get married and start a family of her own. I also want to be able to play with my further grandchildren. I did a lot of research and this web site really helped especially the chat room. By the time I went into surgery I was very calm and sure of myself. Good luck in whatever decision you make. I will be praying for you. Laural HW- 313; Sw- 292; PW-211; GW-135
   — Laural D.

January 16, 2006
Hi Jessica, My name is Erica. I am 27 5ft even and highest weight was about 270. I had many of the same comorbities as you, plus I was an insulin dependant diabetic. I had surgery on 7/5/05..it was the easiest and the hardest decision I ever had to make. I was sick of being sick all the time, and I was getting worse every minute that passed. I had a lap roux en y..the pain was not bad, and it doesnt last long. I am 6 months post op and it has been the best decision of my life, in fact it saved my life. I am currently 100lbs less then I was 6 months ago. As for being scared I can understand, but sometimes you just know what you have to do, one thing that I suggest is get a great support system, my mom was my cheerleader and I am thankful everyday that I have her. Since having the surgery, I am no longer diabetic, no high bloodpressure, no GERD, and I was borderline on sleep apnea I never talked to my Doc about it because I didnt want to be on a machine, and think that was the clincher for me. Like you I did tons of research, from procedures to hospitals. If you need someone to talk to me indepth please email me at [email protected] or on aol user name ericaquesada I wish you the best of luck. erica
   — dillaq

January 16, 2006
Hi there...check out my profile for a day by day blow of what it's like (for me) to have surgery. Keep in mind that everyone is different as is their tolerance to pain but I've been contacted by several members and have a few close friends who've had the surgery and they say it's pretty much "on target". I give a lot of details right down to my hospital stay, the amount of pain and complications, foods, vitamins etc.. You have just 4 of the 10 complications I developed due to obesity and I would do it all again because of the quality of life I have right now. It's so worth it. Email me if you have any questions.
   — boonikki29

January 16, 2006
Hi, I'm 4'10" and my highest weight was 360. I had GBS Sept. 28, 2005 and have lost about 70 pounds or so. Yes, there is pain with any major surgery but I believe it is well worth the benefits that you could reap from having surgery. I would suggest that you talk with a doctor and explore all your options including making sure you understand fully why you gained weight at the rapid pace that you did. The reason I say that is because you may have a medical problem that is making it easier to gain weight such as a low-functioning thyroid. You can contact me privately if you wish. Jamie
   — newslady72712

January 16, 2006
Jessica, I know just how you feel, I too was scared I think we all were/are but I was more scared at the thought of going through life getting fatter and fatter. As it was I weighed 338 lbs when I decided to have the surgery,luckily no co-morbities. but like I said I was getting fatter and had to do something about it dieting was not working except for making me want to eat more. I am so happy I did it (open RNY) I had my surgery Sept 29th 2005 and have lost 71 lbs so far and I tell ya, what a feeling of freedom now . I love it. As for pain the worst pain I had was (don't laugh) gas but took some gas -x sure there was some pain from the surgery but it was soooo worth it.E-mail me if you have any questions good luck .
   — sunnie

January 17, 2006
Hi there! I know how hard it is to gain weight and face the fear of the comorbidities. But after all of the encouragement you received here, allow me to play the devils advocate. At almost two years out, I can tell you this is not a magic wand. I went into this knowing it was just a tool, but I thought I'd have more time to get my eating under control. At 8 most...my honeymoon period was over. I can easily gain weight since then. You too may still face a lifetime of working on your eating demons and fighting weight gain. On top of that, I'm sure you know the risks of surgery. So please make sure you have done ALL you can diet and exercise wise before taking on this life changing (for the good and the bad) endeavor. Remember, you are considering forever altering the internal arrangement that God has given you. So that's my soap box talk for now. I hope I didn't offend you, but at 22 I managed to lose 100lbs through diet/exercise...and I kept it off for 8 years...Though I eventually had the surgery anyway, I had more time with my original plumbing that way. Also, I want to remind you that most of the people keeping up their profiles on this site and posting to you are the success stories (I count myself amongst them thus far, despite my struggles). After being on this site for almost 4 years, I have found the strugglers and those 'not so successful' tend to drop off. Just giving you somethings to think about. I truly wish you well on this tough decision! Oh...and to answer your question on pain...I had lap RNY and only took pain killers for the first 3 days. Mostly for back pain. Please email me if you have any questions :-)
   — Rachelq

January 17, 2006
Honey, try to lose the weight without surgery first. If you have already done this, then the quality of life you experience will be better with the surgery. The only thing is - you still have to work at weight loss and follow a diet!
   — Novashannon

January 17, 2006
jessica--you might also want to explore the lapband. it has the same possibility of great results as the bypass, but it has less risk, is less invasive, and is not permanent. might be a good option for you. good luck!
   — jessicamegan

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