jenalex

He's awesome - but the support I feel has always been lacking.

He is a cocky son of a bitch!!! And I love him!!!! He is the best surgeon as far as I am concerned!!! I was 314 day of surgery - I lost 180 lbs- I've kept most off. Only problem - which is a biggie - is the psychological aspect - transferring of addiction. I'm in a 12 step program now because I had a few plastic surgeries to remove skin and wound up addicted to pain meds. Wat I found out was that I never addressed why I weighed 314 lbs to begin with. I was a food addict. I am now in school to become an addiction counselor specializing in gastric bypass. GBS is a great tool - just make sure you get the right support on why you were stuffing your feelings or filling a void - I am here to talk anytime. ????

I had mine 10 years ago dr. Spencer in portsmouth

We definitely LIVE to eat - not eat to live like normal people...

Yes - 12 step meetings are great!!! I wish more people would attend them!! They really help people in every area of their lives!! And you are right about the eating disorders. I've been hearing of a lot of that happening now as well! Body image is a very serious problem and if we don't accept ourselves and love ourselves we find ways to either be self destructive, hurt ourselves or numb the pain.

What people don't realize is that they WERE food addicts - we all were - and without a good solid support system it's only a matter of time before we fill that void with something else. Alcohol is the number one problem for most - pain meds is a big one because of the plastic surgery many of us get (that's where mine came into play) shopping - sex - men - people - work - gambling - the list goes on... If we never address WHY we FED our feelings - then we will eventually find ourselves suffering through another addictive behavior. We are not great with moderation... I'm currently in school for this specializing in GBS and addiction - there is a need for this specialized treatment out there...

I do - I'm very involved in NA - I'm here hoping to reach out to others - this is a much more common problem then people think

About once every 6 months

Yep - I'm 10 years post op and I have to have iron infusions - weekly b12 shots - daily ferrous sulfate - daily frolic acid - all in addition to regular vitamins - and I'm still extremely anemic...

I've actually went into treatment and am in recovery now. You are absolutely correct and that is my point. We are not people that just like to eat too much. I did not weigh 314 pounds the day of surgery because I liked cake. I used food as a coping mechanism. And when that was taken away from me it was only a matter of time before I found something else to replace it. I really wish the surgeons took more time to educate and provide more support pre-op to the newbies so that they get a better understanding of this problem.

This is a very real and serious problem and its getting worse. I am 10 years post op and I found myself becoming addicted to pain meds. I've never used drugs in my life. I also know 3 friends who after having RNY are now alcoholics. I don't think we get enough support to deal with the emotional/psychological aspect of how this surgery will affect us.

10 years post op and without the ability to use food to cope - transferring addictions is very common post surgery. Who else is suffering with this problem besides myself?