chrystine

Just wanted to share what was a surprise NSV for me. For the first time in probably 15 years, I wore out an article of clothing. For countless years, I outgrew everything before it wore out, then I was losing weight and too small for my clothes. Now three years post RNY, my weight is stable. It was really odd but a victory when something was worn out, stretched and faded and needed to be discarded.

You have to be honest with yourself. Only you know the reasons why you're hesitant. As tragic as any loss of.life is, your likelihood of passing away.from this surgery is far less likely than dying from heart disease,diabetes, high blood pressure, the list goes on. Think how many people die in auto accidents. I would say it's the rare person who stop dying from risks.many people fear dumping. I have never dumped and I do cheat and.candy sometimes. There foods iove but afaid because they make me feel nauseated, I don't dump though. Sleeve people lose less excess weight than gastric bypass. I wasn't a sleeve candidate because of severe.GERD. I would Have had run RNY regardless. 20 months post open, have lost around 125 l s and and regrets. It's not.easy, but my life wasn't easy being obese Hope this helps! Wishing you the best!

I use ice, topical ointments and am working with a trainer to strengthen my core. I also see a chiropractor and the pain mtg doctor has said it is possible to burn the nerves in my back to kill the pain but it's a last resort. I also never wear anything but orthoric shoes and sneakers with inserts. It's a challenge but many have it much worse

I'm just dealing with 1 disk,I can't Imagine 5! So what do you do for the inflammation? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Everyone's experience is different, but I will share mine. I had 5 herniated discs prior to wls. I have lost between 101-103 lbs depending on the scale that day. I am 5'1 131 lbs and muscular. My back, knees and feet still hurt. Not as much as when I was a 100 lbs overweight but not every ache and pain disappear for everyone.I do not regret surgery but I think people presurgery need to hear these things.I was told I would never miss the anti inflammatory meds I can no longer take but for me, not so. I am 48,18 mos post op and was obese about 15 years not a lifetime, just for reference. Best wishes.

Isn't it amazing how we still give ourselves a wide berth and expect not to fit place where we fit perfectly? I am still nervous about movie theater seats and restaurant booths at a size 8, & almost 19 months post-op. Nice job!!

Not only do I no longer.need a seat belt extender, I can walk down the aisle of the plane without turning sideways.

It's not worth it, it really isn't. I have read a lot about alcohol abuse after surgery. Our body's can't handle it and it goes through our system very quickly. We would need more to get the same affect. Why trade one addiction for another? Where I work a woman was fired after WLS because she became an alcoholic; she actually came to work under the influence. I am going to France and would love to sample some wine while I am there but it won't be worth it (I will have a dessert or two though...also a no-no but no DUI)

Pandora, Thank you for sharing your story. I am so happy for you that you have found peace and have transformed yourself, and how you feel about yourself. It sounds as though you are much happier and healthier and I really admire your outlook and attitude! Chrystine

Hi, First thing to remember, everyone is different so please keep that in mind when reading everyone's thoughts. I still obsess about food daily. I had surgery 15 months ago and actually joined a weight loss group with weekly meetings and weigh in's because I was unable to lose the last 20 lbs. Since joining the program, I have lost 7 lbs in 4 weeks. I have to track every bite and remind completely mindful at all times. I need a formal program, I think many gastric bypass patients do not, but I am determined to not only reach my personal goal but not be one of the 1/3 who regain all the weight they lost. I know once I become a lifetime member I am going to keep going to meetings and get weighed in every week for the rest of my life. For me, this is a huge struggle. I never dumped and there are very few things I can't eat so It's tough. However, I am 95 lbs lighter than my highest weight so now that I have a big investment in this. I am committed to losing the last 10 lbs and keeping them off forever. I don't want to scare you but for me it never got any easier once I was 8 weeks post op and not feeling miserable anymore. That said, I don't regret the surgery. Just go into knowing it will help you lose weight and get healthy but it's not a magic cure all. Best wishes!

Perhaps you need to actually read what I wrote and not infer what you wanted to read since you are a bit of a bully. I said "I hate READING these posts even though they are important..." It is not because I am jealous of other's peoples' easy time, it is because I had such a difficult time and it makes me feel worse. Read what I wrote, don't put your own spin on it. The severe mood swings are due mostly in part (due to my medical teams info, not an webexpert) by the excess stores of estrogen leaving my body with the large amounts of fat and Water. How dare you assume I'm that emotionally hung up on food? I'm not even interested in food, as stated. I have been taking Miralax (he said no Milk of Magnesia) since I left the hospital; guess you're surprised a board certified surgeon would have heard of that, huh? You're really ignorant, and borderline bully.

My experience was very difficult. Keep an open mind.

It's not a far-fetched theory but I will tell you my experience. My husband married me when I was about 40 lbs overweight. That is quite a bit for 5'1 person. We were friends first and he admitted he wouldn't have answered an online profile if I had one with my height/weight listed because he didn't think he would have found me attractive. Well, my highest weight since our marriage 11 years ago was 80 lbs more but that man never once made me feel less than, not attractive or not desirable. Even at 220 he told me he likes "showing me off" and meant it. My food issues were a combination of many things but not self-loathing that made me consume an extra 2,000 calories a day. I do not hate myself and most of the people I went through the classes with had the surgery for health reasons. My surgeon said that should be the primary reason. If you hate yourself, losing 100 lbs isn't going to make you fall in love yourself. Get some therapy now, before your surgery. This is a tool to lose weight, not reframe your mind entirely.

I will be upfront and tell you that while my husband and I are not thinking about divorce, the surgery has been very rough on our marriage and I am only 5 weeks post op. We have been very much in love for 11 years but have had a ton of trials and tribulations throughout the entire time. I heard over and over during the pre-surgical classes that good marriages get stronger, weak marriages don't survive the surgery because it is such a major lifestyle change. One spouse can feel threatened by the new confidence, more attractiveness to the other sex. For us it's not that; the surgery has been very tough on me physically and I have been extremely demanding. That combined with other issues in my past (not relating to my weight because my weight hasn't been out of control all my life and even when I was 60 lbs overweight I was still in the military exercising a great deal). My husband likes taking care of me and he has had to or been able to because I have suffered so much pain from all the excess weight. I will want to do more physical activities once I get the weight off. Will he want to join me? Probably not. Do I have any interest in meeting other men? Absolutely not, I adore this man and want us to work out our issues. I believe we'll make it; we believe in "for better or worse" but I can totally see how people throw in the towel - especially if they were with someone who didn't make them happy but they thought that was the best they could do because of their weight.

The process is so different for each program. I had to have my psych eval before I could meet with the director of surgery, then she ok'd me to meet with the surgeon of my choice (I met him at the info session). He actually scheduled me for surgery without approval - I was soooo nervous about getting approved but I got approved in 24 hrs!! I wish you the best! From everything I have read average time in 2 weeks. At the info session my doc said he had a lot of experience with my insurance (I am retired military) and he didn't think it would be a problem, and it wasn't. My insurance is very picky about where I can have the procedure done though so that may have helped.