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Is there anyone here who has had sleeve surgery who regrets it? If so, why?

@@LipstickLady if you read what I wrote you would know I wasn't referring to you or your response (though good to know you're not sorry). You simply said you hadn't regretted it. I had no problem with that. I was aggravated by people chiming in on a serious post about how they regretted it... and then had to add that they didn't do it sooner, which had nothing to do with what I asked and took away from some of the more serious stories being shared here of complications and regrets.

I haven't been here in a long time, and I wasn't even supposed to be getting notifications on this post anymore (in fact, my account was supposed to have been deleted, but clearly that was a lie). But today I was notified of a response here. First off, @@GinaCampbell I am so sorry for what you've been through. It's horrific. I feel like a lot of people, even here in the US, are not given adequate information about these surgeries and the severe risks and consequences that can come with them. When I had my consult we (meaning my husband and myself) watched a video (as in on VHS) that was clearly over a decade old and didn't even have information about sleeve surgery. It was predictable, cheerleader, yay, this is awesome propaganda. Which was what I expected. I already knew more about the various surgeries going into that consult than a good number of people do even after they've had surgery (based on personal experiences with friends and acquaintances that have had it). I ultimately decided the risk of complications, especially given my personal history with surgeries and complications, was simply too high and I was not prepared to risk bankruptcy to have the surgery, as my insurance did not cover it. My situation has since changed. The insurance I have this year seems likely to cover it (as in, the state mandates WLS be covered, but because my situation is unique, they may refuse me anyway and I won't do it any other way). I appreciate those of you who took the time to answer this question as it was intended. In other words, you either replied yes, that you regretted it or no, and not the "only that I didn't do it sooner," which is irrelevant to what I was asking and just sounds so preachy. I understand that this is likely not your intent (or maybe it is in some cases, what do I know), but just for what it's worth, when you answer a question that wasn't actually asked it comes across as a bit patronizing, condescending and, frankly, even rude.

Right?

I am preparing to have sleeve surgery in January. I have spent the last 7 years working on intuitive eating and mindful eating and not dieting, because dieting made me mentally and physically unhealthy. I have an eating disorder history that goes back decades. After discussing the possibility of weight loss surgery with my therapist, she agreed with my position that IF I were to move forward and do it, I should NOT know my weight loss, nor set a weight loss goal. I am not going into this expecting to be "thin" by any definition society might recognize. At the consult, my surgeon said he understood my reasons and has no problems whatsoever with this. But I feel like this puts me in such a weird, uncharted place because everyone I know has very clearly defined weight loss goals and wants to know and tracks their weight loss. Which is cool... if that's what works for you and what you need, that's 100% understandable. For me, it would be a trigger fest nightmare. I've worked long and hard to be in a good place with my eating disorder. Ironically, I think I am far more mentally prepared to handle WLS than I would've been back when I still dieted. I'm not doing this to become X size or look X way. I'm doing it because being my size in a fat phobic world sucks. It means I don't have access to certain medical treatments or care. It means I am constantly judged by so called medical professionals for my weight, and that instead of being treated for what is wrong with me, I often am prescribed weight loss, even though doctors know full well it fails for most people. I have fibromyalgia. I don't expect that all of my pain will go away, but I am hoping if I lose some weight, even 100 pounds (which my surgeon expects, within a seven - twelve month period), I can become more mobile again. If I can become more mobile again, I can do things that will potentially help the fibromyalgia. I've done enough research to know these surgeries are not without risks, sometimes big ones. It terrifies me. I don't have a good history with surgeries. I've had complications with both my gallbladder surgery (it caused a hernia) and then the surgery to fix that hernia (it caused permanent edema after I got cellulitis following surgery). I am not going into this with rose colored glasses. I'm probably more realistic than most, frankly. I don't think it's a "cure all" for any or every health issue. I think it could be a very useful tool. But only if I am allowed to do it in a way that doesn't trigger my ED. Because then it could turn into something very negative and unhealthy for me. And that is why I refuse to set any goal weight or even know how much weight I've lost. It's not about that for me. I don't know if that is going to make sense to anyone here... or really to anyone in the WLS community anywhere. And having surgery won't make sense to my friends in the body acceptance/fat acceptance communities, either. Even though I'm not aiming for any set weight, even though I'm not going into it expecting to ever be thin (and frankly, "thin" doesn't appeal to me anyway... IF I did pick a goal weight, it wouldn't be one anyone would consider "thin"). So I guess I'm feeling a bit like a lone wolf. And hoping maybe someone else here has done things in a similar way.

Yeah, that's not how "full" feels. Full means I don't feel like I'm starving myself, with the hopes that my body will eat itself, eat the fat, away. Full means I'm comfortable. What you're describing is what happens after a binge. Intuitive eating taught me that difference. Dieting is what made ME fatter. It's what gave me an eating disorder that I fought for decades, and still have to fight even today, although it's miles away from how it used to be before I began therapy and stopped dieting. If I hadn't, I'd never have been in a good mental place to even consider this surgery. Which doesn't mean there aren't doctors who would've said, "no, not you." Because there were doctors pushing WLS on me when it should've been abundantly clear I was NOT mentally capable of handling any of it.

As someone in eating disorder recovery, I do not look at foods as "good" versus "bad." Food is food. I eat what makes me, personally, feel good. Here are a few posts to better explain my position. http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/real-food/ http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/good-food-bad-food-and-subversive-food-combining/ http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/eat-food-stuff-you-like-as-much-as-you-want/ Obviously, the last one, for someone with any sort of WLS would have to be amended, but the point isn't to binge or overeat anyway. The point is, to eat what you like, until you feel full.

Sorry, I don't buy it. WLS is a multi-billion dollar industry in a country's where shyster lawyers like John Edwards convinced a jury that MS was the result of not enough c-sections. If WLS wasn't as safe as a root canal over the long haul, we'd be hearing about it on 60 Minutes, let alone every forum we follow. Do a google search. You can find plenty of lawsuits related to WLS, as well as plenty of lawyers who specialize in it. ANY surgery can kill or cause serious damage after that 30 day window. You don't hear about it because surgeons aren't required by law to count it as a direct result of surgery. My grandmother just died due to complications of a surgery she had 20 years earlier. Now, that surgery was to remove precancerous polyps. Without that surgery, she'd likely have died far sooner. But the surgery still resulted in the scar tissue that caused the bowl obstruction that caused sepsis and ultimately resulted in her death. This isn't about bashing WLS specifically. I have issues with ANY surgery not having to go beyond the first 30 days in terms of counting the side effects and dangers. And especially elective surgeries, which, no matter how you may personally feel about your WLS experiences, WLS very much IS.

@@Cape Crooner as a reminder, in most cases surgeons only have to count complications for the first 30 days. After that, it isn't considered a complication of the surgery, even if it would clearly not have happened without the surgery.

@@GinaCampbell What a nightmare for you and your friends. I can absolutely understand your frustrations, and agree that the booklet you mention should've been given first. I'm in the US and self-pay, so the idea of complications is pretty terrifying, since I have to cover them myself. I already have irritable bowel syndrome, and a lot of foods I can't eat, so that's another concern... that it will make it worse. I've heard about lactose intolerance issues post-op and since I love milk and yogurt, that is also a concern. I nearly died due to my gallbladder issues, and it was removed almost 6 years ago, so I don't have to worry about that. I was aware of that risk, however. Your story is one of the reasons that I, personally, am opposed to WLS being done on smaller people who don't have any health problems. Because I think that it just invites the risk of too many permanent side effects that people could've avoided. But then I hold the unpopular opinions that fat doesn't automatically equal unhealthy anymore than thin automatically equals healthy. I believe you can be fat, athletic, happy and healthy. I believe you can be thin and terribly unhealthy, and no one ever knows because you "look healthy." I have fibromyalgia and I'm far heavier than you and your friends were. I have a hard time getting adequate medical care/tests and while I think that's crap, and that people shouldn't have to resort to measures as drastic as WLS in order to get proper care, we live in this world, not the one I think we should live in. Given my mobility issues, exercise is very hard for me. I have no idea if surgery will make that better or not. I'm not naive enough to believe it's going to "cure" anything. I can only hope MAYBE it helps, and MAYBE I can get some improvement. Thank you for sharing your story and being so honest. I feel like the people who have experiences like yours are shunned on most WLS forums, and viewed as being overly negative. But your experience is valuable in helping people make truly informed decisions.

"There are good foods and bad foods after wls, just like before. And just like before, your diet should consist of 90% good foods." Yeah, see. This sort of mentality is a MAJOR problem for me. I don't look at food in a moral context. It's too triggering.

May I ask why you regret it?