The Greater Fool

Forums like this can skew perception. People tend to post about problems. They want help, or support, or just to rant. It's human nature. Amazingly enough, these are the MINORITY of patients. When things are going well or as expected, as they usually do, people just keep doing what their doing... quietly. Thus, we read about problem after problem, or perhaps more accurately, the same problems over and over. Understand that generally, people having problems are NOT eating to plan (yet). They are having difficulties that are preventing it and, again generally, they are doing their best to get to plan. If you are sailing smoothly along and are following your plan, you are doing great. Continue to focus on your plan, stay on your plan, be a plan-nazi. This will serve you later. And my personal bugaboo: Stay off the scale. The scale creates most non-problems on this forum. Continued good luck, Tek

I started at over 700 pounds. My advice: Take everything one step at a time. Research the available surgeries and keep researching until you find the surgery that best works for you. Know the good, the bad, and the ugly so there are no surprises. Do not overwhelm yourself. Follow your plan. Understand your plan. FOLLOW YOUR PLAN. Make your plan your new 'normal.' Be patient. Do what you can sustain. This is for life, for life. Don't trust advice from the internet, including my advice. Talk to your Medical team. Good luck, Tek

I had RNY in April 2003 after doing a massive amount of reading and research. My program was fairly straightforward where I effectively started out in what most folks call "maintenance mode." I reached and passed the goal of which I dreamed and the goal of which I never dreamed. Eventually I was able to get back to a normal weight. My RNY has been a terrific teaching tool. I had some challenges relearning how to eat. I've had challenges with dumping. Such things have been the "stick" where being a normal weight has been the "carrot." I've internalized my program to such an extent that I rarely think about it anymore. Likewise I don't think about my weight anymore, only weighing myself at my annual physicals. Life is good.

Drat! Missed it by 1.5 years. Good Luck, Tek

Congratulations! I started a fair bit higher than that 400s. I also started walking at about 300 and quickly got up to 8-10+ miles a day. I never started weight lifting. I did start running. Who knew I would enjoy it. Good luck, Tek

On some of these I don't recall if they were a pre-op goal or not: Health issues resolved; New health issues revealed; Buying normal sized clothes; Riding rides (I was way too large). Boy have I ridden the rides; Getting into a bathtub. With room for my wife; I wanted to run, just to do it. I ran 5 marathons, one of which was the San Francisco Marathon where I got to run across the Golden Gate bridge; Chairs no longer vex me. Flying is an option without the belt-extender parade; Horseback riding with wife on vacation; Kayaking on vacation; Sex. There, I said it; I now do housework and all the cooking; Rode a bike to work for a few years; Can tie my own shoes while I am standing; Honestly, so many things of which I never thought; I wanted to dance but I still lack rhythm. Weight loss doesn't solve everything; Kids still make me anxious. People no longer walk into walls, poles, etc. staring at me. People don't automatically get out of my way now. I wanted to dump, and I do. Occasionally it's a real pain in my arse. Good luck, Tek

I knew it when I decided to have it. Good luck, Tek

I was too large for any scale but my surgeons so it really wasn't a choice. But it was a tremendous benefit. I *never* saw a stall but rather consistent weight loss month after month. When I got to a weight where I fit on a home scale (which was a goal) I used it for a couple weeks, then got bored with it. I learned that my surgeon really didn't care about my weight but was concerned with how I was doing on the plan, how was my life, was I having issues. In point of fact, my weight never came up unless I brought it up. I took all this to heart and stopped worrying about my weight but focused on my plan, how I felt, how my life was going. I still don't weigh myself. I get weighed at my annual physical and that's it. I stay on plan and that aspect of my life takes care of itself. The rest is where my head is. Good luck, Tek

I was 6'4" weighed 700+ and got down to 180 which was way too low for me, then managed to get back up to 220, which I'm happy with, though less happy with now being 6'2" Good luck, Tek

If you're happy with your current weight, and not simply settling... Congratulations! You're at goal! Good luck, Tek

Are you siting bread as an example of a food that goes down well or not well? OK, on several re-reads, I think you're saying bread = bad. Bread, when you chew it forms a ball of doughy texture. Basically, a perfect stoma plug. Then stuff stacks behind it for a short time, uncomfortably. If you must eat bread, chew extremely well and even sip fluid while chewing to end the doughy plug texture. Very small bites might help. Skipping bread altogether (for a few months) is probably better. Even now, if I'm not mindful bread can be an minor issue if I eat it alone. Good luck, Tek

I don't wear one. I've talked with several Docs informally and basically when inserting such a tube they are supposed to stop when they meet resistance. Thus, the person inserting the tube screwed up. They said a bracelet likely wouldn't have prevented the screw-up. Good luck, Tek

Wow, I just looked at my license and it's 100 pounds over where I am now. When we came back to AZ 6 years ago they just reactivated the license from 25(?) years ago, when the weight was a terrible, terrible lie. Oddly enough, it still has my height from 25(?) years ago. I've since shrunk by a couple inches. I don't want to be shorter on my license so I'll live with the weight. Tek

My out of the blue suggestion would be to return to your post-op nutritional plan as generally they are intended to be 'Forever.' So, when you slide away from the plan and suffer the consequences, it makes sense to return to the plan that resulted in positive results post-op as long as we stuck to it. Don't fall back on the old ideas of returning to diet after diet trying to lose the excess weight that may have been regained. Rather the WLS you had allows you to return to the new lifestyle eating plan you learned and followed post-op. You've done it before. Don't expect the same results you enjoyed in the first few months post-op. Return to the plan and stick with it through the slow but consistent weight loss you will achieve. Stick with it after you've succeeded. Good luck, Tek

Good for your surgeon. I love me some Doc's that stick to their medical guns. No one in this thread is wanting a surgery that is contraindicated. It seems everyone here is on the ball. Gold stars all around! Good luck, Tek

Generally the post-op plans are similar. At least a similar as anything since each surgeon's plan varies dramatically from other surgeons. I haven't seen a surgeon have different plans for their sleeve and bypass patents, not that I've been looking particularly closely. 30-50% of Bypass patients experience some level of dumping. If you are one of the (un)lucky ones then your surgery will be less forgiving on sugar and to a lesser degree fats. I happen to be one of the lucky folks who dumps and it has kept me on the straight and narrow. Good luck, Tek

It really comes down to you. Is the cost difference more important than getting the surgery you want. For me, getting the surgery I wanted was pretty important. For someone else money may be the more important factor. Think about it all carefully. Good luck, Tek

I've had tremendous success with my RNY at 43 with a BMI in the 80s. I would do it again in a heartbeat. At 43 I could look at my future and know it was going to be painful and short. I had to weigh that future against the possible outcomes of WLS: losing weight, doing things, living the dream... to dying on the table, severe life changing complications. I've known people at both extremes and in between. For me, then, it was a no brainer. But, 20 years earlier? When my future was looking good. Weight was a problem, but I could still go and enjoy life, do things, go places. I'm not convinced rolling the dice at 23 would have made sense for me. I could easily have lost what I had. Again, I knew people that did. Odds are it wouldn't happen to me. But, the odds have messed with me before, I almost died from a tonsillectomy when I was 4. So, I'd have to think about it hard. Good luck, Tek

Don't be terrified of dumping. *IF* you dump (only 30-50% of folks dump at all) you will dump eventually. It's a little scary the first few times because it's new and you don't know what's going to happen next. Once you understand what's happening and what's going to happen it's easier to cope with. Early on, dumping for me was an educational tool of the "what not to do" variety. The key lesson was "I don't want to do that again" and adjusted my rare off-plan choices accordingly. I learned that a lot of things affect when I dump. Stress, hunger, fatigue, and sickness make me more likely to dump. What was safe was no longer so. Some medications make dumping more likely or make dumping worse. Again, I used all this as learning experiences. So, the idea that "I can eat x amount" works until it doesn't. Most dumping experiences are mild. Sweaty, fatigue and shakes for a few minutes is most common. Certainly not the end of the world. These days it takes a convergence of stupid things to get me into dumping badly. It's probably been longer than a year, perhaps two, since a honest dumping episode happened last. I'm not exactly sure, I don't mark them on my calendar or anything. It's akin to stubbing your toe. It hurts in the moment and seems to come from nowhere. But it passes and life goes on. Living in fear is no way to live. Good luck, Tek

It's common. Eat slower, smaller bites, chew thoroughly. You'll get the hang of it. Good luck, Tek

What you describe is not dumping. It sounds like you ate too fast, you probably didn't chew well enough, and your pouch was mildly blocked. The dry-heaving is you trying to get rid of the blockage. Dumping occurs after you've eaten. It is your bodies response to eating too much sugar or fat in some cases. Your stomach / intestines put out a "We need water here" which your body responds dramatically. All this fluid in your intestines are what cause the Dumping symptoms. The symptoms include sweating, heart palpitations, nausea, gastric distress, cramps, and the forever popular diarrhea. Good luck. Tek

I had the leg compression machine in the hospital for 3 days post-op. I was not given a choice. If I was in bed then nursing staff would attach them and turn them on. I wouldn't describe them as feeling great. As I was larger than most morbidly obese patients my bed was rented especially for me presumably as punishment for my sinful ways from the loving hands of Satan himself. So, between the Satanic bed and the leg compression device I spent perhaps 6 actual hours in the bed. The rest of the time was in the guest chair. Now, I'm not sure if the guest chair was actually almost comfortable or if it benefited from unfortunate comparison with Satan's bed, but whoever screwed up and put that chair in my room will live forever with great humanitarians of our time. My Doc mentioned once that he intended to send a pair home with me, but by time my screaming and crying relented for a few moments he reconsidered. He indicated he didn't really need the suit he was wearing at the time anymore so reattaching the lapels would not be necessary. Thanks Doc. Good luck. Tek

I have never regretted my choice. I believe that my success comes down to how my team approached post-op life as learning a new lifestyle. The weight on the scale was secondary to how I was doing on the plan, how I felt, and what issues I needed help with. The RNY was a tool to support the new lifestyle. This is NOT a crash diet. Ultimately I lost about a 1/4 ton of excess weight. I've done things I never thought I wanted to do. Any WLS is forever. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. Good luck, Tek

Get rid of your scale. It's making you crazy. Good luck, Tek

In a perfect world your Doc will evaluate your situation and arrive at a medical intervention plan specific to your situation. They may start with generic guidelines but if that's where they stop it's my cue to look for a new Doc. Every medication comes with benefits and problems, its the nature of the beast. It is our Doctor's job to look at our needs and which medications will best serve us. Then we monitor for the benefits the medications provide while monitoring for the negative side effects that come with them. In evaluating my situation my medical team decided that NSAIDs were appropriate interventions for specific situations, knowing that I had to carefully monitor side effects. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), on the other hand, I was to avoid completely because of specific liver issues I enjoyed. And so it goes for every medical issue that is part of the joy of being me. I don't get my advice from strangers on the internet other than "don't listen to strangers on the internet." I will tell you this: If I was still in significant pain 4 months post-op I would already have been in constant communications with my medical team; I would not be asking the internet what to do; I would be raising a big, ugly, stink. Good luck. Tek