rustybeth

Hello gang, I had WLS in 2004. I was one of the early lap band recipients in Australia under Prof. Paul O'Brien. I did great and lost 46kg (101lbs), but then life set in and I had two kids and a suicidal husband so I let the weight creep back up. I had a revision in 2013 due to a hiatus hernia so large I was having esophageal spasms. So now, I'm at the heaviest I've ever been, and I've got a ventral hernia that goes from my navel to my sternum. My surgeon said he won't even try to fix it if my BMI is over 30 because it will just come right back. He then talked to me about how the lap band has fallen out of favor because it was not as effective as the original studies promised. He suggested a revision to a VSG, and set me up in my insurance's approval program for WLS. The first step is the removal of the band and port and recovery from that. Surgery is scheduled for July 7th. After that I'll progress through the "hoop-jumping" to qualify for the VSG, which providing everything goes smoothly, I'll qualify for in October. So far no one has stated any pre-surgery weight loss requirements, but I have been studying the various plans and doctor's programs I've found online, as well as reading personal stories from support forums like this one, so I can get an aggregate view of the entire procedure both pre and post-op. I must admit that the pendulum swings widely across what I've seen, both in program execution and in individual responses. Of course, I realize that there are outliers on every scale, and I'm averaging what I see. I got this little binder from the program introduction meeting (Dignity Health), and I've been adding my own research to it, things like print out of appropriate bariatric (or equivalent) vitamins based on their recommendations, worksheets for tracking eating and drinking, pre and post-op protein shakes, mixes, and recipes, motivational type posters, and text documents on things like how digestion works, how protein is used by the body, etc. Note, all the research is stuff from actual university or journal studies, I'm not taking answers from Reddit or Quora as facts! I've decided the biggest issue I've seen is the grief process that hits people after the surgery when they suddenly realize they can't eat what they want. I've read a lot of threads (not just here) of people rebelling and hating themselves and hurting themselves because of this. I do not want to deal with this. I'm already working on changing my eating habits, albeit slowly. I want to be more in control of this transition than I've seen, So, if you've read this far, my questions to you are: Did you make any effort pre-op to really change your eating habits? Did you experience grief or regret post-op if you didn't? Did you regret your surgery for any reason OTHER than the food restriction/complications? Thanks for discussing!

Hey Sarah, I'm Liz (but call me Rusty). I've had WLS before but I'm starting over with the VSG. I, too, am in the learning process. I had a friend get one about ten years ago and she's met her goal and maintained very well with no issues. I've also been following a lot of bariatric forums and Facebook groups to see what other people are saying and experiencing. I've drawn a few conclusions for myself, but I don't know how well they might extrapolate to others, because I also have experience with WLS, losing a substantial amount of weight, and then having "life get in the way" and having it return. My first journey was because I wanted to have children. My second journey has begun because I have a severe health condition that cannot be remedied without surgery and cannot be corrected at all whilst I am obese (and I'm way past morbidly obese at the moment, so I have a long way to go).

It's all one step at a time. I hope you gain strength and each new step on your journey gets easier.

I remember crying as I was being wheeled in to have a C section for my first daughter. I was terrified and the nurses were worried and got my OB. He lectured me like a father! I eventually pulled myself together, but it was so odd. It just hit me out of the blue. I think having sudden fears in the face of the unknown is totally okay. Just don't give in to panic. Everyone is trying to help and you won't be alone.

I saw my surgeon on the same day. With my insurance, it takes six months of consecutive visits to qualify for the surgery, so the earliest I'm looking at is November. What is your expected date?

If you are cleared for regular fluids, I'd say take a cautious approach. Start with a half water/half juice mix to lower the sugar content. It seems the sugar is what drives the dumping syndrome. If you're good with it diluted, then try stronger mixtures. As you do this, keep in mind your insulin response to the sweet. If you put a large amount of sugar in quickly, your pancreas doesn't know your stomach has dropped in size. It's responding to a sugar stimulus that in the past would have meant a large volume. Let your body adapt to the changes by training it slowly.

This does not surprise me. There is a lot of money to be made in this. And that is one of the reasons insurance won't cover it. The profit margin for the doctors is so high. Also, the failure rate is very high. Depending on the patient's motivation, it may not be a good investment.

are you saying your taste/desire for sweets REDUCED?

My nurse specifically told me if I dropped below a 40 BMI they would cancel my surgery. I told her God would have to intervene for that to happen, But if it did come close, I'd be sure to have a few rocks in my pocket on weigh-in day.

A revision is any kind of rework on an original (or revised) surgery. I had a lap band in 2006, I had a revision in 2013 due to it ripping my diaphragm open. Now I'm going to have a revision later this year when my surgeon first removes my lap band, lets me heal, and then does a VGS. You can have a revision to plastic surgery, say fixing a lopsided boob job, or something like a revision to a circulatory bypass. Bariatric revision is usually done because the initial procedure didn't produce the desired results. Sometimes they modifiy the original procedure or other times they change to an entirely new procedure.