Anyone Wish They Had Not Done Their Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

[Escape Pod 7]

Today is day 9 post-op for me and there's no way I could conceive of going to work. I had made plans to walk with a friend this afternoon and had to cancel because I don't feel up to driving to her office. Three days ago I felt pretty darned good, all things considered, but I was still on narcotics then, and now that I'm just on liquid Tylenol, frankly it's not quite getting the job done.

Huge kudos to Karelia for asking the question and being truly open to all perspectives. There are so many easy breezy surgery stories to be found here that I think it can be easy to convince yourself that you're going to feel awesome after 5 days, you'll be bac to your routine, etc. Certainly there are people for whom that is the case, but I think we do a disservice advising people to make life and work plans around the hope that they'll also be so lucky! I'm so swollen that my waist is at least 3 images larger than it was pre-op, and it hasn't changed even slightly yet. I'm starting to make plans for what the heck I'm going to wear to work if it doesn't improve soon. I took 3 weeks off, which included two days pre-op for bowel prep, and I'm thanking my lucky stars that I did.

[Bryn Dawson 9]

Seriously? You need to read more here! I knew exactly what to expect the first month! Have you been reading the posts of people during their first weeks? Gnarly! This question certainly did not bring these things to light, not by a long shot! This post surgery area is always full of fresh post-op detailing their struggles- you will see how miserable I was in my posts the week of May 9th and on by Vlogs. You will see this misery over and over, and also the kind experienced folks who chime in and tell you that it will pass and will get better.

I didn't say I had no idea before this thread - I said I had a much better idea after this thread. I was seeing the serious long-term nausea and fatigue and general malaise as the exception rather than the rule - now I know differently. A failing on my part, I'm sure, not to have known sooner.

I was also trying to be kind and get the argument to stop by bringing in a different perspective.

I've been reading the post-op board threads for about a month. Sorry if I missed your struggles. I've also browsed the complications support group.

Trying not to feel sort of attacked here. Guess I should've stayed silent.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

6+ months here, I never had buyers remorse, but lots of adjustments to get used to for sure. I love it now, and continue to learn new things about my sleeve life every day. I tell myself I am eating out for the company, and not so much the food, but as time goes on, the food is in the picture more. I can eat anything now (good and bad!), but started out as a vegetarian that became lactose intolerance for the first month... that is better now and I can eat any dairy without problems. If you search this site, you can find lists of the yuck factor from WLS. Skin, hair, puke, pain, wrinkles, food mourning, 3 week stall (look that one up if you haven't already! People starting out go CRAZY when that shows up) and worse. In fact there are few here who did not experience at least one or two of these things. I know for me, perhaps my posts focus on the "glow" of the results, because they are really more important to me than anything bad that has happened to me. A chance for a longer life, my knees and joints are not yelling at me as often, I can up my exercise with JOY! Hike and interact with nature and people better, look hotter in cloths! Junk some of my meds and compete better in the work force. I recognize myself in the mirror after 20 years of WTF is that?! I am grateful and want others to have the chance to feel the same way. First month was the least "fun" of the process so far, but really, the 20 years before that were really the worst part! Not everyone is ready for WLS of any kind... heck not everyone is ready for regular dieting at any one time. The sleeve just evens that out by controlling how much you eat at a sitting on any given day.Sometimes I resist that control, but mostly I enjoy it. A LOT.

[MINI-Me 196]

Thanks everyone! This thread has been helpful to me! I am new. Just finishing the last few details before I have a surgery date. I am having my surgery at Pudget Sound surgical center with Dr.Landerholm. Helps to know what to kinda expect from ppl that have been there.

Congratultions!!! I did not have surgery there, but attended their support groups for my first year. Very good surgeons and a great group to work with. Keep us posted on your progress.

As for did I wish I hadn't "done it"? My first few weeks were tough - getting used to the eating program, worried about leaks, hurting, gas, uncomfortable ... but somehow that all passed. I'm loving my new body and how I can actually do things that I want to do without being worried about aches/pains or people watching "the fat girl".

I'm slowly working my way through maintenance and finding what I can/can't eat to maintain my 125-128 "bounce" allowance. Today, I am at 130#, but just finished up with PMS and feeling bloated today. I'm sure that's it. But, I hate seeing the scale up in another set of numbers. But, in my "prior life", that would have been 5 pounds plus a pig out session to lesson the pain ... well, you know the cycle.

Make a decision based on what is right for you ... live life ... enjoy life!

[Raine 170]

<P>I don't reget it at all and I lost most of my weight pre surgery. I did it to get off of all my pills and have almost accomplished that. As others have said, I wish I would have done it sooner. I am 44 and have been taking meds for almost 15 years. </P>

[Escape Pod 7]

Bryn, don't you dare apologize and the same goes for tamz too. Geez, Karelia posted if anyone wished they hadn't done it, and those few souls who are brave enough to admit this is harder than they expected aren't allowed to post in peace. Nobody's trying to convince anyone not to have the surgery, but an honest discussion of the variety of experiences post-op ought to be possible, and this ought to be someplace you can come when you truly feel like crap and get a little support! Many of us may not have friends or spouses we can share fears and tears with.

Honestly I don't think anyone who was truly sorry would hang around here very long. I've already found myself another forum with more long-timers, where the conversations are generally a lot more introspective, and the people are a heck of a lot kinder to each other. One poor woman posted this morning that she is sorry, one year post-surgery, because her life for the past year has been one complication after another. She's getting a ton of love, support, and where possible advice from those who've been there. Am I sorry I did this? Certainly not, at least not at this point. I'm so grateful to have had no surgical complications, to be able to be off the narcotics, to be able to keep down all the Protein supplements and liquids (knock on wood) and for having enough energy most of the time to get out and walk several times a day. But at the moment it hurts like crap, maybe I got out of a chair the wrong way yesterday or something. And I realize that I'm one of the LUCKY ones - life is a lot harder for those who had complications or are suffering from a lot of nausea. I for one think it's pretty clear Karelia is very intelligent, ready to make as well-informed a decision as possible, and perfectly capable of distinguishing the relatively minor pains of immediate post-op from serious long-term regret.

[To Be Thin 2011 80]

Any regret????? ABSOULUTLEY - Everyday

Every day I regret that I lived so many years miserably eating out of control. Every day I regret the heartbreak that I suffered by peoples cruel words, thoughts and looks towards me and my obesity.

Every day I regret that I did not make the choice to have WLS sooner.

You may read this and feel I am full of regret, and maybe I am .... however... I also am thankful Every day that I "woke up" and made the personal choice to get help with the battle against obesity. I am thankful that somehow I made the decision to have WLS, and chose the sleeve. I am thankful that for once in my life I am finally focused on eating healthy, daily exercise.

WLS is a very personal choice,,, for me, my biggest regret is that I took so long to realize it was the right choice.

My best wishes to all on this link, no harm should be intended on choosing to post your opinion.

[Bandme1 12]

I wouldn't even be able to consider this if I was self-pay. My insurance will cover it, or so they say.

There are a few things I want to make clear. One is that after four years of Intuitive Eating, I rarely binge or even eat to the point where I feel overly full. I am far from perfect, but if I hadn't had these four years where I've learned to see food as something that is a tool, but also something fun that doesn't have to control me, I'd never even consider this surgery. That said, the idea of a food "addiction" is plain silly to me. I realize that's an unpopular viewpoint, but you cannot be any more addicted to food than you can to oxygen. You NEED both to live. So, if you believe in oxygen addictions, well, that's another story. Nicotine, caffeine, heroin, whatever... these are things we do not NEED to survive, and therefore can be true addictions. Food is a necessary component of life. I definitely used food in the wrong ways, but that doesn't make it an addiction. I guess an argument can be made for a "psychological addiction," but I've been much healthier emotionally since realizing that food is fuel. It can - and should be - fun, pleasant and enjoyable. I love food, and always will. I've just learned to love less of it, to listen to my body. Sometimes, for example, my tastebuds may say "CHOCOLATE" but my body makes it very clear it wants - needs! - Protein. I eat the Protein. These are the things IE has taught me, things that I imagine would be invaluable should I go forward with this procedure.

However, the reality is, fibromyalgia (like IBS) is a testy disease. I might be one of the unlucky ones who does not respond well to such a drastic change in diet. There's a chance that I have this surgery and feel even worse than I already do. There are no sure things, and that is very frightening to me. Yes, I might be lucky and feel fabulous, at least after an initial period of pretty freaking awful... but I might also never feel better, or may be even worse. Being thinner would be nice, but not if it means more pain.

The idea of a lot of vomiting is very off putting to me, too. I already deal with chronic nausea, and that's bad enough. I have to be really careful with what I eat, particularly where raw veggies and fruits are concerned. It sucks because I love them, but they're asking for trouble and feeling miserable, so I've learned to avoid most of them. Always made dieting fun, too...

I am unconvinced that a procedure of this extreme will actually lengthen my life. I've read studies that show that people who do gastric bypass and are diabetic often redevelop diabetes later in life, even when they've kept the weight off. I have concerns on how healthy it is for a heart to be put through such dramatic, rapid weight loss. But even if my life isn't extended, if the quality of it improves, then it's worth it. Problem is, there are just no guarantees, and anyone claiming otherwise is not to be trusted.

I could be MUCH happier and feel much healthier. I might be miserable and feel much worse. There's no way to know, and if I do this and it's the latter... I'm just screwed, because there's no going back. So it's more than a bit scary...

I would have to disagree with you on the food addiction aspect. I think that while one cannot literally be addicted to food since it is necessary to live, I guess a better way of wording it is that people are emotionally addicted to eating bad foods. It's not an actual addiction like you would think of a drug addiction or alcohol, but it's that need to eat bad food and comfort oneself with those comfort foods. The medical dictionary's definition for addiction is "a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance." That pretty much sums up the eating habits of a lot of us here.

It's an emotional connection and to me, that's the tricky part about this "addiction". You HAVE to eat food to live. If someone is addicted to heroine, they don't need it to live. They may get withdrawals when they stop taking it, but it's not a necessity of life. They can stop taking it forever and survive. Those of us who are addicted to food can't just stop eating food the rest of our lives. We have to still eat but we have to make better choices. It's like telling an alcoholic "Okay, so you can drink, you're just going to have to make better choices." Well that's really hard! I feel the same way about a food addiction. In a perfect world, we would be able to say "Okay, I have a problem here, I am just going to stop eating forever." But we can't. I think that's why the sleeve is such a perfect option. It helps us to make those better options and to really keep control of our portions. Going back to the alcoholics thing, it's like we have our AA Sponsor with us 24/7

[janinemaire 7]

At 8 months out and 75 pounds lost my only real regret is not doing the surgery sooner. The first weeks sucked though, I missed my friends (all the food I loved) so much. But soon as I felt better, went back to work and started eating normal again things were great. Tamz- I bet in few months your not going to have any regrets. If your still feeling sad think about seeing a counselor and stay on this board for extra support. Janine

[ATLGirl 134]

I'm glad you have all us "meanies" figured out in the short month you've been apart of this "unsupportive" community. Your post clearly shows you know NOTHING about the VSG family and the tremendous support (and sometimes tough to swallow truths) given here.

And thanks for pointing Tamz to your "other" site where the people are more "informed" and "loving." That you care not to mention.

Bryn, don't you dare apologize and the same goes for tamz too. Geez, Karelia posted if anyone wished they hadn't done it, and those few souls who are brave enough to admit this is harder than they expected aren't allowed to post in peace. Nobody's trying to convince anyone not to have the surgery, but an honest discussion of the variety of experiences post-op ought to be possible, and this ought to be someplace you can come when you truly feel like crap and get a little support! Many of us may not have friends or spouses we can share fears and tears with.

Honestly I don't think anyone who was truly sorry would hang around here very long. I've already found myself another forum with more long-timers, where the conversations are generally a lot more introspective, and the people are a heck of a lot kinder to each other. One poor woman posted this morning that she is sorry, one year post-surgery, because her life for the past year has been one complication after another. She's getting a ton of love, support, and where possible advice from those who've been there. Am I sorry I did this? Certainly not, at least not at this point. I'm so grateful to have had no surgical complications, to be able to be off the narcotics, to be able to keep down all the Protein supplements and liquids (knock on wood) and for having enough energy most of the time to get out and walk several times a day. But at the moment it hurts like crap, maybe I got out of a chair the wrong way yesterday or something. And I realize that I'm one of the LUCKY ones - life is a lot harder for those who had complications or are suffering from a lot of nausea. I for one think it's pretty clear Karelia is very intelligent, ready to make as well-informed a decision as possible, and perfectly capable of distinguishing the relatively minor pains of immediate post-op from serious long-term regret.

[swizzly 901]

Here's my $.02 worth.

I freely admit it: THIS IS THE EASY WAY OUT. For ME anyhow. I have had not one second of regret or buyer's remorse. I had a few rough days post-op, three days at most. I was nauseated for those days, and not once since then. I eat fine, I drink fine, I lose slowly and steadily (well, sort of steadily with the stair-step effect here and there). I've not had any food-mourning problems, nor any big cravings I couldn't manage. I didn't lose my hunger like others do, but I could manage hunger pre-op, I can handle it now. I'm not a food addict or a comfort eater.

I also have IBS-C and the surgery seems to have alleviated some of the worse aspects of it. I haven't had emotional roller-coasters beyond what I normally have. I haven't cried or ranted and raged. I have felt pretty damn good the entire time.

Seriously. Easy way out. FOR ME. I'm fine with that. There is no reason on god's green earth why I should NOT take the easy way out. Here's hoping that things keep going so well!

Good luck!

And I hope the more struggling sleevers in our community know that we support them and that we hope they feel better and more optimistic soon, but that in the meantime, they are free to share their feelings here and we will listen and try to help. That's the deal here. <3 2 all.

[meggiep 57]

Bryn I was not attacking you but I took exception to you saying that the OP's post was the first to bring out the difficulties encountered post-op. I think Irene hit the nail on the head when she said we tend not to see that in our pre-surgery excitement. Post after post after post with the same lament about troubles drinking, nausea pain, vomiting, weakness etc. - you will see it here over and over. You will also see the same people almost universally comeback and change their tune as they start eating real food and start realizing the benefits of their sleeves.

I also have found a wealth of information on You Tube- and in fact the rich gift I received from others is what inspired me to do my own You Tubes.

I love this place- and to me the more ability you have to be you and express your opinion the better the forum- and unlike the above poster I find that here in spades.

[MINI-Me 196]

WOW! This post is getting insane.

Can't we all just remember the line from Bambi "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all?"

That doesn't mean we can give some Tough Love when needed, but we can be civil about it.

[Tamz 8]

insane is right. The bottom line is ... Ppl have various feelings, thoughts, and opinions about life after the sleeve.. And NO ONE should be called out for speaking up about it. So what if I hate my sleeve now!! will I hate it in 30 days?? Probably not much.. Will I hate it 3 mos from now?? No, I will be dancing around in a size that ive never worn since I was 15. Everyone goes thru things differently, period.

I hope I will start enjoying my sleeve more soon, after getting insight from those further out.. I know ill get there, at my own pace.. On my own terms. Thank u for all the advice and even the tough love ... But it could have been said a bit more tastefully,thats all.

Im sorry to those who I pissed off with my original post ... Not bc I posted what I felt, but because u totally ran away with it.

Good luck to everyone.

[Wheetsin 714]

Addressing a few things, HTH...

I admit that the 1 in 1000 mortality rate is higher than I'd like, even though I accept that it translates to .1%. Still, that's scary... 1 out of 1000 people who do this will die? I'm not sure I like that risk.

It may help you feel better to look into the specifics of that 0.1% rate. Is that a rate specific to laparoscopic VSG? Most mortality rates are lumped into the type of bariatric procedure, rather than the type of surgical procedure. Open surgeries are far more dangerous, and complication/mortality rates reported for bariatric procedures often include rates for open procedures. It's also important to remember that any surgery for an obese patient is riskier than the same person at a healthy weight. There is a greater anesthetic risk, a higher degree of diffiulty for the surgery, much higher rate of post-operative complication (e.g. pulmonary embolism). So there's a very large element of risk because "obese person has surgery" and not specifically "obese person has VSG."

Also, the obesity surgery (generic) mortality rate is usually reported between 0.1% and 0.3%. 0.1% for just a sleeve procedure, and specifically a laparoscopic sleeve, seems a little high. I'm not debating your stats, but relatively they seem a bit elevated. Also, at least in purposes of medical study/reporting, "surgical mortality" includes deaths within 30 days of surgery. There are things that happen in those 30 days that are not attributable to the procedure, directly nor indirectly.

It also depends on what country (and sometimes even what practice) you're looking at numbers for, and when. In India, since 2007, obesity surgery rates run about 0.3%. In Scandinavia, they had zero reportable deaths in the same period. So if you're looking at averages you're at a much lower number than averages for India. So make sure your stats are relevant to where you're having surgery (and even more specifically -- the facility/surgeon).

Also, since this is often not used as an independent procedure, and may be recommended as a preliminary surgery for super obese patients, mortality rates will be higher since they include numbers from extremely high risk patients.

I know this is a bit apples to oranges, but statistics are statistics: Your chances of dying from bariatric surgery, assuming your .1% rate, is about the same as your chances of dying from smoke inhalation, but most of us still willingly walk into buildings that contain fire sources.

That said, the idea of a food "addiction" is plain silly to me. I realize that's an unpopular viewpoint, but you cannot be any more addicted to food than you can to oxygen. You NEED both to live. So, if you believe in oxygen addictions, well, that's another story. Nicotine, caffeine, heroin, whatever... these are things we do not NEED to survive, and therefore can be true addictions. Food is a necessary component of life. I definitely used food in the wrong ways, but that doesn't make it an addiction. I guess an argument can be made for a "psychological addiction," but I've been much healthier emotionally since realizing that food is fuel.

Over eating is a bit of a hot button in the psychology world. While probably not able to be classified as an addiction, overeating has been proven to produce the same effects one can get from satiating an addiction.

Addiction: Physiological dependence characterized by tolerance and physiological manifestations of withdrawl. When an overeater does not overeat, they do not vomit, hallucinate, pass out, etc. The tolerance may be there - it may take 20 cheeseburgers isntead of 10 to reach a sense of satiety, arguaby, but I've yet to meet an obese person who will actually become physically incapacitated if they have to eat a regular sized meal, or skip a meal.

However:

In his book “The End of Overeating,” Dr. Kessler describes how these highly palatable foods — the kind served at fast-food and chain restaurants — change brain chemistry, triggering a neurological response that stimulates people to crave more food, even if they’re not hungry. The sense some people have that they cannot control their intake may in fact be true, he argues, because these rich, sweet and fatty foods stimulate the brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center. In the process, they rewire the brain, so that the dopamine pathways light up even at the thought of eating these foods.

That is still not describing what I would consider an addiction, but it is a physiological compulsion to eat.

---------------

Your posts confuse me a little. If I can ask in a generic sense, not specific to this thread, succinctly, what is it you are here to gain?

I'm not asking that in a catty "why are you here..." kind of way, but honestly - what is it you're after? Facts? Opinions? General information? Anecdotal evidence? The first post I remember - from what I remember - from you read like 3 pages of, "I do not need WLS, my eating is under control and my size doesn't bother me" and a paragraph or two of "I might need WLS because I'm afraid others will discriminate against me." I see messages like:

• "I've just learned to love less of it, to listen to my body."
• "I rarely binge or even eat to the point where I feel overly full."
• "...I've learned to see food as something that is a tool, but also something fun that doesn't have to control me..."

If those are true, why are you fat?

I'm assuming you're fat, since you're here researching. Maybe you've already shared this (admittedly, I don't read every post), or maybe you don't want to share, and that's fine. It's not a question that requires an answer, so much as rhetorical. Do YOU understand the reasons for your obesity (assuming you're obese), and are they reasons that a medical procedure which restricts food intake can help? If you already don't overeat, or only do so rarely, but still think you might need some type of WLS, then maybe a restrictive procedure isn't going to be your best option.

If portion isn't your weakness, then maybe it's type of food - in which case a restrictive procedure may only help so much (e.g. most people with a restrictrive procedure, given the will, can down a milkshake...)

Again, I hope you take that last question as its meant. I'm just not the best at asking questions in the most gentle way.