considering the surgery, need your help please :)

[mlnkim 0]

so i have been on a diet roller coaster since i was 12. i am now 36. i have tried every diet known to man and have been dieting constantly for 24 years. nothing ever seems to work. i will lose weight, plateau, give up on the diet, gain it all back and then some. right now i am at my all time highest weight and i am finally reaching my breaking point. i am 5'1 and 215lbs. i am pretty healthy but having a hard time tying my shoes, etc... i have been very frightened of weight loss surgery ever since my aunt had gastric bypass about 10 years ago. she lost way too much weight and ended up at about 85 pounds and major health problems. she still suffers from many mental and physical problems stemming from the surgery. i recently saw a friend of mine for the forst time since her surgery and she looks great and appears very happy except that she needs to gain 10 pounds. she told me about the vertical sleeve and how it is very different from gastric bypass. she said it is less invasive but just as effective?... so i am actually considering calling the surgeon for an info packet. before i get too serious about this i need your help... please, please anyone who is reading this and has had the surgery, please tell me if you have regrets, and if so why? its not that i enjoy dwelling on what could go wrong, but i own a small business that depends on my physical and mental well being in order to thrive. i also have 2 children who depend on me (11 and 12)... i just dont want to risk my families happiness for my own. does that make sense? please help me make a decision! thank u!!

[Bigepc 84]

Hi minkim, I don't have any regrets, I'm really happy with my results. Most of us on here have struggled with diets and have lost only to gain back even more. I will tell you I took 5 weeks off of work as I'm on my feet all day in a kitchen. At first I would get tired really quickly but as my calorie intake has gone up I have been fine. It comes down to you making the most inform decision on the surgery you can. You can't let people tell you should or shouldn't have the surgery. It has to be your choice. As with any surgery there are risks, I was one of the lucky ones that didn't. Good luck with what ever you decide.

[Veruca Salt 31]

Really all I can tell you is read, read, read. This chatroom will be a god send to you, as you will get to speak to people and ask any and all questions you may have. As you said you Aunt had it do but they have come along way. You already know the bad now it is time you hear the good. Please make the decision yours. After your family dealt with your aunt they may not be as supportive as they should, Please obtain all your information first they approach them slowly. Good luck with your decision.

[aquitenonnymouse 206]

I don't regret my surgery at all. I'm 5.5 months out from surgery. I would suggest finding a local info session or something like that to get more information on the surgery. It's definitely something to research a lot.

I was always told that the vertical sleeve did not have the same percentage of excess body weight lost as roux-en-y. It's a little less, but more than the band.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

My advice is to fully understand the procedure and the aftercare, as well as the lifelong changes that must accompany the surgery in order for it to be successful. I especially urge you to condiser the potential complications, which you can get a pretty true understanding of by searching the complications forum on this site. Once you've done that, put yourself in the shoes of someone who lived it. You really need to decide to what your risk tolerance is. Really serious things can happen, even if it is only a small percent of the time, but if you happen to fall into that category, the complication is 100% yours. It sounds like you've witnessed firsthand a less than perfect outcome with your aunt, so you already have some firsthand knowledge of it. One other thing I'd like to say is that while gastric sleeve does not reroute your intestines, it is still just as invasive. It's a major surgey, complete with all the risks of any major surgery.

Not trying to dissuade you at all, just giving practical advice. For me, the risk was worth the benefit. I did have a minor complication (infection) and it quickly made me realize that while that risk is low, when it happens, you are the one stuck with it. I'm almost 5 months out, and I'm happy I made this decision. For me, it was hope to avoid obesity related complications and hope at a better life. I don't know what the future holds, but it is promising!

[AussieLady 521]

so i have been on a diet roller coaster since i was 12. i am now 36. i have tried every diet known to man and have been dieting constantly for 24 years. nothing ever seems to work. i will lose weight' date=' plateau, give up on the diet, gain it all back and then some. right now i am at my all time highest weight and i am finally reaching my breaking point. i am 5'1 and 215lbs. i am pretty healthy but having a hard time tying my shoes, etc... i have been very frightened of weight loss surgery ever since my aunt had gastric bypass about 10 years ago. she lost way too much weight and ended up at about 85 pounds and major health problems. she still suffers from many mental and physical problems stemming from the surgery. i recently saw a friend of mine for the forst time since her surgery and she looks great and appears very happy except that she needs to gain 10 pounds. she told me about the vertical sleeve and how it is very different from gastric bypass. she said it is less invasive but just as effective?... so i am actually considering calling the surgeon for an info packet. before i get too serious about this i need your help... please, please anyone who is reading this and has had the surgery, please tell me if you have regrets, and if so why? its not that i enjoy dwelling on what could go wrong, but i own a small business that depends on my physical and mental well being in order to thrive. i also have 2 children who depend on me (11 and 12)... i just dont want to risk my families happiness for my own. does that make sense? please help me make a decision! thank u!![/quote']

Stop dieting. Go to a Nutritionist and start exercising. Make a lifestyle change without this major surgery. It will be a lot cheaper and less painful.

[gogogirl 15]

Really all I can tell you is read, read, read. This chatroom will be a god send to you, as you will get to speak to people and ask any and all questions you may have. As you said you Aunt had it do but they have come along way. You already know the bad now it is time you hear the good. Please make the decision yours. After your family dealt with your aunt they may not be as supportive as they should, Please obtain all your information first they approach them slowly. Good luck with your decision.

Hey Veruca...don't know if I will catch you later or if there is a way to send email here but just wanted to let you know I am thinking about you and intending lots of good thoughts and sending blessings your way and prayers above... may you go into surgery calm and at peace and may everything work out perfectly...best of luck Veruca!!

[Someonefab 25]

Hey there. I am in the same situation as you. My aunt had the surgery, although I am not sure which one. She had three surgeries and went for the fourth and died. The one thing I do know is that she didn't follow the doctor's orders and developed complications from the last one. The difference is I don't smoke or drink and I tend to do a lot of research prior to making a decision. I would recommend for you to read, different sites, look at their forums, and then decide if the surgery is for you. I have decided to do the surgery. I am taking proactive steps prior to my first information session at Kaiser on Tuesday. There is an abundance of information out there. You just need to decide if it is right for you and your health. Just remember! Always follow your doctor's advice to prevent the least amount of complications, if any.

[mlnkim 0]

thank you everyone who replied. i talked to my doctor today and we agreed that i will try losing weight on my own one more time but after this if i fail again, im done. i started weight watchers 1 week ago and im going to the gym and walking 5 times per week. i have lost 2.6 lbs so far. i will try for 6 months. she seemed very supportive of the verticle sleeve which surprised me because last time i spoke with her about gastric bypass surgery or lap band she seemed very much against them. i really dont want to go to this extreme so i am determined to do it the healthy way if i can.

[happytohavethesleeve 9]

Best decision that I have ever made in my life! I had my sleeve August 2011. Talked myself out of it twice. I am one of the rare complication cases as well. I can tell you complications are very very Rare. I can also tell you I would do it all over in a heart beat. And I was very unwell for 4 months. That's how much having the sleeve has changed my life. I am just recovering from plastics right now. I weigh 129 lbs. I am so fit and so happy with my new health and no longer trapped. My biggest regret is worrying to much before hand.

[Dobeigh 69]

so i have been on a diet roller coaster since i was 12. i am now 36. i have tried every diet known to man and have been dieting constantly for 24 years. nothing ever seems to work. i will lose weight, plateau, give up on the diet, gain it all back and then some. right now i am at my all time highest weight and i am finally reaching my breaking point. i am 5'1 and 215lbs. i am pretty healthy but having a hard time tying my shoes, etc... i have been very frightened of weight loss surgery ever since my aunt had gastric bypass about 10 years ago. she lost way too much weight and ended up at about 85 pounds and major health problems. she still suffers from many mental and physical problems stemming from the surgery. i recently saw a friend of mine for the forst time since her surgery and she looks great and appears very happy except that she needs to gain 10 pounds. she told me about the vertical sleeve and how it is very different from gastric bypass. she said it is less invasive but just as effective?... so i am actually considering calling the surgeon for an info packet. before i get too serious about this i need your help... please, please anyone who is reading this and has had the surgery, please tell me if you have regrets, and if so why? its not that i enjoy dwelling on what could go wrong, but i own a small business that depends on my physical and mental well being in order to thrive. i also have 2 children who depend on me (11 and 12)... i just dont want to risk my families happiness for my own. does that make sense? please help me make a decision! thank u!!

I was very nervous about getting the sleeve as well. I worried about it for 3 years and when I was almost 300 pounds, I said this is not going to work! I have absolutely no regrets. This surgery is completely different than gastric bypass. It is much healthier! I had my surgery 10 weeks ago today and I've lost 44 pounds. I feel a LOT better! The first week, I regretted it. I was so sick. I didn't have to do a preop diet so my body wasn't used to not getting what it usually go. I had issues drinking enough fluids and getting in enough Protein for the first couple weeks. I was very nauseated. My head was playing tricks on me. My skin was flaking off. Then I just started forcing fluids (no matter how nauseated I felt) and eventually I felt better. I wasn't nauseated any more and I had more energy. I think I felt like crap because I wasn't drinking enough Water. You won't be hungry that first week (at least I wasn't). I've noticed my hunger is not as intense since I've had the surgery. I'm rarely hungry. Good luck you to! You will be down for at least a week, maybe even two weeks. I was almost done with nursing school and I thought I was going to have to quit and come back because I was so sick those first couple weeks. Then I started feeling better and I was able to finish nursing school.

[axd0424 33]

2weeks post op and zero regrets. Best thing I ever did for myself was to make this decision. Good luck you you!

[Sydney Susan 333]

As you can tell, the surgery and life long changes you make are not easy. If you can lose weight without surgery I'd suggest you did - be tougher on yourself than ever before, because that is what the surgery does to you... But if you feel you need to do something drastic to safe your life, then surgery is something you should consider.

I have no regrets although I can see my life ahead will be v different to my past life, and in ways I'd rather not have it change. But my life was very much at risk... And I'm just glad I have this option.