Any Regrets? I'm sooooo confused....

[FastFazer 3]

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post.

I had a consultation yesterday with a screener and surgeon.

I live in Canada. This is considered elective surgery and not covered by the medical services plan. I will have to pay about 17K out of my pocket to have the surgery, nutritionist, psychologist and follow up.

Surgeon said that I was a good candidate and it is my choice to move forward or not.

I currently weigh 220, am 5'6" and am 50y/o.

I have been this weight (give or take 10 lbs) for over 10 years....that is when I finally quit smoking!

In the past two years I've run four half marathons and was able to train and run/walk them. I want to do another without all the weight.

The surgeon said that I could expect to maybe get to 180...but not to expect too much more than that. This was disappointing to hear as my goal would be 150.

I feel completely stuck. I've done all the weight watcher etc. and even the Biggest Loser ranch in Utah. and still am above 200!

Currently on meds for bp and cholesterol...don't want diabetes too...which is what I fear.

I don't want to do this surgery and then look back and think ...why didn't I just try harder to be more successful?

I feel embarrassed and ashamed for allowing myself to get to to this point. It is a vicious cycle...

I also don't want to tell anyone about doing this....oh man...I'm so confused.

I've been doing a lot of reading about the lap band and need to know if people are truly happy? Regrets?

The fact that you have a piece of plastic inside your body for the rest of your life is pretty freaky!!

I don't know what to do.....

any and all responses are very much appreciated.

[gowalking 10,790]

I have the band and lost 109 lbs and still losing. You can be as successful as you want.

[B-52 7,113]

Why is it considered elective surgery? Obesity, along with your cholesterol and any other co-morbidities are medical justification for this surgery....that is why my insurance paid 100%..it was because of my health problems, brought about by obesity...

Perhaps this is just part of the Canadian Healthcare system?

I know in the USA, you could fight it by appealing within 30 days, by submitting additional LMN's and so forth...

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, I'm your height and weight right now plus I'm 52. Got my band in November and am down 30 pounds (from 248). I know it will be slower the closer to goal I get but I plan to go all the way to 148. Maybe the surgeon is using statistical bias. I think it is ridiculous to use mass numbers for individual cases but that's all they have for data. They are rolling in all the people who did. To get all the way to goal and there may be many reasons for that -- unwillingness to address emotional eating or "give up" junk food, not exercising (obviously this is not you!) or just not having the dedication and perseverance. I went into this knowing it's a long game, not an overnight cure. It's a lifestyle change and I am looking forward, not back. The band is just what I needed to help me get this weight off once and for all. You can do it!

[cheryl2586 3,053]

When you have universal healthcare those surgeries including knee and hip replacements are not considered a necessity to they will not pay for them. It is an elective surgery whether for obesity or not because you do not have to have it. Now that that is cleared up in my opinion I am 5'5" and was 285 and I have lost 126lbs. I am still going to try to get to 150. Its doable. Now weather I would pay 17k for it. I don't know if it was coming out of my pocket that I would do it or not. I think at first I would try very hard to not have surgery if I did not have to before putting out almost 20 grand.

[kimk1999 450]

I'm almost 7 weeks post op. I'm 5'4". Highest weight was 214. Lost about 5 lbs on my own but super slow.
2 week pre-op diet lost 6 lbs
Surgery day I was at 202
I'm now down to 187.8. It's a bit slower than I was hoping but then again I'm not exercising as much as I've should (was sick, knees hurting, workload overtime etc). My goal is 150 and my surgeon felt that was very realistic.

Good luck. I'm not sure about the Canadian healthcare system, but this is definitely more than cosmetic. Obesity is a real medical condition especially if you have the comorbidalities to compound the issue.

[mrsto 2,925]

FastFazer - your story is so typical of many of us who chose WLS. I went through the exact same turmoil getting to the point of going through with it. I actually joined Weight Watchers for the gazillionth time, two weeks before scheduling surgery. My weight had slowly creeped (back) up to 225, which was my highest high. And I'm under 5'2". I knew with every shred of my being, that at 57 years old (at the time of surgery), I was headed for a major catastrophic event; heart attack, stroke, etc. I was on blood pressure meds, my cholesterol was high, and so was my sugar. Now, 10 months later and 63 pounds lighter, that entire picture has changed. I'm off the meds, sugar and cholesterol are normal, and I walk up the stairs without feeling the need for the cardiac care unit waiting at the top to revive me - lol. I no longer wake up each morning with dread. So in answer to your question about regrets? Not a single one! I would do it over a hundred times.

Just know that what you are going through is perfectly normal. I did not tell everyone in my world that I had the surgery; only the ones closest to me. They've all been very supportive, and now I just go about my life; the surgery and banded life isn't at the forefront of everything. Nor does it define me. It took a very long time for me to come to terms with that whole "I'm such a failure....can't lose weight and keep it off on my own". I don't feel that way anymore. Coming to this site has helped a great deal with that part. You are certainly not alone, and bravo to you on taking a huge step toward better health

Edited February 2, 2014 by mrsto

[SandyM 1,956]

I don't know why surgeons tell you that, when really, how much you lose is up to you and individual. I'm 5'2 and started at 224.6. I've dropped 68 lbs so far. I would be truly disappointed too if my surgeon had given me a high weight and told me not to expect to lose more. I still plan to lose 18 lbs.

[FastFazer 3]

Wowsers!! You guys are fast! I feel like crying right now!

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and opinions. I know I'm not alone in this struggle that I've fought for so many years. At 50 I am recognizing that I can't do it on my own. That is starting to sink in.

The Canadian medical system for all its worts is fantastic and I wouldn't be without it. In some provinces, the surgery is covered....it is up to each province. I live in one that will cover only a certain number every year and therefore there is a waiting list.

I feel like I don't want to wait.

And hip, knee and all other replacements are of course covered by the medical...lol...someone said they're not.

Anyways, for me it's not about the money it about reaching for success and actually achieving it. I look back over the years and wonder how much I've spent on weight loss items/clubs/foods/programs!! It is probably thousands! Let's face it, if there were a magic pill, Oprah would've found it by now.

The surgery (physically) doesn't scare me so much as the permanency of the whole thing.

How does it feel to have that gear inside of you?

Do you set off airplane sensors when you go through security?

You all rock!!

[SandyM 1,956]

Lol, the band is a plastic or silicone material, so no metal detectors. You will be able to feel the port through your skin and the smaller I get, the more I notice though it's not bad. I kind of touch it and it gives me a secure feeling. A lot of us have named ours and I've recently renamed mine Simon as in "Simon says" cuz I get a lot of guidance from my band.

[mrsto 2,925]

Lol, the band is a plastic or silicone material, so no metal detectors. You will be able to feel the port through your skin and the smaller I get, the more I notice though it's not bad. I kind of touch it and it gives me a secure feeling. A lot of us have named ours and I've recently renamed mine Simon as in "Simon says" cuz I get a lot of guidance from my band.

Sandy - I like that...."Simon....Simon says". Perfect :-)

[Sharpie 3,306]

I think we have all had the same concerns as you. I also did every diet known to man.. Good Lord the times I thought this is the last diet.. I did WW, Jenny, Nutrisystem (gross food ), I even did HCG.. which worked but I was starving to death.. 500 calories a day will get 1 lb a day off but in the end you feel so deprived you kinda go crazy.. Anyhow, I decided a year ago to get control over my weight.. at 5' tall I was 200 lbs could not afford to get any bigger or they would be rolling me like a bowling ball. I had diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many aches and pains from carrying to much weight on my little frame. I have lost 60 lbs and I feel like a new woman. no more diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure normal.. I get up every morning with a new outlook on life. I do not have regrets. If I had to pay for the surgery I think I would.

[baptistthom 3]

Do it! I weighed 283# and now almost 4 years and a lot of hard work later,I weigh 142#. It does take commitment . you have to follow the diet and excercise. I am 52yo and my only regret is I didn't do it ten years ago.

[911dispatcher 45]

The band is a tool. You still have to work hard at weight loss even with the band. But there are a lot of people on this site that have been very successful at losing large amounts of weight, including me. You can feel the band through your skin, but it is not obvious, and over time, you don't even realize it is there. The band controls the quantity of food, but you still have to control the quality of food. Along with the band, I made a commitment to a healthy lifestyle- exercising and eating healthy foods. It works.

[BandtoSleevechick 171]

BEST DECISION EVER.Please do not let your doctor change your mind about the surgery over a number. First, possibilities are endless. Second, That is all that is.. a number. Your success will be measured by the little victories you will find amaze you. Things you never thought possible. I some days forget it is snug and secure inside my belly.. an will not go off through a metal detector , I make it through one every day.. depending on the bra I wear.. Lucy can have a mind of her own some days (as did her namesake Lucille Ball lol) but that is okay.. it keeps me in check when I feel like I need to steer off course..