First post -- am I making the right decision?

[gowalking 10,790]

I don't have any worthwhile experience to offer, as I'm only on the third month of prepatory dieting to qualify for insurance payment. As long as ten years ago, I investigated bypass surgery, backed off, then checked out banding a few years later, and once again, didn't commit.

Finally, I've reached the point where I can't go on being this big. I'm 69 years old, in a wheelchair most of the time and unable to do any meaningful calorie burning exercise, so I'm not going to lose on my own. I wear a brace as a result of nerve damage during hip replacement surgery, so I basically don't walk outside of puttering around my apartment.

I agree with Blissfully Banded about bypass surgery. For some it might be the right choice, but I couldn't get my mind around having my guts rearranged. The band seems to be a sensible alternative with fewer side effects and less drastic changes. At my stage of life, I don't need to end up weighing 115 lbs.; I just want to be healthy and not morbidly obese any longer.

I know several people who had a bypass and all are now right back where they started. I don't personally know a band patient unfortunately, so I hope getting to know you folks here will be good for me.

If I can offer one piece of advice, it is this: You are young now, but as you get older, losing will be harder and harder. Eventually you'll see physical deterioration like arthritis, sleep apnea, and maybe diabetes if you don't turn your life around. I've had one hip and two knees replaced due to arthritis and, yes, many thin people suffer from arthritis also, but I firmly believe if I hadn't beat up my body for so long with all the extra pounds, I wouldn't have suffered so much. I hope you will have the determination to go down this journey and succeed!

Hi Rose. Boy does your story resonate with me. I also have arthritis and joint disease. I'm only 55 and expected to get one or even both knees replaced in 2013. To my surprise, I needed both hips replaced even before the knees. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was besides myself..blaming myself same as you. My doctors say no but I know better. Carrying around all that extra weight may not have impacted the joints affected by disease, but the knees were absolutely worse due to the obesity.

I tried to lose the weight in 2011 and after a year on a food plan, I lost a total of 25 lbs. In one year with the band, which was placed in January of 2013, I was able to keep to very small portions without feeling like I was starving and lost enough weight in six months to get my surgery scheduled.

I had both hips replaced in October and while I still have residual issues, my joint pain is gone and even the knees are amazingly better due to the alignment of the new hips.

I too am a cautionary tale but I wanted to let you know that things have changed dramatically and between the new hips and weight loss, I can move better than in years. I bet you will as well so good luck and keep us posted.

[Skywalker 170]

If I can offer one piece of advice, it is this: You are young now, but as you get older, losing will be harder and harder. Eventually you'll see physical deterioration like arthritis, sleep apnea, and maybe diabetes if you don't turn your life around. I've had one hip and two knees replaced due to arthritis and, yes, many thin people suffer from arthritis also, but I firmly believe if I hadn't beat up my body for so long with all the extra pounds, I wouldn't have suffered so much. I hope you will have the determination to go down this journey and succeed!

I totally know what you are saying. I'm only 36 and already have: sleep apnea, hypothyroid, high cholesterol, acne, coughing. It's a safe bet to say that the extra weight is tearing me up. It wasn't that long ago--5 years--that I was really in pretty good shape at 180 or so, but a bunch of things have happened and now I'm almost 100 lbs heavier than my goal weigh--somewhere I thought I'd never be. I have the urge to get my act together quickly, or I fear all these problems (like cholesterol, sleep apnea, back pain, etc.) will work together to cause even more major problems.

I was thinking about it the other week, and came to the conclusion that I've effectively been 9 months pregnant for the last several years or so. How have any of us felt towards the end of our pregnancies? Tired? Bloated? Moody? Backpain? Just wanting it to be over? Voluminous breasts that are putting pressure on our back? That is the constant state for a person who is around 250 or heavier--just like being pregnant all the time.

[toomuchrose 47]

GoWalking, thanks for the encouraging words. I hope you are recovering well from your hip replacements. Despite the ordeal of physical therapy and recovery entailed in joint replacement, it's such a great relief to be free of the constant pain. I know excess weight makes it much worse and it looks as if you have done wonders so far in recovering your health.

Skywalker, it's hard to be certain the decision to have wls is right for you, but I hope you will be encouraged by the members here to do it while you have decades of healthy living ahead of you.

[kayzoog 129]

I noticed that you mentioned hypothyroidism (I have this as well)....does anyone know the answer to this question--does hypothyroidism cause obesity, or does obesity cause hypothyroidism? I had thought this was something I'd have to live with the rest of my life, but my friend (a nurse who had the lap band done) said I might be able to get off both my thyroid meds and my cholesterol meds when this was all done.

My doctor said my hypothyroidsm may go away after I lose weight which is something I never thought of either.