Newbie & Awaiting Surgery Date & Artificial Sweeteners

[Lose2BFree 3]

Hello everyone! I am 44 years old and started gaining weight around age 8. I've been overweight most of my life and I've had enough. I am currently the heaviest I've ever been and am beyond frustrated that whenever I lose a little weight, I gain it--and then some--right back. I am generally healthy as in my glucose is good, my A1C is good, my cholesterol is good, and my heart is healthy. But all that is going to change if I do not get this obesity under control. I'm afraid of hitting that wall of poor health and want to get this weight off and get out of this prison of obesity.

I started my journey in July by attending an information session sponsored by the bariatric program at my local hospital. On August 7th, I met with the surgeon. I've had my EKG, NGO, lots of blood work, met with a behaviorist, met with a psychologist and am awaiting a sleep consultation.

My insurance absolutely positively will NOT cover any aspect of a bariatric surgery. And I'm not going to fight with them because I know I just won't win or won't win in a timely fashion. I'm blessed in that I'm financially secure enough to be able to take a personal loan to pay for this surgery--even thought it doesn't stop me from being annoyed with my insurance company and their whole attitude.

I started out going for the gastric sleeve. Why? The idea of having 90% of my stomach removed was very appealing to me. Also, not having my small intestine rerouted and not having to deal with malabsorption issues seemed preferable. And lastly, I cannot do artificial sweeteners. They make me sick with chronic Migraines, nausea and vomiting. But after my NGO last week, I learned that the gastric sleeve would only cause my already severe acid reflux to worsen due to a sizable hiatal hernia. So I had to start thinking about the gastric bypass option. Still leery, I went for my EKG yesterday and had an experience that helped me make my decision. I am a Christian. I believe that God places people in our lives at the right time to send us a message. (I hope I'm not offending anyone who isn't a Christian. If I do, I certainly apologize. These are my thoughts and views and I am not trying to push them on anyone. I'm just relating my story.) Yesterday when I went to the diagnostic center to register for my EKG, the lady registering me was having a hard time and called another lady over to help her. This lady who came to help was no overweight and was very attractive. She looked at the screen and looked up at me and said "I went there.", indicating the bariatric program. My jaw almost hit the desk. I asked her what surgery she had and she told me she had gastric bypass and had lost 150 lbs. That is EXACTLY the amount of weight I need to lose! She and I talked and she had the same concerns and issues I have. I told her I was originally going for the sleeve but that I was told it wouldn't be healthy for me. I told her how I can't have artificial sweeetners and she told me that she can't tolerate them at all and does have real sugar without bad side effects.

Now....don't get me wrong. I am not even a sugar junkie. I just like a few teaspoons in my morning travel mug of coffee. I don't nosh on Cookies and cakes like crazy and don't intend to after surgery, of course. But I just can't go back to a life of chronic migraines, nausea and vomiting.

Anyway, this lady came into my life for a short while and that message was clear. I need to not be afraid of gastric bypass and not be leery of making that change to my original pursuit. I have a few more things to go thru to get cleared for surgery. I have some work travel to do in September and October and am hopeful that I can get my surgery scheduled for the last week of October or first week of November.

Anyone out there have issues with artificial sweeteners?

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Firstly good luck with your journey. Now secondly if you are only worried about sugar in your coffee maybe this is something you would be willing to give up? There are also different types of artificial sweeteners; have you tried Stevia? Having the sleeve yes I can have sugar, but unfortunately I can have everything else; I am now coverting to the Bypass.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I had RNY gastric bypass. My surgeon recommended it because I had severe acid reflux. I am 27 months post-op. It was a good decision. Some people have problems with certain types of artificial sweeteners. But there are a wide variety available. Some are natural sweeteners, like Stevia, and are zero calories.

[Dream4tc 192]

Thanks for sharing your story! I initially was dead set for sleeve but after speaking to my surgeon, he said I would have worsened reflux due to the high pressure it causes. I never really considered bypass out of fear. However, I did plenty of research, and grilled my surgeon with tons of questions. I also had 4 years of horrible daily heartburn and reflux and wasn't looking forward to that again. I didn't want to have the sleeve and have that problem because then I would have to revise to bypass. So ultimately I am choosing bypass and happy with my decision. I have tons of support. Have you considered some dates of your surgery yet? Any specific month? Regarding sugar...what about trying light Agave nectar? It is really yummy and doesn't cause a jump or drop in blood sugars.

[toasty 371]

Good luck on your decision. I decided to go with RNY, and I think it is the best solution for me, but this is a very personal decision.

Fair warning: I am still a little under two-weeks pre-op for RNY, so I can only tell you what I have read from others on this site. Every person has a different reaction to various foods. Some people experience dumping syndrome if they have sugar, some people experience it with fats (or certain types of fats), some people don't experience it at all. Your experience cannot be predicted ahead of time for any specific food, you will just have to see what you tolerate. Many people are sensitive to sugar and fat though.

That said, regardless of whether you can tolerate it, I would be very careful about thinking about having regular sugar on a daily basis (whether sleeve or RNY). Sugar provides no nutrient value and simply empty calories (23 calories per teaspoon), which is exactly what we are trying to avoid in our lives. I am pretty certain your nutritionist would also discourage this.

As others here have suggested, it would be prudent to try some other zero-calorie sweeteners (not all are the same), or if necessary learn to drink your drinks (coffee, tea, etc.) without sweetening.

[Lose2BFree 3]

I had RNY gastric bypass. My surgeon recommended it because I had severe acid reflux. I am 27 months post-op. It was a good decision. Some people have problems with certain types of artificial sweeteners. But there are a wide variety available. Some are natural sweeteners, like Stevia, and are zero calories.

Did the surgery rid you of acid reflux??