I am considering surgery, what's your pros and cons?

[Amberbo 7]

I am currently looking at bariatric weightloss surgery to help me lose at least 100 lbs. I am 6' and 290lbs. I am married and have 4 children, 3 boys(all adopted as babies) and 1 daughter(given birth to). I have chrondramalsia patella syndrome in both knees, I have osteoarthritis in my right ankle, I have heel spurs on both feet and plantar fasciitis on my left foot. Doctors and orthopedic surgeons have all told me I need to exercise to lose weight to control the degeneration and pain and inflammation of my issues but can't due to pain. I am also not a happy person anymore, I get irritable at my family very easy and don't want to do things with my kids and i hate looking at myself in the mirror. I also have no energy or ambition to do much, I feel tired and lazy and unmotivated all the time.d don't want to do things with my kids and i hate looking at myself in the mirror. I also have no energy or ambition to do much, I feel tired and lazy and unmotivated all the time.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Amberbo

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Hi there, welcome !!! You'll get lots of different opinions , here's mine.. ..... Best decision ever !!!! The negatives ? I had to rethink how I ate, choose healthy foods most of the time, small bites, chew well, lots of Water, exercise minimum 3x a week, fills, following Dr.s rules, reminding myself "progress, not perfection !" Positives ? 80 lbs gone, no more sleep apnea, happy, healthy, size 8 pants, lots of energy and motivation !! Love mirrors, clothes shopping, walking for miles, feeling good from the inside out, compliments, seeing my body get stronger , etc........ my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner ! Being a strong healthy woman and mom is the best gift you can give to yourself and your family, no matter how you do it. Good luck whatever you decide !!!

[Sophie74656 1,572]

for me the surgery has been basically all pros, no real cons. What I might call cons are that I can't pig out anymore, don't go to buffets anymore, can't have huge meals. So no real cons

pros...I fell better physically and mentally, I have a new relationship with food, a little bit is satisfying, I look better...basically any other positive thing associated with loosing weight

I would defitately recomment the sleeve to anyone thinking about it

[Pinkgirl1234 761]

You have to lose the weight.You have started to take it seriously and that is the first step to taking charge and handling the situation.You need to take charge.Do your research and decide with your dr which procedure is best for you.Do your research and ask many questions.

I am a revision from a failed lapband to bypass which I am happy with and works for me.

I have a friend who opted for the sleeve and she is happy with her results.

YOU decide which procedure is best for you.These are all major operations and your way of life will/must change.

[Bigguy9347 16]

Best decision I ever made also. And same regret wish I would have done it sooner . My dear my advise to you would be get yourself into a seminar and sign up. But you also need to work on yourself on the inside. This is a complete program and the surgery won't be magic. Pull your self up you are worth it! Start with one foot in front of the other. The only one that can do the change is you!!! Good Luck and lots of love

[Dub 9,922]

@@Amberbo , my short answer is to hang out and read through the various forums and take in the success stories and the way folks have shed the various pains and ailments as they shed the weight. Also gone from their lives are pain meds and such that were instrumental in the simply getting around.

I was a broke down 47 year old guy who was freaking miserable and fast making those around me miserable, too. The final straw was a herniated disc in April 2015 that sidelined me and forced me to contemplate an aggressive source of relief. Spinal stenosis, severe advanced arthritis in my left knee, plantar fasciitis, right ankle that'd been repaired a few years prior and was always screaming at the end of the day and another umbilical hernia that had already been repaired with open surgery twice before ( you can see it really well in my "before" pics).

Miserable, I tell ya.....but the back thing was what it took to get my big arse into a bariatric program as soon as I could.....seemed like it took forever to get to my surgery date in mid October 2015. It gave me the needed time to make the most important change.....GETTING MY MIND RIGHT AND SQUARELY EMBRACE THE CHANGES THAT HAD TO OCCUR. Most important !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surgeon repaired the hernia at the same time as my sleeve.

Recovery was smooth.

Now, some 3 months away.....I can only say that my only regret is not doing this sooner.

The pressure off my back has allowed tremendous healing to occur and I take no meds for it. No more spine injections, either. Everything else on my list of ailments is way, way better, too.

The weight is coming off in a steady way and the sleeve is very, very, very, very, very easy to live with. There is nothing that I can't have or do with it.

Also....what I can't stress enough is that the physical changes are probably only 1/2 the story.....if even that much.

Please read that above statement again.....and again.

'Tis true.

The real benefits....the stuff that truly makes me happier is the mental-emotional-motivation-optimism that has been showing up daily in greater amounts.

I may have slept past only two sunrises since my sleeve and they were due to late nights of having F-U-N.

I'm normally up well before dawn and ready for the day's tasks and challenges. I sleep righteously and do so with a smile on my face. Life is good. It is good because it will only get better.

We fail to see how much pain can drag us down to become miserable. When it's removed and the source of that is something that you own and will continue living with...a tool that you control.......POWERFUL things will happen.

Don't walk, but run your butt to the nearest bariatric center of excellence and take to them. Do it now and have a wonderful Summer.......but even better......live the Winter of your dreams next winter.

Trust & believe !!!!!

[Miss Mac 6,262]

Hi there, welcome to the forum.

Con........a bit inconvenient because my tummy and brain were not getting their way all the time.

Con.........a bit physically uncomfortable while healing took place, but once I got on soft foods, I started feeling better and gaining energy.

Pros: My health is astronomically better. Here are what 1, 239 other people said:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/

It was a stroke that convinced me that being on a diet since 1978 was not working anymore and I had to do something!

If you keep doing what you've been doing, you are going to keep getting what you have been getting.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Pros...half my former size and maintaining! I am a normal, fairly fit woman! No longer ruled by hunger and drive to eat.

Cons...still have work to maintain. Comprmised stomach means I need to watch for ulcers, reflux ( which I don't have) so no NSAIDS, must take Vitamins. Can't bury my feelings and hide in the fatsuit.

[Djmohr 6,965]

Hi there & welcome!

I had RNY bypass nearly 16 months ago. I chose to do it because I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. I was already dealing with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, very severe Gerd, psoriatic arthritis and severe osteoarthritis of the spine.

My decision was initially about getting healthy. I chose bypass because it was the best solution for someone who has Gerd. The sleeve can make that worse and in many cases create it. Lap and was not even in my decision tree for the very same reason.

I have lost 136lbs. I am about 8lbs from goal and am no longer overweight. For the first time since I was 19 I have a normal BMI.

My diabetes, Gerd, high blood pressure, high cholesterol all gone with a month or two of surgery.

My only regret is not doing this sooner, before I did so much damage to my spine and joints. I am 52 years young and have had 6 back surgeries and looking right in the face of 1 more.

Don't wait, run as fast as you can to the nearest Bariatric center of excellence. Call your insurance company, they can tell which clinics are centers of excellence that are covered. They will also share with you the requirements. Be prepared for a period of supervised diets, most insurance companies require them. These surgeries cost a lot and you really only get one shot at it. They want to make sure you really are prepared to make changes in your life.

Use whatever time your insurance company requires to start making changes now. It will help you be more successful down the road.

Having this surgery is the best thing I ever did for myself. Don't wait!

[gowalking 10,790]

I have joint disease and have already had both hips replaced. I'm only 57 and my knees are also bad but if not for the weight loss, the knees would have had to be replaced already. Because of my new size, I am still doing OK with them.

I had this surgery to avoid going into a wheelchair. This is me now riding a bike so I would say the pros absolutely outweigh the cons. As long as you are willing to commit to a new way of life regarding food, you will be fine. And that's a big part of this. The surgery is not a magic wand..it's just a tool. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

[Amberbo 7]

Thank you everyone, I will definitely take in all your info and support when I make a decision. I also forgot to mention that I am only 40 years old and got told by my doctor when I was around 30ish that with my knee problems I will be needing knee replacements but because I am still too young I would have to wait till I'm at least 50. I have had 3 surgeries on my right kneecap and 2 on my left and they won't scrap any more.

[tmcx28 297]

I'm only 6 weeks out, but the pros for me: Less back and hip pain! It's amazing!, I booked a Bahamas vacation for May and I'm not worried about having to wear a bathing suit, I fit in to my old clothes again, I have more energy, I can no longer binge eat, I actually have a chance at being healthy, knowing that I'm going to live a nice long life.

Cons: Sometimes I forget I need to change the way I eat. Yesterday I didn't chew a piece of chicken well enough and had my first case of the slimes, oops! I REALLY have to plan going out with friends, I have to check menus of restaurants before we can pick a place. Thankfully my friends have been super accommodating. Even though my stomach is smaller I feel like I have to work so much harder, it's not just counting calories anymore. I'm counting my Protein, sugars, and carbs. Aside of Soup here and there literally everything I've eaten has been Protein. There is no more eating something just because I want it, if it doesn't have nutritional value there's just no point for me to eat it.

Compared to some, my recovery has been quite easy. I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. I'm looking forward to what's to come.

[catwoman7 11,215]

there are so many pros to this that i would do it again every year if I had to.

cons - other than the first few weeks were a bit rough, there are no cons that I can think of

Edited January 13, 2016 by catwoman7

[Grace4liberty 6]

I am not telling anyone I'm having surgery.

[DaisyAmy 561]

So many positives. I'm not quite a month out, but seeing the changes already is amazing! Getting healthier every day.

One con (temporary, though) is it is a gobzillion appointments going through the process and I have appointment anxiety! I only get 10 sick days a year and it's been stressful!!! But totally manageable.

Best of luck to you!!

Edited January 13, 2016 by DaisyAmy