Met with surgeon, I just don't know...

[LandofHopeandDreams 26]

Hi all, new here. Well, of course I've lurked here at times over the years but ran away every time.. A little bit about me, been heavy most of my adult life, managed to live fine keeping most side effects at bay. sleep apnea, use a machine, HBP under control with meds. No diabetes or other issues. Three years ago I hit my highest at 450 and as covid got rolling I started to exercise a bit more and watch diet a bit better. Then all the wheels started to fall off lol. Knees giving me some problems which then led me to find out I was bone on bone for both knees. So I continued to get better on the diet and switched to biking and rowing. Phentermine/Topiromate helped along the way and ultimately lost about a hundred pounds. Had to stop those though when I had an Afib incident. Kept myself in the 350 range but man has this plateau been tough. Doc has me on Ozempic, A1C was also starting to creep up, to see if that will help but it really hasn't done much. I'm ok with diet but still not where i need to be to lose another 75 pounds, which is my target to get knee surgery. I truly believe that once I get my knees fixed I can be active enough to aid the weight loss. It's tough now with the knee.

So why am I here.... well my Primary and my cardiologist have both said it's time to really think about surgery. They both feel there are too many metabolic/hormonal challenges to continue my same approach. I met with the surgeon yesterday and he's recommended a sleeve. I'm at my whits end and feel like I have no other choice, but at the same time I read these stories about GERD, Constipation and all these other side effects I turn around and say eff it, it's just not worth it. At least I'll die happy... I know, not exactly healthy, but I'm being honest...

I've started the process, have a meeting with Nutritionist next week and psych and Endoscopy are after that. Likely can't get this done until August so I have some time to reconcile in my head the future, but right now I'm a bit overwhelmed and a little defeated.

I'm going to poke around here some more, thanks for reading.

Mark

[mcipanda 121]

Hi Mark, welcome. I noticed that you’re willing to treat other side effects of your weight with medications & tools - CPAP machine, meds for the high blood pressure, and knee surgery for the worn out knees…

But you hesitate with GERD and Constipation, both of which can be corrected with medications alone (over the counter options as well as prescription). Having the surgery could even correct your high blood pressure and sleep apnea, which would remove those issues from the list. Not to mention, weight loss in the long term is desirable for knee replacement.

This leads me to ask, what are you actually scared of?

Weight loss surgery is an extremely effective procedure for long term results, and the RNY gastric bypass is highly effective in treating or preventing GERD. I’m so glad you’re here, because there is a lot to learn and reconcile with when it comes to weight in our society. At the end of the day, getting to a healthy weight and keeping it off is what everyone here is working toward. You will never be alone in this if you choose to move ahead. Best of luck to you!

[SuziDavis 546]

Hi and welcome. I know it is scary to read the negative, but there are so many positives!

I have knee issues, a torn meniscus to be exact. I have lost almost 100 pounds since I started this journey and now rarely have pain in my knee, to the point that I do not need the surgery. My numbers on my blood work are great, I have energy and over all just feel better.

Are there times its a pain to eat a certain way, yes. Could I need a revision for an issue later, yes. Do I have to take Fiber religiously, yes... But then I remember all the positives I mentioned above and its not an issue anymore.

If you think there's no other choice, and this is needed, do it. It's been life changing in all the best ways possible. I would do it again in a heart beat.

[learn2cook 576]

I am still cautious about surgeries. Was I nervous before getting RNY, yes! But my asthma and sleep apnea improved, GERD is almost non-existent, and I can put off thinking about my knees for a while. Honestly, as many have said in this forum, I’m more fearful of doing nothing and facing a slow painful death from obesity. At least I know I tried a scientifically proven method of weight loss maintenance. The only other people I’ve met who lost 150lbs AND KEPT IT OFF had WL surgery.

[BigSue 1,373]

Welcome! I hope you find this site helpful no matter what you choose to do. I see a lot of similarities in your story to mine. I was morbidly obese my entire adult life, but always in good health. Never took a sick day. Never went to the doctor. Didn’t have any prescriptions. But I got a promotion to a more sedentary job and gained even more weight, and my quality of life was terrible. I went to the doctor for a routine checkup and was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes, and was facing having to go on medications to control those.

I got to a point that felt like a crossroads. I could give up, keep enjoying eating (my one pleasure in life), and adapt as much as I could to my increasingly limited mobility, or I could take extreme action and get the surgery as a last-ditch effort to turn my life around. I had looked into WLS a long time ago and couldn’t imagine making my life revolve around my surgery. But when things changed to the point that it was effectively a life or death decision, I decided to give it a shot.

I will tell you it has NOT been easy. I’m 2.5 years out and every day is still a struggle. Keeping the weight off is hard, hard work. But life a non-obese person is totally different. I lost 200 pounds — more than half my highest weight — and not carrying around a whole extra person has opened up the world to me. This would not have been possible without surgery. It’s a big commitment, but if you are ready and willing, it can change your life.

[Arabesque 7,246]

Welcome. It’s not always easy to make the decision whether to have surgery or not. Many here have been in the same place.

Imagine your life without the need of medication to manage your high blood pressure, a CPAP machine to ensure help you’re breathing & take pressure off your heart at night. You can have your knee replacement surgery & never experience pain or an inability to be as active & mobile as you want. You’ll have so many more options available to you at a lower weight & with better health - no more restrictions or potential limitations on how you want to live your life.

I didn’t have any comorbidities at all before my surgery but I knew they very likely were ahead of me. My risk was very high & now it’s extremely low.

If you’re worried about the possibility of gerd go the bypass route. Constipation is easily managed & while it can be a regular event while you are losing it improves a lot once you are eating more & a wider variety of foods. Add soluble fibre to your diet & keep in top of any episodes by using a treatment if it persists for more than 3or 4 days.

We can give you so many reasons to have the surgery but if you’re not all in or believe you’re being pushed or don’t have any other option, you won’t reap the full benefits of the surgery. The importance of your head in this can not be underestimated - we don’t talk about doing the head work for nothing. But it is your choice.

All the best whatever you choose to do.

[catwoman7 11,212]

yep - it took me years to come to the conclusion that surgery was my only choice. I also lost over 200 lbs and my life is completely different now. I would do this again in a heartbeat and my only regret is that I didn't do it years ago.

[LandofHopeandDreams 26]

Thanks everyone, I think I just need to come to terms with this. In my heart and intellectually I know its the best way, I just need to get there emotionally....

[maintenanceman 285]

There are some great resources on YouTube. Good luck!

Dr. Weiner - https://www.youtube.com/@DrMatthewWeiner

Dr. Alvarez - https://www.youtube.com/@Endobariatric

Dr. Pilcher - https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorJP

[Roxane 8]

So many great insights here. Weight loss will definitely help when it comes to getting rid of other comorbidities. To me, it sounds like the benefits will far outweigh the cons here.

[mkellee 47]

Hi all, new here. Well, of course I've lurked here at times over the years but ran away every time.. A little bit about me, been heavy most of my adult life, managed to live fine keeping most side effects at bay. sleep apnea, use a machine, HBP under control with meds. No diabetes or other issues. Three years ago I hit my highest at 450 and as covid got rolling I started to exercise a bit more and watch diet a bit better. Then all the wheels started to fall off lol. Knees giving me some problems which then led me to find out I was bone on bone for both knees. So I continued to get better on the diet and switched to biking and rowing. Phentermine/Topiromate helped along the way and ultimately lost about a hundred pounds. Had to stop those though when I had an Afib incident. Kept myself in the 350 range but man has this plateau been tough. Doc has me on Ozempic, A1C was also starting to creep up, to see if that will help but it really hasn't done much. I'm ok with diet but still not where i need to be to lose another 75 pounds, which is my target to get knee surgery. I truly believe that once I get my knees fixed I can be active enough to aid the weight loss. It's tough now with the knee.
So why am I here.... well my Primary and my cardiologist have both said it's time to really think about surgery. They both feel there are too many metabolic/hormonal challenges to continue my same approach. I met with the surgeon yesterday and he's recommended a sleeve. I'm at my whits end and feel like I have no other choice, but at the same time I read these stories about GERD, Constipation and all these other side effects I turn around and say eff it, it's just not worth it. At least I'll die happy... I know, not exactly healthy, but I'm being honest...
I've started the process, have a meeting with Nutritionist next week and psych and Endoscopy are after that. Likely can't get this done until August so I have some time to reconcile in my head the future, but right now I'm a bit overwhelmed and a little defeated.
I'm going to poke around here some more, thanks for reading.
Mark

Hi Mark. I was taking 3 hbp meds plus an upper dose of my heart med Carvedilol, which also controls hbp. I had my sleeve 2/1/23. I now am off the 3 hbp meds and lowered the dose of carvedilol. My Dr's are thrilled. I'm a slower weight lover but inches is another story. I first decided to do the sleeve in July 2021. At that time my eating and drinking instantly changed. I was 345. At the time of surgery ,2/1/23, I weighed 293. Now 266. That's 79 pounds. And since my haiatal Hernia surgery in August 2022 I've lost 38.75 inches body wide. I'm thrilled. You go for it!!!! B est decision I've made in quite a while. [emoji6]

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