Gastric bypass / Lap band...has anyone had it done?**update post 106**

[Boyd]

mi madre had gastric bypass, she lost 160 lbs, probably gained 30 back in the last 15 years or so. For her it was a combination, thyroid, diet, exercise... when she eliminated 2 out of 3 and still wasn't loosing she had surgery.


Best thing she ever did for herself.

1st couple of years were hardest. She couldn't eat a hamburger without running to the bathroom... foods high in fat, high in sugar or had alcohol in it gave her the flaming poops.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
why did Johnny Cash.. Ring of fire just pop into my head?..

 

[dieselgrl48]

A friend of mine had it done about 4 year's ago.She lost over 200lb's with it.The only problem she had was with gall bladder afterward's and still has to closely monitor fatty food's etc. because your body can't process them well.My youngest daughter just had her's taken out 1 1/2 year
s ago and she has to really watch what she eat's and she is avg. weight.My friend is doing Super though and so glad she got it done.You should just talk to your doctor and see if They think you are a good canidate for it.You may have unkown health issue's unless you are fully tested.Keep us informed and hope it work's out for you.

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
why did Johnny Cash.. Ring of fire just pop into my head?..

yo quiero taco bell?

 

[cassie]

My brother had a gastric bypass over my strenuous objections. He has done very well and for him it was the right thing to do. He was over 500 pounds and now he is just under 300 pounds. He is a very big guy and 300 is close to being the right weight for him. He has serious heart problems and since the weight loss he has been a new man. Do you have diabetes? The gastric bypass will resolve it. The lap band will not. Has nothing to do with weight loss. Has to do with the jujunim (sp).

 

[Jaguaress]

I have not had either of those procedures.

Please make sure that your thyroid is working normally before having surgery done for weight loss. An obese friend of mine was finally found to have a wacked-out thyroid that required two types of medications monthly to "fix." She had to take a booster half of the month and a lowerer the other half; once her doctor got the dosages right, she lost weight like it was melting off of her, and she felt tremendously better, too.

Also please look into eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, to boost your metabolism throughout the day. I have used that in the past, and my brother, who recommended that to me, has had friends drop and maintain significant weight loss because they were no longer starving. It is now proven that a person can eat more calories total in a day by using this method, and they will lose weight. A lot of times people have starved themselves enough by restricting calories that their bodies are in "starvation mode," instead of burning calories efficiently. Eating more calories regularly, on a daily basis, makes those people's systems realize that they don't have to hold onto the fat, and they begin losing weight. Not to mention, eating 5-6 smaller meals a day makes one less inclined to gorge, (not that you do, but I do at times), and it stabilizes the blood sugar, which is a good thing.

It's your decision and I wish you luck whatever you do. My advice to those who are thinking of lap band or gastric bypass surgery is this: find out how you will be required to eat after the procedure. (Friends of mine have been restricted to a couple of tablespoons of food and drink per meal, many times a day.) Eat exactly that way for a week and see if you lose weight. (Fill up with natural fiber if you get hungry in between.) If you do lose weight, then you don't need the surgery and can lose weight that way without it. But again, I don't like people restricting their calories to that point because it's starving the body. People have died from starvation that way.

Please also, especially if you have the gastric bypass, get regular vitamin B12 testing. Vitamin B12 is absorbed by the intrinsic factor in our stomachs, and is vital to many processes in the body, including nerve health. Many people become vitamin B12 deficient after gastric bypass, and going too long, severely deficient in B12, is fatal. I speak from experience about B12 because I have pernicious anemia, as does my sister, and she literally almost died before finally being diagnosed correctly. I have permanent nerve damage from not being diagnosed soon enough, too, as does she. (Pernicious anemia for us is an autoimmune disease that killed the intrinsic factor so that our bodies can't absorb B12.)

Good luck.

 

[FireTigeris]

I would say Lanthro Vs Full cut go with full cut...

1) I would not, my mother had the lanthro Gastric bypass - she died as result of secondary infections resulting from the 'two' stomachs not closing properly... the two stomach areas were still in 'communication' and the 'old stomach' became infected through the original surgery site- then the 'communication' got worse and while in the hospital for the third time after passing out and the home health nurse sending her in- she contracted MERSA (staph)... It became systemic and infected her aorta.

The full cut may have more initial risk of infection but they can make sure everything internally is closed properly...

I wish you well whatever your choice.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Dar, first off...

I know how you feel!! I get up at 4 am between 3 and 5 times a week to workout at the gym for an hour, on Friday nights, by best friend and I go line dancing for about 4 hours after works and on the weekend, several of us go hiking. The trails are strenuous (usually peaks) and commonly between 8 and 10 miles though may be more. I watch what I eat....1 cup of cottage cheese (measured) or scrambled eggs for breakfast, lunch may be a salad, light sandwich or veggies, and dinner varies. I have lost maybe a 1/2-pound since December!

At this rate, it will take me 60 years to lose 60 lbs. Meanwhile, my best friend, who needs to lose the same amount of weight, has the same exercise regime as I do and cuts carbs by taking the top bun off of burgers. She has lost 20 lbs already.

Metabolisms....

So, I went to doctor. Essentially he told me that I have a crummy (slow) metabolism and that I need to go on a Very Low Calori Diet (VLCD...creative name). Approx. 500 calories a day!

High protein, low carb with mostly veggies and a multivitamin. I told him it sounded very unhealthy...he told me that staying fat is more unhealthy and that it is short term anyway (3-6 months). I have been fighting it..but think I will finally hunker down and do it seeing as how nothing else is working (diet AND exercise....bologne. Not for everyone! They even have me listed as "active lifestyle", yet I am STILL fat!).

Anywho....since I have to lose 60 lbs, I don't qualify for gastric bypass (don't want it anyway) and the doc won't approve the lap-band, so I won't even ask. So, I get to enjoy my VLCD...which has some great side effects of its own.

Gastric bypass is risky...great for some, bad for others. The wife of a former coworker of mine had gastric bypass. She lost the weight and looks great, BUT she had many complications that included having her hospitalized for a while. In fact, it got so bad, that she lost too much weight and actually became underweight and was continuing to lose. And she even had it done at Scripps in San Diego, which is one of the best hospitals in the nation for gastric bypass surgery (or so they say).

I don't know anyone who has had the lap-band procedure though.

 

[nuts4chickens]

My best friend, Amy, had the lap band two years ago and lost 100 pounds. She has done extremely well, with minimal side effects, other than throwing up, or an immediate visit to the john if she eats something she shouldnt have. She learned very quickly what she could and couldnt do. The band can be adjusted by adding or removing saline through a port in the abdomen under the skin, according to your weight loss goal. The best part is, the band is COMPLETELY reversible, and no doctor is re-routing the digestive system that God created in a specific fashion for a specific reason. Amy is not bone thin, and is still slightly overweight, HOWEVER, she is healthy, able to go for walks without her knees hurting, and play with the kids without being out of breath. She can find clothes that fit at any department store, and all of her weight related health issues have completely resolved.

My sister in law, Becky, had the gastric bypass done 9/9/09. She was approximately 100 pounds overweight, and in my opinion, NOT overweight enough to have gotten the gastric bypass. She almost died...and she still may. She had a pulmonary embolism, got MRSA in her abdomen, had an adverse reaction to heparin, and got a GI bleed, and was in the hospital for four months. She constantly suffers from "Dumping Syndrome", has to have iron infusions every three weeks because now she in malnourished, and has lost most of her hair. She has an 8 year old daughter, that my husband and I may have to end up raising because she doesnt follow the doctor's orders and ends up in the hospital atleast every other month for one complication or another. I am angry she had the surgery. At what cost has she done this? The fact she might not see her daughter grow up in the name of being a size 6, infuriates me. Some of it she has created. She is a very non-compliant patient. Usually she ends up in the hospital because she has binged on a food she shouldnt have eaten. HOWEVER, even being non-compliant, she didnt cause herself to have a pulmonary embolism, or MRSA...those are just complications from the surgery... Potentially fatal ones, I may I add.

This is a personal decision for you. Many obese people CANNOT lose weight on their own. I believe it is a disease just like any other. These surgeries can be very beneficial and actually add years to your life by removing weight related health issues. Diabetes, in particular, wreaks havoc on the vascular system and can lead to amputations of the limbs, loss of eyesight, and hardening of the arteries. The list goes on. I am NOT against bariatric surgery. I look at bariatric surgery the same as a gallbladder removal. These surgeries were created, I believe, to fix a problem that could potentially cost someone their life, if not fixed or cured. HOWEVER, the gastric bypass surgery, in particular is a very dangerous PERMANENT surgery, with REAL risks. The gastric bypass can not be reversed. Your entire digestive system is short-cutted and rebuilt to function in a way it was not intended to. If you want to lose weight to be healthy, I personally, would go with the lap band. If you are over 500 pounds, then you probably wont be able to lose the amount you need with the band, and you would be a better candidate for bypass. In this weight range, the benefits of the bypass would outweigh the risks. But, I beg you, if you go with the bypass.... DONT DO IT if you cannot be a compliant patient. Your life will depend on following the doctor's orders, and being a good steward to your body.

Not trying to scare you, at all. Just please educate yourself fully on both procedures. I wish you the best of luck. YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[erthymom2]

I have GBy-P back in 2007 and it was the best thing i ever dod for myself & my health. Yes, it requires a major change for how you handle foods, and yes, you MUST forever be dilegent with vitamins and keeping up with regular follow-ups and blood work. now sugar makes me hurl, no soda or beer, hard meats are out and i've learned that eating veggies won't kill me }
But for me it was/is worth it - i most likely would have been looking at a heart attack, severe diabetes and knee surgery had i kept on the way i was.
IMO it is not for everyone and the best advice i have is if your thinking about it go talk with folks at the doctors who do the surgery, ask if they have a support group you can sit in on a few meetings and hear what others who are going into it or already have had it - that will give you some real-life insight into the whole procedure and after-care.