Last year, I told the Dope about my plans to get weight loss surgery. However, I wasn’t sure it was the best thing for me, because I am at the lower end of morbidly obese spectrum. My BMI is 36, and I weigh 105 kgs at 1 m 70. That is 231 pounds at 5 ft 6 inches for you non-metrics. Most people who had WLS are (considerably) heavier. So my surgery could be called “luxury”.
Last year, I asked the Dope to talk me out of my idea, and try in a less invasive way to lose the weight. If in a year nothing had changed, I could still go for surgery.
Well, here I am. My weight hasn’t changed since, and once again I face the decision.
I have saved up money and would pay for the surgery myself. I found a specialized surgeon with a very good reputation, and he is quite willing to help me. I have gone through all the preliminary tests with positive results. In fact, I have the final papers laying here in front of me that I should sign to make it all final. If I sign those, my surgery will be this July 2.
Posters in the thread a year ago pointed me to www.obesityhelp.com, which was a great help. Another great resource was the book Weightloss surgery for Dummies. I also browsed the articles on pubmed.org. I even went to the local patient groups in our hospital.
But no matter how many resources I read, in the end I have to weigh (heh) the pro’s and cons for my situation for myself. And I think I have made, in my heart, the choice pro-surgery. I’m scared to death I will make a choice I regret, though.
So I would love it if some Dopers would, not to talk me out of having surgery this time, but to talk me into it.
How old are you? Do you have any current health problems that would be ameliorated by losing the weight? According to Wikipedia, there’s a 2% chance of death within one month of surgery.
It seems to me that the health risks of gastric bypass might be greater than the health risks of going through life at 230 pounds unless you have diabetes or something. I guess I’d need more information on exactly how much your life expectancy goes down from being 230 and 5’6".
Would you be a candidate for lap banding surgery instead? It’s less invasive and it’s reversible / adjustable, which is NOT true of a true bypass.
You’re 40ish, right? That seems to be an age at which weight-related issues start to really catch up with you (arthritic changes, type II diabetes, blood pressure etc.) so getting that weight under control now will be very helpful.
Sorry, I could only try to talk you out of it with mention of my father’s second heart attack post-gb which was caused by a very common gb related bleeding ulcer right at the sight where they reconnect your stomach to your intestines. He lost over half of his blood and nearly died.
I’m not trying to threadshit here, it’s just that my entire family is still dealing with the reality of this 6 months later. It’s not something that you ever suspect would happen.
Mamma Zappa, I’m 42. You mention one of the strongest arguments for me; I have to compare the complications of surgery with the complications of being obese for another 20 years. And I feel those, in terms of health as well as quality of life, are more important.
The band is indeed less invasive, however, my sources say it requires more discipline. it also has a lower succes percentage in terms of mean weight reduction.
Erdosain, the 2 percent is an overall number for earlier types of weight loss surgery. It includes the group of people who go into surgery and already have health problems. I am otherwise healthy. The number also drops down considerably if the surgeon is experienced, ie has performed more then 45 surgeries of this type. My surgeon has performed over 300.
Sticks and Scones, I’m sorry to hear about your father. As I assume I’m younger then he is, I am trying to reduce the risk of my *first *heart attack.
Can I ask what you tried for the last year, which has had no impact whatsoever on your weight? I am about your weight, but about 4 inches taller for a BMI of 32, I iam also a little younger at 34. I have just started seeing a personal trainer, so I am interested in what hasn’t worked for you and why.
Yes, I believe he was 52 when he had it done. He had one heart attack before the surgery and two since then.
If you do have it done, please, please, please always do what they tell you and take whatever supplements and acid reducers that they tell you to take.
Any surgeon that is willing to perform GB surgery on you in your condition has a new boat or vacation home that they are trying to pay for.
If you’re not willing to put forth the effort to lose the weight on your own, I predict that your own behavior will put you in greater risk after GB surgery. Get ready to die young.
I had gastric bypass surgery (RNY variety) 13 years ago and consider it just about THE BEST decision I’ve made in my life. I lost 120lbs initially and gained some back (about 30 or so that I yo-yo back and forth with) but the surgery has been an amazing tool to help me keep my weight manageable.
My dad had type 1 diabetes and lost his eyesight and both legs to it before passing away from complications at age 48. My mom had type 2 diabetes. So, I decided that the chances for me to have that disease myself were pretty great. Hence, the surgery.
If you view it as a TOOL and not the answer, you will be much further along than many who think it really is the only thing you have to do. And my fantasy of life being perfect if I were only thin(ner)? A fantasy (albeit a nice one).
Do your homework, talk to your surgeon, don’t get a lapband (IMO) and know what you’re walking into. And yes, your current health plays a BIG part into after surgery healing. I was fine before and healed up pretty quickly.
We know somebody who had the surgery. They lost a bunch of weight, then gained it all back and then some. Their once tiny stomach is now big again and now paper thin. It could rupture and they could die at any moment.
We know somebody else that has had the band work done recently. They lost a fair bit, but not enough, but are now gaining significantly again.
So, these two folks risked major surgery for nothing and are worse off than when they started.
Now we also know a few folks for which this has worked.
Maybe you need to have the surgery to be REALLY serious about weight loss because you’ll then realize “If I fuck up now it could literally kill me”, as opposed to “its just a few pounds”.
You could always try a friend of mines diet. He only ate stuff he didnt like. Said it worked like a charm.
This worries me. I think WLS is very often a very good choice, but thinking it requires less discipline is not the right approach. My understanding is that WLS requires MORE discipline because there are suddenly all these things you CANNOT do, at risk of compromising your health permanently. With traditional weight loss, you can always fall off the wagon for a weekend and get back on, no harm, no foul.
Have you tried a “low-discipline” traditional weight loss approach? Eat a moderate amount–1800-2000 calories a day–and see if you don’t slowly take the weight off. This doesn’t take strength of will–you won’t be hungry–it just takes patience and persistence. It does take a long time.
With respect to billfish’s post, there are a number of different kinds of weight loss surgery. The one that resulted in the paper-thin stomach…yeesh, that’s scary.
IIRC, Opal’s surgery basically took out a chunk of small intestine. Since (if I recall my basic biology correctly) the small intestine is where the nutrients from the food you eat actually get absorbed into your bloodstream, less small intestine = less absorption of nutrients, including fewer calories. Doesn’t sound like it could have the sorts of risks that billfish mentions.
If Opal doesn’t drop by to confirm or clarify what I’ve said, I’d recommend PMing her, Maastricht.
Surgery is the “stupid way out”. It increases the risk of death x10 or more :smack: . The guy is only 230 pounds @ 5’ 6". Yes that’s overweight, but it not significantly. Get thyself to a therapist and a dietician and then start walking every day. A lot safer and healthier over the long run.
If I recall correctly, (It’s been a while so I may not) your primary concern was the social stigma attached to beign overweight in your society. I think the question you need to ask yourself is whether you are expecting a change in appearance to increase your social skills.
It’s been my experience that the person who gets the most attention in a social setting is the happy one - the one who is having the most fun, and is therefore the most fun to be around. And this seems to be true regardless of the person’s appearance. Some people can show up to a formal affair in ripped blue jeans and be the life of the party, others will be tossed out on their ear.
I would recommend a group like Overeaters Anonymous for at least a few months before you decide to go under the knife. And a Cognitive Behaviorist could help you work on those social skills, just to see whether that really makes the change you’re looking for. At worst it will leave you better prepared to enjoy the results of the surgery.
After appendectomy and a C-section I can attest that abdominal surgery is no picnic, and exercising will be harder afterward, not easier. If you don’t address why you eat, you’ll find a way to keep eating, even if it means switching from steaks to milkshakes.
These are, of course, all just guesses based on very little information about you. Please discard liberally as appropriate.
Have you tried a calorie-counter like LoseIt on the iTouch, or an online calorie counter? My husband and I have been using these, and with almost no effort on our parts beyond recording our food each day, we have both dropped around 20 pounds. It is slow, and it does take patience*, but it carries virtually no risk and no cost. Recording your weight and your food makes you accountable for what you eat, and we’ve both found that that was what made the difference for us.
*Check out the weight loss support thread to see me losing and re-gaining my patience with the whole process.
