Diverticulitis Surgeon Told me I need Gastric Sleeve

[Jana64 65]

Hi,

I am new here, 49 year old, mother of six, ages 31, 29, 27, 15, 14 (son who has autism) and 10. Yeah. I have a hard time stopping. But my husband had a vasectomy - so no more kids.

Anyway, I lost 120 pounds on the diet drug Meridia and lost my gallbladder, had a miscarriage, gained everything back. I just couldn't go back to dieting.

Fast forward seven years and now I am 280 lbs and have diverticulitis. I have had four attacks in a year and the only rememdy is a bowel resection, which they can't do because of all the weight that I carry on my torso. I look nine months pregnant.

My surgeon, who does not do gastric surgeries, told me that there is too high a risk of doing the resection until I lose 100 pounds. He said he recommended the gastric sleeve.

I am allergic to milk and soy. eggs are problematic, as they give me the runs. I can't eat nuts, seeds or things that don't dissolve - because of the diverticulitis.

Any words of wisdom? I went through the online orientation tonight and faxed off my information to the bariatric clinic at McGee Hospital in Pittsburgh. I am not really scared - yet.

When you are already resigned to having your colon out, having your stomach reduced dramatically is not such a stretch. There are already so many foods that I can't eat due to the diverticulitis that I don't mind a restricted diet. I just want to feel better, stronger. Not be the fat lady.

I want my younger kids to know me as someone other than the morbidly obese person they have always known.

[Miss Mac 6,261]

I had suffered with diverticulitis for three years prior to my sleeve in December 2013. On October 29, 2013, I was hospitalized with ischemic colitis for eight days. My primary doctor told me after my recovery that he thought he was going to lose me. Wow. I was so glad my sleeve was coming up soon after that.

So, after being used to a restricted diet, the changeover to the high Protein diet was not as hard as it would have been. My gastro doctor already had me off caffein, carbonated beverages, and those foods that won't dissolve easily.

I love, love, love the difference Miss Tummy makes in my life. The restrictions aren't so bad, because the trade-off is more years to enjoy my grandkids and my awesome and supportive boy friend. I want to go into our golden years together in good health, not dragging myself around or staying shut in because of my disabilities, most of which are brought on by my previous obesity. At 65 pounds down, I am now at a 29.9 BMI - overweight, not obese, and I have had no gastro problems since my sleeve surgery.

If you look at your sleeve as a blessing that will give you your life back, instead of an anvil around your neck, you will do alright. Losing a large amount of weight can be emotionally liberating as you become more bold and courageous about being in control of your own life. Losing weight will expose who your real friends are, and how you relate and function with your significant other.

I think the hardest part about getting my sleeve was those couple of hours that I was under anesthetic and not in control of my body. If you can release yourself from the fear of all the "what ifs" you will have enough peace of mind to get through it. Just think of surgery as a nice nap, and when you wake up you will have a new birthday. Every year you will have a surgiversary to Celebrate taking back you life. I wish you good luck and good health.

[JCP 619]

It sounds like you have a lot to live for. Odds are both of these procedures will extend your life and improve your quality of life. They will be grueling for a while and bring life changes but it sounds like a pretty good trade to me. God bless.

[JanetPRN 496]

I have had many diverticulitis and IBS attacks in my years. Not bad bad enough to need a colon resection but bad enough to be hospitalized on occasion . I was sleeved 11 months ago and I have had a couple of mild IBS episodes and zero Diverticulitis attacks.. You may be surprised after your sleeve . It stands to reason that less food in the tummy/ colon may translate into less irritation and therefore less flair ups . I had my sleeve for weight loss , the improvement has been a pleasant surprise for me. This is just my experience.

[Jana64 65]

Thank you all for the words of advice. My sister is a former gyn surgeon. She pulverized her right wrist in a fall and is now a fiction writer, but even she said that this sounds like the right move for me since she had seen me lose this weight so many times just to regain it. She's pretty conservative - medically and I was surprised to hear it.

I guess I always knew it was coming - having to lose weight for heath reasons rather than just for hating my body shape.

And it's true that I can lose this weight without surgery but it's going to come right back on. Forty years have shown me this.

Jan

Edited August 22, 2014 by cabowser