jayleensmama

This surgery is just a tool. You can still fail even with a bypass. The point is to invest the money to help you make that change. Only you can throw it away. For me, this is a lot of money. I can’t imagine that I’d spend this much and throw it away. For this kind of money, I could pay almost a years worth of my mortgage. That is what is keeping me motivated. I still need to do the work no matter which one I get.

I will be traveling to Mexico from Arizona to have surgery in February. I am still undecided on the sleeve vs bypass. My BMI is 40, and I am close to 100lbs overweight. I realize that this surgery isn't a fix, but a key to enter a new life. I am 37 years old, and was skinny most of my life. At 20 I had my daughter, and struggled with my weight since. In 2002, I lost close to 100lbs (around 80ish or so) and kept it all off until 2009. In 2009 I gained a good majority of it back (about 70lbs), and then I lost it again (around 50ish lbs). Both times were Atkins (and I did it the healthy way... not greasy everything). Again I gained it back, but this time I gained it all and then some around 2011. I have been back and forth since then. I need something that will basically have me suffer consequences if I don't stick to what I am supposed to. On a regular diet, if I ate something I wasn't supposed to, nothing would happen. If I do it this way, I am risking serious health issues, and I value my life. I am like a child that needs to burn their hand on the stove to stop doing something. I am not the one who is good with the threat of being burned. After a lot of research, I am still undecided between the sleeve or the bypass. I would like to get your opinion on what you did, and what made you choose that route. What did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? How were you after surgery? How long until you were able to go back to work (I work from home, so I am assuming sooner than most people who have to get up and dressed and travel)? I will thankfully have a friend join me in doing the surgery (she is undecided as well), so I am hoping that responses will help us both. Thank you for reading my super long post that I wasn't expecting to be so long!

Thanks everyone for their input! I have decided on the sleeve. It seemed less evasive, and a quicker healing time. I am like a grown man with the sniffles when I'm sick. It's like the end of the world! Surgery is 2/22, wish me luck!

I think since I am self pay, and insurance isn't covering it I might be successful with the sleeve even though people have experienced weight gain. Maybe if you don't have to pay out of pocket you don't treat it as seriously? I don't know. I have a really bad sweet tooth, and when I get a craving for it, I can be really mean if I don't have it. I want the gastric bypass, but with less recovery time and not having to take vitamins forever, it might be the one for me. I really hope after I do this, I don't have to go back in for something else, because that would have been such a waste of money. I am leaning towards sleeve, but am still not convinced. For those of you having surgery or are going back, I wish you guys so much luck for a speedy recovery!!

Sigh. Your reply is the exact reason why I am confused. I am worried with the sleeve I will gain the weight back because I, too, have a terrible sugar addiction. 20+ years ago my mom had a lap band, and lost 100lbs. She didn't really gain anything back, she really didn't lose a whole lot either because when she got it, she was 300+lbs. She said she was able to hold down junk food more than "real" food, so she would eat that instead.

My BMI is 40, my friends is 35. I don't think she'd qualify for the bypass, but of course I could be wrong. I haven't been diagnosed with GERD, but being both overweight and not I have noticed I only have that when I am really overweight, and it's not daily. It's only periodically. My main concern is the sleeve not working the way I think it would, and I have invested in a major surgery for nothing. I just have this feeling that the sleeve isn't as successful, but then again I associate bypass with morbid obesity (like 300+lbs) and while I am heavy, I am not THAT heavy, you know?