gahvi

Down 150 pounds. Why didn’t I do this surgery 10 Years ago!?!?!?

I was getting this surgery by hook or by crook... I was not falling down at the mercy of insurance companies. I don't know who does but they should fight harder/smarter...

And I also consider it a gift, a present I thought was unavailable to me. You see I am 72 and 2/3 years old. I was afraid life had passed me by, I was doomed to die obese , lonely and in pain. Then I heard of the lifeline of Bariatric surgery, was I strong enough to grab a hold on that line or let it go by like some things in my,life had? But I reached out trembling in August 2015, and although many twists, turns, roadblocks ensued. last Wednesday at 7AM my RNY,bypass was done, God Bless Dr Needleman and even more bless the principles of Bariatric medicine that gave me a chance I almost missed out on. As I recover, I am a little sore from,my 5 little holes and the intestinal prodding that went on. But,it friends, it is bare-able, every day that passes I will regain more strength, my days changed from gray and dismal to sunny and full,of hope.FYI,I did it under Medicare and Medicaid no deductables, no co-pays. Things are going to be good for even great grandma aged person. if I can rock it all you youngsters should be able to, come join me, Frustr8 in the journey of life!

He is married and has a 4 year old son. He does have a good paying job but no insurance. He has a mortgage and is settled in where he currently lives. He's actually the one that told me that there is a lot of people that get this surgery done in Mexico at an affordable cost. I've done a lot of research and am just recently becoming more comfortable with the idea of him getting it done there. He personally knows a few people that had their surgery done there and everything turned out fine. I think he's leaning in that direction.

@Ed_NW does your son qualify for medicaid? Medicaid pays for bariatric surgery. Is he married? If not doesn't the ACA allow him to be on your insurance until age 26? Can he move to a nearby state that mandates insurance cover bariatrics? He is young enough to recover from moving/ changing jobs after he gets surgery to do everything possible to get surgery. Good luck to you both.

My oldest son is 500+ lbs and I partly blame myself for not teaching him good eating habits when he was young. He is in his late 20's and desperately needs WLS. He is married with a 4 year old son of his own and I want to help him break this cycle by (me) going through this surgery and changing my eating habits in hopes that he will follow suit. I share with him something every day that I've learned about WLS and he is getting motivated. It's all a matter of money and or acceptance from insurance witch he has neither. If a person has the means to get this surgery and change their life, it is definitely first a gift and secondly a tool.

I consider it a gift for the exact same reasons. Many others are not as fortunate.

Depends on perspective. I look on it as both a gift and a tool. Of the millions who want or need the surgery, I was actually able to receive the surgery. It's changed my life and actually given it back. I've very grateful to the tool/gift and team that did the surgery and have been my support along the way.

I haven't had a cold post op yet but my standbys are:
1. elderberry lozenges with zinc or elderberry Syrup (sambucus brand sugar free)
2. traditional medicinals throat coat tea w/ecinacea or elderberry tea with echinacea, drink it all day
Since I started this regimen 2 years ago, neither me, hubby or kids have been sick longer than 48h. I also take traditional cold meds for symptoms and use a neti pot. But the herbal remedies are what shorten the duration.
I also had a lovely homemade cough syrup made with Everclear, but that is probably going to be off the list now !

Thanks for the tips with lozenges and Benadryl. I hope you get to feeling better.

Benadryl, Vitamin C, zinc lozenges, cough drops,slippery elm lozenges, Water, tea, Soup, sleep.
I'm sick too 😷

Hopefully someone who has had wls will chime in, but in case not, I googled and found this https://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54005
There is a lot more out there, and in case you want to go looking I googled - cold flu tablets after vsg
I am guessing though some good old fashioned chicken broth would be great, and if you can stomach it add some lemon and garlic

I don't see the difference but the scale says it coming off somewhere. Not pre-op but closest I have. 7/22 10 days after surgery and last night 9/6. 342lbs on day of surgery, 345lbs in 1st pic, 299lbs in 2nd pic. 46lbs lost and counting but where? Only thing I've noticed is feet and hands, lol.

So just finishing up week 3 post-op of my GB and down 20 lbs. Picture in blue is 1 month prior to surgery and pictures in blue are today. I see a little difference in my face but not much else yet. Blood sugars are steadily improving though and that is my main goal, no more diabetes medicine.

HW 246
SW 225 surgery was Aug 6, 2018
CW 202
GW 135  

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The man in the blue tank looks like your son!! Your weight loss is amazing!


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I can only tell you my reasons as everyone has their own story and reasons why they chose the surgery they had.
I initially asked for the sleeve. I liked the less complications and thought that was going to be good enough for me. I was doing the surgery for health reasons even more than weight loss. My DR pushed hard for RNY but I resisted until I found out in pre op tests that I had barrett's esophagus. At that point sleeve surgery was not an option. I did a 180 and started considering RNY, but then my insurance said I could have RNY or DS but no sleeve. I asked my DR for his opinion on which surgery was right for me. He still thought RNY was the way to go but he left the decision up to me and told me the benefits and risks of both. I decided RNY was the way to go and so far so good health issues resolved and weight still being lost.

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

There is one thought I can't get out of my head. What are the long-term effects of weight-loss surgery? Because WLS is still in its infancy in many respects, none of us can predict the outcome of our decision when we become old and frail and we are in need of all the nourishment we can get.
We've limited our bodies to benefit us now, but later... what about then? What struggles do we face when every spoonful might count. I love older people to pieces. I enjoy their company. I'm genuinely interested in what they have to say about their lives, past and present. I've also noticed that many older people don't eat much. If the little I eat now is only partially being absorbed, what will happen when I get older... when I'll conceivably need all the nourishment I can get to live a long and healthy life?
Let's hope that knowledge keeps pace with our surgeries. Heck, there are still unknowns about which medications are poorly absorbed as well as other unknowns about how our bodies process various Vitamins and minerals. Are we creating ailments that didn't exist on the same scale before millions of people embarked on these surgeries? Outside of pregnancy, I can't recall ever being concerned about a nutritional deficiency (well, except for Vitamin D, but that's because I abhor the sun and I'm too stubborn to spend even the lousy ten minutes required to absorb what I'd need.)

I think you're absolutely right. You can do tons of research and have realistic expectations but you won't know how the surgery will work for you until you go through it. No one can predict how your body will react. I think the best you can do is educate yourself and have good discussions with a surgeon you trust.

I think the people who truly research their options, have open, honest discussions with their doctor, are honest with themselves about making permanent lifestyle changes, and have realistic expectations and goals are the most successful, regardless of which surgery you choose. I chose VSG because I didn't want the problems of malabsorption and I didn't want to deal with dumping syndrome. This is not because I wanted to go back to eating whatever I wanted. I had my gall bladder removed several years ago and experienced dumping with almost everything I ate for about a year afterwards. It was horrible. I also didn't like the idea of switching my anatomy around. I like that with VSG the digestive process is still the same. I also educated myself on the procedure and have realistic expectations of the outcome. And, if I'm being honest, I do like being able to "cheat" on special occasions without worrying about dumping. My restriction keeps me from going overboard and I'm able to resume my regular diet after without going into a downward spiral of bad choices.

I think this is the problem: you won't know if it's the right procedure for you until you had it for a while.
People are absolutely gung-ho about the whole WLS thing, motivated, enthusiastic, unstoppable, indestructible... until this honeymoon phase (that every diet in the past had as well) is over and the darker sides and ho-hums show their faces. The thrill is gone and there you are with maybe a lactose intolerance, pooping issues, adhesions, GERD, diarrhea, malabsorption issues even though you're taking your Vitamins etc. etc. etc.
Was the lap-band the right procedure for me? Well, at first it seemed like it, but after some years it became clear that it wasn't. (However, it was also the only WLS procedure that you could get covered as a young woman back then if you were lucky enough and/or persistent enough with getting on the nerves of your insurance company, that is. Nobody even talked about the DS in these days).
Now I have an MGB - do I know if it's the right procedure? Or would the RNY have been better? No one can tell. I made the decision together with my surgeon. It might be that I will need a different anastomosis later (GERD, reflux, don't ask...) or it might not be.

Depends on the country.
Invasiveness not only relates to the procedure - it's also the level of malabsorption. High level of malabsorption after all doesn't only mean "more weight loss because less calories" but it also means "less absorption of Vitamins, minerals and gazillions of micronutrients, including some we might not even know about yet".

I can't speak for others, but I chose my surgery based on the least invasive. Having had cancer 6 years ago, I am leery of doing too much to my body but wanted to have the surgery done. I hope that makes sense? So far so good as I have lost quite a bit of weight already, but I have more to go to get to a healthy BMI. The part that I do know, is I CAN get there. I have had the surgery and I work with a psychologist that is helping me emotionally and that balance has been tremendous. The tool is only as good as what we put into it.

Before/ during (posted in another thread previously)