Recidivist

Very interesting thread. I'm still taking vitamins at 3.5 years out, and my surgeon said I would need to take them for the rest of my life. My labs are also great, and it never occurred to me to stop taking vitamins.

This might sound strange, but I've found that if I brush my teeth and floss right after dinner, I'm less likely to snack in the evening. It might not work for everyone, but it has for me.

I was told I had to crush my meds for a couple of months. (These were meds that had nothing to do with my gastric bypass.). They were absolutely disgusting, and there was no way to disguise them. I tried them in water, protein drinks, yoghurt, etc., and finally just decided the best way was to slug them down as quickly as possible. It was a very happy day when my surgeon told me I could go back to taking pills!

So, here I am, 3.5 years out from surgery, and I decided to treat myself to a small bowl of ice cream to celebrate a special occasion. (My regular followers will know that I never eat processed sugar.). Well, it took about ten seconds before I had to run to the bathroom and puke my guts out. That had never happened to me before, not even shortly after surgery. It was quite a surprise. I guess it's good that my body will continue to let me know that sugar is still a no-no. 🙂

I was 59 when I had my surgery and had a BMI in the high 30s, so I was in a similar position. I also hesitated for the same reasons you mention. As SpartanMaker said, nobody else can tell you whether you should or shouldn't have the surgery. I can tell you that, 3.5 years later, the improvement in my quality of life and overall physical and emotional well-being are tremendous. I have more energy than I did 20 years ago and have a new lease on life. Also, at this point I'm eating more or less normally (just smaller quantities and a healthier diet), and I don't feel I've sacrificed anything. As you can tell, I haven't regretted my decision for a moment. I've said it often: my only regret is that I didn't do this decades earlier!

Yep. I had a leak and they discovered it at the hospital based on a high white blood cell count and tachycardia (rapid heartbeat). It got fixed before I was discharged, but it did extend my stay by several days. (And it had no lasting impact on my success.)

Ummm.....no.

I have Aetna Choice POS II and it paid for everything connected to my bypass three years ago (aside from my annual deductible). They did require six months of a structured weight loss program. I had finished one six months earlier (a last-ditch effort to lose weight), and they counted it even though it wasn't right before surgery. I would also note that Aetna turned me down the first time and my surgeon had to call them directly before they finally approved me. Good luck. It's worth it, no matter how long it takes to get approved!

All of this! I had no idea what my goal weight should be, and my surgeon told me that I should just focus on the plan and not worry about a goal weight. However, I did set an arbitrary goal of 150 when I joined this forum, which is how much I weighed the last time I remember being happy with my weight (decades ago). Then I passed 150 and kept losing, so I lowered my goal to 140. I got all the way down to my high school weight (about 130). and I looked skeletal (which I don't remember being the case in high school). I gained back about 20 pounds over the first year of maintenance and have more or less held steady there for the past year. I definitely have to watch what I eat much more carefully now than I did a year or so ago, but I'm happy with where I am.

I was exactly the same and can definitely relate to your situation. I realized that it wasn't even because I was hungry, but because eating in certain situations had become a matter of habit for me. I'm not sure whether it will help you, but I've replaced it with drinking. (No, not martinis!). I never drank coffee in my life before surgery, but I have developed a new coffee obsession. When meeting friends, I now have a couple of cups with skim milk and artificial sweetener, and that satisfies me. I sometimes have hot tea, as well as sugar-free drinks from powder if I'm at home. (Plain water doesn't always cut it--I need some flavor.)

I simply can't drink unsweetened black coffee, and I found that artificial sweeteners made me quite nauseous for about six months after surgery. I now have 2-3 cups of coffee every morning with skim milk and two packets of Equal without any issue, but it did take me a while to get here.

I want to add that food and eating ruled my life before surgery. I would wake thinking about what I would eat, and food was constantly on my mind--when I would eat next, what I was craving, where I needed to go to buy the things I craved, etc. I definitely still think a lot about food now as well, which is of course necessary to maintain weight loss. However, I don't feel like my life revolves around food the way it did when I was fat. Quite the opposite: I now view food as fuel, not as reward, comfort or a treat.

Hi, Sue. I can relate to most of the things in your post. I was particularly shocked at how much older I looked after surgery with all of the loose skin on my face and neck. One thing struck me in your post, which is all the time and energy you spend ensuring that you eat the right things and focusing on your weight. I did that in the beginning of maintenance, but I've really lightened up and don't pay much attention to either at this point. By now I know instinctively what I can and can't eat and approximately portions, but I don't obsess about it. I eat more or less normally (but differently than before), don't weigh myself, and don't freak out if I gain a bit. I'm wondering whether you could try doing the same thing, perhaps with the help of a nutritionist and/or therapist.

As Greater Fool said, only you can make that decision. However, I can also say that it was the best decision I ever made as well and would do it again in a heartbeat. My beginning stats were very similar to yours. I am 5'8, weighed 250 pounds, had high BP, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and knee issues. After surgery, I no longer need medication for BP or cholesterol, my sleep apnea disappeared, and my knees are much less painful (though not perfect--too many years of supporting my fat body). You are right to be asking these questions. Do your research, talk to experts and others who have had surgery, and make your own decision.

I agree with you! However, I wanted to reassure those who do slip up during the pre-op liquid diet that it's not the end of the world and will probably not impact their surgery.

I'm particularly impressed by your weight loss during your second year! I'm not familiar with the Loop DS procedure, but in my case (gastric bypass), it became very difficult to lose weight after the first year and I had to start watching my food intake pretty carefully--so you are clearly doing something right. I had a 20-pound regain fairly quickly in maintenance (the beginning of the second year). However, I actually lost too much during the first year and needed to gain about 15 pounds so I didn't look so skeletal. (Sorry.) I have found maintenance pretty easy by sticking basically to a high-protein, low-carb, low-fat diet. If you are getting 100 grams of protein a day, that's great! You can definitely eat more that 1300 calories without gaining weight. However, it really can be terrifying after eating so little for so long. As someone mentioned, it really is trial and error. I'm able to eat some sugar, have an occasional glass of wine and high-carb treat without too much trouble. You are clearly very disciplined, and you know your own body better than anyone. You'll figure it out. Good luck!

Exactly right. You will lose weight whether you exercise or not. Personally, I did essentially no exercise at all for two years after surgery. I considered an exercise regimen as "Phase 2" of my overall health plan, which I started in year 3. I'm getting more toned and have more strength, but the impact on my weight even at this point is minimal.

I cheated with an entire pizza and a pint of Haagen Dazs (I'm not joking) and the surgery went forward without a problem.

Same. Once my team got approval from my insurance company, they said it was locked in and they no longer needed to communicate with them.

In the first few months after surgery, I had very frequent dreams that I was binging on all kinds of unhealthy, high-calorie food (usually sweets). In my dream, I knew that what I was doing was wrong but I continued eating--and then I felt guilty afterwards. I would wake up relieved that I hadn't actually cheated.

I was so panicked while I was being wheeled into the operating room that I burst into tears and literally considered jumping off the gurney. The reasons were basically the same as yours, in particular fear that I would never be able to eat normally again--and enjoying food together has always been an important part of our marriage. I also had tremendous regrets for the first couple of months when I could barely eat anything. Three years later I eat normally, have kept the weight off, and could not be happier that I had the surgery. As I've said many times before, my only regret now is that I didn't do it years earlier.

My surgeon and nutritionist said that I could drink right up until eating, which I have done consistently for the three years since surgery. It didn't seem to affect my weight loss at all. They also said that no drinking for thirty minutes after eating is for life, and I have followed that religiously. And yes, I do get extremely thirsty at times. It's a small price to pay to be at a normal weight.

My insurance company initially denied coverage for my RnY. I had my surgeon contact the company directly to explain why I needed the surgery and that did the trick. (Mine was not a revision, which might make a difference.)

If your spouse has never had weight issues, it's impossible for them to understand what it is like to live with morbid obesity, and they often think bariatric surgery is a rather extreme solution. Mine did, and it was a process of educating my spouse by attending all of my appointments, meetings, etc. together so they could finally grasp that I was literally trying to save my life and this was the only option after decades of yo-yo dieting. What you see as insensitivity from your spouse may just be a lack of understanding because he has no idea what it's like to live in your body. Perhaps you can educate him.

I'm three years out and still get nauseous occasionally, but I can trace it directly to overeating or eating the wrong foods. I'm definitely not nauseous all the time. I second the suggestion that you go to a bariatric surgeon, since your original doctor was not one. "Get your information from the internet" does not seem like sound medical advice to me.