Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the huge amount of people that "regret" this surgery?

I mean extreme regret? Not just the first couple of days of "**** this hurts what did I do" kind of stuff..

What gives? Why?

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the huge amount of people that "regret" this surgery?

I mean extreme regret? Not just the first couple of days of "**** this hurts what did I do" kind of stuff..

What gives? Why?

Really? I guess I need to cruise the boards because I seem to have missed this.

Sometimes when my surgeon talked what I heard was... Blah...blah...blah..YOUR APPROVED.. blah... blah...blah...SURGEY DATE blah.. Blah..

We must have had the same surgeon! Blah, blah blah.......What a tool!

I am 11 days post-op and don't have any regrets. But I woke up last night and was like OMG!!! I'm missing more than 70% of my stomach what the hell did I do!!! I have gotten my diabetes under control and am not taking any other meds at this point. I just wish I would've done it sooner. The only thing I'm hoping is that I will be a good loser - not fast not slow - just lose :-)

Sometimes I read these posts and think "maybe I'm taking this too seriously" because I'm literally planning for the worst: life insurance, final will, making plans for my family if I die or put out of commission for a few months, etc

Ack, goodness, how have I not thought to make sure my will was up to date. The life insurance and family matters (care of my son) are already set in stone but I didn't even think about the will or power of attorney or those types of decisions. I have researched the living crap out of this surgery and you are literally the first person who has ever mentioned this. It really needs to be said more often!

With very health problem, there are a,ways people who don't understand the problem or the treatment. They do what the doctor says unless they don't fee like it. Believe me, I am diabetic and I have seen it in the diabetes forums. People who just won't give up soda even if it sends them to the hospital. Or people who never actually learn what the disease really is or how it works because its too complicated. Start talking about grams of protein or carbs and their eyes glaze over. People jump on the next ad diet or fad surgery or start taking the fad supplement without understanding the first thing about it.

Then there are the folks like me. The information hoarders. I read 8 different books about the VSG, scoured the Internet, read every sticky here, read every paper I could get access to online, searched YouTube, talked to friends who are doctors and nurses. And not just with the sleeve. This is how I approach every problem in my life. Before this surgery I had researched so many ways of eating and tried the ones with science behind them. When I was diagnosed with diabetes and with PCOS I became an expert in each of them. When I was undergoing fertility treatment I researched it in detail. When I found out I needed a hysterectomy I watched one performed on YouTube and I found out all the different ways it could be done and went to my doctor with specific requests.

I think the people who have regrets had a knowledge gap. Maybe they thought they went in fully prepared but they must have missed something. I know my mother's and grandmother's generation trust the doctor without questioning, because the doctor is an authority figure. I certainly don't implicitly trust doctors. I question them all the time. So maybe that is part of it too.

Edit: a couple more points. First, it is obvious why people with complications would have regrets, especially complications worse than their weight-related problems are.

The second point is that I see people asking questions sometimes that make it clear they don't know what they are in for. I'm talking about things like:

- I'm one week post-op and my doctor says liquids only. Can I have bread yet?

- I'm 6 days post op. can I get wasted on vodka yet?

- I don't really have to exercise do I?

- why am I hungry? I thought they cut the hunger out of my stomach!

- I can only hold down crystal light and haven't had anything else for three days! What should I do? (Obvious answer- ask your doctor, not an Internet forum)

I'm sorry if this seems like ranting but it makes me scared for those people.

With very health problem' date=' there are a,ways people who don't understand the problem or the treatment. They do what the doctor says unless they don't fee like it. Believe me, I am diabetic and I have seen it in the diabetes forums. People who just won't give up soda even if it sends them to the hospital. Or people who never actually learn what the disease really is or how it works because its too complicated. Start talking about grams of protein or carbs and their eyes glaze over. People jump on the next ad diet or fad surgery or start taking the fad supplement without understanding the first thing about it.

Then there are the folks like me. The information hoarders. I read 8 different books about the VSG, scoured the Internet, read every sticky here, read every paper I could get access to online, searched YouTube, talked to friends who are doctors and nurses. And not just with the sleeve. This is how I approach every problem in my life. Before this surgery I had researched so many ways of eating and tried the ones with science behind them. When I was diagnosed with diabetes and with PCOS I became an expert in each of them. When I was undergoing fertility treatment I researched it in detail. When I found out I needed a hysterectomy I watched one performed on YouTube and I found out all the different ways it could be done and went to my doctor with specific requests.

I think the people who have regrets had a knowledge gap. Maybe they thought they went in fully prepared but they must have missed something. I know my mother's and grandmother's generation trust the doctor without questioning, because the doctor is an authority figure. I certainly don't implicitly trust doctors. I question them all the time. So maybe that is part of it too.

Edit: a couple more points. First, it is obvious why people with complications would have regrets, especially complications worse than their weight-related problems are.

The second point is that I see people asking questions sometimes that make it clear they don't know what they are in for. I'm talking about things like:

- I'm one week post-op and my doctor says liquids only. Can I have bread yet?

- I'm 6 days post op. can I get wasted on vodka yet?

- I don't really have to exercise do I?

- why am I hungry? I thought they cut the hunger out of my stomach!

- I can only hold down crystal light and haven't had anything else for three days! What should I do? (Obvious answer- ask your doctor, not an Internet forum)

I'm sorry if this seems like ranting but it makes me scared for those people.[/quote']

Well said. Your post sounds like you have been reading my mind. I have said similar things in various post and also watched the procedure performed by several surgeons. I then went to my doctor to discuss bougie size, success rates, etc. it is important to go into this surgery eyes wide open and with all the info you need about your new life pre and post-op. My wife was a researcher and use that to prepare herself for "our"surgery and journey. I have also had several surgeries and researched each and everyone and then questioned my doctor about the procedures each time. Good luck to you.

Sent from my iPad using VST

The problem is that different doctors say different things. People also have different hormonal reactions after surgery that no one talks about. Doctors do say that you will not feel ANY hunger, and "research" can leave you more confused than before. Also, some docs let people have puréed or soft foods on day 1!

Just because you did research and don't regret the surgery does not mean that those that regret it are just stupid or didn't read into it. I don't know how I feel about the surgery 7 weeks out. Some of the things the doctor told me just weren't true. I'm doing exactly what she said and haven't lost weight at the rate she promised. I did not have any co-morbidities, so sometimes I wonder if I could have done the same on my own. I also have small children, and the lack of energy makes me feel like a bad mom.

And yes, I did TONS of research. I've worked as a researcher, and I'm about to start my counseling internship, so all I DO is research. But it's almost like marriage, you don't know what it's really like until you're in it. You can't research how it will "feel". And some of you are a LOT older. Facing 30-40 more years or life with a reduced stomach, and having been unhealthy for SO long might feel different from facing 70 years with a reduced stomach after 5-15 years of being an overweight adult.

And some of you are a LOT older. Facing 30-40 more years or life with a reduced stomach' date=' and having been unhealthy for SO long might feel different from facing 70 years with a reduced stomach after 5-15 years of being an overweight adult.[/quote']

Lmao....I mean....I'm 33, but the people that seem suicidal are in their 20s. I feel their pain

Best thing I've ever done :-)

I'm 26 and I have to say losing over 92 pounds in six months has changed my life!! I'm in love with my sleeve its really helped me a lot :-)

I understand that it can be hard for some but I come into this fully prepared for worst case scenario in terms of complications, difficulties and understood what I was in for. I still struggle with my anxiety and depression and ill admit I've had more time off work in the last six months than ever before but I'm focusing on my health and me for the first time ever and I deserve to be happy and choose my life!!

:-)

Lmao....I mean....I'm 33' date=' but the people that seem suicidal are in their 20s. I feel their pain [/quote']

Hehe.. I'm 47 in a couple of weeks so I guess that would make me a LOT older!

But your right I had nothing to lose at this point,

I was morbidly obese and had high blood pressure meds..

I think that doctors should be more up front about the realities of this surgery...

But I wonder if its because they will say anything for the buck or that they really don't have first hand knowledge of it.. I mean unless they've gone through the procedure and life after what do they really know about the emotional side and living in an altered body?

With very health problem, there are a,ways people who don't understand the problem or the treatment. They do what the doctor says unless they don't fee like it. Believe me, I am diabetic and I have seen it in the diabetes forums. People who just won't give up soda even if it sends them to the hospital. Or people who never actually learn what the disease really is or how it works because its too complicated. Start talking about grams of protein or carbs and their eyes glaze over. People jump on the next ad diet or fad surgery or start taking the fad supplement without understanding the first thing about it.

Then there are the folks like me. The information hoarders. I read 8 different books about the VSG, scoured the Internet, read every sticky here, read every paper I could get access to online, searched YouTube, talked to friends who are doctors and nurses. And not just with the sleeve. This is how I approach every problem in my life. Before this surgery I had researched so many ways of eating and tried the ones with science behind them. When I was diagnosed with diabetes and with PCOS I became an expert in each of them. When I was undergoing fertility treatment I researched it in detail. When I found out I needed a hysterectomy I watched one performed on YouTube and I found out all the different ways it could be done and went to my doctor with specific requests.

I think the people who have regrets had a knowledge gap. Maybe they thought they went in fully prepared but they must have missed something. I know my mother's and grandmother's generation trust the doctor without questioning, because the doctor is an authority figure. I certainly don't implicitly trust doctors. I question them all the time. So maybe that is part of it too.

Edit: a couple more points. First, it is obvious why people with complications would have regrets, especially complications worse than their weight-related problems are.

The second point is that I see people asking questions sometimes that make it clear they don't know what they are in for. I'm talking about things like:

- I'm one week post-op and my doctor says liquids only. Can I have bread yet?

- I'm 6 days post op. can I get wasted on vodka yet?

- I don't really have to exercise do I?

- why am I hungry? I thought they cut the hunger out of my stomach!

- I can only hold down crystal light and haven't had anything else for three days! What should I do? (Obvious answer- ask your doctor, not an Internet forum)

I'm sorry if this seems like ranting but it makes me scared for those people.

I agree, it's crazy to see some of the questions that get posted! It would seem like people don't have any post-op care or post-op information at all...

Hehe.. I'm 47 in a couple of weeks so I guess that would make me a LOT older!

But your right I had nothing to lose at this point' date='

I was morbidly obese and had high blood pressure meds..

I think that doctors should be more up front about the realities of this surgery...

But I wonder if its because they will say anything for the buck or that they really don't have first hand knowledge of it.. I mean unless they've gone through the procedure and life after what do they really know about the emotional side and living in an altered body?

[/quote']

I TOTALLY agree about the doctors!!! It's crazy! There were questions that I asked specifically and I feel like they were a bit misleading in that informational meeting! It's more like an informercial, smh.

An example of the business aspect...

American's insatiable thirst for fast fixes and fast food has bred a multi-billion dollar weight loss industry. Fad diets, weight loss supplements, DVDs, and diet pills were only the beginning. Now, people are opting for elective surgery to lose weight fast. In recent years, ads for the "Lap Band" have sprung up all over the place, promising instant weight loss with zero work. The Lap Band procedure(advertised through 1-800-GET-THIN) is actually a serious surgical operation in which a ring is implanted inside the patient's gut to discourage eating. But while the company's ads show their selective clientele jumping for joy after having lost hundreds of pounds, Congress is not as thrilled. On Tues January 24, Rep. Henry Waxman and 2 other house members sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging that Congress investigate 1-800-GET-THIN and Allergan Inc., the manufacturer of the Lap Band.

The second point is that I see people asking questions sometimes that make it clear they don't know what they are in for. I'm talking about things like:

- I'm one week post-op and my doctor says liquids only. Can I have bread yet?

- I'm 6 days post op. can I get wasted on vodka yet?

- I don't really have to exercise do I?

- why am I hungry? I thought they cut the hunger out of my stomach!

- I can only hold down crystal light and haven't had anything else for three days! What should I do? (Obvious answer- ask your doctor, not an Internet forum)

I'm sorry if this seems like ranting but it makes me scared for those people.

I'm an info hoarder too -- I waited MANY years to pursue WLS until the VSG "clicked" as The One for me. So I'm also a researcher and did a lot of background studying for a long time. That said, the answers to the questions you posted above are NOT obvious and are not the same for all people, surgeons, countries.

- I'm one week post-op and my doctor says liquids only. Can I have bread yet?

The answer to that in my case would have been..."liquids only"?? There is no such thing. Of course you should eat bread!

- I'm 6 days post op. can I get wasted on vodka yet?

Alcohol wasn't expressly forbidden at all, though it was suggested to keep it a minimum for the first six months. But yeah, vodka in quantity on day six should be a fairly obvious NO. LOL.

- I don't really have to exercise do I?

No, you don't. Not at all. It's a good idea and good for your health -- but not required for weight loss.

- why am I hungry? I thought they cut the hunger out of my stomach!

I never lost my hunger either, despite being aware of the ghrelin gland thing. So I get why people ask about this one. There are enough people uninterested in food entirely, that when you're still hungry, you feel like u r doin it rong...

- I can only hold down crystal light and haven't had anything else for three days! What should I do? (Obvious answer- ask your doctor, not an Internet forum)

LOL. Agree. But it doesn't hurt to also ask the internet forum cos you will never find a critical mass of your people in real life as you will here!!

:-)