Do you have a 'last straw' story when you realized you had to have surgery? I realize it's kind of self-indulgent to dwell on on those TV drama moments, but hey, sometimes misery just loves company. What was your last straw?

Do you have a 'last straw' story when you realized you had to have surgery? I realize it's kind of self-indulgent to dwell on on those TV drama moments, but hey, sometimes misery just loves company. What was your last straw?

Sure do. I was just telling a couple of people this story the other day.

I was working at a hospital on midnights and we had a patient that was at least 800#. We didn't have a scale big enough to weigh her. She was in ICU, in a coma, and we had two hospital beds chained together to hold her.

She needed to be turned every two hours. It was a tiny hospital and a small staff on midnights. We simply didn't have enough people to turn her every two hours, we weren't strong enough so we had to call the fire dept every two hours and have them come and help us.

At one point she needed a procedure where a cath would be threaded through her groin artery. We couldn't even do that without the help of the fire dept. Called them again and they came out. One guy was on his knees pushing up on her gut fat and the other fire fighter was on the other side trying to hold her gut fat back so we could get to her groin. The guy on his knees was pushing up with everything he had, he was shaking and sweating trying to hold the fat up. Each time the fire dept is called the police come out with them. Two police officers were watching in horror, gagging and becoming ill at the scene they were watching.

I realized that really big lady started out at my weight at some point, I mean.. she wasn't born weighing 800#. That was my moment, that's when I realized that she never likely thought she would be laying in a bed at 800#+ while a fire department was holding her fat up and out of the way.

I knew GB wasn't for me but within a month of discovering the Lap Band, I had surgery.

I hit 308 2 years ago. I decided to give up alcohol and most carbs. I dropped to 282 before becoming banded. At 282 I was really struggling to lose any more weight. I was reading a book about God grace. In this book it said that if there is an area of your life you need help with you should reach out and seek help. From that point on I did that. I can truthfully say I don't even remember how I found my surgeon. Everything just fell into place. I went out of Network but because there wasn't a Bariatric Surgeon in my area they approved it. Julie

Wasabubble, that is quite a story. Thanks for the share. It makes me feel really good that I didn't let myself get that big and that I took steps to help myself. Julie

I was watching a TV show where they show surgerys and tell the story of why is the surgery happening and all that kind of stuff, there was this huge 40 year old male getting a hip replacement if i recall correctly and i though "i'm only 17 (was at that time) but within a couple years if i continue this way that could be me, it's time to do something for myself" and then went to my parents and told them i wanted a lap-ban to help me with my weight issues because i couldn't deal with them by myself, and they were 100% supportive

Good Luck, saludos! :clap2:

Do you have a 'last straw' story when you realized you had to have surgery? I realize it's kind of self-indulgent to dwell on on those TV drama moments, but hey, sometimes misery just loves company. What was your last straw?

My last straw comes about every weekend... I work in the ER weekend nights and without fail, every weekend, a woman comes in that just happens to be at least 200# over weight, is diabetic, and having chest pain and/or abdominal pain. Well, to rule out urinary track infections, we need a clean catch urine sample to culture. Ever try to get a clean catch from a woman that cannot wash between her legs? Have you ever smelled someone that cannot adequately wash under skin folds? Try straight cathing that woman! I have a very tollerable stomach, but that body yeast just does me in! And like a previous post, I thought, "my gosh, how in the world does someone get like this?" and then I took a good look at my self :help: These women were first 20#, then 45#, then 200#+ over weight... big ol' damn 1000watt lightbulb lit up!

DollyRose

My last straw comes about every weekend... I work in the ER weekend nights and without fail, every weekend, a woman comes in that just happens to be at least 200# over weight, is diabetic, and having chest pain and/or abdominal pain. Well, to rule out urinary track infections, we need a clean catch urine sample to culture. Ever try to get a clean catch from a woman that cannot wash between her legs? Have you ever smelled someone that cannot adequately wash under skin folds? Try straight cathing that woman! I have a very tollerable stomach, but that body yeast just does me in! And like a previous post, I thought, "my gosh, how in the world does someone get like this?" and then I took a good look at my self :help: These women were first 20#, then 45#, then 200#+ over weight... big ol' damn 1000watt lightbulb lit up!

DollyRose

I have a few different versions of "BubbleButt's Guide to Newbie Nursing" depending on my mood for the day. But one rule that is always in there is that we can live vicariously through our patients. We needn't experience everything first hand to understand the lesson. We *can* watch as others go through the motions of that experience, we can learn quite well from watching.

When it comes to 800#, any patient that cannot wash between their legs, stinky fungus in folds of fat... Yeah, I will NOT be experiencing this first hand. If it takes surgery, so be it. I'll call myself weak and unable to do it on my own and get any surgery necessary.

When it comes to 800#, any patient that cannot wash between their legs, stinky fungus in folds of fat... Yeah, I will NOT be experiencing this first hand. If it takes surgery, so be it. I'll call myself weak and unable to do it on my own and get any surgery necessary.

Unfortunately, many do not need to hit the 800# mark... and, insurance companies do not accept "call me weak" as an excuse and many, many doctors will not sign their name under "medically necessary." I think some of these pts just give up...

DollyRose

There are days that I think all of my excess weight is stuffed in my bra! I look at my profile and wonder how long it takes for my butt to enter a room after my boobs get there

I have been overweight my whole life. I dont even remember when i was in the 100# range. For the longest time I would tell myself that I can get this weight off. I would imagine me thin.... I was sick of not being able to walk long distances anymore, i was sick of being looked at in repulsion, I was sick of looking at me this way in a mirror. Sooooo,

Four years ago, I decided that the best way for me to lose this weight was having gastric bypass. A lot of my friends were having it done. Then my mother in law and her best friend had a tandom surgery. I watched them have complication after complication. My husbad said NO WAY are you having this surgery. I still went to the meetings, and had all my evaluations done. I still was going to take the chance just so I could lose this weight. It was when my GP doctor called my Bariatric surgeon and had a talk with her about my hip problems and the type of meds I will always be dependent on that they decided for me to have the lapband.

I never considered the lapband. I was told it is slow going and you dont lose as muchweight as someone who has the gastric bypass. Well, I have now lost 34lbs since March 29th <THE surgery my of day>and I could not be happier. I now know that I will make a difference in my life! I am happy that this decision was made for me instead of the gastric bypass.... Now my husband is considering doing the same thing!

I agree with you. I would have come up with the money somehow.

I agree with you. I would have come up with the money somehow.

You know, I belong to several different boards and this is the one I post on the most but I tend to read the other boards. One issue I see time and time again is who gets surgery.

The people that are always looking for someone else to pay for the surgery, they are calling every charity in town, they are calling food BANKS asking for monitary donations for banding, they are calling political types begging for changes in laws for freebie surgery... these are the people that don't get surgery.

The people that are bound and determined to find a way to earn the money for surgery are the folks getting bands.

I wasn't willing to do a six month medically supervised diet. No way am I waiting an additional six months. It's not going to happen. I paid for it myself so I didn't have to wait one more day than necessary.

The people that are always looking for someone else to pay for the surgery, they are calling every charity in town, they are calling food BANKS asking for monitary donations for banding, they are calling political types begging for changes in laws for freebie surgery... these are the people that don't get surgery.

The people that are bound and determined to find a way to earn the money for surgery are the folks getting bands.

How right you are! Those that help themselves are the successful people, those that depend on and demand help from others are usually the failures.

Oh how I wish I could get someone else to pay for this surgery! I am ready and willing to take money out of my retirement fund for this and just waiting for one last ditch effort to see if the lovely folks at Cigna will find it in their hearts to pay for at least some of this... and in a timely fashion. I have been overweight for 20+ years and have been on every healthy diet that has come down the pike, even tried phentermine for 4 months, any weight lost is now back... like 6 more months on yet another diet is going to make a dent!

DollyRose

It wasnt an epiphany or a lightbulb moment or anything dramatic.

I'd just spent 2 years or so convincing myself that yes I'd gained but I wasnt *that* fat. One morning after screaming at the kids, leaving the house a pigsty, fighting to get them in the car and then dropping them off at school only to sit in the car and cry becuase I was so stressed, I realised my life was totally out of control. I had no routine, no discipline, no structure and was just lurching from day to day. I realised that my weight was a big part of that and I vowed that day to do someting serious about it.

Life runs much more smoothly now. Being in control of my own body has spread to all the other parts of my life AND I'm much more energetic so I can keep up with it.

One day I saw my future in my mother's eyes. Although i was never 100 lbs overweight I became close and no diet kept the weight off. I saw them struggling to do normal things like fit in a car seat or walk up stairs and suddenly I was having the same problems. I knew if I did not act NOW it would only get worse and I would develop the co-morbisity problems they all had. I used savings for half and I borrowed half. 150 dollars a month was less than I spent on food. I also chose a dr with no hidden costs-pretty much everything is covered forever at 17000$. After trolling sites for months, I made the decision and had my surgery 6 days after my first appointment with the surgeon. The point is, no matter how much I love my family-I wanted a better future for myself and after feeling selfish for wanting the surgery and spending so much money, I came to the conclusion I was worth it.

Wow, great to see such responses - thank you for posting! I realized I didn't actually post my 'last straw,' (though I don't know that it could follow the ones posted now ).

First, I have a life of being fat, trying diets, paying for gyms and schemes behind me. Then I read some chick lit book with a fat heroine (a guilty pleasure) who eventually started working with a personal trainer and got in shape. I was so inspired, or perhaps, am so impressionable, that I decided that would be the answer: working one on one with someone to keep me accountable and to support me and watch every step of the way - and to get healthier, not just lose weight. And it was enough of a financial burden that I figured I wouldn't let myself waste it by not giving 100% effort.

At first I was great - one week I even worked out 5 times! I had my RMR tested and got hooked up to machines wearing a mask that measured my oxygen intake and output. I even spent a small fortune on a heart rate monitor and worked out exacting my pulse rate within the prescribed perameters, and lifted weights per instruction. But then I missed a few sessions due to illness and I didn't change my eating habits much because I didn't want to try to take too much on at once and set myself up for failure. I worked incredibly hard, just not at eating right. At the end of the eight weeks I had paid for, I had gained 8 pounds of fat (not muscle - we tested) and my trainer told me in no friendly terms that I must be eating pretty poorly to have gained weight despite the training.

A few things happened all at once: First, she went from being a supportive cheerleader to being condemning, condescending, callous and totally without compassion. Second, this made me realize that non-overweight people - health professionals included - truly do not understand overweight people at all. She took her job because exercise fascinates her - I only exercise because I will die if I don't. As far as she was concerned, she had done her bit, so my failure was due to my undedicated and slovenly behavior. Third, this made me realize that I was totally on my own, if even the personal trainer could turn against me and place blame so quickly, and that this was the most I could ever do, the hardest I could ever work, and I still failed. I hit the deepest rock bottom despair I had had since my clinical depression in high school, only this was due to genuine circumstance, not a biological accident.

I knew then that I was powerless to change without intervention, so I came home, looked up weight loss surgery, found the band, told my boyfriend, and haven't looked back since.

To be honest, I looked at my mom. I am heavier than she is already, but I don't have nearly the health conditions. I knew, though, that if I let myself continue like I was, I would end up just like her, only heavier. She has full blown diabetes, high cholesterol, and had to have both knees replaced. I already had insulin resistance and high cholesterol, so I knew it was just a matter of time. I knew that surgery was my only option. I've tried plain excerise and dieting in the past, but I always blow the diet because I eventually get so hungry that I sabotage myself. I just don't know when to quit eating.