Bariatricpal scared me shitless

[deedadumble 1,033]

I have fatty liver, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, PCOS, and BMI is 40...

You may not consider yourself morbidly obese, but you fit the medically accepted criteria for morbid obesity:

- More than 100 lbs. over your ideal body weight

- Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 40

- Have a BMI of over 35 and are experiencing severe negative health effects, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, related to being severely overweight

- Unable to achieve a healthy body weight for a sustained period of time, even through medically supervised dieting

[elpasovet 83]

You may not consider yourself morbidly obese, but you fit the medically accepted criteria for morbid obesity: - More than 100 lbs. over your ideal body weight - Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 40 - Have a BMI of over 35 and are experiencing severe negative health effects, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, related to being severely overweight - Unable to achieve a healthy body weight for a sustained period of time, even through medically supervised dieting

Okay I guess I fit that criteria then. That's probably how I got approved for the surgery lol

[elpasovet 83]

well then, you are probably right that the risks are too great. this surgery is for people who feel they have no other good options available to them to recover from obesity and the illnesses that come with that.

I appreciate you replying to my posts. I am not going to rush into any decision making. At first I was 100% sure. Then I started reading horror stories posted here and it scared me so I am going to take some time and make an educated decision when the time is right with my family and I. In the meantime I'm going to keep reading here ...with all you fine folks...

Yes I am overweight and have health issues but I want to make sure this is the right decision for my children as well....it may be that the surgeon they had me seeing doesn't do these surgeries a lot so I may try to find another surgeon who has more experience and then my anxiety wouldn't be such an issue.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

you def want a surgeon who is very experienced with the surgery. the more he/she does, the better. the more surgeries per year, the better the patient outcome. look for a center of excellence, with a doctor who does AT LEAST 100-200 a year. my surgeon probably does over 500 a year.

Edited August 26, 2014 by moonlitestarbrite

[Miss Mac 6,261]

Dearest elpasovet........Some night, when you are up thinking when you ought to be sleeping, go to http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/ and start reading the comments there. It is a long thread with over 660 responses so far, It will give you a good overview of why so many of us finally took the plunge and had weight loss surgery, and may put your concerns into perspective.

Also, I am one of the fortunate few who did not have overwhelming hair loss. I had very similar doctor instructions like everyone else, but the only thing I can think of that was radically different is that I found a 10,000 mg Biotin capsule at Walgreens, and I took two of them every day. That's 20,000 mg a day. Either it helped or was expensive pee. But I must say that I am now eight months out and only had minimal thinning - just a few strays around the house, no fistfuls or clumps in the drain.

I am so glad that you are holding off until you are convinced that surgery is what you really want. In the meantime, there are a few things you can do that will make a difference in your overall health and give you a head start on weight loss. These are the basic steps that most of us had to take in our clinically supervised diets:

Drink Water (or non-caloric) beverages until your eyeballs float - 80-100 ounces per day

Get your 8 hours of sleep

Eat dense Protein and plenty of it (60-80 grams a day)

At any meal, eat your Protein first, then non-starchy veggies, with one serving of fresh fruit per day. Like switch out cherry pie for fresh cherries changes like that.

bread, rice, noodles, potatoes, crackers, etc...are not your friends. The fewer carbohydrates the better. 50 grams of carbs is good, 30 is better.

Take a good multi-Vitamin.

If exercise is difficult or painful, then just do what you can, but do it every day.

I hope all of this has helped. Please continue to come here for outeach and support.

[buplee 556]

Oh and the hair falling out...

That is a temporary issue which comes from consistently taking in too little Protein. The hair grows back once you up your daily protein counts.

[elpasovet 83]

you def want a surgeon who is very experienced with the surgery. the more he/she does, the better. the more surgeries per year, the better the patient outcome. look for a center of excellence, with a doctor who does AT LEAST 100-200 a year. my surgeon probably does over 500 a year.

Yes see I wouldn't be so afraid with a surgeon like yours...that would make me feel at ease. This surgeon here only has been doing it since 2008 if I'm not mistaken....

[elpasovet 83]

Dearest elpasovet........Some night, when you are up thinking when you ought to be sleeping, go to http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/ and start reading the comments there. It is a long thread with over 660 responses so far, It will give you a good overview of why so many of us finally took the plunge and had weight loss surgery, and may put your concerns into perspective. Also, I am one of the fortunate few who did not have overwhelming hair loss. I had very similar doctor instructions like everyone else, but the only thing I can think of that was radically different is that I found a 10,000 mg Biotin capsule at Walgreens, and I took two of them every day. That's 20,000 mg a day. Either it helped or was expensive pee. But I must say that I am now eight months out and only had minimal thinning - just a few strays around the house, no fistfuls or clumps in the drain. I am so glad that you are holding off until you are convinced that surgery is what you really want. In the meantime, there are a few things you can do that will make a difference in your overall health and give you a head start on weight loss. These are the basic steps that most of us had to take in our clinically supervised diets: Drink Water (or non-caloric) beverages until your eyeballs float - 80-100 ounces per day Get your 8 hours of sleep Eat dense Protein and plenty of it (60-80 grams a day) At any meal, eat your Protein first, then non-starchy veggies, with one serving of fresh fruit per day. Like switch out cherry pie for fresh cherries changes like that. bread, rice, noodles, potatoes, crackers, etc...are not your friends. The fewer carbohydrates the better. 50 grams of carbs is good, 30 is better. Take a good multi-Vitamin. If exercise is difficult or painful, then just do what you can, but do it every day. I hope all of this has helped. Please continue to come here for outeach and support.

Thank you so much. Good tips. Any advice on the pain? Which is my other concern...

[beverlyfox 3]

I certainly worried myself sick about complications, but bravely went ahead! I'm 6 weeks out and doing great! Couldn't be happier! You can do this!

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

Yes see I wouldn't be so afraid with a surgeon like yours...that would make me feel at ease. This surgeon here only has been doing it since 2008 if I'm not mistaken....

6 years is a long time! how many sleeves a week does he/she do? ask them that.

[Jersrose43 837]

You know not every who seals surgery comes on this site. So some folks complain and vent and have complications. But there are many more who don't. And they all aren't actively posting here so you can't go by that.

I've had a wonderful experience. This site prepared me for the worst and I've had none of it.

Worst part is acid and some days are worse than others. But so what?!?!?! I am wearing a size 14 dress. I've lost 45 pounds in 3 months. I no longer have the need of an asthma inhaler multiple times a day and no more blood pressure pills.

[Blue Sky 89]

I was 100% sure about the gastric sleeve until I read some of the posts on this site. Now I'm scared shitless and I'm meeting with the surgeon in 3 days. Anyone else back out after reading some threads here???

Lol me too at first! I just had to process it all out and make the best decision for me. It's helpful to talk with patents of the doctor who is doing your procedure , also.

[elpasovet 83]

Thanks everyone...maybe I'm just a big baby. Or it could be that I had some plastic surgery done and had a really bad time with that. Also I've had 4 c sections and some of those were nightmares. Or maybe it's the fact that some of those bad experiences were at military hospitals and for my insurance to pay I have to have this done at a military medical center.

[rivergirl 12]

You're wise to do your research and wait until you're ready. I honestly went through the same thing pre-op, I stalked this site every night and had to stop after reading so many complaints about complications or pain. What I realized, though, is that a lot if those people are older and already in poor health. Not all, but a lot. I'm in my mid-30's, was healthy (other than PCOS and weight) and was completely comfortable with my surgeon. I had no idea what to expect, because I'd never had surgery before.

But, before surgery, they give you happy meds in the IV to help you stay calm. The worst part for me was the time right after the surgery where they had to keep dosing me up with zofran for the nausea. But in hindsight, that was only half an hour or so and I barely remember. Once I got up to the max dose, I was just fine. My pain wasn't much at all - I needed the pain meds, but as long as I stayed on top of it every 4 hours, it stayed below a "3". I walked to get rid of chest pressure which wasn't as much painful as annoying.

Post-op, I've had ZERO complications. Nothing. No complaints. I followed my surgeons diet progression carefully, I don't drink carbonated beverages ever and I stop when I get my full signal. This meant waiting 6 freaking months before I could have steak, but the 125# I've lost since November makes it all worth it.

[HappygoSusan 296]

Thanks everyone...maybe I'm just a big baby. Or it could be that I had some plastic surgery done and had a really bad time with that. Also I've had 4 c sections and some of those were nightmares. Or maybe it's the fact that some of those bad experiences were at military hospitals and for my insurance to pay I have to have this done at a military medical center.

Which MTF? I had mine done at Ft Carson, and had a very positive experience. The staff there is excellent and the follow up care is very extensive. I had no need for pain medication after they took me off the pump, post surgery and had an uneventful recovery. In fact, 18 months later, I had my Tummy Tuck there and can say the exact same thing about the experience. My only complaint post tummy tuck was that I couldn't pee after they removed the catheter, and they had to reinsert. That was not so much painful as it was uncomfortable. They simply drained my bladder, and per their prediction, I was able to pee on my own after that.

My stats:

SW 286

CW 161

BMI 21.8

I would do it all again

Best wishes as you make your decision as to what is best for you.