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My doctor has me thinking!



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OK, here goes. Saw my Dr today nd she asked me if I had ever considered GBP...Honestly, I HAVE thought about it but never had a doctor come out and just ask me like that. Now, I am seriously considering it.

I am type 2 diabetic, 5 foot 7, 324 pounds as of today, and have severe sleep apnea. My doctor said that this surgery will help get rid of ALL of that along with eating right and some exercise. What I would give to sleep again on my couch or in any bed without having to lug around this stupid machine.

BUT, I'm wondering the pros and cons. Anyone wanna chime in and help me make this decision? Tell me the good and the bad. For better or worse. Will I regret this, or will it change my life for the better?

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I would see if your doctor knows of any WLS support groups that you can attend. That way, you'd get multiple viewpoints on the different types of WLS. You'll get much more information than the bit we can type in these response boxes.

But having said that, having the Vertical Sleeve was the best decision of my life. BUT I was at a point in my life when I was ready to change. I didn't have anyone suggest it to me. So the biggest thing, is, are you ready to change? Are you ready to commit to doing whatever it takes to alter your relationship with food and your lifestyle? Because that's what it takes to be a successful WLS patient.

WLS is major surgery, no matter how commonplace it seems on TV or coming from a doctor. It has risks associated with it, including death. So please be sure it's what you want to do and you are firmly committed to following the post-op diet and lifestyle changes that come along with it.

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I concur with Joatsaint. You have to be mentally ready or the surgery seems to come with hell for side effects. It is uncomfortable to eat off plan, but not impossible. I can still stuff myself - and depending on if it's one bite or five determines if I'm uncomfortably stretching out my sleeve or puking.

Regardless, you have to be in the right headspace to make it work, and to avoid being miserable with it.

I also dealt with more fatigue the first couple of weeks after surgery than I had before.

My clothes fit weird - loose skin in my stomach area keeps pants from fitting my rear end unless I want the belly skin hanging over the side (I don't)... so I wear a lot of dresses.

My cpap is gone, but there are people who still need it post surgery.

Comfort food is no longer comforting or comfortable.

I'd do it again tomorrow.

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I was completely against any kind of surgery and had discussed it with a therapist in the past.

What changed is that my new PCP suggested I at least learn some more and consider it.

He referred me to a surgeon and I started the process with the goal of learning as much as I could and then deciding.

I was surprised to learn how much had changed and how much progress had been made in techniques since I first heard about the surgery.

I started learning a lot beginning with the online intro seminar provided by my surgeon.

After speaking with the psychologist she recommended a book that had stories of people's WLS experiences good and bad.

Joining BariatricPal, reading, asking questions, and going through my surgeon's program really helped a lot. I also went back and contacted a few folks I knew who had had surgery to get their take.

It was a long process, but I was sleeved on April 20 and couldn't be happier. More importantly, the experience is nothing like I envisioned back when I first had that conversation with my PCP and before.

Keep reading, and keep asking questions.

Best of luck.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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