I have hit a snag with financing my VSG surgery and I’m now rethinking the surgery as well. My nurse for my endoscopy the other day told me not to do it! She said the lifelong vitamin deficiencies, potential for bowel obstructions, gallbladder issues, brittle bones, etc. were all things she’s seen in her Bariatric patients long term. She didn’t say it in a bad way and I did ask her to be honest but once she realized she was discouraging me she felt bad. She told me that since I have no other comorbidities to just try losing it on my own again one more time and do it for a full year at 100% effort especially because I’m young (26). I am seriously on the fence especially now that my loan didn’t go through. I know so many people are happy with it and we hear from these people all the time saying the only thing they regret is not getting it done sooner, but does anyone wish they had given it one last go before surgery? Especially those who are otherwise relatively healthy. I don’t even have high cholesterol, sugars, or blood pressure! My bp is always around 125/83, sometimes a little bit higher but not by a huge amount. I hope people do not think I am attacking their choices or their way of life because VSG and the Bariatric community is something I have been researching for a long time and I’ve found lots of great info here, but this is a huge, major, life changing decision and it’s best to get everyone’s opinion and to be very thorough! I have had one friend who’s best friend was put in a coma, and another who had lost her life due to a bowel obstruction post WLS. I am terrible at even taking my birth control pills, so I just don’t want to set myself up for failure 5 years down the road if I’m too absent minded to take my vitamins. Any advice would be helpful. I lost about 48lbs in 5 months on phentermine but would not do it again due to heart issues it caused.

A nurse shouldn't be passing on their personal opinion based on things they have seen, they have no idea of the patients' personal / medical history, they have no idea how compliant the person has or hasn't been post op. They Non-compliance could well have caused some of the issues they have supposedly seen. Talk to your doctor/surgeon about the concerns that she has caused you to have.

You have obviously considered WLS because you are overweight and its usually not a first choice for weight loss, so I would say you have tried and failed at various weight loss methods. What will you do to lose weight if not WLS?

I am sorry to hear about your friend, but was it confirmed that five years after WLS, that WLS causes the bowel obstruction.

At the end of the day, you have to do what is right for you and what you feel safe with, but you should research further with other medical staff - your doctor, bariatric surgeons etc.

Her telling you not to do it sounds pretty unprofessional to me. I wonder how many other people she has put off having surgery.

The operation isn't without danger, true enough. But being overweight isn't without danger either, maybe not now but certainly in the long run. It is a choice you have to make, and if you are anything like me, I read the whole internet, a couple of books, and asked so many people about it, both pro's and anti's. A tough choice you need to make. But...

Keep in mind that she is only talking about the people where it failed or went sideways. How many people (knowingly or unknowingly) has she met where a WLS was a success? It is always more dramatic to talk about people where it failed, sad as it is, then to talk about the succes stories.

Wishing you all the wisdom to come to your choice!

As a nurse, I would never talk to my patient this way. Hoping you’re able to find the information you need to make the best choice for you. I don’t regret my sleeve one bit.

If she was an endoscopy nurse, she is seeing patients with problems. It isn't a routine test. What about all the WLS patients without those issues? I am a sleeve baby, only one month out, but even at this early and difficult stage I am very happy with my decision, and I wish I hadn't spent my youth obese. Obesity does a lot of damage to your body too. Yes, people do it on their own, and some keep it off on their own, but statistically, WLS is WAY more effective. As for the vitamins and such, get an app and set alarms. I am super forgetful but that allows me to manage. Good luck, whatever you choose.

I think the biggest question to ask yourself isn't, can I loose all of the weight on my own but do I have physiological barriers that prevent me from being healthy. The biggest thing that WLS does for you is change the way you think about food. If (like most of us here) you are a food addict, you will need something drastic like WLS to keep you on track for the rest of your life. The sleeve is a good first step because it doesn't have the same malabsorption levels as the bypass. As a matter of fact, you might consider in the future changing to a more restrictive operation because you are not as successful with maintaining weight loss as you would like to be. Lots to think about. Continue to do your research and good luck!

14 hours ago, MSG0310 said:

I don’t even have high cholesterol, sugars, or blood pressure! My bp is always around 125/83, sometimes a little bit higher but not by a huge amount

14 hours ago, MSG0310 said:

I am terrible at even taking my birth control pills, so I just don’t want to set myself up for failure 5 years down the road if I’m too absent minded to take my Vitamins.

14 hours ago, MSG0310 said:

I’m young (26).

There is no need to rush into WLS. Look at the facts as you've stated them 1- you're young (26) 2- you don't have co morbidities and 3- you readily admit that you are terrible with taking medications. After WLS you will NEED to take vitamins for the rest of your life. I actually think the nurse did you a service by giving you another perspective on WLS. Now that your financing has fallen through I think you have no other choice but to try reducing on your own. Now, the hard part, how to do it and how to maintain the weight loss. You didn't give us your weight, and how much you want to lose. So, it would be disingenuous for anyone to give you advice on a specific diet. Here is what I've learned in the past two years.

Diets are very difficult to maintain over a long period of time. That is why it's best to make life style choices. For some that is easier said than done because some like me have propensities to overeat and to do it compulsively. We need to seek help in order to help us understand this compulsion to over eat. For me, this is a concerted "team" effort with exercise, a nutritionist, therapist and attending Over Eaters Anonymous (OA). I admit for me it's easier after WLS because of my restriction but there are others who attend OA who have not had WLS and found success. Try as many avenues as you can to get the "team" you need together in order to assist with your weight loss and maintenance. If you don't get the results that you were looking for then WLS might be the answer for you. I don't think it's the answer just yet. It's difficult to lose and maintain the a weight loss and I wish you only the best and hope for your success.

Yes of course you can lose the weight... but can you keep it off?? She should not have told you that... she knew exactly what she was doing... smh. You'll be back in a year or 2 starting this journey over, wishing you had never listened to her.

And your body may have broke down more, yeah you do still have youth on your side but even young people can have problems. I started seeking my surgery,over 3 years before I received it, wish mine had gone quickly and I got my surgery,in 2015 or early 2016, but when I finally got it, I am a better person for it, but having trouble recovering, hard to keep ducks in a row when they have minds of their own and want to wander! But slow and steady,and,I'll make it,to the finish line. But never will I regret my surgery except I regret staying,obese through so much of my life.

I did not have any other obesity issues except being overweight and I am 42. I have a bad family history of diabetes and that alone made me make the decision to do gastric bypass. I also had to pay for my surgery as it was not covered. I have tried every diet under the sun and workout regularly and still couldnt get the weight off. Just be honest with yourself and realistic as to if you really think you can make the life change necessary to keep the weight off. I could keep it off for yrs and then when anything drastic happened in my life that got me off track I would gain it back and have a hard time getting it off again. Its not always as simple as eating bad things for me it was not measuring my foods or being to busy to plan ahead that had me gaining. I am just 2 wks post op now and so happy I did the surgery. I went into it on the healthy side and had no complications and an easier recovery because of it. I am down 19.6lbs since surgery. With all this being said the healthier you go into surgery it should he an easier recover.