Thinking of getting the surgery and looking for encouragement

[Jamie R 3]

Hello Im new to this group and in the early stages and I am looking for encouragement because I am quite nervous. A little about myself is I’m 33 and always struggled with my weight but was an athlete and was a competitive softball pitcher and I always worked out growing up but love sweets and bread. Before I had my kids I joined zumba classes and lost quite a bit. After my 2 kids I let my food addiction take over and just struggled with my weight and was told by the doctor I need to lose 100lbs and weight loss surgery would be a good option because heart strokes and heart attacks run in my family and to change my lifestyle. I then joined Beachbody 3 weeks ago and been working out alot and changed my eatting completely. Im seeing results but in some way I feel like I need the extra help and to just maintain my new lifestyle. I have been able to control my food addiction for 3 weeks now but Im afraid it will eventually come back if I dont get the extra help but Im enjoying eatting loads veggies and Proteins mostly and Im not missing sweets and breads and sodas anymore. For those who had the surgery done how bad did it hurt, how long until you can workout again, what are some things I should know while Im making the decision to do this? I appreciate your support 😊

Edited September 28, 2020 by Jamie R

[Pandemonium 515]

Welcome aboard!

The fact that you've already started to make steps to lose weight and change your relationship with food is big and is one of the cornerstones of most surgical weight loss programs. I would recommend doing some research into what surgical programs there are in your area. Your profile says that you're in Hawaii, so maybe @tarotcardreader can give you some recommendations. Speaking with a weight loss program is always one of the first steps and they'll be able to talk with you about what your goals are and give you their best recommendations for how to achieve them.

As for your questions, pain levels vary greatly from individual to individual. There will always be some pain, but there are a lot of factors involved in how little or great that pain ends up being. I had VSG surgery (revision from Lapband) 3 months ago and found that I was able to control my pain with liquid Tylenol. Considering I needed to use Oxy when I had my Lapband done in 2011, I wasvery surprised. Most of my pain and discomfort came from changing position from sitting to standing and sneezing (oh god, sneezes were the worst).

Working out, it all depends on what kind of exercises you do. Your doctor will recommend walking as soon as possible after surgery as it helps the healing process and also helps to work out the gases that are pumped into the abdomen after surgery. You are not supposed to do any heavy lifting for at least 6-8 weeks (programs tend to vary, but the minimum always seems to be 6 weeks). This insures that your insides and incisions are completely healed up and you won't risk of accidentally opening something up. Aerobic exercises will be easier to accomplish and encouraged sooner after surgery, but it's important to listen to your body first and foremost.

The most important piece of information I can offer while you explore the possibility of WLS is to always be aware that WLS is only a tool. It is not a magic pill. It will not fix everything for you. It won't fix everything overnight. Success requires that you put in the work to make proper use of that tool. It requires completely adjusting your relationship with food. WLS does make it somewhat easier to change that relationship, but it still requires a lot of work. A good surgical weight loss program will help you with this with education and support, but they will still expect that you participate and make the changes needed for WLS to be successful. It's a lifelong change and journey, but it is one that can greatly improve your quality of life.

Congratulations on taking the first step to even consider WLS as an option and I hope that you'll find a great program near you if you do pursue surgery!

[catwoman7 11,280]

the first thing to know is that surgery won't cure food addictions. A lot of us see therapists for that so we won't sabotage our weight loss results, because you CAN eat around any surgery and gain all/most of your weight back. You will have to monitor yourself for the rest of your life.

secondly - pain is all across the board, but most people seem to have little to no pain with these surgeries.

third - you can walk as soon as you get home from the hospital (in fact, they'll have you up and walking while you're still IN the hospital). I was cleared to do everything except for weights at four weeks out. I think I had to wait eight weeks to do weights again.

I hope I don't sounds like Negative Nelly because honestly, having surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but there are definitely things to consider. Spend some time on this site and others - I probably spent a year reading everything I could get my hands on before I decided to take the plunge.

[The Greater Fool 2,071]

Welcome to the forums.

WLS Research: Continue your research on WLS surgeries. Read journals. You might consider participating on message boards like https://www.bariatricpal.com/. Pay attention to the different WLS types. Different folks have had different surgeries for different reasons with different success and failures.

The BIG Decision: The decision to get WLS is a big one. Having our plumbing rearranged is the very definition of 'drastic.' It's a 'last resort' for some folks. For others its recognized as the solution right away. Some realize that WLS is not for them. Many of us question our choice several times.

It seems like you've been successful with diet and exercise only to have it fail for one reason or another.

WLS may help.

Pain: My RNY was done 'open' meaning the Doc made a big incision and got a good view of my innards. They took out most of my Gaul bladder, fixed a hernia. I had a magic button that helped make the pain go away.

With those new fangled laparoscopic surgeries the pain thing is quite different. But, it is still there. It's not fun. BUT, it's also only a week or so. One thing I always say to myself when I have to deal with something unpleasant: "It's only a day. I can do anything for a day." I always use day. You know, one day at a time.

Future: As you learn more about WLS and start asking questions we will learn more about you and your specific issues. Then we will be able to share our experiences and help you understand how WLS may or may not help.

The future is where all the cool stuff happens.

Good luck

Tek

[ChubRub 1,709]

WLS was the best thing I ever did for myself!!

My suggestion is to go have a consult with a surgeon NOW. Depending on your insurance, there may be a 3-6 month waiting period where you will have monthly visits with a dietitian. Since you have already committed to being healthier, might as well start tack that on to your waiting period. The best news I received at my initial consult was that I was allowed to lose as much weight as I could before the surgery, as insurance only goes by the first weigh in, and doesn't hold it against you if you lose weight. Again, since you are already working on being healthy, this is good news for you as well!

Best of luck to you!!

[Jamie R 3]

Thank you everyone for your response I truly appreciate it! I went to the seminar and did my labs and now going to see the surgeon and nutritionist on Monday next week. Ive lost 17 lbs on my own so far but Im moving to Japan soon and need to do it before I leave or Ill have to wait till we move back to the mainland. Its a hard decision but I gotta make it soon. Ive been using Myfitness pal app and going to be using Shakeology and been staying under 1800 calories a day. I weigh 281 now and still wanting this lifestyle change

Edited September 29, 2020 by Jamie R

[tarotcardreader 196]

8 hours ago, Jamie R said:

Thank you everyone for your response I truly appreciate it! I went to the seminar and did my labs and now going to see the surgeon and nutritionist on Monday next week. Ive lost 17 lbs on my own so far but Im moving to Japan soon and need to do it before I leave or Ill have to wait till we move back to the mainland. Its a hard decision but I gotta make it soon. Ive been using Myfitness pal app and going to be using Shakeology and been staying under 1800 calories a day. I weigh 281 now and still wanting this lifestyle change

Where are you getting it done at? I did pali momi. I hear fowler has alot of xp but I chose Ver. It can be a bit tricky with planning travel if you have a complication. Make sure to give some extra time in case an incision pops back open.

With incisions they can extend recovery. While i also have beach body im not approved for the hit cardio yet and im post op 1 month. Probably can start closer to six weeks if you heal normally and arent with any wonky complications. You could probably do watp until then. I pretty much just ask my surgeon directly because with ver she tailors it to your specific body and how its doing. You may have better skin that just heals right up but i have baby skin

theres a nice support group for it where you can ask questions even preop and talk to others in different stages right now its via telehealth. See if your surgeon has something like that real people that have been there

I’ll be doing vegas for 3 months in January but japan if you have a complication there’d be that big quarantine confusion when you fly back forth. Maybe vaccine will be out before then to make things less complicated

Good luck with your decision 🦄its an interesting journey where you end up learning alot about yourself