Sleeve surgery is April 12, 2023, Input please!

[CountryGardens 2]

My sleeve surgery is scheduled for April 12, 2023. I am 5’6, 400 pounds., 60 years old. My mother and grandmother were both obese. At 16 I was 116 pounds, with undiagnosed PCOS. I had uterine cancer at 39, and had a hysterectomy. No hormone replacement as they felt it was a hormone based cancer. At 55 had a swollen thyroid removed. Each time, my weight increased. Three years ago, I had a spinal injury, which led to back fusion surgery, which caused nerve damage, and a right dropfoot. I have to use a rolling walker or cane to walk, and my back surgeon says I can’t lift more than ten pounds. I know I need this sleeve surgery, and I want to live and get healthy. But I am still nervous about doing this to my body. My surgeon says sleeve now, perhaps a revision to bypass after I have lost weight if necessary. I have five hernias which I had surgery to repair, which is why I believe he wants the sleeve first. I wonder if the potential of two surgeries is too much at my age, or just a bypass and be done with it. And I am worried about my inability to walk and exercise due to my disability. In my head I think, maybe if I just cut back on food, drink two or three Protein Drinks a day I will lose weight without surgery. After all, that seems to be what they want us to DO AFTER surgery! Any advice or sharing your journey would be so appreciated! Thank you!

[TRAVELRN 73]

58 minutes ago, CountryGardens said:

My sleeve surgery is scheduled for April 12, 2023. I am 5’6, 400 pounds., 60 years old. My mother and grandmother were both obese. At 16 I was 116 pounds, with undiagnosed PCOS. I had uterine cancer at 39, and had a hysterectomy. No hormone replacement as they felt it was a hormone based cancer. At 55 had a swollen thyroid removed. Each time, my weight increased. Three years ago, I had a spinal injury, which led to back fusion surgery, which caused nerve damage, and a right dropfoot. I have to use a rolling walker or cane to walk, and my back surgeon says I can’t lift more than ten pounds. I know I need this sleeve surgery, and I want to live and get healthy. But I am still nervous about doing this to my body. My surgeon says sleeve now, perhaps a revision to bypass after I have lost weight if necessary. I have five hernias which I had surgery to repair, which is why I believe he wants the sleeve first. I wonder if the potential of two surgeries is too much at my age, or just a bypass and be done with it. And I am worried about my inability to walk and exercise due to my disability. In my head I think, maybe if I just cut back on food, drink two or three Protein Drinks a day I will lose weight without surgery. After all, that seems to be what they want us to DO AFTER surgery! Any advice or sharing your journey would be so appreciated! Thank you!

First CONGRATULATIONS for taking the first step towards a healthier you! I would follow the surgeons advice. That being having a lot of hernia surgeries equals quite a bit of scar tissue and having the bypass is more involved. You may only need the sleeve. Take a breath and take it one thing at a time.

I used to think I can diet and let me tell you I did them all. You name it I spent money on it and then some. This for me was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am a year post op, I eat like I have always wanted to eat to lose weight. That being said its not a fix all. You can't have the surgery and go back to eating the way you have. Its a journey and one that requires you to be honest and open with YOURSELF.

From now till your surgery I suggest keeping a food diary. Just write down what you eat, the time of day, the feelings you were having (anger, anxiety, depression...etc) and don't think too much about what you write in it but be honest and open. Only you will see it. You will see your habits, your patterns and what led you to be 400 lbs. PCOS is one thing but not the sole reason and I think that you know this. Be honest. You won't regret it. You will be happier for it. Be kind to yourself. ❤️

[catwoman7 11,285]

I don't think the inability to exercise is going to significantly affect your ability to lose weight. Yes, it does help - but weight loss is about 90% due to eating less and 10% exercise. I know of several people who rarely if ever exercised and they still lost a lot of weight with the surgery.

secondly, I've had three surgeries since I turned 60 (although my RNY I had in my late 50s), and I was fine - but then, I don't have any major health issues, so that might make a difference. Your doctors can probably tell you if it's safe to have additional surgeries or not.

as far as losing weight and keeping it off on your own, only about 5% of people are able to do that. Unfortunately, I was not one of the 5%. I lost and then gained back all the weight I'd lost about a billion times - again and again and again - decade after decade after decade. The only thing that worked for me was having weight loss surgery. I can't speak for you, of course, but that's been my experience.

[Jeanniebug 476]

Before surgery, I tried every diet in the book. And, frankly, I suggest everyone else do the same.

This surgery is going to change your life. It isn't without risk. This is a drastic step and there are no take-backs.

There are a lot of lifestyle changes that you will have to go through, post surgery. It's far from easy.

If you think that you can lose the weight without surgery, I highly recommend that you do that. I failed every diet that I tried. Surgery was my last resort.

[tx2az 54]

I was sleeved on 9-1-22, one week away from turning 71. I had hernia repair at the same time. I have lost over 50 pounds and have about 20-25 more pounds to lose. I, too, said to myself "I can just follow the plan, etc and I won't need surgery." Then!!! I asked myself "How did that turn out for ya?" LOL I had not been successful in losing and keeping that same 50-70 pounds off in the past. I knew I needed another tool to be successful, otherwise I would be doing the same old thing over and over again. I did not want or need to spend the rest of my life living like that.

For me surgery was the best decision I could have possibly made and it is a worthwhile journey. Best wishes to you!

[Arabesque 7,623]

I think many people here would put their hand up & say they too wondered if they really needed surgery & couldn’t just do it themselves. So you’re not alone in that thinking.

However, I think all of us would say we tried dieting ourselves (or with clubs, dieticians, weight loss companies) in the past with all the best intentions many, many times, yet we all found ourselves obese.

Yes, you are asked to follow a liquid shake diet post surgery but it is usually only for 2 weeks, then you usually progress to purées, soft foods then solid food. It is in place solely to support your healing of your tummy. Think of the sutures & staples holding your tummy together - you don’t want to stress or strain them with coarse or dense foods. After that the diet you will be placed on encourages healthy eating of nutrient dense foods. It encourages you to consider the nutritional value of what you eat, to work at breaking cravings & old habits., to look at your relationship with food. With the diet you slowly add a greater variety of foods & increase portion sizes until how you’re eating close to your maintenance point & it is much like the way you’ll eat in the future.

The pre surgery diet, which often also is shakes, is also short term & in place so you will lose some weight quickly, reduce fat around your liver & make surgery easier.

For me the surgery changed my metabolic rate, gave me a new set point (the weight my body is happiest at), it adjusted my digestive hormones. Most importantly it gave me time to look at my eating & develop new habits. No other diet did that. Every other diet I felt like I was punishing myself which is why when I finished the diet I went back to eating in the exact same way I always had & the weight came back. I didn’t with this. I have a new way of looking at food & eating. I’m not on a diet. This is just the way I eat.

But only you know if the surgery will be right for you & that’s okay. All the best whatever you choose to do.

PS - Sorry for the long post. I guess you can tell I’m very pro surgery but that is because of the success I’ve had.

[PaperFlowers 1]

I am early pre-op and although I'm getting the bypass, I'm also close to your weight and have a lot of physical problems. My fitness level at this point is practically non-existent so one of my questions in my first consult appointment was whether I should be concerned about undergoing surgery at such a low level of mobility and health in general. This was a physician's assistant and I'm sure each doctor would respond based on your individual circumstances, but she said that the surgery these days is really not that hard on a body and recovery is manageable regardless of whether or not you can exercise. Her words: 'people who have the surgery don't need to run to lose weight, they need to lose weight to run.' Granted, she also sent me home with a print-out for some simple resistance exercises to try. 😄

[Arabesque 7,623]

9 hours ago, PaperFlowers said:

I am early pre-op and although I'm getting the bypass, I'm also close to your weight and have a lot of physical problems. My fitness level at this point is practically non-existent so one of my questions in my first consult appointment was whether I should be concerned about undergoing surgery at such a low level of mobility and health in general. This was a physician's assistant and I'm sure each doctor would respond based on your individual circumstances, but she said that the surgery these days is really not that hard on a body and recovery is manageable regardless of whether or not you can exercise. Her words: 'people who have the surgery don't need to run to lose weight, they need to lose weight to run.' Granted, she also sent me home with a print-out for some simple resistance exercises to try. 😄

I didn’t exercise & I lost all my weight & more. No running or cycling miles or hours at the gym for me. It’s not that I can’t I just dislike it … a lot. All I do are a few resistance exercises & stretches. (I did add some sit-ups but as I do them I tell myself I’m crazy.) I do a series of exercise combinations over three sessions each afternoon & evening. They take me about 25 minutes in total & wouldn’t burn 30 calories. I do them more to better support my back & my oozing discs & a little toning.

There are a variety is simple exercises available on line for people with a variety of mobility issues. You could give them a try too & see if any work for you.