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Are You Happy That You Had Surgery?



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This is my first time posting here, but I’ve scoured forums for so many of my questions. I’ve read lots of your stories and have found encouragement and new fears. One demographic of people I haven’t seen much from are those that are at the lower end of the BMI for bariatric surgery. I am 5’6” and at 35 BMI. I juuuust barely qualified for surgery. I will get my surgery date this Wednesday and my fears are at an all time high. I am relatively healthy and qualified based on one comorbidity which is mild sleep apnea. My question is to those who had similar situations as my own. Do you regret getting the bypass, or are you happy you did it? Did you form more problems after the surgery than you had before? Please give me your insight! I know I want the bypass rather than the sleeve due to GERD issues. Like many of you, I’ve struggled with my weight and Portion Control my entire life. But I am so scared that I’m going to have regrets and it’ll be too late to turn back. Another question I have is for those on antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds. For the first time in my life, my anxiety is well controlled on Prozac and I’m worried that the surgery will completely mess that up. Can I hear your experiences with meds post-op?

Edited by Beks18
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I am...now. I had a sleeve in 2022 and had SO many complications and I was miserable. I had a revision to bypass in 2023 and honestly, it's been amazing. I 100% love that I had the revision. I recommend the bypass to everyone. It literally solved all my issues. And I'm so thankful that I got my life back.

I take meds for severe anxiety, for MS, and for lupus. The only real issue with meds are extended release with the bypass. But if you can find a way around that then you'll be fine.

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2 hours ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

I am...now. I had a sleeve in 2022 and had SO many complications and I was miserable. I had a revision to bypass in 2023 and honestly, it's been amazing. I 100% love that I had the revision. I recommend the bypass to everyone. It literally solved all my issues. And I'm so thankful that I got my life back.

I take meds for severe anxiety, for MS, and for lupus. The only real issue with meds are extended release with the bypass. But if you can find a way around that then you'll be fine.

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your perspective. ❤️

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Well, I don't fit your criteria (I was at about a 47 BMI at my highest), but I wanted to provide some overall perspective.

There will always be some people that regret having bariatric surgery regardless of starting weight, but studies suggest that the vast majority are happy they had it done. The satisfaction rates seem to be about on par with other major "elective" surgeries such as joint replacement.

In the studies available, there was a very strong correlation between satisfaction and weight loss success. That makes sense, because if you can't maintain the weight loss, this would tend to make you think it was a waste of time, money and that you went through a lot of hardship for nothing. Another strong correlation existed between those with eating disorders and dissatisfaction. Again, this makes sense because of the correlation between success and satisfaction. If you have an eating disorder, it's certainly possible to out eat any surgery.

Those that report the highest satisfaction would tell you it was nothing short of life changing. At the end of the day, only you can decide if it's the right decision for you.

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I had a BMI of 35 but I had a sleeve. I also didn’t have any co morbidities - I knew they were likely ahead of me though. So I’m going to respond more generally using am I glad I had weight loss surgery not a specific surgery.

Simply yes, I am. The bulk of must weight came on with menopause and nothing I did shifted it. Or if it did it would be back in a very short period of time. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it any longer and made an appointment with my doctor for a referral. I was in surgery less than 6 weeks later (benefits of living in Australia with private health).

Do I have any issues post surgery? Yes but they’re minor really and I had a quirky tummy before so no real change. I struggle a bit with the foamies but no dumping. I had reflux before but it was managed with dietary choices. Still have it though I take a PPI every day now vs a handful of times a year before & the symptoms are different now. (Best is I don’t get the hideous hiccups I used to get just the regular ones now.)

One of the benefits of having surgery is you simply cannot eat the same volume of food. Of course if you are determined you can eat around some of your changed digestive system. But take the time in the initial months after surgery where its benefits are strongest, to learn about things like portion size, nutritional values, etc. and start adopting new behaviours. Reflect on your relationship with food and why you ate and start making changes there too. Seek the help & support of your dietician and a therapist as needed.

Many seem to be concerned they won’t lose all the weight they’d like to starting at a lower BMI. I lost all of mine and more. It is important to remember that not everyone loses all the weight they’d like. The surgery (regardless of which you have), changes your body set point that is the weight your body is happy at which often is not the weight you think you’ll be happy at.

With bypass it is always best to have a conversation with the doctor who prescribes your meds as bypass does interfere with the absorption of these. It may mean you need to swap some of your meds as @SleeveToBypass2023 mentioned.

All the best.

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