Obesity Discussion Forums

[PricklyPear]

Hello I am new here and I am very happy to be part of this forum!

I have a big decision to make and I need some advice, opinions, good and bad...about gastric bypass.

I need to lose weight because I am taking alot of meds to keep my high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol in check. My doctor recommended that I would get the lap band but unfortunately my insurance WILL not cover it. I have Tricare Prime and Lap Band is considered a trial..almost cosmetic. They will cover gastric bypass and I feel very uncomfortable because of all the horror stories I have heard from friends and on the internet, etc.

I weigh 230 lbs and I have two young kids, 4 year old girl and a year old boy and its so important for me to be healthy and see them grow up. I need to be with them and I am not ready to be buried in the ground.

I have tried to lose weight by doing diets and exercises but I always fall off the wagon (is that the right term?) anyway...I really need some advice from anyone who may have had gastric bypass.

I have heard ... that you can lose hair...leak...die on the table, die after the surgery...poop alot..etc.

Is there more good to it than that??

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Hello I am new here and I am very happy to be part of this forum!

I have a big decision to make and I need some advice, opinions, good and bad...about gastric bypass.

I need to lose weight because I am taking alot of meds to keep my high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol in check. My doctor recommended that I would get the lap band but unfortunately my insurance WILL not cover it. I have Tricare Prime and Lap Band is considered a trial..almost cosmetic. They will cover gastric bypass and I feel very uncomfortable because of all the horror stories I have heard from friends and on the internet, etc.

I weigh 230 lbs and I have two young kids, 4 year old girl and a year old boy and its so important for me to be healthy and see them grow up. I need to be with them and I am not ready to be buried in the ground.

I have tried to lose weight by doing diets and exercises but I always fall off the wagon (is that the right term?) anyway...I really need some advice from anyone who may have had gastric bypass.

I have heard ... that you can lose hair...leak...die on the table, die after the surgery...poop alot..etc.

Is there more good to it than that??

First of all, wecome to the site! Yes I believe falling off the wagon would be the proper term. Diets don't really work in the long term, you have to be willing to commit yourself to a lifestyle change.


The most common type of gastric bypass is the Roux-en-Y

Some of the side effects include:

• Death occuring within a month for about 1.5% of those who get gastric bypass. (Studies were as high as 2% in 2004).
• Dumping Syndrome (food passing too quickly through the stomach/small intestines
• An iron and vitamin B12 deficiency occurs more than 30% of the time. About 50% of those with an iron deficiency develop anemia.
• The connection between the stomach and the intestines narrows (stomal stenosis) 5% to 15% of the time, leading to nausea and vomiting after eating.
• Ulcers develop 5% to 15% of the time.
• The staples may pull loose.
• Hernia may develop.
• The bypassed stomach may enlarge, resulting in hiccups and bloating
• Blood clots in the legs. Blood clots in the legs are more likely to occur in very overweight people. Blood clots can be dangerous. In some cases, they travel to the lungs and lodge in the lungs' arteries causing a pulmonary embolism — a serious condition that damages lung tissue and can lead to death. Walking and using leg wraps that apply intermittent pressure to the leg can help reduce this risk of blood clots in the legs.
• Leaking at one of the staple lines in the stomach. This severe postoperative problem would be treated with antibiotics. Most cases heal with time. Sometimes, the leak can be serious enough to require emergency surgery.
• Pneumonia. Excess weight places extra stress on the chest cavity and lungs. This means a higher risk of developing pneumonia after the surgery.

Other common complications of gastric bypass surgery include:

• Dehydration
• Gallstones
• Bleeding stomach ulcer
• Intolerance to certain foods

I am going to move this to the obesity surgery forum where it will probably get better responses.

[William Wallace]

Hi PricklyPear we are so happy to have you here!

Something that you need to understand about obesity surgery in general, is that it is not a permanent fix. You are going to have to change your eating habits anyway down the road or else you will risk putting the weight back on. Something I always ask people, is that if they cannot change their eating habits now before they do the surgery, what will stop them from returning to their old ways down the road thus nullifying the surgery they had?


Look at Carney Wilson for example, she had gastric bypass, lost a ton of weight, and then put a lot of it back on again because she could not control her eating habits. Obesity Discussion made a post about it, where years after her obesity surgery her weight ballooned up to 188lbs.

Carney Wilson from "Wilson Phillips" had obesity surgery but gained back weight

[PricklyPear]

Thankyou so much for replying to my message.

You know...I did think that it was permanent and will have to eat no more than 5 oz of food at a sitting the rest of my life. I am glad to hear its NOT permanent.

You see...I know once I get the weight off...the weight I have gained from having my babies..I can keep my weight down. I have the education on nutrition and can maintain my weight very well. Once I have my weight down, I will be able to exercise much better.

I am just afraid of all the side effects listed above.

[William Wallace]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Thankyou so much for replying to my message.

You know...I did think that it was permanent and will have to eat no more than 5 oz of food at a sitting the rest of my life. I am glad to hear its NOT permanent.

You see...I know once I get the weight off...the weight I have gained from having my babies..I can keep my weight down. I have the education on nutrition and can maintain my weight very well. Once I have my weight down, I will be able to exercise much better.

I am just afraid of all the side effects listed above.

I am curious, what is stopping you from exercising now? Even starting with things like taking long walks can make a difference.

Your fitness level before the surgery could have an impact on the short term complications as well. This is a good read.

Gastric bypass surgery involves stapling of the stomach to create a small pouch, and then attaching a portion of the small intestine directly to the pouch so that food bypasses the rest of the stomach and part of the intestines. The researchers found in their study that patients with a poor fitness level, almost 17% of them had suffered from a serious short-term complication due to the procedure, like kidney failure, clots, in blood vessels, or even, as with one case stroke, and in one case death. They also but found that in contrast, in the patients who were fit during the procedure less than 3% of them had any complications or any death.

Poor Fitness Might Increase The Risks After Obesity Surgery


Something else to consider going into Gastric Bypass.


Also to consider, operations performed in the morning have been shown to have less post-op complications

Surgeries Performed In The Morning Have Less Post-Op Complications


I guess what I am saying is that there could be ways to mitigate some of this procedural risk.

You also need to determine if the risks of the surgery are worth the big impact it would have on your long-term health, assuming you can keep the weight off.




This was a study done by JAMA on bariatric surgery risks, but keep in mind this study was from surgeries performed from the late nineties to the early 2000s. Risks have gone down over the years through both medical advances and doctors having more practice.

JAMA study on the risks of bariatric surgery

[PricklyPear]

Well right now...I think that the surgery is just too drastic for me. I want to try to lose weight on my own...(but I have said that a million times before)

I am just sooooo confused. The reason I am a little rushed is because I current live in AZ and I will have one of the top three best surgeons work on me and when I move to my husband's duty station (Marine Corps) I will be under the care of military doctors and they are not as experienced. So if I do it, I have to do it now while i am still in AZ or never.

[PricklyPear]

Exercising? Good question. I have a very nice treadmill in my bedroom and I SHOULD use it daily! Its too hot to walk outdoors..(i live in Arizona) and the only excuse I have is that my two kids will not let me have a solid amount of time to do my walk. My four year old asks me every minute, are you done yet? My one year old wont stay away and I am afraid he will get hurt. So I am kinda in a pickle right now.
I have a 24 hour fitness membership for life..and its kinda far from my house so gas prices kills.

I dunno, I think I need to bite the bullet and be more aggressive on making time for me to exercise! I need to stop making excuses!

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Well right now...I think that the surgery is just too drastic for me. I want to try to lose weight on my own...(but I have said that a million times before)

I am just sooooo confused. The reason I am a little rushed is because I current live in AZ and I will have one of the top three best surgeons work on me and when I move to my husband's duty station (Marine Corps) I will be under the care of military doctors and they are not as experienced. So if I do it, I have to do it now while i am still in AZ or never.

Well, you are going to have to change your eating habits eventually, so why not now, regardless of whether or not you do surgery? Any weight you lose before surgery would help with post-op risks. I personally wouldn't rush into anything, especially a surgery without feeling comfortable about the process.

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Exercising? Good question. I have a very nice treadmill in my bedroom and I SHOULD use it daily! Its too hot to walk outdoors..(i live in Arizona) and the only excuse I have is that my two kids will not let me have a solid amount of time to do my walk. My four year old asks me every minute, are you done yet? My one year old wont stay away and I am afraid he will get hurt. So I am kinda in a pickle right now.
I have a 24 hour fitness membership for life..and its kinda far from my house so gas prices kills.

I dunno, I think I need to bite the bullet and be more aggressive on making time for me to exercise! I need to stop making excuses!

What part of AZ do you live in? 24hr fitness has I think 8 clubs in AZ? The best part about 24hr fitness is that they will watch your kids while you workout. That to me would be worth the drive out there, plus the kids usually have a blast in the little playroom.

Unless I'm mistaken, don't 1 year olds take naps? What about the 4 year old? Could you put them both down for a nap while you do your treadmill or even do it before/after they go to bed?

The other option would be to buy one of those double seated exercise strollers and you could push them both while you walk. It'd going to be cooling down in AZ in the near future, so you could probably start walking early in the morning in the next couple weeks.

Just brain storming here.


If you are looking to lose weight on your own, we would be more than happy to help you along the way!! We've had numerous people decided to go the natural weight loss route after a lot of failed attempts and be able to pull it off with our support group.

[sass63]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Hello I am new here and I am very happy to be part of this forum!

I have a big decision to make and I need some advice, opinions, good and bad...about gastric bypass.

I need to lose weight because I am taking alot of meds to keep my high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol in check. My doctor recommended that I would get the lap band but unfortunately my insurance WILL not cover it. I have Tricare Prime and Lap Band is considered a trial..almost cosmetic. They will cover gastric bypass and I feel very uncomfortable because of all the horror stories I have heard from friends and on the internet, etc.

I weigh 230 lbs and I have two young kids, 4 year old girl and a year old boy and its so important for me to be healthy and see them grow up. I need to be with them and I am not ready to be buried in the ground.

I have tried to lose weight by doing diets and exercises but I always fall off the wagon (is that the right term?) anyway...I really need some advice from anyone who may have had gastric bypass.

I have heard ... that you can lose hair...leak...die on the table, die after the surgery...poop alot..etc.

Is there more good to it than that??

Hello this is a huge decision to make. I had a gastric rny in 2000 but I was over 400lbs at the time. I had a lot of health problems and I was on oxygen. I think this surgery is a good thing for a lot of people. But even with the surgery you still have to make the lifestyle changes. I didnt to start with and I gained back 100lbs back after the surgery. When I hit 330 again I did make those changes and that was just about a yr and a half ago now 3 weeks ago I weighed in at 224.
So the surgery is not a cure all. And if you can make the changes now and stick it out and if your able to exersize do so, You may not need to go to the extrems of the sugery and all the dangers that come with it.
Good Luck to you in what ever you deside.

[PricklyPear]

Originally Posted by Obesity Discussion

Well, you are going to have to change your eating habits eventually, so why not now, regardless of whether or not you do surgery? Any weight you lose before surgery would help with post-op risks. I personally wouldn't rush into anything, especially a surgery without feeling comfortable about the process.



What part of AZ do you live in? 24hr fitness has I think 8 clubs in AZ? The best part about 24hr fitness is that they will watch your kids while you workout. That to me would be worth the drive out there, plus the kids usually have a blast in the little playroom.

Unless I'm mistaken, don't 1 year olds take naps? What about the 4 year old? Could you put them both down for a nap while you do your treadmill or even do it before/after they go to bed?

The other option would be to buy one of those double seated exercise strollers and you could push them both while you walk. It'd going to be cooling down in AZ in the near future, so you could probably start walking early in the morning in the next couple weeks.

Just brain storming here.


If you are looking to lose weight on your own, we would be more than happy to help you along the way!! We've had numerous people decided to go the natural weight loss route after a lot of failed attempts and be able to pull it off with our support group.

Oh I know there is alot of ways to start exercising. I just have to get my lazy butt up and get going. There is a 24 hour fitness about 30 minutes away and I think its time for my one year old to go in the playroom...before I couldnt leave him...call me overprotective. My daughter goes to Montessori from 8:30 to 12opm so I could go around 9am and do my workouts.
Yes I cannot wait for Fall. I know I can get out and walk down the Blvd with my little one after my 4 yr old goes to school. I did that before it got insanely hot.
From being on this board....I've decided to lose weight naturally...I just cannot get comfortable going under when I need more will power to do it on my own.
Plus...I am ashamed to say this. I smoke. I desperately need to quit and I am trying everyday to get my hubby to quit with me. I practically beg him every single day. I cannot quit when he is smoking all day long.

**sigh**

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Oh I know there is alot of ways to start exercising. I just have to get my lazy butt up and get going. There is a 24 hour fitness about 30 minutes away and I think its time for my one year old to go in the playroom...before I couldnt leave him...call me overprotective. My daughter goes to Montessori from 8:30 to 12opm so I could go around 9am and do my workouts.
Yes I cannot wait for Fall. I know I can get out and walk down the Blvd with my little one after my 4 yr old goes to school. I did that before it got insanely hot.
From being on this board....I've decided to lose weight naturally...I just cannot get comfortable going under when I need more will power to do it on my own.
Plus...I am ashamed to say this. I smoke. I desperately need to quit and I am trying everyday to get my hubby to quit with me. I practically beg him every single day. I cannot quit when he is smoking all day long.

**sigh**

Hopefully hubby will make things easier, but even if he doesn't you should still try your best to move on without him, and maybe your not smoking will get him to quit!

I'm glad you have found something you feel comfortable doing! We will all be here to cheer you on!

[MikeB]

At 233lbs you'll have to gain a ton of weight for them to approve a gastric bypass, that would seem very counter productive...
You are not far from where you truly need to be. Step 1 is just start walking and start tracking your calories being input. Simple things like stop eating white flour (replace with whole wheat/whole grain), drinking soda or other drinks with a ton of sugar. Eat protein with every meal (most people don't eat nearly enough). I started walking on a treadmill last Oct, I now run on my treadmill. It will take time but your body will adapt every day and get stronger. Once you get into a pattern of exercise it will only get EASIER!!! Please for your children's sake STOP SMOKING, even though you think you're being careful they're ingesting harmful side effects. If anything think about the fact that every time you smoke you may be killing your kids slowly...

[jblack]

Originally Posted by MikeB

At 233lbs you'll have to gain a ton of weight for them to approve a gastric bypass, that would seem very counter productive...
You are not far from where you truly need to be. Step 1 is just start walking and start tracking your calories being input. Simple things like stop eating white flour (replace with whole wheat/whole grain), drinking soda or other drinks with a ton of sugar. Eat protein with every meal (most people don't eat nearly enough). I started walking on a treadmill last Oct, I now run on my treadmill. It will take time but your body will adapt every day and get stronger. Once you get into a pattern of exercise it will only get EASIER!!! Please for your children's sake STOP SMOKING, even though you think you're being careful they're ingesting harmful side effects. If anything think about the fact that every time you smoke you may be killing your kids slowly...

Approval depnds more on BMI that actual body weight...

[Irving]

Originally Posted by jblack

Approval depnds more on BMI that actual body weight...

i thought i read somewhere that the threshold is a BMI of 40 or higher but 35-40 can be approved to provided there are complications due to the obesity? is that standard across the industry?

[jblack]

Originally Posted by Irving

i thought i read somewhere that the threshold is a BMI of 40 or higher but 35-40 can be approved to provided there are complications due to the obesity? is that standard across the industry?

I think it depends on the surgeon. I would imagine any reputable surgeons would have similar approval standards.

[dreamblooms]

Originally Posted by PricklyPear

Hello I am new here and I am very happy to be part of this forum!

I have a big decision to make and I need some advice, opinions, good and bad...about gastric bypass.

I need to lose weight because I am taking alot of meds to keep my high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol in check. My doctor recommended that I would get the lap band but unfortunately my insurance WILL not cover it. I have Tricare Prime and Lap Band is considered a trial..almost cosmetic. They will cover gastric bypass and I feel very uncomfortable because of all the horror stories I have heard from friends and on the internet, etc.

I weigh 230 lbs and I have two young kids, 4 year old girl and a year old boy and its so important for me to be healthy and see them grow up. I need to be with them and I am not ready to be buried in the ground.

I have tried to lose weight by doing diets and exercises but I always fall off the wagon (is that the right term?) anyway...I really need some advice from anyone who may have had gastric bypass.

I have heard ... that you can lose hair...leak...die on the table, die after the surgery...poop alot..etc.

Is there more good to it than that??

Hi Prickly Pear,

I know two people who have had gastric bypass. I would think long and hard before doing it. Both of those people have been basically disappointed. One had a serious post-op infection and a long, painful time in the hospital. For the other, the surgery went pretty well, but he's putting the weight back on. Now he says he realizes that the surgery didn't cure his habit of constantly wanting to be chomping on something. Like, some people can't stop biting their nails; he needs to always have something going in his mouth.

The surgery didn't cure his psychological problem.

You said you've tried & "failed" at diets. I have too. My problem was boredom, impatience, and cravings. Recently, though, I've found one I'm very happy with, and it features chocolate. Unsweetened cocoa, that is, which by the way has recently been discovered to have great healing powers for diabetes, heart disease, and more. Take a look at this page:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/141...554450-6716069

Give this one a chance. Try it at least for a few weeks. I'm on my 7th week, and the weight is coming off steadily, without a moment's craving. You have two little ones. This diet will be good for them and for your whole family for a lifetime. The doctor who co-wrote it is on the CT. Department of Health. He is also a federally designated First Responder. I love his gentle voice and wise, often funny encouragement. He wrote the book with his wife, a Nutritionist and heart smart cook.

I still have pounds to go, but this time, I'm happy. More reassured than I've ever felt. I love that book which btw is full of new medical information I never knew.

I wish you happiness, health and a Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. That reminds me. This diet book also has a recipe for No Sugar No Fat Pumpkin Pie. It...is...luscious. Much more delicious than the heavy, lardy usual kind.

[kirk22@optusnet.com.au]

G,day Prickly Pear
Over here in Australia most doctors wont do bypass surgery. You really have to ask for it. Everyone is doing gastric banding here. But regardless of which opp you go for you must realise that there is no magic silver bullet. All banding or bypas will do is reduce the size of your meals. You still need to eat better food and exercise a bit. I have two girls aged 4 and 6. Plus my wife also works about 65 hours a week. We still find 30 mins a night to go for a walk. Remember you dont have to go to the gym to exercise. My best advice is to try to find 30 mins a day at least to exercise and talk to a dietician.

I am not sure what it costs to get surgery done in the USA but here it isnt bad at all. I paid about $5500 for the gastric band surgery plus $1200 for the anestesioligist. Thats about $6700 AUD all up. I think thats about $5500 - $ 6000 USD. So i just paid for the surgery. I mean we pay $20 000 for a car right ?? What price do you put on your health?

Anyway Prickly Pear best of luck with whatever decision you make !

Kirk

[diminishingdawn]

I have had gastric bypass. I have gone from 288 lbs to 140 lbs. I am a year and a half out from surgery. If ever you would like to chat or read about my story, feel free to drop me a line.

Dawn