Posted by TracyInQueens
IMO, someone cuttting you open and rearranging your insides is not a 'quick fix' by any means.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!
I had the gastric bypass surgery as well. My procedure was done a little over 2 and a half years ago in the summer of 2002. I lost 115 pounds. I went from a size 24 to a size 8/10 and I have never been healthier in my life.
I find it amazing how many of the posters here speak vicariously through other people's experiences. Unless you have lived through the experience of this surgery yourself, it is very hard to give an accurate account about it. Everyone's experience is different.
Having this surgery was a very personal and difficult decision. It was long researched. Anyone who has this surgery needs to make informed decisions. It is not something to take lightly. It is not something to do unless you have exhausted every effort possible. Even the best of surgeons will ask you to have 6 consistent months of doctor supervised diet attempts before they will do the surgery. Insurance companies won't approve you for surgery unless this is done as well.
Yes you can die from the surgery. One in 200 die on the table. But more than that die from heart attacks, diabetes related problems, high blood pressure and sleep apnea - ALL OF WHICH are associated with obesity. There are risks to every type of surgery. That is fact. When you go to get a tooth pulled, you sign a release that there are risks involved, but would it keep you from pulling the tooth? I hardly doubt it. A person can die in heart surgery, but would it keep someone from having it just so you can die from a heart attack? I don't think so. This is nothing short of the same thing.
Another fact that I am sure many of you know (or maybe you don't) is that 95% of people who go on diets will gain it back. Those numbers are NOT good. It is also not good for the heart to gain and lose and gain and lose. It is too much stress.
I was quite a success story as far as this surgery goes. I was a borderline diabetic with high blood pressure and joint problems in my knees. I had difficulty breathing and doing everyday tasks that most people take for granted. I followed everything that my doctor told me to do. I used a nutritionist and a personal trainer. I started working out at the gym three times a week as soon as I got medical release from my surgeon (6 weeks post op) and 6 weeks after that, I started abdominal work. I have continued that exercise regimen to this day.
I saw my future ahead of me. My mother had been over 300 pounds for as long as I can remember. She has every obesity related illnes you can think of - diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, you name it. That was not the life I wanted for myself. I needed a better quality of life than I had - now I have it.
It is important to realize that the surgery does not make you lose weight. What the surgery is, is a tool that puts people on an even playing field. It makes your stomach smaller allowing you to only consume a certain volume and by bypassing the small intestine, you do not absorb the calories (as well as nutrients - thus creating the need to take supplements for the rest of your life). It is also important to know that only 15% of people who have gastric bypass will reach their ideal body weight. I started at 260 and I am now 145 and never healthier in my whole life.
It is essential for a gastric bypass patient to exercise. Without exercise, the even playing field you have just given yourself is useless. Those who do not exercise do not have the same results as those who don't. I am not talking about those who CAN'T exercise because of skin interference. Yes I have some loose skin but I minimized my need for plastic surgery because I exercised. I have also reshaped my body into something I never could have dreamed of. Gastric bypass didn't do that - EXERCISE did.
As far as having children goes, it isn't hard at all. Surgeons will say that a person can expect to lose all of the weight from surgery within a year and a half. A woman should wait until her weight has stabilized before she tries to conceive. That makes logical sense. By the time that happens, the pouch has stretched enough that the expectant mother can take in enough nutrients and calories she needs to have a healthy baby combined with prenatal and other vitamins. After a drastic weight loss, women are much more fertile. There are many women who were infertile before they lost weight. Gastric bypass patients are often told to double up on birth control because of hyper-fertility.
Another thing to consider in regard to having children is this. SOME women who are obese are often considered high risk pregnancies. They have more incidences of gestational diabetes. SOME women who are obese also have more of a chance of having a child with a disability - developmental or otherwise. In essence, they MAY put themselves AND their unborn child at risk. I teach special ed and have done extensive research in this area. NOTE -I did say SOME not ALL women.
I am an active participant in gastric bypass support groups. I have been interviewed by Allure magazine and have been featured in a national television news feed in regard to this topic. I was asked by my surgeon to participate in these events because I did what I was told to do.
I am not a poster child for this procedure, but I am informed. If this helps anyone gain a better understanding of what gastric bypass is like, then I am glad. However, there will always be naysayers and negativity. If you are a person who wishes to or is going to have gastric bypass, you are making a very brave decision to extend your life with better quality.
Before and After pics:
