Gastric Bypass Surgery

i had this done last july i have lost 108 pounds i have not had any problems with it and if i had to do it again i would. this is my profile http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/britanymommy/ you can also make an account at that site it is free and there are different message boards to talk and lots of supports

My mom had this done a few years ago. I was pretty upset with my mom doing this because honestly I felt it was the lazy way out. Sure she tried diets but when we had a cabinet full of jenny craig food or whatever...my brother and I ended up eating it because my mom never touched it. She doesn't excercise or do much of anything but read and eat and watch tv. There is a lot you have to go through though. You need to make sure you're mentally stable to handle it before you even do it. It's also not necessarily a dangerous surgery but it's still surgery and it still has it's risks. If you're willing to do those things than you're probably ready. After my mom lost a ton of weight (She weighed something like 320 before the surgery and ended up at 190) she ended up gaining some back. The thing you have to realize is your stomach is smaller. This means when you eat...you get full a lot faster and if you try to put more food in than your stomach can handle, you end up throwing up. Problem is though your stomach is smaller this doesn't mean you can't still gain weight. You eat smaller portions but if you still eat unhealthy food and in multiple small portions you'll still gain weight! This is what happened to my mother. Another thing to keep in mind is excercise. If you don't excercise after the surgery and you lose a lot of weight fast, you'll end up with a lot of skin also. My mom has "bat wings" as she calls them. It's this excess skin that stretched out because of the fat and didn't shrink back with excercise because she didn't excercise. Of course the moment after the surgery you can't excercise because you know... pain and stuff. Once you're able to excercise you definitely want to start and don't stop until the weight has come off otherwise you'll have excess skin and the only way to get rid of that is plastic surgery...and health insurance doesn't cover that. The last thing is that food you liked before may not agree with you anymore after the surgery. Also, I can't quite think of the nicest way to put these but lets just say that when you "pass gas" it definitely will probably fit the term "silent but DEADLY!" this is something that happens a lot to people who get the surgery done. If you're prepared for all the consequences I say go for it. Though I wasn't too thrilled with my mom at first and though she didn't excercise and still has gained weight back, she's a lot better off than she used to be and has a healthier future than she would have.

I have heard both good and bad on this operation.I wish you the best of luck what ever you decide to do.

Tina, really no idea about this surgery. But from my side 'Best of Luck' and best wishes for your treatment and impending surgery. deepak

I haven't had it done but I've known 3 people who have. Now the 3 I'm talking about happened many years ago, 2 back in the late 70's, one in the early 80's. The surgery (from what I hear) is much less risky today. The first lost 180 lbs over 2 yrs. Then she started putting it back on and ended up almost where she started. I dont know what happened or how that was possible but when I met her she was back up to almost 300 lbs. The second was a man I worked with. He lost almost 200 lbs but he had a problem, he went thru about 5 rolls of antacid tablets a day. I never questioned him about it but I do know that to him it was a good trade off. The third was a friend of mine. She started out at over 400 lbs. I visited her in the hospital right after her surgery and she came the surgery very well. Every time I saw her after that the weight loss was very noticeable. She got down to 135 lbs and looked fantastic. Sadly she continued to lose weight and the doctors couldn't figure out why since she was on a maintenance diet when she hit 135 lbs. Turned out that she had some mysterious illness and passed away about a year later. It was so sad for her to come that far and then that happened. Nobody seems to know if the illness was related to the surgery and the doctors were very stumped right up to the end as to the cause. From personal experience I too have been morbidly obese. I hit 240 lbs about 15 yrs ago, mostly from going on fad diets and trying to starve myself. In the process I completely screwed up my metabolism and always gained the weight back plus more. A couple of years ago my blood pressure skyrocketed and my cholestrol was high. It scared me enough to rethink my relationship with food. I started eating like we all know we should. Very little meat, lots of fresh fruits and vegies and whole grains and I started dancing for exercise. Right now I'm down to 159 lbs and still losing about 1 - 2 lbs a month and extremely happy. It is not easy to re-think your relationship with food when you've had bad eating habits since childhood. It's like breaking any kind of addiction, a struggle every single day but for me one that has been well worth it. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck!!

I haven't had it done, I have a friend who did. She is very glad she had it done and she looks and feels so much better. She didn't have any complications at all. And, I do think it has given her more confidence and she acts much happier.

Well, that is just a very big surgery and I was thinking about it myself. But, my hsuband thinks I shouldn't go there. I am afraid of it myself but maybe someday I will get it. I'm still thinking about it, though.

Just be sure you use a reputable doctor and hospital (as with any surgery). I think it is a lot less risky than it once was. I have considered it myself. I am on a medication that causes weight gain and its almost impossible to lose it. I've wondered if it would work for me.

One of my best friends is having this done on Aug 20th- She is really excited- She like you has tried every diet and cannot stick on them- You have to go through a series of doctor appointments- First to see if you are sane- physolcologist, then with the nutrionist- it's a lifestyle change- You have to be willing to change the way you live- You can only eat or drink 2 ounces at a time- It's a long process but if you are ready and emotionally set- you can do it- I wish you the best of luck if you choose to do so-