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Brand New

M

Macy M.

Member
Hello,

I am brand new to all of this. My surgery date is not yet set, but looks to be early November. Surgeon recommends bypass though I'd prefer sleeve, but I guess because of acid reflux, that's not a good option for me. I am terrified. I never wanted to do this - kept telling myself I could do it on my own (I haven't). But I desperately need knee replacement surgery. Whereas that was pretty bad before, I can barely walk now, and that's what finally pushed me toward the weight loss surgery.

Everything about this sounds terrifying. I keep hearing about all these awful after effects and I seem to see more posts from people who regret doing it than from people who are glad they did it. But perhaps that's just because whiners whine? How bad is it? Is this doable? Is this so life changing that I'm going to regret it? I'd really like to hear from people who have done it and are living it successfully. Because to tell you the truth, if I keep hearing the horror stories, I'm not sure I can go through with it.

thank you,
Macy
 
Macy M. said:
Hello,

I am brand new to all of this. My surgery date is not yet set, but looks to be early November. Surgeon recommends bypass though I'd prefer sleeve, but I guess because of acid reflux, that's not a good option for me. I am terrified. I never wanted to do this - kept telling myself I could do it on my own (I haven't). But I desperately need knee replacement surgery. Whereas that was pretty bad before, I can barely walk now, and that's what finally pushed me toward the weight loss surgery.

Everything about this sounds terrifying. I keep hearing about all these awful after effects and I seem to see more posts from people who regret doing it than from people who are glad they did it. But perhaps that's just because whiners whine? How bad is it? Is this doable? Is this so life changing that I'm going to regret it? I'd really like to hear from people who have done it and are living it successfully. Because to tell you the truth, if I keep hearing the horror stories, I'm not sure I can go through with it.

thank you,
Macy
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Welcome Macy. Read through this forum and you'll find mostly positive results and a lot of advice if something goes sideways--which is typically a result of not following the plan laid out by the surgeon and nutritionist. Take a deep breath and surf through the posts. I'm sure someone with a lot more experience than I have will weigh in soon. keep your chin up. :)
 
Welcome! My surgery is probably going to be in mid October, so I cannot attest to living the life of a post bariatric patient. However, this group is amazing. You are going to find a wide variety of people with different reasons why they had the surgery, how they recovered, and how they’re living the life after surgery.
 
Like most situations, people who have a poor experience usually talk more often and "louder" than people who have good experiences. The reality is that very few people have significant problems after surgery. Complications are rare. Everyone has slightly different experiences and "glitches" here and there, but there usually isn't anything to be overly concerned about.

Following the pre-op diet and post-op diet are important, and studies have recently shown that the pre-op diet is often something that really impacts the health benefits of the surgery. Unfortunately, the pre-op diet can be the most difficult part because it's going to feel like any other diet you've been on where you have reduced calories and you are dealing with a lot of hunger, but getting through that and then to surgery creates a great new beginning where the reduce calories won't create the hunger it used to!

I'm almost 5 weeks post-op, and so far I have zero regrets and things have progressed exactly as I would have wanted them. Some people do have some ups and downs after surgery, but most do not. You shouldn't spend much time worrying about what might go wrong. Focus on what you will be able to do with this new tool you are going to get to help make your life much better!
 
WazzuCoug said:
Like most situations, people who have a poor experience usually talk more often and "louder" than people who have good experiences. The reality is that very few people have significant problems after surgery. Complications are rare. Everyone has slightly different experiences and "glitches" here and there, but there usually isn't anything to be overly concerned about.

Following the pre-op diet and post-op diet are important, and studies have recently shown that the pre-op diet is often something that really impacts the health benefits of the surgery. Unfortunately, the pre-op diet can be the most difficult part because it's going to feel like any other diet you've been on where you have reduced calories and you are dealing with a lot of hunger, but getting through that and then to surgery creates a great new beginning where the reduce calories won't create the hunger it used to!

I'm almost 5 weeks post-op, and so far I have zero regrets and things have progressed exactly as I would have wanted them. Some people do have some ups and downs after surgery, but most do not. You shouldn't spend much time worrying about what might go wrong. Focus on what you will be able to do with this new tool you are going to get to help make your life much better!
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I think remembering that this surgery is a tool is the key to success, and very well pointed out by WazzuCoug. Weight loss surgery is not a quick fix one size fits all solution, and I’m not implying that you were saying that Macy. It is hard work and dedication mentally and physically, but it is extremely worth it. This tool that we allow ourselves to have changes our emotions, health, view points on food and ourselves, and has the ability to change our lives for the better. It is not without challenges, but usually the benefits outweigh the negatives. I am taking this leap because at 37 years old my orthopedic has already uttered the words, knee replacements. I know my body has suffered because of my weight, and I will not let that continue. I must be healthier to live a longer and more active life.
 
Macy M. said:
I'm not sure I can go through with it.
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Hi Macy! I was exactly where you are 35 years ago. I let my fears decide against the surgery. I am 72 and have had 4 back surgeries and 1 knee replacement. I'm now looking at another knee replacement and most likely both hips. I wish I could turn back time.

I've lost weight many times only to gain it and more back. I've spent a lot of time and money to stay healthy. It just hasn't worked like I was so sure it would. I love working in the garden and yard. I love walking the dogs, hiking our hills and lots of other out-of-doors stuff. But I'm so unhealthy that I'm mostly an indoors person.

Tomorrow I start my pre-op diet. I chose the bypass because of gerd and severe esophageal spasms. Scared? You bet! Nervous I won't succeed? You bet. But I'm tired of looking back over my life and trying to push my 3X body to do things it can't do. I want to be healthy and live a whole lot more years. Keep reading the posts. There are some very helpful people here that have made a real difference.
 
I’m so glad you reached out to the group Macy. I was much like you and very resistant and reluctant to consider bariatric surgery. I tried for several decades to lose weight on my own with no success. It really wasn’t until I looked at the literature and saw the underpinning of hormonal derangement and the concept of setpoint etc. I work in healthcare and was so focussed on the possible side effects and adverse effects of the procedure that I didn’t put enough credence in the benefits. I had a RNY in March. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. Don’t get me wrong the full month of liquids for the month before surgery and the month after was very trying to say the least. During my procedure and my surgeon told me that they found a fibroid on my stomach. In my follow up with him I asked about the fibroid and sadly he hadn’t looked at my pathology report. He opened it while I was on the phone with him because it was during this Covid time when I couldn’t see him in person. That fibroid ended up being a rare cancerous tumour called a GIST. Unfortunately the margins were not clear on my pathology report so in fact I had surgery two weeks ago to remove it off of the gastric remnant. In the five months since I had my initial surgery I lost 80 pounds. To be honest I’m a rule follower so I followed every recommendation with regards to oral intake, exercise etc. with my weight loss my second surgery and recovery was so much easier than the first even though at the time I felt like I recovered extremely well after RNY. Having bariatric surgery saved my life in more ways than one. If I can give you any advice I would say keep your eye on your goals and don’t let the fear of the unknown stand in the way of your health. There is risk with everything we do in life but there’s also a risk with doing nothing. I wish you all the best as you make a decision that’s best for you and your family:))
 
WWWindy said:
Hi Macy! I was exactly where you are 35 years ago. I let my fears decide against the surgery. I am 72 and have had 4 back surgeries and 1 knee replacement. I'm now looking at another knee replacement and most likely both hips. I wish I could turn back time.

I've lost weight many times only to gain it and more back. I've spent a lot of time and money to stay healthy. It just hasn't worked like I was so sure it would. I love working in the garden and yard. I love walking the dogs, hiking our hills and lots of other out-of-doors stuff. But I'm so unhealthy that I'm mostly an indoors person.

Tomorrow I start my pre-op diet. I chose the bypass because of gerd and severe esophageal spasms. Scared? You bet! Nervous I won't succeed? You bet. But I'm tired of looking back over my life and trying to push my 3X body to do things it can't do. I want to be healthy and live a whole lot more years. Keep reading the posts. There are some very helpful people here that have made a real difference.
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I’m scheduled for September 9th so please keep me posted. I’m in a very similar situation with a bad knee and I’m confident this weight loss will add to less knee pain and give me the capability to begin working out more.
 
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