Is this right for me?
Hi,
I am considering a gastric bypass. Needless to say, i am not sure it
i will be allowed to have it and i am not sure of the risks. I am
considered morbidly obese and like most of you, i have been battling
my weight since i was a child. I have had brief windows of thinness.
The longest lasting a couple of years. I am now a mother of 2 and a
former smoker so this has added quite a bit of weight as well. I had
post-partum depression after my second child and have been on prozak
ever since. It is not helping with my weight as the doctor had hoped.
I have also done Weight Watchers, Curves, swimming, walking, Xenical,
The Zone, starvation in the 80’s (yikes). I am now beginning to
experience chest pain, breathlessness and joint pain and stiffness. I
am at the end of my rope. I have everything else under control in my
life except my weight. I feel like this surgery is my last hope. I
want to be able to run with my kids, ride a horse again, go on a
roller coaster…wear shorts maybe!
If someone could share their experiences and what is required to be a
successful candidate for this surgery i would greatly appreciate it.
I am meeting with my doctor in October to discuss it with him but
would like to be better informed before i go to this appointment.
Thank you for your help!
Yvonne
August 5th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Hi Yvonne,
I am almost two years out, starting my new life on 12/5/3. I had a tummy tuck
on 9/7/5. The combined have given me a total loss of 105lbs. I don’t regret a
moment.
My doctor considered me a good candidate for the following reasons: Documented
diet with my PCP for two years, countless diets for many years, with some
success, but never keeping the weight off and always adding more. Past smoker,
enjoy exercise and did research on what it was like after surgery. It sounds
like you meet most of his criteria. Document every diet, when, what, and how
much weight lost. Write it in a journal. Take it with you. Ask questions. Lots
of them. It is a life style change, but not a quick fix. It is permanent. But
you can destroy it by wrong eating. Too many bad carb, snacking in between
meals, high calorie food, and not drinking enough. If you keep to the regime,
you can do it. It isn’t hard, once you get into a pattern. It will save your
life. It did mine. I jog, work, go to school, care for my home and husband and
love life. And, I’m 53 years old. So age isn’t a factor.
Nona