Gastric bypass surgery?

[californiacasey]

Has anyone in the Century Club considered gastric bypass surgery? Has anyone gone through it? Is it an option for any of you? Do you think its a cop-out? A good idea? Risky?

I am interested to hear what you all have to say about it. Risks? Costs? Reasons? Results? Ramifications? Etc?

[iPamela]

In my own personal opinion....before I found Atkins I had considered it before I knew all the information about how dangerous it is. It seemed like an easy way out but it was just too risky.

Then I found Atkins and truly believe that Gastric Bypass is just not for me. I have lost about 60 lbs with Atkins and it's just really not that hard to do once you set your mind to it.

Also in my opinion...when people lose weight on a "diet" program or a woe like Atkins I feel that is an accomplishment. But when I hear others brag about losing weight after gastric bypass I believe it's just that big of an accomplishment. What did you really accomplish?? Your stomach is stapled up to the size of a grape? It's just an easy way out that just too risky & too expensive.

I say do it the right way - it didn't take surgery to make us heavy in the first place so why should it take it to get rid of it?

Pamela

[Del]

My sister had the gastric bypass on august 19,2003 and has lost 96 pounds. lets see, that is 96 pounds in 18 months and averaged about 1.5 pounds a week. which we can do on atkins. and she has so much hanging skin now that she is miserable. the insurance paid for the surgery b ut will not pay for the skin to be removed. she stays raw under the skin on her tummy and her legs are totaly ugly with rolls of skin hanging. she looks good with clothes on but was it worth over twenty thousand dollars?? NO NO. she can only eat a few bites at a time and bread makes her sick, water makes her sick and if she eats anything sweet, she gets c ramps really bad. so I would say it is not worth it when we can do it on atkins. then my daughter had the lap band surgery last september and has o nly lost 21 pounds..that again is about 1.5 a week and we can do that on atkins and dont cost a fortune.. I am gonna do it the old fashione way, food, water and excercise.

[CandSwirl]

I never met anyone who has had gastric bypass. However I am not against it. I feel if someone wants surgery whether it is plastic or medical they should do what makes them feel better. Because who are we to tell someone that they shouldnt do something. I've watched shows on the Discovery Channel about people who have had gastic bypass and they look fine. In fact they looked happy and if there is something you really want like getting rid of loose skin go push that docter to get it through to your insurance. Also if you just dont have insurance deal with it till you save up enough money to pay to have it done yourself or ask the surgean for a payment plan. Well anyways Im completly for surgery if you want it. Weigh the cost and see if its worth it. I did and loved my outcome (breast reduction/lift).

I would do it again in a heart beat!!!

[cleochatra]

that is 96 pounds in 18 months

I've lost 96 pounds in 6 1/2 months. Look ma! No surgery![/code]

[spbphil]

After gastric bypass surgery, it is essential to watch exactly what you eat, since the stomach's capacity is so tiny. Also, it is essential to take vitamins, calcium, etc. because the radically altered disgestive system cannot absorb nutrients in the same way. One of the after-effects of GPS can be osteoporosis from lack of adequate calcium absorbtion.

It seems to me that the discipline to do the correct followup after GPS would be even more difficult than following Atkins.

[spydergrl80]

Hello!
I am actually restarting atkins tomorrow because I have been scared away from having gastric bypass surgery. I have gone through the whole process and now have the option of making a date for my surgery, but I won't do it. After they have the operation, most folks have to follow a very strict high protien, low fat, sugar free diet. If they eat something "off the list" , many get what is called "dumping syndrome" which is basically your body desperately trying to get rid of the offending food by way of vomiting and diarrhea. You have to add one new food at a time, and most people experience a lot of vomiting, even a few years post-op. The operation bypasses 100-150 inches of small intestine, thereby causing malabsorption of vitamins. You are at an increased risk for osteoporosis. The healing time generally takes 6-8 weeks, and then you have to figure out what you can eat. Most take off 80 percent the excess weight within 18 months, which I think is possible with atkins and exercise, without the risk. It is a good option for many people, but not for me. I have also noticed on my visits to the bariatric office at my hospital that many, many post ops look very sick...hanging facial skin, thinning hair, just not healthy looking. If you want more information, there is a wealth of it on obestityhelp.com

[TheNewSpartan]

Do you think its a cop-out? A good idea? Risky?

Yes, No, Yes

Its reminds me of the Chinese bamboo. If you want it to grow, you have to feed and water that seed every day for 4 years straight, and you know what? That thing barely moves an inch and hardly grows. But, in the 5th year that thing can shoot 50 feets up!....moral of the story? Most people want 5th yr results without the 4yrs of hard work .

[Deflating Diva]

Would I NO! I like my self too much to allow some one to have power over the nutrients I need to survive on.
Deflating Diva

[IrishIrish]

I was a candidate, I was on the list, but the more I read, the more I balked. Honestly, the first step is getting control of our eating and if we can't do that with Atkins, I honestly don't understand how we think we are going to do it with surgery.

Aside from celebrities, I've known several people who have had gastric bypass. One spent her life being unhealthy and thought it would work for her. While she lost weight, she continued to be unhealthy. She died five years ago at 47. Another was a co-worker. Anytime we went out socially, she'd excuse herself to the bathroom and then leave right after.

I'm learning moderation ... and what scares me is I know what my eating habits were and they were going to allow me to have the surgery. I would have blown out the staples, the band or whatever in no time. I wasn't ready. And happily, I'm doing okay.

[Katlam]

My MIL had it done 10/1970, she was a guinea pig for Yale. She still has it in place but she's been having problems with it for far more than the last 14 years I've known her. She only lost a small portion of her initial weight.

They ended up doing a "pocket" and have discovered NOW that it was a bad idea. She ends up having to eat too many soft foods which are higher in calorie and fat content. Many times she will come and have a small supper and then end up spending the night vomiting up what she ate.

She's still overweight, can't eat some of her favorite foods (like days she tells me that she'd kill just to have a bit of salad, but it comes right back up)

So while I have no personal experience with it, my perspective is that it's not good at all.

On a side note, while she needs to have it removed/reversed, Medicare won't do it, saying it's cosmetic....yet now she's not getting her medicines properly, sometimes they fall into that pocket and don't get digested and then ulcerate...very bad situation for her.

I'd think that because it's such a drastic change, you'd have to be sure you have enough to have a reversal put away in case you end up in a sitution like my MIL, wanting to have it changed back but unable to afford it.

Just my 50 cents (way more than the 2 cents I thought I'd type)

Kathy

[jroche5998]

I posted once before about this but here it is again.

My best friends wife had it done. She had yoyo dieted for years. She had lost a ton of weight on Jenny Craig, but always gained everything back and more. She finally had the surgery done about two years ago. Now I must admit she does look great, but I question her quality of life. Everytime we are together, going out for dinner or one of the kids b-day parties, etc. she is always excusing herself. I always wondered why and its because she throws up almost everything she eats, if it isn't exactly the right thing. She can't enjoy any food at all. It was said before but post surgery requires way more dietary dicipline than ANY diet I have ever seen.

No thanks.

[JoanOH]

My daughter's best friend (24 year old female) had this surgery done about two months ago. She was here just the other evening and we talked about her experience. It scared me just hearing her talk about it.

On days 2-4 after surgery she was literally suicidal from the pain or from the drugs they gave her to ease the pain (she's not sure which). Since then, she can eat only 1/4 to 1/2 cup of soft foods at any meal, and now has difficulty even eating that much. Here she is two months post-surgery and she looks awful - pale, pastey, unhealthy. She still cannot exercise. She's lost 50+ lbs already and her skin, especially in her abdomen, is hanging down half-way to her knees - I'm not joking. She's horrified by this and embarassed to go out in public. Her breasts - 24 year old breasts, mind you! - are also drooping and sagging, but she's losing weight so quickly she can't afford to buy new bra's every week.

She has about 150 lbs to lose overall. The doctor told her it would take her between 1 1/2 and 2 years. Hmmm.... I've been on Atkins for a little over a year and lost 99 lbs.... where's the benefit???

And the biggest problem is, this girl has some real emotional problems and her initial weight gain was caused by using food for comfort. Well, no one is addressing those emotional problems -- and now she's suffering from depression and not handling life well at all -- because her one source of comfort is now gone, and they've not given her any method to deal with this.

She regrets having the operation and says so. She regrets that her doctor suggested it and that her insurance company gave the OK so easily because she feels that she didn't think it through or look at alternatives.

It's very sad.

Joan J

[bizzlekitty]

I seriously was considering it, but then decided to give Atkins as a chance, my last chance to see if any diet would work.

The thought of changing my body permanently... of all the side effects of not being able to eat and enjoy food ever again.... seemed too drastic.

I realize now that I needed to change my eating habits for good, and Atkins has done that for me. I can still "sample" my favorite foods, but knowing that if I cheat or indulge, I stall my weight loss. But I know that I can one day have more of my old favorite foods (which are also changing), once I lose the weight, a nice goal to look forward to. I also am not hungry or feeling deprived like most other diets, and I would imagine that gastric bypass would feel that way too, knowing you can't eat what you'd like.

I would encourage anyone considering this surgery try Atkins for a month first and see what a difference it can make.

[Uniquely_Ambi]

I seriously was considering it, but then decided to give Atkins as a chance, my last chance to see if any diet would work.

Me too!!!! I was so desperate to lose weight, I was considering the surgery as my only alternative. No diet seemed to be working. I was sick of starving myself, sick of being fat, sick of it all.

To be honest, I started Atkins with the attitude of "It won't work, but a least I can say I tried it."

I'm so glad I did. It saved my life. I know someone who went through the surgery and her eating habits haven't changed at all. She still has the same problems as before, except for now she has sagging skin and scars. She's also losing weight slower than she wanted.

I won't say it's not for others, but it's DEFINITELY not for me!