Gastric Bypass surgery
 

My doctor recommended I look into it. I have heard a few horror stories (in magazines, on TV) but have also heard of celebrities who have done it and don't have any regrets. I have asked my husband, my mother and my sister-in-law and all 3 of them are telling me not to do it, too risky... but I'm not sure since I've never actually heard a story about it directly from someone who's had it done...

Has anyone here ever had it done or known someone who's had it done? If so, would you/they do it again? TIA.

P.S. I'm a 24 year old female if that makes a difference in your advice. If you are a doctor I'll reveal my weight to you privately but quite frankly I don't want to post it publicly.

I've heard from friends that it's helped them get over that hump that they never were able to get past.

The downside to it is that ANY surgery has inherent risks. Opening the body up is a tricky process no matter how good our medicine has become.

Cynthetiq: How many friends of yours have gotten the surgery? Thanks for your advice, BTW.

Have you exhausted all other options first?

Gastric Bypass surgery requires a radical lifestyle change. You're going to have to eat smaller meals, exercise, and give up a lot of the stuff you like to eat. I would suggest trying the lifestyle change first, to see if you can do it. I mean you have to be doing something to be a good candidate for this kind of surgery. I've thought about it at times, and found that the best way is also the hardest, but most rewarding.

A co-worker of mine had it done and its done wonders for him. It was a hard choice to make, but he was a heart attack waiting to happen so he figured it was his best option. He had it done about six months ago and he looks and feels 100% better.

Its not easy, and you may not be in as bad a shape as he was, but it definitely worked for him.

Each individual varies as I am sure your doctor would explain. There are always risks involved when undergoing anesthetic and being open up.
I know several women with whom I work who have had this proceedure done. Not all were successful in keeping it off but none of them developed serious complications. They did however have to adjust their lifestyle and there are certain things that the body will completely reject as soon as you ingest it, and it will come right back up or cause you discomfort.
You will learn what you can and cannot eat with trial and error.
One co-worker had her proceedure done 15 years ago and has kept it all off. She looks great and she is much happier with herself. It helped her self esteem. She chose to do this after exhausting all other options and many lifetime diets.
I imagine you wouldn't be looking into this option if you didn't feel that you have reached a point where this is the only way for you to get the weight off.
I wish you luck and sucess in what ever you decide to do.

My mother and a co-worker have had it done. Both had serious complications and infections. I am overweight, not so much as to require surgery, but I would not do it, for myself, regardless. I am losing weight with exersize and diet. I figure I got fat when I stopped exersizing, so it's mental all the way. I DO think that it can, at times, be a life saver. However, in addition to the two people close to me (both who saw dramatic weight loss, in spite of the problems) I know two others, neither are much more than acquaintances, who have had it done and wound up losing a lot of weight, and then putting it all back on and more. It's certainly not a cure-all, and your stomach can be stretched, even after the surgery.

Consult your doctor, do lots of research, and figure out if it's something that you can do without. I think most people's minds and hearts are stronger than they believe, and you are more capable than you may be willing to accept. If it's important enough to do it right, it CAN be done.

Thank you, toxic515. I will think about that.

Have you looked into the atkins diet? My wife and I have both been doing it and she has lost 75 pounds in 6 months and I lost 82 so far in 5.5 months. If you like meat and lots of it this diet rocks!

I love meat! :) Thanks cub, I'll look into it...

My mom had it done yesterday. So far everything is fine, she's had no complications so far. I hope that will continue.

billege: I hope her successful recovery continues as well.

I've got a close friend of mine who went through with the surgery a little over a year ago, and she hasn't had any problems that I'm aware of, and she's lost quite a bit (I believe close to 140lbs). However, its still a diet and lifestyle change. You won't be able to just eat less, but rather, you can only eat certain things, or you will get sick.

Some of the things I know that she does is she can't drink within 30 minutes of eating... avoids all sugar... but she does eat what she wants... just can't eat very much of it.

After seeing her results, I'm tempted to go through with it myself.. just need to find a way to be able to afford it. (Being unemployed does not help that situation at all). In the meantime, I have tried doing Weight Watchers.. and that's worked okay for the most part, but I've plateued.

Gastric Bypass Surgery
 

Noodle - I had Gastric Bypass Surgery myself. And to be perfectly honest, if I was told I needed to go back in again tomorrow - I'd sign up in a heartbeat!!!!

Even with the risks involved (blood clots/complications/etc) they are the same or even a little less than lots of other common surgeries people go through.

A little about me - I was 640 # in Dec 2001 when I had my surgery. Now I haven't weighed in 3 weeks or so but I know I'm below 300 # for the first time in years!!! That's a loss of 340+ pounds in 17 months!!!

For good resources, go to http://www.obesityhelp.com - especially the chat room.

Good luck in whatever you decide!!! Just keep all of us posted.

I have only known two people that have gone through with this. One died 3 weeks after having it.. the other has done remarkably well.

If there is a way to avoid surgery, I would do so.

I had a simple, small surgery. It became infected and fucked me up for quite a while. I was supposed to be fully healed in three weeks. It took months just for the hole to close.

Its been over a year and I'm still not 100%.

A staph infection can kill you. Or cripple you. Or make you retarded. The best way to avoind a staph infection is not to have surgery.

Best of luck. Hope I didn't scare the poop out of you.

noodle, I have been considering the surgery too. My husband doesn't want me to have it. Let me know anything you have thought of and if you would like to talk about it.

Noodle- all of the above comments are right on the mark. I've taken care of 6 patients who have had the surgery and my best friend is a general surgeon who exclusively performs bariatric sugery. The complications of this type of surgery are much higher than other types of surgery mainly because obese patients generally are higher surgical risks.

Surprisingly though, every patient I have talked to who has had a complication has told me they would do it again without any reservations. I think that says alot...

You need to research this thoroughly and weigh the risks & benefits for yourself. Gonadman's remarks are right on, so I won't reprise them. Find a surgeon who has done the procedure a lot. Be skeptical, ask yourself if you are ready to commit to bigtime lifestyle changes. I've taken care of a few patients who didn't do at all well post-op, in fact they died, but several coworkers who've been through it are looking and feeling much better. There are a lot of caveats, but if I were in your position I'd probably find myself a good surgeon and go for it.

My closest friend of 20 or so years recently had this procedure done, He was at 454 lbs. and had exhausted every other reasonable method of losing weight (and some that were unreasonable). This is not a cosmetic procedure, and should never be looked at as such. If you have not exhausted every other avenue, then you need to do that first. He has had no complications as of yet, but any surgery is risky at best. It is my hope that whatever you decide to do, you at least educate yourself about it first. Good Luck!

My mother had it done some years ago, and the procedure was done incorrectly. Now she can't seem to eat very many solid foods, and the size condition is by no means fixed. On that note the problems there are not 100% attributable to the surgery, it may just be... her... On the other hand one of her friends had it done, and besides being painfull, she's lost a serious amount of weight and continues to eat and live healthier. I would reccomend attempting the Atkins diet before taking this on though, you never know what it can do for you.