|
|
|
|
 |
|
There are various forms of gastric bypass and weight management surgeries. Be sure to discuss all available options with your surgeon; get multiple opinions; review the credentials of your potential surgeon carefully; and discuss everything with your primary care physician before making any final decisions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Gastric Bypass Surgery - BL's Story continues... |
"Dieting... I know. I know. Diets don't work. That is what they say in the groups. This is why we all went under the knife to lose weight. We were tired of dieting. Guess what? WLS is a surgery induced diet. It doesn't last forever. Eventually, your body becomes super-efficient at sucking up what you eat and you will start to gain the weight back. Eventually, you will have to go back to dieting. If you don't believe me, joining some of the groups and forums. The medical profession does not emphasize enough the long-term complications of WLS and what that entails. I feel so sorry for these people who join these groups crying that they're gaining weight and screaming for help. Nobody told them that they would gain weight and they would have to diet again. Some gain a little. Some gain a lot. It's sad. Many have medical conditions to contend with, too. They often feel like failures. What they weren't told was that the surgery is what failed. It is a short-term tool to get the weight off. It does not come with a lifetime guarantee. In fact, it won't last forever without a lot of participation by the patient. Most obese people are not good with compliance issues to begin with. We're obsessive by nature. One doesn't gain one hundred pounds or more by eating and living moderately.
I can speak of these things from the unique position of having been on all sides of the weight issue. I've been to hell and back and have survived. I am now thriving. I am happy and feeling healthy. I love life. I am more than a number on a scale. I will work each day to feed my body healthy food and exercise, but I won't get hung up if it all doesn't come off as fast as I'd like. Life's too short to waste it feeling ill and worrying about what size I am.
The thing I want you to know is that if WLS doesn't work for you--it is NOT your fault. I carried guilt for so long thinking it was something I did or didn't do. My body just rebelled against the surgery. I was glad I had a surgery that was reversible. Not all modern WLS are totally reversible. You can't put back in part of a stomach that has been cut away and thrown in the trash. If I had not been able to reverse my JIB, I'm sure I would be dead by now. So many try to blame the patient, and that is wrong. We made the ultimate decision to go under the knife to try to lose weight. When it failed, we blamed ourselves. I was thin and enjoyed wearing small sizes. I liked the increased mobility. But I was so sick so much of the time, that I didn't get to enjoy it like I had envisioned. The awful gas kept my stomach bloated all the time, so I never had a flat tummy unless I was totally empty.
I've been full circle now. I thought WLS would be the final answer. I kind of smile when I see someone post 100 POUNDS-GONE FOREVER. There is no such thing as forever. The post op lists are full of WLS patients who have gained some or all of their weight back and are so disappointed to learn that they now have to diet. I can identify with that. Been there. Done that. I'm back to dieting again. This time, I have a lot more wisdom than I had in my youth. I know now that it can't be a temporary thing. It has to be a lifestyle change and done gradually so that I can comply with the changes. I know I can never be around trigger foods. I have no willpower to eat only a bite of something, so I just don't keep those foods in the house. Instead, I have things I can have and I make myself satisfied with that. I am functioning. I work. I keep house. I garden. I am nearing the end of an extensive physical. The only test I have left is a colonoscopy. Everything has come back to normal. I thank God that I am so blessed that I have another chance to treat my body right. I have abused it so badly in the past. WLS was the biggest mistake of my life. I regret that I ever went under the knife to lose weight. I was looking for a "fix" for my weight problem. I didn't want to do the work of dieting and exercise. I went the drastic route and regret it. I worry that I will pay in my old age for what I've done. I know I'm full of adhesions and scar tissue. I pray the damage to my kidneys doesn't come back to haunt me. I try not to worry about it. I can only go forward now. What's done is done.
WLS introduces many medical problems into a perfectly normal digestive system. I've paid the price for my decision. I've been to Hell and back, and lived to tell the tale. In my opinion, WLS should be reserved for those individuals who are bedridden with their weight... the super-morbidly obese. It is a difficult road and should not be entered into without serious thought given to the consequences. Are you willing to die to be thin?"
B.L.
Garden City, MI
Thank you, BL, for sending us your story. It is our hope that those considering bypass surgery will consider carefully what you have gone through.
|
|
|
|
Sign up for our periodic newsletter to get the latest tips, tricks, hints, help, recipes, site updates, and much more.
|
|
|
|
