Hi By, I had Graves Disease, which is the most common form of hyperthyroidism. The symptoms are rampant and I don't even want to describe to you the dozens of types of pains and dysfunctions I went through while my thyroid gland was going insane. The thyroid gland is almost as dominant as the pituitary and regulates so many bodily functions, chief among them being virtually unable to burn calories in food. So you just gain and gain and gain weight and your eyes bulge out of their sockets because of a condition called exophthalmus which comes along with it. Think of the comedian Marty Feldman, who played Igor in Young Frankenstein. He had Graves and his exophthalmus never went away.
Well, my eyes bulged and I was burning up all the time from the overactivity of my thyroid gland and on and on. I had my thyroid gland irradiated, which killed it, so I have no thyroid function and have to take thyroid hormone every day just to have something close to normal metabolism.
Etc. etc. I gained more than 100 pounds, going from 140 to 239 to 269 (I stayed off the scale but my clothes talked to me and of course, at doctor visits, it was documented. Many other bad things followed and I became suicidal. I'd always been slim and sexy, had to fight off men with a baseball bat, until I gained weight. Then only losers wanted to be with me--chubby chasers and generally obnoxious men who thought they could manipulate me blah blah blah...
So I finally had RYGB 17 years ago. I lost 115 pounds and looked fantastic. My entire personality changed, I gained confidence, yet developed strong boundaries against the kind of man who just wanted to use me because he figured I'd be too desperate to say no. I'm gonna attach a before and after so you can see for yourself. But you should be seeing a licensed therapist or psychiatrist and talking about this issue, especially because of your thyroid surgery and the devastating after-effects.
It has to be your decision, but make sure you're really giving yourself a chance no matter what you choose. I am completely thrilled that I decided to have the Big Surgery because it stopped all kinds of comorbidities in their tracks. Everyone in my family develops heart disease or high blood pressure and those who have died mostly died from stroke. Some of my relatives survived stroke but became completely disabled on one side of their body.
Do a lot of research, not just in this group, but using the American Bariatric Association site and its links to more sites, as well as the CDC and other federal health sites. It's NOT a good choice for everyone, but it is for the majority of people who choose surgery for weight loss.
It was the best choice I ever made for my health. I would very likely be dead if I hadn't made the decision to have the surgery. But it has its drawbacks, too, which is why you should get medical, factual information in addition to our success stories. We are here to be a support group for people who choose the surgical path. And some people here HAVE had negative results. That's just a fact, as it would be with any medical procedure. But IMO, the progress that's been made over the last 50 years has made this one of the most performed surgeries in the US.
But you have to take the psychological ramifications into consideration. It's a holistic procedure that causes many many changes in your body, mostly good. And personally, it's been fantastic for my health, looks and mental outlook--especially my self-esteem. No one ever guesses I'm 72. My decision to change my life gave me youth as well as protection for my cardiovascular system and stronger lungs and more stamina.
Now, go look for the negatives. You need to see the entire story, including how it might have bad effects on your own ego and motivations.
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