Hi, my name is Donna and I'm new to this forum however I am finding myself needing to chat with people that are or have been where I'm at and where I'm going. I live in Ky but I'm having my surgery in PA due to my ins only covers it if it is done in a " Hospital of Excellence". I have done all the testing that they wanted done here at home and I will be traveling to PA on Oct 5,2017 as trip 1, to meet with my surgeon and get my surgery date, go to some classes, get new labs done and then back home. I'm very nervous because I am at a crossroad in choosing which procedure I want, the Sleeve, or the Bypass, I've done research on both and both have benefits over the other and both have con's over the other. I am curious as to what the surgeon will suggest. I am 59 year old female 5'6 weighing 284 lb and my goal is I would like to be 160 lb. I have been heavy my whole life constantly battling one diet or the other only to end up here, I am now with type 2 diabetes, High blood pressure, water retention, sleep apnea and terrible back pain continuously. I want to live again, I have 6 grandchildren and I miss so much of their life and I cutting my life short.
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- Thread starter dkLeRoy
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Christine Seese
Active Member
Hi Donna. Welcome to the group. You are beginning what was the hardest part of this entire journey for me. I hated waiting for the surgery to be over with. I had gastric bypass as my insurance wouldn’t pay for sleeve. They said it was experimental.
I’m glad I had the bypass as I have had issues with overeating and I think if I had had sleeve, I would have lost very little weight. I look forward to getting to know you. Thank You Christine for your response, I also am leaning towards the bypass vs the sleeve, I haven't decided yet but still have a few days to toss all the information around. I will be leaving on Wed. for PA and meet my surgeon. Do you know if the vitamin patches are as good as the oral vitamins?
Christine Seese
Active Member
From my personal experience with the patches, they suck. They did not stay on very well. I also could tell I was not getting the vitamins in my system. Wish they had worked. It’s good that you are really thinking about which surgery to do as this will be with you the rest of your life. It’s one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.
Donna Steinman
Member
I had the RNY gastric bypass due to diabetes. I am five months post op and from day of my surgery I no longer take any diabetic medicine! My sugars now have normalized. My Dr told me the sleeve does not do as well with diabetes. At first I was leaning towards the sleeve, but glad I had the bypass.
Pixx
Member
I asked my doc about the vitamin patches as well and she laughed. It was her first response before she got serious and said "It is really terrible that someone is making money off of something like that. There is no way a vitamin patch would work, but especially for bariatric patients."
Beyond that, I had a friend that actually did use them for nearly two months, she was so deficient by the time she had her next checkup she ended up getting infusions for several weeks to get back on track.
I agree with Christine, they just don't work.
Pixx
Member
I can say that before surgery I liked sweets. Since surgery I have no tolerance for anything sweet. I get anything above 10 grams of sugar and I gag, so it definitely helps, it kind of killed my sweet tooth.
Lori W
Member
Welcome to the group! I am seven weeks post op having had gastric bypass. I didn't have any major health issues other then morbid obesity. My health insurance covered my surgery because my bmi was over 40. I did have to be in a six month nutritional program before surgery and had to lose at least 15 pounds in that time period. I lost 17lbs. The past seven weeks have had challenges. I've lost about 25 pounds since surgery. Right now I'm at a stand still. Been the same weight for two weeks. Second time it's happened. I struggle to get calories in...I'm eating anywhere from 300-500 daily. Which I'm finding out is normal in the first few months. Protein is also a daily battle since my taste for the foods that contains the most protein is limited. I definitely do not regret having this surgery!! I also have grandchildren and I want to enjoy their lives while they still want grandma and grandpa around!! Much luck to you with this journey! And if you have any questions please ask!!