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LisaLisa

LisaLisa

Member
Hello--
I'm so new I don't even have a surgery date yet, but I have started the process. I'm excited but not terribly nervous--that's a good thing right? I tried searching for people who had surgery in their 50s but was coming up with no results. I'm curious if there are extra concerns for someone who is, say, 55? I'm fairly healthy (insulin resistant, depression, bad knee) and am a bit worried about recovery and changing habits. I know my knee will be happy, even if I look like my skin has melted. (Excess skin, hair loss are also big worries since I'm in my 50s) TIA for sharing your experience.
 
I'm 55. Diabetes, high BP, sleep apnea so co-morbidities. All the more reason to have WLS. My surgery is next week. It's never too late to start living well. If your doctors and surgeon clear you for surgery, you're good. I think vitamins are the key to staying healthy during this process. And like so many threads here discuss, drink water. Keep your skin moisturized because skin tends to be drier as we age. We will have excess skin with weight loss, but lifting weights and Moisturizer should help.
 
I had my surgery almost 13 years ago on August 20th, 2007. I was 56 years old. I have had no problems associated with the surgery. I lost 115 lb in 14 months.

I was terrified of the sagging flesh I was certain would come after the surgery. But to my eye, I look much better and I have virtually no flesh sagging. I think the reason for that is because taking the weight off a fold of skin or a roll around your midriff actually causes it to spring up, not fall down.
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Hi Lisa -

Welcome to the life-changing journey. I had surgery 1/22/2020 - I'm 54 years old. I'm currently about 17 pounds from my goal weight of 140. Going through the process prior to surgery should put you on the right path for changing habits - eating better - smaller portions - exercise and so forth. I never thought about excess skin or hair loss. I was thinking about living to see all of my beautiful girls graduate college - fall in love - get married - have children - growing old with my husband - these were the things I truly wanted from surgery.

Before surgery I couldn't walk around Walmart or Sam's or any other large store - I had to ride on one of the carts they provide. There were many times we'd have to leave the store because all of their carts were occupied. Now, I'm 5'4 and weighed 220 on 1/21/2020 - I've lost 63 pounds. I can walk around ALL of those stores - even all of them on the same day! May seem like an odd thing but for me it's a HUGE success. I've had 4 lower back surgeries and 2 cervical spine surgeries - I've had issues with my back from injuries and all the excess weight. I have NO back pain walking around at all. It's amazing what the surgery has done for me and my family.

I truly wish you the best of luck on this exciting new life changing journey!
 
Welcome to the group. I'm 50 (51 on Aug 7) and had surgery on the 16th of July. Although I'm early in my post op journey, I'm already grateful for the surgery and having made a good decision. No more diabetes meds, 2 of 4 blood pressure meds are gone, I already feel more energy, etc. Don't have any qualms about doing this in your 50s!
 
Hey! Welcome!! I started this group right after my first dietician appointment. I will have my surgery, gastric bypass, in a couple months. I found it a great help joining at the beginning of my journey, so I could utilize all the wonderfully experienced members. I’ve had a lot of questions along the way, and it’s nice to have the support for each step.
 
Tee3416 said:
And like so many threads here discuss, drink water. Keep your skin moisturized because skin tends to be drier as we age.
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YEAH! I actually forgot that drinking water is the very best thing you can do for your facial wrinkles. people should start doing this when they're young so that they will continue to look young, because after surgery, no matter how young you are, so much shrinkage happens that you can suddenly have wrinkles where you never had them before.
 
I'm 67 and had my sleeve done on July 9, 2020, just a few weeks ago! Figured it was time to stop the yo-yo dieting I've been doing for 40 years. My surgeon said I wasn't the oldest he had sleeved. The recovery was quite smooth - no pain or nausea - I feel very fortunate! I feel better already, and hope to be one of those to say my only regret was not doing it sooner.
 
Yay! I've found my people! Thank you for your positive comments and I look forward to sharing my journey and yours together.
The last several diets I tried were almost dead on arrival as I ALWAYS gained the weight back and of course that not good for the body or the brain. I think this time my body will be different (obvi) so the results will be different.
 
From what I've experienced so far, this new tool (smaller stomach and reset hormones), that I have is the missing piece of the puzzle. I would have loved to have tackled it a long time ago without surgery, but the past is over and done. The future is health!

I'm just two weeks post op and there is way more to this than eating less. The surgery helped me with confidence and motivation to really change several aspects of my life. It isn't a one note tool, it can help direct an entire symphony!
 
Elidh said:
I'm 67 and had my sleeve done on July 9, 2020, just a few weeks ago! Figured it was time to stop the yo-yo dieting I've been doing for 40 years. My surgeon said I wasn't the oldest he had sleeved. The recovery was quite smooth - no pain or nausea - I feel very fortunate! I feel better already, and hope to be one of those to say my only regret was not doing it sooner.
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Please keep us informed of your progress. I am having my sleeve done on August 17. I was originally scheduled for March 18 but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. I am 70 years old and will turn 71 in October. I originally posted under Medicare and the sleeve or something like that, but didn't get many responses. I am nervous about my age, but hope to get off some of my Rx's and feel healthier. Please continue posting about your recovery. Good luck.
 
Wow, Rosanne, you are really old! ;) You are going to do fine. The sleeve is so simple that you will not even feel it and conceivably, you could go home the same day. Think positively because this is just going to be a totally positive step. Even though you're really really old...
 
Ha Ha!! I'm thinking of Ralph Kramdon (Jackie Gleason) doing his Hardy, Har, Har routine. Today, I feel old. My husband and I went to COSTCO to pick up some things. I thought that I'd better start getting used to walking and walked all around the store. Us & down every aisle, by the time we left I was exhausted. I feel at least 100 yrs old since. I asked my surgeon if I was the oldest patient he had and he said no. Hard to believe. The plan (if Covid didn't change it) is nothing to eat or drink the day of the surgery. Then, the day after surgery, I have an upper GI series to vertify that there are no leaks, I will begin Stage 1: bariatric Clear Liquids Diet. If I can keep the water and clear liquids down, I can go home.
 
I wanted to I wanted to mention gas again. It is a complicated subject but it is very easily explained. They use carbon dioxide to enlarge the space and make it easy to get to your organs. They are doing a laparoscopic surgery so gas does not get out. You're all Serta ballooned up there while they're doing it and it would be great if doctors would take a Time to squeeze some of the gas out but so far I haven't heard of anyone doing it.

but but but but that's not the problem. Even if your surgeon was kind enough to squeeze your belly and make the gas come out for the most part leaving your only a little gas, the gas would migrate to your shoulders and your arms and your back and it would cause pain for a day or two or three. There is no way around this. It is something that every laparoscopic surgery recipient should expect. It is quite surprising how much it hurts. I remember when I had my tubal ligation I felt like someone was stabbing me with daggers. It goes away and I guess there are some things like a hot pad or whatever that you can use on it but it's a topic that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of productive Solutions.

if anyone here knows any way to deal with the if anyone here knows any way to deal with the carbon dioxide gas pains that you WILL have after surgery, please let us know.

I recall I recall a patient a long time ago who was 70 and embarking on gastric bypass surgery. I can't actually give a number of the oldest patient who's ever been here but I think 70 is pretty old to start and might be kind of difficult but good to anybody suicides at any age to have the surgery. It is not that bad and you will feel better soon and I just can't think of another surgery where you get such a great results so soon and it keeps on giving you a great result for so long.
 
dianeseattle said:
I wanted to I wanted to mention gas again. It is a complicated subject but it is very easily explained. They use carbon dioxide to enlarge the space and make it easy to get to your organs. They are doing a laparoscopic surgery so gas does not get out. You're all Serta ballooned up there while they're doing it and it would be great if doctors would take a Time to squeeze some of the gas out but so far I haven't heard of anyone doing it.

but but but but that's not the problem. Even if your surgeon was kind enough to squeeze your belly and make the gas come out for the most part leaving your only a little gas, the gas would migrate to your shoulders and your arms and your back and it would cause pain for a day or two or three. There is no way around this. It is something that every laparoscopic surgery recipient should expect. It is quite surprising how much it hurts. I remember when I had my tubal ligation I felt like someone was stabbing me with daggers. It goes away and I guess there are some things like a hot pad or whatever that you can use on it but it's a topic that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of productive Solutions.

if anyone here knows any way to deal with the if anyone here knows any way to deal with the carbon dioxide gas pains that you WILL have after surgery, please let us know.

I recall I recall a patient a long time ago who was 70 and embarking on gastric bypass surgery. I can't actually give a number of the oldest patient who's ever been here but I think 70 is pretty old to start and might be kind of difficult but good to anybody suicides at any age to have the surgery. It is not that bad and you will feel better soon and I just can't think of another surgery where you get such a great results so soon and it keeps on giving you a great result for so long.
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Oooo, unfortunate autocorrect--I'm sure you meant "decides" and not "suicides"
 
LisaLisa said:
Hello--
I'm so new I don't even have a surgery date yet, but I have started the process. I'm excited but not terribly nervous--that's a good thing right? I tried searching for people who had surgery in their 50s but was coming up with no results. I'm curious if there are extra concerns for someone who is, say, 55? I'm fairly healthy (insulin resistant, depression, bad knee) and am a bit worried about recovery and changing habits. I know my knee will be happy, even if I look like my skin has melted. (Excess skin, hair loss are also big worries since I'm in my 50s) TIA for sharing your experience.
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Hi! I am Robbin from Michigan. I am brand new tonight. I am also 55 years old with 2 grown daughters and 2 wonderful granddaughters. I have torn my meniscus in one knee and have fallen and hurt the other knee also. I have sleep apnea also. I am excited to get started on this journey and get healthy. I go to my first appointment next week. My insurance requires 6 months of minimal weigh loss and nutrition counseling, etc. So my surgery is still months away, but I want to learn everything I can. I will be getting the sleeve. Look forward to learning a lot from all of you.
 
LisaLisa said:
Hello--
I'm so new I don't even have a surgery date yet, but I have started the process. I'm excited but not terribly nervous--that's a good thing right? I tried searching for people who had surgery in their 50s but was coming up with no results. I'm curious if there are extra concerns for someone who is, say, 55? I'm fairly healthy (insulin resistant, depression, bad knee) and am a bit worried about recovery and changing habits. I know my knee will be happy, even if I look like my skin has melted. (Excess skin, hair loss are also big worries since I'm in my 50s) TIA for sharing your experience.
Click to expand...
Lisa, I am Lisa from SC and had the RNY surgery seven years ago at age 52. What a blessing. I lost 100 pounds and have kept 80 of it off. I could fight with 5 to 10 pounds if I was concerned which I am not. You are making good choices now; stick with it. I read recently that people who keep the weight off exercise regularly, weigh them selves daily or weekly, eat the same all week long (no free days or the like), eat breakfast (hard for me) and choose low fat low calorie foods. It has helped me to not eat after about 6 pm.
 
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