I am a 60n yr old female having my first pre-op appointment for surgery later this month. I am in St. Charles, MO. Looking for support groups. I have been doing research but concerned about you decide which surgery is the right one for you. THANK YOU! God bless you on your weight loss journey.
Intro and decisions
- Thread starter LindaR
- Start date
Cheyenne
Active Member
Hi Linda! WELCOME to the Forum! Glad you are here!!!
I was born in St.Louis, raised in Florissant MO. Moved to St Charles MO and we lived there for years til my husband got a job with the government and we moved to VA 25 yrs ago. Most of my family still live in St. Charles.
Great place to live!CONGRATULATIONS on your decision for a new and healthier life!
I am 66 yrs old and had my bariatric surgery 2 yrs ago. I am so happy now and my health has improved so much but I only wish I would have had this surgery years ago.
Good luck and please post often and let us know how you are doing!
Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Active Member
Linda, When I picked the gastric bypass RNY surgery, I knew I needed the surgery that was going to help me the most. I could look at food and gain weight. The gastric bypass disconnects the part of your intestines that absorbs sugar and some of the calories. I needed all the help I could get. I am so glad I made that decision. Laparoscopic surgery is so much safer and faster healing than the old way they did surgery years ago and the pain was minimal. Other people on this forum have had the sleeve which only cuts down the stomach size but it has worked well for them. Study the different surgeries and make the decision that is right for you!
Good luck,
Cheyenne
Good luck,
Cheyenne
Linney
Member
Hi LindaR,
Usually your Surgeon's office should be conducting an informative seminar that would give you all of the options that their practice offers. In addition to finding out what you would personally feel most comfortable exploring as well. I had a see a therapist as part of the protocol prior to having WLS and together we made a decision based on my weight and emotional connection with food. Each person has an individual need and each person has a surgery performed that best suits the individual. I can tell you this: Every surgical procedure will assist you in achieving your health and weight-loss goals. Each procedure is a tool and will meet us 50 percent of the journey, and the other 50 percent is up to us. If you meet this challenge 1/2 way, you'll succeed! Research, attend a seminar, and speak to your potential surgeon. Best wishes for a successful journey!
dancinbr
Member
Wow, Cheyenne and Linney have given you such good advice.
I went with the gastric bypass for two reasons:
1.) The procedure immediately controls diabetes. Prior to surgery I was on two or three diabetic meds and also using up to 90 units of Novolog fast insulin per day to control my sugars and keep my A1C in the 5s.
Right after the surgery I no longer needed any diabetic meds and my glucose was immediately controlled between 80 to 130 typically and my A1Cs continued to come in the 5s. Yes, you could still make your sugars go up and get high readings if you don't follow your new way of life. Yes, you can sabotage your surgery and go back to old habits eating the wrong foods and too much of them and restretch your stomach and defeat the purpos of the surgery. As Linney says the surgery is a tool and it gets you 1/2 there. It is up to you to take on the accountability and responsibility of taking better care of yourself by following the new program.
You will be on a "honeymoon" for the first year since the tool is quite effective in helping you lose weight in the early go.
2.) At the time of my surgery 11/4/2013 gastric bypass was the gold standard. Since then the sleeve has gained a lot of popularity. It is less complicated, etc., etc., The statistics of success are not in as yet. The data is being collected. It will be interesting to see the success rates 5 years out with the sleeve to compare to the gastric bypass. It will be interesting to see how well the sleeve controls diabetes, etc., etc
Now, the challenge is in for me and anyone that has gotten to their goal weight.
I acheived my goal by 7/2014. I made it to 199. Maintenance is for the rest of your life.
Do I have fun now? Do I eat what I want? Yes, but in limited quantities. Many folks and many nutritionists say you should not eat this or that EVER AGAIN. I don't necessarily agree with that myself unless of course that particular food or "goodie" is so strong a trigger that it would sabotage your new way of eating.
I have a method. I have set up three weight zones. I manage and react based on what zone my current weight is in. Your weight will fluctuate.
MY GREEN ZONE is <200. In this situation I pretty much have arrived at an ability and daily routine that makes sure I get my protein in each day and fluids and anything else I want; again in limited quantities with an intent to keep carbs low but not zero and keep total calories in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2000 calories per day (net calories). By net calories I mean actual intake minus exercise calories.
I monitor everything by using some useful calorie counter program.
MY YELLOW ZONE IS 200 to 205. Here I start to get a bit cautious. How did I get here? Well, perhaps too much fun over the weekend with goodie foods, exceeded the 2000 calorie barrier or whatever. I do enjoy my pineapple martinis over the summer. Alcohol tends to get me to retain fluids too much. So, at this point I start to keep calories around 1500 calories and gradually pull the weight back down to green zone. I do know how to lose weight and I certainly know how to celebrate and have fun.
MY RED ZONE IS >205 (by the way that is where I am now). I am at 207 right now. Too high. When this occurs I cut back all the way to 1200 to 1500 calories and initially the first few days down to 1200 and return to "week 1" disciplines going back to mostly liquid diet (protein shakes and glucerna) and make sure I am near 1200 calories until such time as the weight comes back down to the yellow zone and ultimately back to my goal weight of 199.
So this is something to think about for you. You have plenty of time to get used to a new way of life. You MUST strictly adhere to your new bariatric nutritional program to acheive the significant weight loss to goal that you desire. After that, the rest of your life is keeping your weight under control.
Best wishes,
Ralph
I went with the gastric bypass for two reasons:
1.) The procedure immediately controls diabetes. Prior to surgery I was on two or three diabetic meds and also using up to 90 units of Novolog fast insulin per day to control my sugars and keep my A1C in the 5s.
Right after the surgery I no longer needed any diabetic meds and my glucose was immediately controlled between 80 to 130 typically and my A1Cs continued to come in the 5s. Yes, you could still make your sugars go up and get high readings if you don't follow your new way of life. Yes, you can sabotage your surgery and go back to old habits eating the wrong foods and too much of them and restretch your stomach and defeat the purpos of the surgery. As Linney says the surgery is a tool and it gets you 1/2 there. It is up to you to take on the accountability and responsibility of taking better care of yourself by following the new program.
You will be on a "honeymoon" for the first year since the tool is quite effective in helping you lose weight in the early go.
2.) At the time of my surgery 11/4/2013 gastric bypass was the gold standard. Since then the sleeve has gained a lot of popularity. It is less complicated, etc., etc., The statistics of success are not in as yet. The data is being collected. It will be interesting to see the success rates 5 years out with the sleeve to compare to the gastric bypass. It will be interesting to see how well the sleeve controls diabetes, etc., etc
Now, the challenge is in for me and anyone that has gotten to their goal weight.
I acheived my goal by 7/2014. I made it to 199. Maintenance is for the rest of your life.
Do I have fun now? Do I eat what I want? Yes, but in limited quantities. Many folks and many nutritionists say you should not eat this or that EVER AGAIN. I don't necessarily agree with that myself unless of course that particular food or "goodie" is so strong a trigger that it would sabotage your new way of eating.
I have a method. I have set up three weight zones. I manage and react based on what zone my current weight is in. Your weight will fluctuate.
MY GREEN ZONE is <200. In this situation I pretty much have arrived at an ability and daily routine that makes sure I get my protein in each day and fluids and anything else I want; again in limited quantities with an intent to keep carbs low but not zero and keep total calories in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2000 calories per day (net calories). By net calories I mean actual intake minus exercise calories.
I monitor everything by using some useful calorie counter program.
MY YELLOW ZONE IS 200 to 205. Here I start to get a bit cautious. How did I get here? Well, perhaps too much fun over the weekend with goodie foods, exceeded the 2000 calorie barrier or whatever. I do enjoy my pineapple martinis over the summer. Alcohol tends to get me to retain fluids too much. So, at this point I start to keep calories around 1500 calories and gradually pull the weight back down to green zone. I do know how to lose weight and I certainly know how to celebrate and have fun.
MY RED ZONE IS >205 (by the way that is where I am now). I am at 207 right now. Too high. When this occurs I cut back all the way to 1200 to 1500 calories and initially the first few days down to 1200 and return to "week 1" disciplines going back to mostly liquid diet (protein shakes and glucerna) and make sure I am near 1200 calories until such time as the weight comes back down to the yellow zone and ultimately back to my goal weight of 199.
So this is something to think about for you. You have plenty of time to get used to a new way of life. You MUST strictly adhere to your new bariatric nutritional program to acheive the significant weight loss to goal that you desire. After that, the rest of your life is keeping your weight under control.
Best wishes,
Ralph
Thank you. This was very encouraging. You look amazing! You are certainly doing your part. I did attend a seminar and had my first appointment with my doctor. I have an appointment scheduled with the dietician and psychiatrist. My surgery won't be for several months but I know I need to get started on the preparation for this new life. I am doing a lot of research/reading online. There seems to be a small support group that meets once a month. I am hoping to find more patients locally for support. Talking to a therapist about which surgery as related to my food issues is something I didn't think about. I will do this. My doctor has recommended gastric sleeve but not sure if that is enough for me. I appreciate your response and comments. Linda
Thank you, Ralph. I am so blessed to have people share their experiences with me. It is all very useful. I know it comes from people who have the knowledge to help me on this journey. I need it! I think you have a good plan with the weight zones. I know I have told myself I wouldn't get above a certain weight and here I am. I am highly motivated right now. I do know it will be more of a challenge long term. I know personally 2 people that had the RNY surgery. One is pretty recent after changing from lap band. She is doing well. The other has gained 40 lbs. since her RNY and I don't understand her eating patterns at all. I would think she would be hurting her body and having digestive issues. Right now, I think of the surgery as a gift-a tool. I feel, right now, I am realistic about doing my part.
I appreciate the responses so much!
I appreciate the responses so much!