Reserch Paper
- Thread starter hdh274
- Start date
Cheyenne
Active Member
What type things would you like to know?
I can share that I have been overweight many years since I was 20 yrs old after I had my baby and gained more weight year after year. I tried diet after diet and lost weight and then gained more back. I had a car accident a few years ago and then was very sick with pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism. My activity level was down to zero and I gained even more weight. I also had numerous other serious health issues. My Cardiologist suggested that I have a gastric bypass and I decided to go for it. It was the best decision of my life. At this point I was 64 yrs old. I did great and I am still in the process of losing weight but I have no regrets and would do it over in a New York second. Bypass surgery is not a cure for being overweight but rather a powerful tool but it takes work and commitment and you must follow the rules to achieve success. Except for having gallbladder surgery because of having lost so much weight so fast, the bypass surgery and all it's brought me has been positive and awesome. My health is now great and best of all I feel like a normal regular person. I am HAPPY! I've lost 200 lb so far from my highest weight when I was pre-surgery and preparing for my bypass. I can shop normally for clothes and I can breathe when I walk up stairs now. Life is GREAT and I am so greatful for my surgery, I only wish I had the bypass done years ago when I was much younger.
Cheyenne
dancinbr
Member
I can tell you what Cheyenne has written to you is just about what everyone experienced as they finally approached the decision to have weight loss surgery.
However, I am a bit reticent to simply pour my information out to a one liner that just joined our group.
Tell us more about yourself, your research, your reasons for doing this research, etc;., etc.
Sarahzeman
Member
I do a lot of research every day and I know how hard it is to get personal experiences out of people, so I don't mind sharing. I'm very proud of where I was and where I'm going, so here you are...
I weighed approx. 300 lbs while pregnant with my fourth child. One day I changed a lightbulb (I stood on a chair while doing it---scarey for a 300 lb-er) and when I got off I landed on a metal strip separating the carpet from the tile. OUCH. I created 32 fractures in my feet and didn't know it---because of my weight and pregnancy I was always in pain. After giving birth, I finally went to the Dr. and he gave me two choices: 1 year off my feet and two surgeries (my insurance paid 20%)---or bariatric surgery to lose at least 150 lbs (my insurance paid 100%). Well, I'd sure do this again in a heart beat!!! That surgery 12 years ago changed my life and I can walk, breathe, and play---and I realized that before suregery I was just existing. I've returned to school (been going for 7 years now and I'm almost done with my master's) and believe that what I thought was bad (breaking my feet) God turned to good (I'm now almost at goal--I still battle with that last 20 lbs I want to take off to reach 140).
I'll check back to the forum and see if you reply, cause I'm an open book and happy to help a fellow student.
I weighed approx. 300 lbs while pregnant with my fourth child. One day I changed a lightbulb (I stood on a chair while doing it---scarey for a 300 lb-er) and when I got off I landed on a metal strip separating the carpet from the tile. OUCH. I created 32 fractures in my feet and didn't know it---because of my weight and pregnancy I was always in pain. After giving birth, I finally went to the Dr. and he gave me two choices: 1 year off my feet and two surgeries (my insurance paid 20%)---or bariatric surgery to lose at least 150 lbs (my insurance paid 100%). Well, I'd sure do this again in a heart beat!!! That surgery 12 years ago changed my life and I can walk, breathe, and play---and I realized that before suregery I was just existing. I've returned to school (been going for 7 years now and I'm almost done with my master's) and believe that what I thought was bad (breaking my feet) God turned to good (I'm now almost at goal--I still battle with that last 20 lbs I want to take off to reach 140).
I'll check back to the forum and see if you reply, cause I'm an open book and happy to help a fellow student.
dancinbr
Member
First of all congratulations! It has been 12 years and a changed life.
For me, it was life saving and/or life extension.
I was in pretty bad shape a couple of years ago approaching my 70th birthday, diabetic type 2, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and generally in reasonable health but I could see how I was deteriorating.
As many here will tell you and you MUST know from your own experience we had tried every kind of diet program that existed, lost weight and gained back and more, repeatedly.
I had looked at bariatric surgery back in the early 2000's but it wasn't ready for me or vice versa. The surgery has come a long way and the risks have been dramatically reduced in terms of complications and mortality, etc., etc.
So, I finally decided to go for the gastric bypass.
Just to give you a flavor for all the new accomplishments I achieved in short order after my surgery, I kept a record. Here it is.
Accomplishments as a result of my Bariatric Gastric Bypass (11/4/2013)
• Diabetes resolved – off all meds, avg reading 110
• BP normal again – I am still taking bystolic 5mg. Resting pulse is around 60 and BP near or below 120/80. Without the bystolic my resting pulse is still in the 60s. However, my BP goes up to the high 130s/high 80s.
• Sleep Apnea resolved – I am not snoring nor do I believe I am stopping breathing. I will confirm this later this year.
• Legs no longer swollen
• Waist size has shrunk – Wearing size 44 pants
• Feet are smaller – I was able to put a pair of dress shoes on that I haven’t been able to wear.
• I stay under 1200 calories a day. Most days around 1000 calories.
• I have a lot more energy and I can dance, dance and dance!
• I can walk up neighborhood hills aggressively without having to stop; no longer breathless.
• My incontinence due to my prostatectomy has been resolved.
• I am able to sleep in my bed again. I had been sleeping In an upright chair to be comfortable.
• Dramatically reduced backaches; almost completely gone.
• I can bend over and tie my shoes now and I can see my toes.
• I can do dance steps again that I couldn’t do. The belly is gone!
• Now wearing size 42 slacks.
• Starting to sleep on my side again! This has happened in years!
• Intimacy much improved !!!
• Fit in to a small diner booth !
• I can run up and down stairs several times without becoming breathless
• I squeeze out between two cars that were tightly parked together. A year ago I couldn’t get out of the car; I would be trapped.
• I squeezed into a size 38 pair of pants. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping on side is comfortable now. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping flat on my back is doing fine too. No longer need to be propped up. (6/1/2014)
• I have reached my goal of under 200. I weigh 197 (9/9/2014)
• Size 38 Pants fitting comfortably now (9/9/2014)
This is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I now have a good chance of living well into my 80s and perhaps more. I will get to see my grandson grow up; he is going to be one year old this March 2015.
So, if we are going to be useful input to your research, perhaps what is best is for you to compose a series of questions you are interested in getting responses on to perhaps channel our experiences to whatever angle your research is taking.
Best wishes,
Ralph
