Personally when I had wls my surgeon REQUIRED that all his patients pass a mental health evaluation, not to rule people out of getting surgery, but to recognize people who were going to have other issues with things like transfer addiction.  And get them the help they needed so they could cope when the coping mechanism of food was removed from the equation.  I would believe that most other doctors are doing the same.  So now we are hearing about all these people who have had RNY and are now addicted to alcohol or sex or whatever.  Really?  Where is personal responsibility in all of this? 

It is bad enough when we have wls the general population thinks what we did was cheat or take the easy way out, so instead of proving that it wasn't a big waste of insurance money what do we do, regain all the weight or better yet turn into alcoholics or whatever transfer addiction and then blame wls for all our problems. Well isn't that just perfect.  Just wait until the insurance companies get wind of this and decide to stop covering rny and using these stats against us.  One in 10 people who have gastric bypass become alcoholics. WTF???  And you don't see you have a problem, never see it coming, no warning, its all in as an alcoholic?  Seriously if your psych eval uncovers issues aren't you obliged to get some help so you can cope without turning to drinking or drugs or whatever.  Don't we all carry some responsiblity for our own actions or are we really taking the easy way out and now blaming wls for all our problems.

I honestly hope that anyone who needs professional help to cope gets it, before you under go surgery that is completely life altering.  You can't just keep looking around for excuses for your behaviour, you need to resolve it and own the responsiblity to yourself.  The only life you are truly saving is your own.  And hopefully gastric bypass will continue to be a viable option for people who need it.  I for one never want to fuck it up for anyone else who needs this surgery.  

 I can't believe it's 1/10.

For weight loss up here, they say you have to give up alcohol for a year (I know, like anyone is going to do that, but I did pre op, and I don't want to drink now post op, my stomach feels too fragile).  (I'm 12 days out).

I think food is an addiction and I was married (in the past) to a recovering alcoholic.  A lot of people deny that they eat like addicts.  Maybe it would be better to acknowledge it, then one can change lifestyle, not just food consumption.

 The studies show that it is "more than 1:10" become alcoholics.

Alcohol in a post op is like snorting /mainlineing drugs.  We get the effect faster and harder but it goes away faster, so we need to drink again to maintain the "feeling"

It is actually more than a transfer addiction its the physical response of the body.

The News report  is here:  http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/gastric-bypass-fuel-alcoholism-16600168?tab=9482930§ion=1206872&playlist=18876


It's why I cringe when a newbie asks "when can I drink"

Pup

Divorce is another area where WLS often gets blamed on these forums. What a crock! Crappy marriages end in divorce not good ones.

There are a myriad of reasons why some of us end our marriages and WLS is NOT one of them. Our or our partner's behaviour is why marriages end. Altering your digestive system will NEVER be used as a reason for marriage break-up on the petition and it shouldn't be used here either!!!!

We need to quit being passive victims in our lives and own our choices, whether they be addiction or lifestyle choices ...

We need to quit being passive victims in our lives and own our choices, whether they be addiction or lifestyle choices ....

DITTO DITTO DITTO!!!!

The reason WLS is linked to divorce is people loose the weight and gain the confidence to finally end a marraige that was down the drain a long time ago. They finally feel they deserve better and they go for it. My sister went through that as well as some other people I have spoken to. But I 100% agree that people need to stop blaming WLS. It is OUR choice. If you decide to turn to alcohol or sex or drugs then that is something you would have done with or without the surgery, just a matter of when.

1 in 10 sounds high where did you get this number? I agree personal responsibility needs to be taken not just in the WLS community but I feel in the general population so many adults will blame someone or something else than acknowledge they need to be responsible for their actions.

As for Kim's comment on divorce after WLS I went through one 6 years after surgery and NO it wasn't caused by my surgery although he will say it was.....why, because he won't acknowledge or take responsibility for his actions.

I agree personal responsibility needs to be taken not just in the WLS community but I feel in the general population so many adults will blame someone or something else than acknowledge they need to be responsible for their actions.

You and Kim expressed my thoughts almost verbatim....

I totally agree on your comments re. divorce also...

 The study released last month showed 11% of bariatric patients develop alcoholism.  Not because of transfer addiction, but because alcohol affects people differently after surgery.

Ok Heidi I'm calling you out on this one.  You are so off base on this its not even funny.  

Unlike you, Heidi, I had wls to become healthy.  At age 39, I was literally killing myself with food.  I had insulin dependent diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol (being a long time single mom with 5 kids that even being that sick, I take damned good care of) and on 10 perscriptions for all of those ailments.

I had wls to get healthy for me (man I was so damed tired and I see now the damage that a half of a lifetime does to your body now that the weight is gone!)  and to be a better mother for my kids (lead by example).  I am now very healthy, (I got rid of all 10 meds including the insulin at 6 months post-op after I lost about 100 lbs) I had all this energy that I've never had before (yeah that happens after you lose the equivalent of a teenager) could run around and actually play with my children and teach them the correct way to eat and have a healthy relationship with food.

Yes, I have an addictive personality.  I am a food addict.  I used food like a drug addict uses heroine.  The only difference is that unlike illicit drugs, you HAVE to eat so its very easy to use you see.  I ate to squelsh my emotions during a very bad marriage (my exhusband beat me and treated me something like his own personal slave).  Food was the closest and most readily available thing for me to get, so yeah, I used it.  

Thank God for my surgeon. De. Pecquex.  She is a genious and saved my life with the great tool of RNY.  For me, that's all it is is a great tool.  I did the work, I learned how to use it correctly. I learned proper nutrition with the help of a good nutritionist and my own education. Through a lot of therapy, I learned what a healthy relationship with food looks like. I worked out for an hour and a half every day when i was losing weight.  and finally...I learned to like water and drink it all the time now.

Having said that, maybe the next time you blurt something out in a wls forum, you might want to own your own tool first.  Walk a mile in someone else's shoes next time before you pass judgement.  Time to get real with yourself.

I think she was referring to the fact that rather then getting help people are turning to other "transfer" addictions .... and a lot of insurance companies will look at long term stats...right now they cover wls because in the long run they save money on meds, weight related illnesses and hospital stays... but if they look at the stats for long term WLS patients and see that a HIGH number of people who get WLS are now using something else like drugs or alcohol, they may stop paying for WLS...

What i got from what Heidi said is .... "ladies and gents, get a grip, get help...seek therapy but don't trade in Obesity for Alcoholism, Drugs, sex etc"....don't ruin it for the future peeps who will need/want WLS! 

"Through a lot of therapy, I learned what a healthy relationship with food looks like. I worked out for an hour and a half every day when i was losing weight.  and finally...I learned to like water and drink it all the time now."

YOU have done exactly what she is saying NEEDS to be done... You got Help... you didn't turn to other addictions... 

AWESOME RESPONSE ... IT IS THE VERY EXACT MESSAGE I GOT FROM HEIDI'S POST... with preventive or continued therapy instituted or sought a lot of issues can be address dealt with remedied or treated ... instead of giving in seek help to deal with the issues ... the blame game seems to be the rule of life these days not only in the WLS community ... it is time we all took full accountability and responsibility for our own actions ... it is so easy to point the finger and blame someone else I cringe sometimes at some of the stuff I read/hear all over the place...

Like Jewel-twin, I got from Heidi's post that she is saying get the help you need to change your relationship with food and get to the bottom of the problem and get the therapy you need so that you don't turn to something else to take the food's place like alcohol, drugs, etc.  And you have done that.  You have worked hard and gotten the therapy you needed and you turned your life around.  Congrats!!  That is wonderful.  I did the same thing, and I am now 8 years out and healthy and happy.  But, lots of people don't.  They get WLS and lose the weight but don't change anything else and fall into an addiction of another type.  Very sad and a waste of a great tool.  More and more seem to be doing that which will in the long run change the way WLS is looked at by insurance companies and could affect whether they continue to cover it or not.  I see what she is saying.  Heidi is Heidi.  She tells it like it is in a more blunt way.  You just have to read through the bluntness to get to the message sometimes.  She has a big heart and means well. 

I think you have completely misinterpreted Heidi's post ...   Have a read of it again and all the replies - I think you will be able to pat yourself on the back after!

hmmmmmm... I also think you're misinterpreting Heidi's message. 

My insurance will not pay for mental health options if used to treat an eating disorder. Insane!!!

I can get help for drugs or alcohol but not eating? It's an addiction. Imagine being a drug addict but having to take some form of drugs that give you a high several times a day.

I have worked hard to try to overcome my addiction by myself. I know I will never get over it, but I will struggle with it..... I will not quit!!!!

 Try to figure out what your eating disorder is doing for you and get treated for that.

Is it helping with anxiety?
Depression?
Poor self esteem?

Have them bill it that way.

Pup

Transfer addiction for Heidi...... SHOES!  
Admit it girl!  you would never had worn those shoes pre-op!



But seriously I think more attention needs to be given to the pre-op counseling, psych evals (not to turn people down but to identify problems and to work them out before surgery)   No one becomes morbidly obese without having *some* psych issues.

People become SO obsessed with getting the surgery and getting "thin" they will do anything to hurry it up.  People go into the surgery quite uninformed, expecting miracles and being able to eat normally after the "suffering"  Nor realizing that their "normal" eating got them obese in the first place

I have seen posted by pre-ops:
  
"How do I pass the psych exam?"
Can I skip the 6 mos diet requirement
I cheated on my pre-op diet is that OK?
I didn't lose the weight the Dr wanted pre-op can I still have surgery?

Usually followed early post op with:

It's been 30 days and I've only lost 20# am I on a plateau?
I ate a hamburger and am supposed to be on full liquids will I be OK?
I don't see why we can't drink with out meals- I am and I'm doing fine.
Are Doritos OK if I chew them up really fine?
I ate chocolate and didn't dump..

At 1.5 years:

I stopped losing at 8 mos, what happened?
I can eat anything I want, is my pouch broken?
I never feel full, I must have stretched my pouch  (usually from those who drink with meals)

At 5 years:

I've gained back half my weight, I didn't do all this to be fat, I need a revision!


When Heidi said "excuses for your behavior"  I read it as not to blame everything in my life on the gastric bypass.  I need to make sure my head is on straight and get psych help if I need it.

I definately disagree on Heidi's opinion on alcohol abuse/problems as I am one of the 1:11
Heidi should feel lucky she isn't.

JMHO- sorry so long.

Yesterday at work I had to switch a bariatric referral to a different hospital so she could "get it done faster"  Her BMI is very high and she wants the lap band- had never heard of any other surgery.............we must educate ourselves.

Pup

When I had my psych eval pre-op almost 2 years ago, I was specifically warned about alcoholism post-op not because it's a particular risk for me personally; rather, it's an issue for WLS patients in general.  The psych noted that in some studies, the rate in post-WLS is 30%, but their practice had a rate under 10% by doing agressive education and including strict restrictions on alochol intake in our program -- even for VSG, not just RNY.

This is a broader issues re: all WLS-- with VSG you still absorb alcohol much faster than normal, and the underlying 'issues' are there as well with many patients. 

At my support group last month, someone came looking for help.  She wanted to lose weight so badly but she knew she was an emotional eater and had no idea how to get help for that BEFORE she had surgery.  She didn't want to go through surgery and then regain the weight - or find another addictive avenue.  She wanted help resolving her emotional issues first.

I was so mad at the group because 1) the conversation was dominated by a handful of folks that acted like they'd never even heard of the emotional connection to obesity, let alone been effected by it and 2) the skinny ninny moderator never stepped in and answered her real question. 

She was clearly PLEADING for help - to a group that should have embraced her passionately - but her cries fell on deaf ears.  I kept trying to get a word in because I'm very, very cognizant of my emotional connections to food.  I gave up and decided to talk to her privately at the break - but she snuck out before the break.

I pray she comes tonight.  I have prayed she continues to search for answers and doesn't give up.  And I pray that more WLS folks wake up and realize surgery will NOT make the issues just go away.  If you don't deal with how you got there in the first place... then history is bound to repeat itself in one form or another.

Whether it's emotional eating, depression, anger management... we a society we must encourage seeking out professional help from a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist. 

For years when I had a sinus infection or the flu, I would just suck it up and wait for it to go away.  Guess what... if you go to the doctor... they fix you in a fraction of the time!  So if we go to the doctor for the flu, why in the WORLD would we not encourage each other to go to the doctor when our brain was under the weather?!?

OK... so now I'm all FIRED UP for tonight's support group meeting!!  Wonder if that's a good thing?!?!   That poor girl from last month... sure hope I recognize her tonight and can share some of my struggles with her!