i am new here..

stephjohn1619
on 4/19/14 6:37 am

I am new here and i didnt know where else to start. i am 385lbs have high blood pressure and hypo thyroid. i find that i have to fight depression every day. i need to get this weight off and dont know how to get started..i have been over weight most my life which has caused my not to accomplish my goals and be as out going as i feel inside. i would love to go on long walks on the beach but at my weight i have to worry about my knees if people are looking at me and if my apron it going to be raw the next day. my friends ask me to go out with them and do things but i am too afraid if they have a seat that i can fit in so i dont go. i have support but they are all small and dont understand what its like to be big. i need some advise on how to get started on loosing this weight.

Member Services
on 4/19/14 10:19 am - Irvine, CA

Hi Stephjohn1619,  

Congratulations on taking control of your life and your weight loss journey.   We suggest you research all your options for WLS and OH is the right place for that.  Once you have reviewed your options surgery wise and decided on one then your next step is to find a surgeon.  We can help you with that.     ​​ Here are some links that will be helpful in your research.

​If you have not done so, contact your insurance company and verify if they cover WLS and if so what procedures.​  

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/choice-of-bariatric-proc edure-a-philosophy-obtained-in-20-years-of-bariatric-practic e-2/http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/choice-of-bariatric-proc edure-a-philosophy-obtained-in-20-years-of-bariatric-practic e-2/  

Let us know if you need anything else.   Keep us posted on how things are going!  

Regards,

Member Services

10026278
on 4/19/14 10:36 am - Canada

Hey Stephjohn I am having the RNY done on Tuesday afternoon and I am so excited.  you have def. come to the right place.  people on this site are so friendly and I can not say enough how many have supported me along my journey.  What ever your decision just know that you will get an abundance of support friendship and guidance here.  goodluck on your journey.  :-)  Val

56sunShine14
on 4/19/14 10:44 am

Hi Stephjohn,  I am currently 367, weighed the other day at my surgeon's office.  Although I have been blessed not to have high blood pressure (yet), I have severe osteo arthritis throughout my body that is exacerbated by the weight. That is the only "obesity related" issue I have but it has disabled me and that in itself is rough. 

Is your depression related to your weight?  Probably so.  you and I want to do the same things.  I had lap band surgery in 2007 but it has not worked out and I am having it removes but no date yet.  I also am going to have another type of WLS (weight loss surgery) afterward but not at the same time.  I want the sleeve but probably can't have it because I have reflux.  So, I think it is going to be RNY.

About being raw under your apron, I have that under my breasts at times.  Using a thin layer of Neosporin when you go to bed at night works wonders.  do it after washing up and repeat 1-3 nights and it should clear up nicely. Of course it will return but this method really works well.

I would love to help you on your journey and you will find ALOT of support here at OH.  Maybe we could help each other out?

Karen

MsBatt
on 4/20/14 8:41 am
On April 19, 2014 at 5:44 PM Pacific Time, 56sunShine14 wrote:

Hi Stephjohn,  I am currently 367, weighed the other day at my surgeon's office.  Although I have been blessed not to have high blood pressure (yet), I have severe osteo arthritis throughout my body that is exacerbated by the weight. That is the only "obesity related" issue I have but it has disabled me and that in itself is rough. 

Is your depression related to your weight?  Probably so.  you and I want to do the same things.  I had lap band surgery in 2007 but it has not worked out and I am having it removes but no date yet.  I also am going to have another type of WLS (weight loss surgery) afterward but not at the same time.  I want the sleeve but probably can't have it because I have reflux.  So, I think it is going to be RNY.

About being raw under your apron, I have that under my breasts at times.  Using a thin layer of Neosporin when you go to bed at night works wonders.  do it after washing up and repeat 1-3 nights and it should clear up nicely. Of course it will return but this method really works well.

I would love to help you on your journey and you will find ALOT of support here at OH.  Maybe we could help each other out?

Karen

If you have severe arthritis, you need to think long and hard before having an RNY/gastric bypass. After the RNY, taking NSAIDs for your arthritis will be a big no-no, due to the huge, blind, remnant stomach the RNY leaves behind. The remnant stomach can still develop ulcers, cancer, etc., but can't be 'scoped.

As for your reflux---yes, the RNY is the 'go-to' surgery for reflux, but it doesn't NOT guarantee it will cure your reflux. I suggest you seriously consider getting not a stand-alone Sleeve, but a full DS. With the DS, your Sleeve can be left larger (less trouble with reflux) and balanced out by having a shorter common channel. The DS has the very bet long-term, maintained weight-loss stats for patients of any size, but especially so for those of us with a BMI greater than 50---and you can still take NSAIDs, since there's no remnant stomach to worry about.

Lori W.
on 4/19/14 11:31 am - Pittsburgh, PA
RNY on 05/12/14

Welcome Stephjohn! You have come to the right place. I have suffered from depression most of my life and the weight makes it worse. Antidepressants work but since I've become heavier and heavier I have quit life. I go to work and that's about it. Are you thinking about or able to look into surgery? Please let me know if you have any questions and know that you are not alone. -Lori

 

    
MsBatt
on 4/20/14 8:55 am

Are you considering having surgery? Frankly, you have very little chance of taking off and KEEPING OFF a significant per centage of your excess weight through traditional 'diet and exercise' alone. Out of every 100 people who manage to lose 100 pounds the traditional way, 96 of them regain it all withing five years.

If you want a long-term solution, research the Big Three forms of WLS---the VSG/Sleeve, the RNY/gastric bypass, and the DS/duodenal switch. The VSG and the RNY work differently, but have about the same long-term success rate. The DS is both different from and similar to both the VSG and the RNY, but hs the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, especially for those of us with a BMI of 50 or greater, and for the metabolically challenged.

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