Question:
How long after surgery before you were ready to recommend it to others?
My PCP had Lap RNY 3 weeks ago and he told me today that he is not yet ready to recommend it. I'm hoping it's just because he hasn't gotten his strength back yet - and he went back to work at 1 week out. He is still on soft foods and missing eating and keeps thinking about not being able to eat sweets again. This has gotten me to thinking since my surgeon's office called today and changed my surgery from July 23 to August 7 - Now I have 2 extra weeks to THINK!! - I've been approved since April 22 - I'm just worried that I'm going to miss food soooo much since I've been eating it for 49 years now and old habits are hard to break. How long does it take to get past that thought and realize you did the right thing - or, do some of you never get to that point? — Margaret G. (posted on July 10, 2002)
July 10, 2002
I know I am not the norm however I was preparred for this to be so much
more difficult thanit has been. For me it really has such a minimal impact
on my life. I eat less and make better choices but for some reason it is
very easy. I was preparred to have times where I wanted to eat and couldn't
and expected to feel deprived. That really has not happened. Open RNY
35/5/02. Down 72 lbs.
— Susan M.
July 10, 2002
I am now 8 days post op. I am a bit sore, a bit tired, and a lil
uncomfortable, BUT THRILLED I had the courage to have the surgery. I am
still on liquids and a few soft foods. When I see Taco Bell commericals I
kind of have a pang for my old favorites as I sit and sip low fat soup, but
then I finish my soup and go look at the scale which shows a 18 lb weight
loss in 8 days. That definately helps!! There is absolutely no way to
lose weight without sacrafice and willpower, WLS is just a tool to assist
in the losing process. Think long and hard about what is important to
you...the 20 minutes it takes to gobble down your favorite foods or the 20
years this surgery will help add to your life when you become a more
healthy person. Good Luck in whatever you decide. Try to remember...it is
just food. And in the months after surgery you can still enjoy some of
your favorites...just in moderation.
— Tonya H.
July 10, 2002
I will be 3-weeks post op tomorrow. Honestly, the first week after the
surgery I was thinking "what have I gotten myself into",
"what was I thinking having wls". Well, since that first week,
the worst is all over, as far as pain goes. Today, yesterday, and last
week, I have felt wonderful. I know I made the right decision. I would
definately recommend the surgery to anyone. I had open-rny 6/20/02.
— stacjean
July 10, 2002
I am almost 3 months post-op and I am down 63 pounds. I have to admit that
the first month was torture for me as far as missing food. You just never
realize how much the world revolves around food. It's everywhere. It does
get easier because I am not hungry. You tell yourself that it is not
physically possible to eat food like you did before and it gets easier. I
was ready to recommend surgery after about 3 weeks. In fact, my Dad is
having surgery in 3 weeks and my sister will probably have it within a
month or two. My brother is still up in the air but is so amazed by my
results that he will probably have it soon. Food is just food. I never
thought I would feel that way because I loved to eat. I now eat to live
rather than live to eat. Good luck on surgery. I'll say a prayer for you.
Cheryl
— cdiss
July 10, 2002
Hi, I am one week post-op today and would recommend the surgery to any one
who has really done their research, has a good support system and feels
truly motivated! I am SO very lucky to have a man who loves me just as I am
and who I swear is having as much fun as I am with this experience (except
a couple of bad hormonal surges when my period started 2 days post-op).
Today he ordered me a beautiful medical id bracelet from
www.laurenshope.com The other day when I was crying for no reason, he took
me to WalMart, bought me extra feminine supplies AND a CD I've been dying
to have. What a man! But honestly, I am not missing food yet, I am loving
that I am down 12 pounds. Heck, just knowing I really CAN lose weight is
motivation. For the past couple of years all I've seen is the scale move
upward. YES YES YES I would recommend lap RNY by Dr. Marshall :) or any
other qualified surgeon. Food may be missed from time to time in the next
year but I have learned to love myself enough to WANT THIS! Best of Luck to
you - Anna
— Anna L.
July 10, 2002
To be honest, I don't think I would ever recommend this to anyone unless it
was a matter of life or death. About a month after I had mine someone
approached me asking for the information on my doctor and I gave them the
info and explained the procedure, but I did not recommend it. Perhaps, I
would in a case of life or death, but being overweight in itself is not
life threatening. I have known many people who were severely obese and
lived to a great age. As too the food issues. I mourned food a lot in the
beginning and then it lessened. I've been to parties with a lot of food
and have not felt deprived, but then I admit that there are times that I do
feel deprived. For some reason, feelings of deprivation have happened a
lot this week. I don't know, perhaps I will never be over those feelings.
— Lisa N M.
July 10, 2002
The only foods I don't have are milk & sugar. I don't feel deprived at
all! I used to love milk tho it did not love me, but even so, I think: hot
choc chips cookies & milk with having chairs stay attached to my
bottom? Or protein drink and having room for the dog in the chair? That
split second of thought is EASILY outweighed by air in my lungs and the
overall better health. I do eat regular food. The only thing I am missing
is that milk and sugar AND THEIR ability to put me back to my original
size.
— vitalady
July 10, 2002
my standard answer to this question is...if i had to have wls every year
for the rest of my life i would do it in a heartbeat!!! it is by no means
easy but i am healthier than i have been in years & i am now only 20
lbs heavier than i was at age 16 instead of 100 lbs heavier. my
brotherinlaw has had open rny on my recommendation & my girlfriend has
started the journey on my recommendation. good luck to u.
open rny 12/18/01 88 lbs & 82 inches gone FOREVER!!
— sheryl titone
July 10, 2002
I can't believe he went back to work after only a week!!! I had 5 weeks
off and I felt like CRAP the first 3 weeks post-op. I wouldn't have
recommended the surgery to ANYONE at that time!!! However, as with all
things, you learn to adjust and adapt and pain goes away. At 2 months
post-op, I felt MUCH better and at that time would recommend the surgery to
anyone. I never deprive myself of ANY food. If I want a piece of candy, I
eat it. I think that's a REAL important thing to remember. It's not that
you can NEVER have a certain food again for the rest of your life. Rather
you just don't eat as much of it. People who deprive themselves of any
food are setting themselves up to fail. One or two pieces or bites of a
certain food satisfies any cravings that I may have and it certainly hasn't
hurt my weight loss one bit. I'm 8 months post op and have lost 100
pounds. I've never kept this much weight off in my life after I had lost
it. This surgery was the right decision for me. It has opened doors that
were always closed to me in the past. Good luck on your surgery.
— Patty H.
July 10, 2002
I do not reccommend WLS to anyone. I'm only 4 months post-op (-78lbs) and
I feel great. I have kept my having this surgery very private even though
I've told my closest friends and relatives, somehow a lot more people know
now. Everyone's experience will be different. Mine has been great so far,
no complications; but I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone just for the
simple fact they might not have a great experience. I would reccommend you
do all the research you can now. I really don't think anyone would
reccommend the surgery until after a few months anyway. The first 2 months
are horrible. I felt so lonely and isolated. The smell or thought of some
foods made me ill. Sometimes I would think about food and just want to
cry. Talk to some post-ops that are a few months out, they would sooner
reccommend WLS. Good Luck.
— Angie B.
July 10, 2002
I am 7 mos. post op, down 82 pounds, 35 pounds to goal. I had complications
and spent a month in the hospital. I still, to this day, take pain meds.
Although I am happy with the weightloss, I felt a lot healthier before
surgery. If someone asked me about it, I wouldn't necessarily reccommend
it, but I would tell them my experience, tell them about this website, and
let them decide for themselves. I don't feel deprived of food NOW, although
the first few months were very rough because I didn't LIKE anything and
had to force myself to eat. My tastes finally came back about a month ago.
I can eat anything in moderation. I don't know if I dump or not cause I
haven't so far. I don't want to know if I can tolerate sugar cause that was
my demon in the past. A person really has to do their own research and make
their own decision on this surgery.
— Kim B.
July 10, 2002
This just goes to show how very different everyones experiences can be.
Being depressed soon after is VERY common. Regretting the surgery soon
after is VERY common. However, I did not experience the depression or
regret for one second. I waited 9 months for my surgery, so I was so
thrilled to have been blessed by it from day one. I had my share of side
effects too. Two strictures with endoscopy/dilation and a Mallory-Weiss
tear in my pouch from the constant violent vomiting. It caused me to vomit
blood. Even at that time I had no regrets. I knew that I would just deal
with it and go on. I think that a positive attitude and a thankful heart
has a lot to do with the experience. I have a friend that had WLS a year
ago, was depressed all the time pre-op and negative, negative about
absolutely everything. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that she has
been depressed ever since, and negative about the surgery. She was trying
to prevent me from having the surgery. Boy am I glad that I didn't listen
to her. I tolerate all foods, and eat a 'normal' amount food. In the
beginning a cracker would make me so full, so now when I eat, I feel like I
have eaten too much when in fact its not nearly the amount as pre-op. So
in that way I don't feel like I'm deprived in the least. Your PCP went
back to work way too soon. He should know better, of all people, that
healing requires rest. He will take longer to heal if he's not getting
enough. Don't be surprised if you do feel the regret and depression soon
after. Surgery itself wreaks havoc with your hormones and causes great
fluctuations, which can cause the blues. That on top of pain that you may
experience (I say may b/c I only felt like I had done a few too many
sit-ups), and losing your best friend (food). But when you have given your
body adequate time and rest for healing, you will feel better. And you
will be at the point of introducing new foods.
— Cheri M.
July 10, 2002
Initially, I had open distal RNY on May 28th and felt like I was on cloud
9, despite the pain from surgery. Then I had to have a revision on June
28th. The weeks betweent he surgeries were frustrating and painful. Would I
have recommended wld to anyone at that time? No way! I didn't know at the
time that what was going on with me wasn't the norm. I figured it was and
though all the happy post ops here were nut cases! After my surgery on June
28th, I can now eat and drink and it goes down and stays down. Sure, there
is some incisional pain, and I am very tired. I find myself waking up
everyday now with a smile on my face. I am thrilled I had the guts to go
through with such a hard decision and am excited about what my future has
in store for me. Would I recommend this to anyone? Anyone who is morbidly
obese should have this chance to change their life! You betcha!
— NicoleG
July 11, 2002
As soon as I saw the scale go down I would have recommended the surgery to
others. It was such a gift to see the numbers going DOWN for once! I did
have pain from the surgery and boy was I ever grouchy from the anaesthesia!
But I expected that and can't complain. I think the main thing is that
people just tend to do better if they address their food issues BEFORE
having surgery. I used to be a binge eater and had come to terms with that
on my own before I considered WLS. I think it may have been much harder on
me if I had come out of the surgery still dragging all those issues along
with me.<p>Sounds to me like your dr may still have some food issues.
Maybe you do to. But then again at 3 weeks out most of us are a basket case
anyway what with the lingering effects of the anaesthesia, the hormonal
surges, and the general post-op depression that occurs around that time.
Take anything he says right now with a grain of salt. The best advice
anyone can give you on whether to have surgery or not is to follow your own
heart.
— ctyst
July 11, 2002
Hi Margaret!! No harm intended, but you mentioned you have been eating food
for 49 years and "old habits are hard to break"...I agree with
you on that, BUT let's be realistic-you will have the help of ALL of your
AMOS family to go through this journey with you. After all, which is MOST
important-food or life? I too had to make a choice, and it is/was worth
it!~~Hadiyah~~
— yourdivaness
July 11, 2002
Hi Margaret, I would only recommend this surgery to someone that is really
going to put in the effort to research research research! So many, myself
included, think this is a quick fix and your magically going to lose the
weight without work. Granted I have lost 165 lbs with 40 more to go, and
I am grateful, but there were things about WLS I didn't know or was too
blinded to hear that I am dealing with now. I walked into my surgeons
office with delusions of me looking like barbie, never hearing the
nutritional side, or that I was going to be transected. I didn't even
realize that I was transected until two months after, when I was speaking
to another of my surgeons patients. What a dork I was. LOL. All I cared
about was being thin, not healthy. But in all seriousness, these past few
weeks, and I'm almost a year out here, at the end of the month, I have
really woke up to what I should have researched BEFORE WLS. Nutrition,
exercise, and diet. 11 months later!! Kinda late. Looking good doesn't
mean much if you feel like crap all the time. I've learned that now thank
goodness, and am now tring to fix what I didn't do early on. Good luck to
you.
— Carey N.
July 11, 2002
Who says he can't eat sweets again?? I am 5 1/2 months post-op and can eat
sugar, just not in huge quantities. Many,many others can also and some
cannot have any at all. Too soon for him to mourn somethng he may be able
to have some day. At 3 weeks post-op I would have never recommended this
surgery, was too weak and nauseous. At about 3 months and 50 pounds
lighter, I would have recommended it to perfect strangers!! You do go thru
an initial period when you mourn food-that usually happens the first few
weeks as your sipping soup and liquids. Damn those food commercials on
TV!! Once you are on solids, and your energy comes back and the scale goes
down,down and down, you don't miss food as much. And you can still have
alot of those old foods you used to eat, just in much smaller quantitites.
If I want a Burger King Whopper, its a junior whopper and i can barely eat
1/2 of it now!! Trust me, you'll still be eating for the next 49 years
too!
— Cindy R.
July 11, 2002
at 7 months out, I still wouldn't recommend the surgery to anyone, now that
I look back. I will tell you that I've had my ups and downs, and while I'm
enjoying my life, it hasn't been "easy" nor has it been
"comfortable" I traded my co-morbids for other problems, and I
do miss my food every once in a while. I "can" eat sweets.. and
every once in a while I'll get something and break it in less than half and
give someone else the bigger piece, just so I can have a taste. I was
telling someone yesterday that its becoming easier to cook, because I'm
finally cooking for what I can eat instead of just what I'm craving to eat,
and some days, it's even a nice combination of the two :) I know for a
fact that I did the right thing, my quality of life is literally 500% of
what it was 7 months ago, but recommend it? that's for the person to
decide.... Good luck on your journey.. :)
— Elizabeth D.
Click Here to Return